Kermits Team

Monday, April 13, 2009

Spring Green From This Old House

Seriously, the magazine. Not my house. LOL

Choose Green Interior Materials - Editor picks, including zero-VOC paint, flooring, more

Build a Table Using Salvaged Woods - Create this piece with stair spindles and a tread

Use Energy-Smart Devices - Dimmable LED downlights, rain harvesters, more

Make a Raised Vegetable Garden - A 2-hour project you can do with the kids

Best Stormwater Solutions - Attractive landscape ideas that filter pollution from water

Install Healthy Kitchen Cabinets - How to find nontoxic wood, bamboo, or MDF options

5 Lawn-less Yard Solutions - Plant conservative growers in place of a demanding lawn

Install a Solar Attic Fan - Save on cooling costs and save energy with this quick upgrade

Add Drip Irrigation - Conserve water; send it to the base of plants, where it's needed

Grow Succulents - 12 low-maintenance water-savers in striking shapes and colors

Labels: article, spring cleaning, this old house articles

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Keeping Indoor Air Clean

Remember the first time you looked at a drop of drinking water under a microscope in Bio class and saw the millions of tiny organisms it contained? Well, the air in your home is also filled with life. Most of it is harmless. But for people who suffer from asthma and allergies, all of those little bits of dust, dander, pollen, mold and, yes, microscopic life—collectively called allergens—can be a problem. What's more, these allergens have a penchant for gathering in your home.
Some homeowners undertake extreme measures to deal with air-quality issues in their homes. Many of these efforts are unnecessary and ineffective, says Dr. David Cugell, Bazley Professor of Pulmonary Diseases at Northwestern University Medical School and consultant to the American Lung Association. But there are a number of ways you can reduce the quantity of allergens in your home. The ones we'll show you are easy to do and don't cost much.
Keeping It Clean
Decreasing the amount of dust in your home is the single most important thing you can do to control allergens. Because dust is sticky, it attracts and holds dust mites, pet hair and dander, mold and mildew. It also settles on floors and furniture, so you should concentrate on cleaning exposed horizontal surfaces.
Effective vacuuming. While they are good at picking up dirt and dust, many vacuums don't hold onto the finer particles—they just redistribute them. Try this simple test: Vacuum an area in direct sunlight and then step back and look at the machine. The sunlight will let you see how much dust is coming from the vacuum. If there's a lot, consider a new model with special bags or filters that trap microscopic particles from major manufacturers like Hoover, Eureka and Oreck. Prices of these "low-emitting" vacuums are dropping; some are available in the $200 range. The most effective vacuums use HEPA (high-efficiency particulate-arresting) filters, although even these can't trap all allergens.
Because you spend much of your time in the bedroom, pay special attention to cleaning these areas of the house. Don't forget to vacuum the registers of a forced-air heating and cooling system as well as inside closets. Try to vacuum and dust when family members who are sensitive to dust are not at home.
Carpet concerns. Wall-to-wall carpeting and rugs are a haven for dust and animal allergens. Frequent vacuuming will decrease their carrying ability; some rugs can be washed. If it comes down to a choice between carpeting and wood flooring, remember that bare wood floors accumulate only 10 percent the amount of allergens as carpeting. A compromise: Bare flooring with washable area rugs.
This doesn't mean you should automatically rip up existing carpet; experts are divided about the benefits of removing carpeting for those who are not afflicted with serious asthma or allergies. Carpeting installed without a moisture barrier directly over concrete, however, is a different case. The carpet pulls moisture from the slab, creating a petri dish for mold, mildew and bacteria.
Discouraging mites. While vacuuming and dusting at least once a week help with dust allergens, they don't kill dust mites. To keep them under control, place mattresses, box springs and pillows in plastic cases and cover the zipper with tape. Wash bed linens and stuffed toys weekly in 130°F water; wash all bedding and fabric window treatments once a month. Use a meat thermometer to determine the temperature of your wash water. If it isn't hot enough, set the water heater higher. All items should be dried in a dryer or in direct sun.
Decreasing fumes. If someone in your household is sensitive to fumes and odors produced by household cleaners, paints, pesticides or gardening supplies, store these products in sealed containers in well-ventilated nonliving areas, like a garage. Also be sure they aren't stored near return-air ducts so fumes aren't pulled into other areas. Try to buy small amounts of these products so there's less remaining around the house. Better yet, eliminate what you can and switch to unscented, nontoxic or natural alternatives for products (including cosmetics) you must use. For example, use cedar chips instead of mothballs with paradichlorobenzene.
The particulates contained in smoke are serious irritants to everyone. Consider making smokers take their habit outside, and for the sake of sensitive individuals, avoid wood fires in the fireplace and aromatherapy candles.
The simple act of removing your shoes before entering your home will also decrease the amount of pesticide, garden fertilizer, mold and pollen you track into the house.

Clean Indoor Air Sites
American Lung Association
Clean Air Org
EPA Indoor Air Quality
Green Guide
Partnership for Clean Indoor Air
Peak Pure Air
NPR Article

Labels: article, green, this old house articles

Harvesting Seeds

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,471583,00.html

The July/August 2003 issue of This Old House features Randy McManus and his weekend home in Dugspur, West Virginia. The cottage and surrounding gardens are lush with wildflowers — even the sod-covered roof is a riot of colorful hando-sown plants. Here, Randy offers some advice on getting your flowers to bloom reliably, year after year.
Although wildflowers like those in Randy McManus's garden will propagate themselves if left to their own devices, collecting and sowing the seeds by hand ensures a profusion of blossoms.
To harvest seeds, wait until the flowers have faded and the seed pods have matured on the plant. This can take anywhere from several weeks for quick-seeding forget-me-nots to several months for hollyhocks, which flower in June but don't produce seeds until the end of the summer. (If a particularly beautiful bloom catches your eye and you'd like to propagate it, tie a piece of ribbon around its stem — once the petals fall off and the leaves wilt, it can be difficult to pick out the prized plant from the rest.) Just when the plants begin to drop their seeds naturally, pick the pods off and separate the seeds from the fruit; throwing the pods into a paper bag and shaking it is often an easy way to free them up. Then place the seeds on a metal baking pan or uncovered cardboard box and allow them to air-dry until they're brown and crispy. If you want to speed up the drying process, try stacking the trays on the sunny dashboard of your car. "A little old lady taught me that and now I do it all the time," says Randy. "You just have to be careful going around curves." Store dried seeds in coin or stamp envelopes, label them, and stash the packets in a cool, dry place, like the freezer. Most seeds will keep this way for several years.
Seeds can be sown as early as January or February. "Don't bury them too deep," says Randy. "Seeds like to see the sunlight." Simply scratch the surface of the soil with a garden rake, scatter the seeds on top, and water lightly with a hose. A late frost can kill tender seedlings, however, so when sowing be sure to use only half of the lot; that way you'll have backup if you need to reseed.
Flowers From Seed
Here are two dozen wildflowers that thrive in Randy's garden and will do well in most areas of the United States. Sow the seeds in early spring; they'll lie dormant until conditions are right for them to sprout.
Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.)
Baby's breath (Gypsophila elegans)
Bachelor's button (Centaurea cyanus)
Bearded dianthus (Dianthus superbus)
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Brazilian verbena (Verbena bonariensis)
Clarkia (Clarkia amoena and C. elegans)
Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
Corn poppies (Papaver spp.)
Flax (Linum lewisii and L. rubrum)
Hollyhock (Alcea rosa)
Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella)
Mallow (Lavatera trimestris)
Love-in-the-mist (Nigella sativa)
Lupine (Lupinus spp.)
Plains coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria)
Prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnaris)
Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Rocket larkspur (Delphinium ajacis)
Silver ghost (Eryngium spp.)
Spider flower (Cleome spp.)
Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
Tickweed (Coreopsis lanceolata)

Labels: article, green, harvest seeds, this old house articles