Greener Cleaners, Room by Room

With all the emphasis on greener things lately, we thought you might like some more green cleaning hints. The Sprouts Farmers Market magazine has some suggestions to promote a fresh healthy home using toxin-free cleaners, such as baking soda and vinegar, in place of some not so safe cleaners, such as ammonia and hydrochloric acid. There are also some ideas about getting label savvy to avoid harmful substances and a room-by-room approach to greener cleaners, including the kitchen (ovens, countertops and floors), the bathroom (toilets, tubs and mirrors), and the living room (furniture, air quality and carpets).

Online Resources for Home Energy Efficiency

Reducing expenses is becoming more necessary for many of us, and we are looking at ways to reduce our energy costs. Don't overlook your local energy provider. Many will provide a free energy audit and most will provide advice on local contractors and suppliers and information on incentives and rebates available in your area. Here are a few online resources to get you moving in the right direction to improve your home’s energy efficiency:

Comprehensive Home Energy Savings
Home Energy Saver energy audit tool 
Latest on energy-efficient, durable and green homes 

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Creaky Wooden Staircase?

Wooden stairs creak as they age and begin to dry out. They can be fixed by carefully placing screws in the stair tread (the top, horizontal portion of the stair) to flatten the wood. Typically the drying wood will cup or bow. If the tread cups, it begins to slightly curl down in a cup shape. Bowed stairs are the opposite--the center of the stair is inverted so that it is actually slightly raised and the edges of the tread are curling downward. To determine whether you have cupping or a bowing problem, simply step firmly on the stair. If it makes noise when you step in the center of the tread, it is a bowing problem. If it makes noise when you place weight on the edge of the stair, it is a cupping problem. Repair by sinking a small screw in the center of the tread for a bowing problem and two screws at the front and back of the stair for a cupping problem.

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Inexpensive Home Renovations That Pay off

While housing values haven't rebounded to their pre-collapse peak, home remodeling has showed some modest gains, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Remodeling Market Index (RMI). While most of the increase in demand for remodeling is for major home additions and alterations (jobs worth $25,000 or more), there is still growing demand for minor changes. Remodeling magazine's "2008-2009 Cost vs. Value Report" confirms that the home renovation projects that add the most value to your home (meaning you are most likely to recoup the highest percentage of the project cost when it’s time to sell your home) are pricey, big-ticket items (such as replacing siding and adding a wood deck). But if those home renovations are beyond your price point and you're looking at a budget of just $1,000, what should you invest in to get the most bang for your buck? SeeYahoo! Real Estate for some suggestions.

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NEWS 

The Wall Street Journal's James Haggerty says in arecent article "Most of the products on display this week at the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas are aimed at professional home builders. But many of the 1,100 exhibitors also are eager to attract people who want to enhance their own homes. That’s especially important for the suppliers because housing construction remains in a slump, running at well below half the peak levels of 2005. At the same time, many homeowners have concluded that now is a bad time to sell a home; so they are staying put and looking for ways to adapt their houses." Go to the article for some of the products that caught his eye on an afternoon stroll around the Las Vegas Convention Center.

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Fast Facts

• One human hair can support about 100 grams. A whole head of hair could (in theory) support the weight of two elephants.

• It is said that your body uses 300 muscles to balance itself when you are standing still.

• There are about 60,000 miles of blood vessels in the average adult human body.

• By consensus the smartest dogs are border collie, poodle; golden retriever. Do not confuse with easiest to train.

• Scurf: scales or small shreds of skin or any scaly matter or crust on a surface.
  

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