How to Reuse Wood Ash
We are always looking for ways to reuse things resourcefully. Did you know that you can use the wood ash from your fireplace in ways you have probably never thought of?
Don't throw cigarette butts or anything plastic into the fireplace or wood stove if you are planning to reuse the ashes. Only ashes from real, clean wood should be used. Do not use the ash from painted or treated wood.
Some uses for your wood ashes:
Take a damp cloth and dip it into the ash to use as an abrasive aid for polishing silver and brass, and even sooty glass fireplace doors.
If your pet gets sprayed by a skunk, rubbing wood ash into its fur helps to neutralize the odor.
Mix wood ash in with your compost pile or soil. It adds some nutrients and can be a substitute for lime. Adding wood ash raises pH, but it also adds much-needed nutrients to the soil. Wood ash contains potash, phosphate, iron, manganese, copper, boron,and zinc in levels that vary depending on what type of wood the ash comes from. I mixed wood ash with some top soil and spread it around my tomato plants. They loved it. Within a few days they looked much healthier. So far it seems to have helped quite a bit.
Spreading wood ash around the garden beds will also help to repel snails and slugs.
Wood ash can melt the ice on your walkway and driveway in the winter. The ash also adds traction that helps prevent sliding on the ice.
If your outdoor pond is being overrun with algae, wood ash added to it can help slow its growth.
Help Your Best Friend on the Fourth of July
Fourth of July...the one day of the year that your dog can become a nervous wreck. My dog Jinx, (that's him on the left) hides under the table and shakes uncontrollably when he hears any hint of the celebration for our independence. Meanwhile other dogs don’t seem to notice a thing, and act like they don't even hear a thing. Here are some tips from For the Love of the Dog Blog that will help your dog get through the Independence Day festivities unscathed.
Beware of fireworks. Leave your dog indoors (not leashed in the yard) during the holiday weekend in a safe, secure, escape-proof room of the house with comfy bed, food and water. Also consider leaving a TV or radio on to drown out the sound of the fireworks and to provide familiar noises while you’re out.
Give them a den. Provide anxiety-prone pets give a crate to hide in, if they’re already crate trained. Cover this den with a towel for added security.
Be a comfort. Speak calmly to your dog and offer soft massage. TLC goes a long way in easing anxiety. Some dogs also get less anxious when they can have treats, but don’t overdo it.
Confirm your pet’s collar and I.D. information. Dogs can become easily frightened by loud celebrations on the 4th of July. Make sure yours is wearing a properly fitted collar with correct identification and tags just in case he or she becomes scared and runs away from home. Micro-chipping also is a great precaution to make it easier for your pooch to be returned home safely and promptly.
Be careful with 4th of July decorations. Remember that your pet may easily mistake your red, white and blue decorations and glow sticks as chew toys. Make sure to pet-proof your home and keep fun decorations out of paw’s reach.
Try an anxiety wrap such as Thundershirts. Used by leading behavior experts across the country, these Velcro-wrap shirts comfort pets. They’re akin to the time-tested trick of swaddling an infant. Email us at blog@tavacatalog.com and let us know if the Thundershirt works.
Don’t leave your dog in the car. With only hot air to breathe inside a car, your dog can suffer serious health effects-even death-in a few short minutes. Partially opened windows do not provide sufficient air, but they do provide an opportunity for your pet to be stolen.
Watch the booze. This is a tip for both you and your dog! If you injest too much alcohol you'll have a hangover but f alcohol is ingested by your pet they could also become intoxicated and weak, severely depressed, and could even go into a coma or worse.
Stay hydrated. Dehydration is the #1 concern and danger during those long summer heat waves. Make sure you have a generous amount of fresh water on hand to quench your dog’s thirst.
Using Water From a Dehumidifier
Several people have asked if it is OK to reuse water removed from the air by a dehumidifier.
Dehumidifiers draw water out of the air and collect it in a container. The air feels cooler because the humidity is reduced. Pouring the water down the drain is a waste, particularly since the water is distilled and free from minerals. But is this water OK to use?
Whatever you do, never drink the water from a dehumidifier, give it to a pet to drink, use in a fish tank, use for cooking or use to water your vegtable garden.
If you do not use a solvent to clean your humidifier I recommend that you water one plant for several weeks using the dehumidifier water. Do this as an experiment to see what happens. Email us your findings at blog@tavacatalog.com and we'll be happy to post them.
Oh, and don't select your favorite plant that you've had for years for this test!
Catalog Choice
A new service called Catalog Choice makes it easy to cancel catalogs that you do not wish to receive. Once you create an online account you can find and decline catalogs using the Catalog Choice program. Catalog Choice will contact the catalog publisher on your behalf to request that your name be removed from the mailing list.
This service is free and is a project of the National WIldlife Federation and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Green your Old Toilet
Make your old toilet green, and I don't mean from scum and mold. Set a water filled plastic bottle in the tank to reduce the volume of water needed to refill it each time it's flushed.
Ironing
Since we brought you the themidwestyle yesterday, I started thinking about my own wardrobe. I like wrinkle free, natural fabrics but sometimes you just need to iron, especially if your favorite skirt was bunched up in the laundry basket and you need to wear it to the royal wedding.
If I take the trouble to put up the ironing board and get out the iron, there is nothing I hate more than pressing the steam button and having that crusty stuff spray on my clothes. If your steam iron does not steam as it should, it's because minerals from tap water are clogging the steam ports. Try cleaning them out with the straight end of a paper clip. And if your mama never told you not to touch a hot iron I'm telling you now -- make sure the iron is cool and unplugged!
If that doesn't help, fill the iron water tank with a solution of half white vinegar and half water. Turn the iron on and keep steaming until the mixture is gone. Depending on the amount of build up, you may need two applications.
Be really green and use filtered water, rain water or frozen snow in your iron.
Thrifty Thursday
Not only is it Thursday but Tava is taking a tip from an interesting blog we found; themidwestyle.
It seems the guys from themidwestyle not only take on the difficult fashion questions like "can I wear brown and black together" but they also convinced a girlfriend to assist in recycling a pair of chino pants into a snappy looking pair of chino shorts. According to the guys here's what you need to get started.
- An old pair of chinos
- A few buttons and some thread
- A sewing machine
- Someone who knows how to use that sewing machine
The shorts look awesome guys. We'll check back next Thursday for more thrifty ideas.
Or send your own thrifty tip, ideas, gossip, concerns, jokes or photos about being green to blog@tavacatalog.com
Conserving Water for the Serious
Here's a great tip; after you boil all those eggs for Easter, use the cooled water on your house plants. The egg water is packed with growth stimulating minerals.
How about putting you watering can in the shower before you step in. If you're like me you need to let the water warm up for a few seconds--enough to fill a watering can. This might be a crazy tip but if you live in a community in the southwest conserving water is serious stuff!
Want to share a cool conservation tip? Send your tips, ideas, gossip, concerns, jokes or photos about going green to blog@tavacatalog.com We can't wait to hear from you.
Test Your Eggs for Freshness
Since the Easter Bunny will be filling your basket soon, now is a good time to know if an egg is fresh. Use this simple method to test your eggs.
Fill a clear glass container with water. A fresh egg will rest horizontally on the bottom of the container. As an egg ages, its air bubble increases in size and the end rises up. If an egg floats, it is very old.
A Real Life Saver
In 1912 Clarence Crane invented Life Savers as a “summer candy” that could withstand heat better than chocolate. Since the candy looked like miniature life preservers, he named it Life Savers. Here is a great way to use Life Savers to withstand the heat at birthday parties. Use an original sized Life Saver around the birthday candle to prevent the dripping wax from getting on the cake frosting.
Now the guest of honor can take some extra time to pick just the right wish!
Marshmallows
Marshmallow's are considered a candy and have been around since the mid-1800s. But did you know that marshmallow's are good for more than just hot chocolate, sweet potatoes and camping? Marshmallow's can absorb excess moisture and humidity. If you put a couple in your brown sugar bag they will prevent it from clumping together and hardening. The same trick will work in your sugar bowl. The marshmallow's won’t change the taste of your sugar because they are made from sugar.
Cornstarch
Cornstarch can be used for a lot more than just thicken the gravy. When I was a kid I had chicken pox. My mom would add cornstarch to my bath water and then dust me with it after I dried off. It saved me from scratching all over and it was a lot less messy than the over-the-counter remedies.
Here are some more ways cornstarch can help stop the itch.
Use lightly as a baby powder to help sooth diaper rash. You can also add the cornstarch directly to the baby's bath water, (about ¼ a cup to each gallon of water) to help stop itching.
To sooth sunburn apply a wet cornstarch and baking soda dressing. Stir 1 tablespoon each of the corn starch and baking soda into 2 quarts warm water; dip gauze pads into the solution and let them rest on the sunburn for 20 to 30 minutes.
For rashes, hives, insect bites, or poison ivy stir 1/4 cup of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water to form a thick paste. Apply to the irritated skin lightly.
And if you get hungry, make some gravy…
Get Ready for Winter Driving
Don’t wait for the first winter storm to think about having your car checked out for winter. Once the mechanics give your ride a clean bill of health, here are some tips to help you drive safely.
- Keep your fuel tank as full as possible, half a tank is recommended.
- Make sure you have sufficient windshield washer fluid in your car and keep an extra gallon in the trunk.
- Before driving, remove all snow and ice from the car windows. Keep your view as unobstructed as possible.
- Remember to keep your cell phone charged.
It is a good idea to keep a winter survival kit in your vehicle. If you ever get stranded you will be thankful you did.
Recommended items for your survival kit include:
- Ice scraper/snowbrush
- Shovel
- Sand or other traction aid
- Tow rope or chain
- Booster cables
- Road flares or warning lights
- Gas line antifreeze
- Flashlight and batteries
- First aid kit
- Fire extinguisher
- Small tool kit
- Extra clothing and footwear
- Blanket
- Non-perishable energy foods like chocolate or granola bars. Some juice or soup in a thermos is good too.
- Candles
- Matches
And make sure to listen to the radio or watch TV for road and weather updates before leaving. If you have to go out make sure a friend or family member knows your destination.
Love Your Dishwasher
Ever hear of Josephine Garis Cochrane? The story goes that she was fed up with her servants chipping her heirloom china while washing it, but that she didn't want to wash it herself. To solve her problem she created one of the best kitchen appliances known to man or woman; the dishwasher.
This time of year my dishwasher really gets a workout. To help it last longer and save some money here are some tips on how to get the most from your dishwasher.
First loading the dishwasher right will get your dishes cleaner. On the bottom load large items at the sides and back of the dishwasher so that they don’t block water and detergent from reaching other dishes. Place the dirtier side of the dishes toward the center of the machine for more exposure to spray.
Fill the top rack with mugs and cups, lined up between the rows of prongs -- not over the prongs where they might chip. Bowls go down the center of the top rack.
Load silverware in the individual silverware slots most dishwashers now include. Mix forks, spoons and knives to prevent them from sticking together. And put the bottom of your untensils down in the basket. This will help get the part of the utensil that you put in your mouth cleaner.
Don't over crowd the dishes. Rerunning an entire load that is too tighly packed to get clean is a real waste of energy.
Remove baked on food and large chunks before loading but pre-rinsing dishes is unnecessary and waste thousands of gallons of water each year.
Gel detergents create more problems than they resolve. Gels contain chlorine bleach which will dissolve the rubber seals in the machine. In addition they will cloud your glasses making them still look dirty. So use powder detergent.
To clean your dishwasher use white vinegar. Pour a cup of white vinegar into the bottom of an empty dishwasher and run a normal cycle. It cleans out old food particles to keep your dishwasher smelling fresh. You can also save some money by using white vinegar in the Rinse Aid reservoir. It works just as well as the expensive stuff.
Remember to keep your dishwasher clean. Sometimes bits of food that didn't make it down the drain get stuck in the bottom of the machine. Use a towel to remove any build up. Also remember to keep the rubber seal around the gasket in the door clean.
Tips for Using an Electric Range
Do you want to save some money and not waste electricity? If you have an electric stove like I do use these tips to make cooking easier than it was in Grandma's day.
One thing I have learned is that the heating element stays hot even after you turn it off. Even if you turn off the electric burners several minutes before the allotted cooking time is up your food will continue to cook without using more electricity.
A clean range top will reflect the heat better and save energy. So keep the stove top clean and the spills won't harden and bake on. Not only will this allow your burners to heat evenly but it will make future cleanings much easier.
Make sure to match the size of the pan to the size of the heating element; more heat will get to the pan and less will be lost to the surrounding air. A 6-inch pan on an 8-inch burner will waste over 40 percent of the energy!
Use only flat-bottomed pans that make full contact with the heating element. A warped or rounded pan will waste most of the heat and make cooking more difficult.
Follow these tips and cooking on your electric stove top will be less of a mess and less expensive too.
Yellow is Green?
According to Pablo Päster, a greenhouse gas engineer and columnist at Treehugger.com, "an estimated 650,000 tons of phone books are distributed to America’s 100+ million households each year. At an EPA estimated national recycling rate of 18%, only 117,000 tons of phone books are recycled each year, many of them on the day that they are received. Product Stewardship Institute estimates that it costs between $50 and $75 per ton to recycle phone books and between $75 and $100 to dispose of them in a landfill. So annually we spend between $45 and $62 million just to get rid of unwanted or old phone books, or $0.45-0.60 per household.”
But now you can say no to the phone book by going to Yellow Pages Opt Out and entering your zip code. They will give you the phone number of the people to call to get the number of books your receive reduced or to be removed from the list all together.
How to Dispose of Unwanted Medication
The rule about flushing old medication down the toilet is true; it will end up in our waterways. Not only will this harm the fish and other wildlife but it will eventually find its way back to our drinking water. A better solution is to call your local pharmacy. They may have a drug take back program or know where one is. But it you must throw old medications away, mix them with something unappealing like cat litter and put the concoction in a sealed bag and then throw into your garbage can. Do not throw away pharmacy vials with your personal information still on them.
To find out how to dispose of old medicine in your local area go to earth911.com. In the “Find recycling centers for” space enter Medications, then enter your zip code.
Another alternative is the Heritage Pharmaceutical Disposal (PhD) mail-back program which is a cost effective, compliant, and environmentally sound solution for properly disposing of small quantities of pharmaceutical wastes. Heritage PhD kits are available in easy to use 1 and 2-gallon sizes for a variety of facilities depending on their unique disposal needs and regulatory requirements. Each Heritage PhD kit includes shipping box, bucket, labels, and instructions. Pharmaceutical waste placed into the Heritage PhD kit is shipped to Heritage for secure, documented destruction.
See Heritage Pharmaceutical Program for more information.
Compost that Pumpkin
Since pumpkins are 100% natural they are perfect for composting. After Halloween instead of tossing the pumpkin in the trash use it to make fertile soil for your spring garden.
First make sure that your pumpkin is free of wax and that any metal candle holders are removed. These items are not compostable. Smash up the pumpkin and spread it over the compost pile. Put some leaves or other yard clippings over the first layer of pumpkin and then add another layer on top of the clippings. Keep the pile moist and turn it over a few times through out the winter. By spring you will have some great nutrients in your garden area.
Campfires
Fall weather is great for camping. A time to pull out that favorite sweater and gather 'round a camp fire with friends. But I can never seem to get a good fire going without having to make a trip to the hardware store for a firestarter. That is until I found this simple and inexpensive recipe to create them myself.
Melt one pound of praffin in a double broiler over low heat. You can also use a slow cooker on low.
Dip wood scraps into the melted wax to cover completely, remove and set on a cooling rack to harden.
After the wax has cooled store the wax scraps in an old coffee can and put in a cool place. When you are ready to start the bonfire put one or two of the scraps in the bottom of the fire pit and stack your logs on top so that they look like a Tepee. The fire starter will be in the center to get your fire started and the outside logs will fall inward to keep your fire going.
Make Your Own Shaving Gel
Come on ladies, you know all these personal care items get expensive. I heard a great tip once to use your hair conditioner as a creme for shaving your legs. Here's a recipe you can mix up using ingredients that you already have.
Mix two tablespoons of your conditioner in a bottle with a tight cap with two tablespoons of your shampoo. Then add one teaspoon of baby oil and one teaspoon of hand cream. Lather up your legs and underarms, shave and then rinse. The remaining mixture can be kept for about a month. If it seperates - just shake the bottle before reusing.
I've tried this and can tell you that it leaves your legs soft and smooth. And your piggy bank will love you.
Recycled Packaging
Did you know that packaging makes up one-third of all garbage in the U.S? That’s 33% of all garbage people!
Here are some tips to keep in mind when packing and shipping items.
Look for packaging made from recycled materials, and check the plastic code to make sure the package can be recycled. Reuse boxes whenever you can. If you can’t remove old tape or labels from a box, turn it inside out. Use the smallest box that fits your needs. This reduces the amount of materials required to protect your item and makes your package cheaper to ship.
How about using plain popped popcorn or peanuts in the shell (the real ones) to protect your item. The recipient can either use them for compost or feed them to the birds. Run crumpled gift wrapping paper through the shredder for festive packing material. Make the packaging part of the gift. Add in towels, scarfs or clothes as part of the gift and wrap other fragile items in them.
Big Foot Can Do It, Why Can't You?
Bigfoot has thrown down a challenge. Are you up to it? It’s easy. Just choose from the challenges on the Leave No Trace website and you’ll have the opportunity to win great outdoor gear prizes every time you participate. Double your chances of winning by capturing your Bigfoot Challenge in a photo or story and sending it to: Bigfoot@LNT.org.
The Bigfoot Challenge’s goal is to encourage simple acts of environmental activism and teach Leave No Trace principles. By taking the challenge, you are not only joining a nationwide conservation movement, you are also Leaving No Trace where it matters most — the places you play. Leave No Trace, Bigfoot’s been doing it for years
Corks of Course
Did you know that old wine corks can be ground up and reconditioned into flooring?
Yes, the cork used in wine bottles can be recycled. It’s 100% natural, biodegradable and renewable. There is no reason natural wine corks should end up as garbage when recycled cork can become flooring tiles, building insulation, automotive gaskets, craft materials, soil conditioner and sports equipment. Because of a worldwide interest in sustainable agriculture and natural products like cork, an alliance of concerned businesses, individuals, and ecological organizations has been formed to address the opportunities to recycle natural cork closures.
To learn more go to http://recork.org
Save your used, natural wine corks (no plastic or metal) and deposit them at a collection location in your area, or send them directly to ReCORK. Your corks will be used to replace petroleum-based material in SOLE and other Re-Use Partners’ products and packaging, and extend the useful life of your wine corks. By taking part in ReCORK’s recycling program, you are helping with our tree planting initiative, spreading the word about the importance of the cork forests, and encouraging companies to make more sustainable products.