Where To Get Rid Of Unwanted Paints, Oils, and Other Toxic Products In your Home
Kent County's Household Hazardous Waste Program If you're a resident of Kent County, you can participate in the Household Hazardous Waste Program by setting up an appointment to bring material in during the week to one of the 4 centers, or by coming to one of the Saturday collection events listed below. No appointment is required for Saturday events. Be sure to review the list of acceptable items below before coming and note that latex paint, medical waste, pharmaceuticals, refillable propane tanks, ammunition and fireworks will not be accepted.
Non-toxic Drain Cleaner
Thompson Secret Drain Cleaner Recipe: Unclog Your Drain With These Non-Toxic Products! Ingredients:
Fall Maintenance Tips for Your Home Check all window and door locks for proper operation Check your home for water leaks Review your fire escape plan with your family Make sure there are working nightlights at the top and bottom of all stairs Have a heating professional check your heating system every year Protect your home from frozen pipes Replace your furnace filter Run all gas-powered lawn equipment until the fuel is gone Test your emergency generator Have a certified chimney sweep inspect and clean the flues and check your fireplace damper Remove bird nests from chimney flues and outdoor electrical fixtures Inspect and clean dust from the covers of your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms Make sure the caulking around doors and windows is adequate to reduce heat/cooling loss Make sure that the caulking around your bathroom fixtures is adequate to prevent water from seeping into the sub-flooring Other safety ideas for stairs: Tile and painted wood or concrete stairs can be slippery when wet or when a person's shoes are wet. Resurface the treads with slip-resistant strips near the stair nosing.
Avoid Costly Maintenance to Your HVAC System. How? By changing your furnace filter monthly. Most premature damage and failure to yours and my HVAC systems are caused by not changing your furnace filters regularly. Rule of thumb - when you pay your mortgage head downstairs and change your furnace filter. For those of you with 4-5" furnace filters. First off, congratulations to you for taking a positive step toward improving the quality of your indoor environment. Secondly, get yourself a 12" or so white board and stick it to the ducting near your furnace (magnets are fabulous for this). Write a date 3 months out from the day you install the new filter and check it then. If it still looks fairly clean, check it monthly up to 6 months total between changes. That's an easy trick from the Thompsons.
Here is the link to a clearing house of links for the government's resources for homeowners. http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Family/Homeowners.shtml
Paneling is fungus food
...as you know, all you have to do is add water. This link to the EPA has their guidelines on how to handle your mold problem. This will help you determine whether your problem is small or large - one to DIY or have professional help. I would suggest removing the paneling down there after the water source & remediation is handled.
Dispose of Latex Paint
Do you have 20 cans of latex paint in your basement? Here's the proper way to dispose of latex paint in Kent County, MI. http://www.accesskent.com/YourGovernment/PublicWorks/Guide/Latex_Paint.htm
Only Keep Clothes You Wear
Saturday was the first lazy day we've had around our house in the last 4 months. It was late afternoon and I had that restless feeling of wanting to actually accomplishing something. What came to mind was the painful experience of the last two times we went on a family trip and opening my bag to find two t-shirts and a pair of pants that I don't fit into. (Pause: As an absolute luxury, Kristin will sometimes throw together essentials for me before a trip. No spouse should be ever do this for a mate, and such a gesture should never be criticized because after all, why should I have clothes in my closet that I cannot wear.)
Take Off Your Shoes
Since the last time we connected through the blog and enewsletter I have been to the National Remodeling Show in Indianapolis and have become a Certified Renovator through the EPA's Lead Safety program. I have one mental picture that I'd like to share with you in response to these two experiences.
5 Ways to Go Universal
Right now we're 3 days into a 10 day universal bathroom retrofit. We finalized the agreement last Friday and then we started on Monday. It made me so happy to be so efficient in our design process and then to have the resources to get the job done immediately. If "universal" is a new word to you, it just means making a bathroom so easy to use literally ANYONE could use it. Here's how we're helping this particular client:
