Green at Home

Eco-friendly Methods: How to Stop an Ant Problem

In many cultures, ants form an integral part of cuisine, rituals and medicine as well as in biological pest control.  However, these very small insects are also considered invasive pests especially inside residential structures. If you have ants for house visitors, you need not use the store-bought insect repellant and start spraying each and every corner of the house.  You should consider the many eco-friendly ways to prevent ants from making your home theirs, too. Ant Deterrents If the ants in your home are still trying to get a foothold, you may apply milder ant deterrents.  You have many choices in the matter, of which the most common, most effective and yet the most affordable can be found in your kitchen pantry. You may choose liquid or solid materials as ant deterrents depending on what works the best for your case.  Start with the liquids like vinegar, which can be sprayed on the areas where ants have access like doorways and windows.  You can even add a small drop of honey to the vinegar for greater efficacy. You should also consider other acidic liquids like lemon juice, citrus oil and a pureed blend of water and orange peel placed on the ant trails.  The rationale ...

Eco-Friendly Organic Cotton Blankets

We snuggle in them.  We keep warm with them over and under our bodies.  We even derive emotional security from them well into our pre-pubescent years.  Think Linus van Pelt of Peanuts fame.  We are talking about blankets, of course.  Well, did you know that even the choice of blankets must be eco-friendly and health-friendly, too?  After all, your beloved family members, especially your babies come into contact with blankets every time they sleep and, hence, it makes sense to protect their health first and foremost.  Environmental protection comes in a close second. Environmental Issues Arguably, non-organic blankets serve their purpose very well.  You are kept warm throughout cold days and nights, not to mention that blankets also add beauty to the bedroom.  However, you have to be aware of the health risks and environmental damage that these blankets pose. On one hand, you have polyester chenille fiber blankets.  The chemical compound used to manufacture these blankets is similar to the one utilized for plastic water bottles, which us called polyethylene terephthalate.  And to produce polyester, petrochemicals are derived from crude oil.  Additives, catalysts and heat are then added to the petrochemicals to form the basic materials for polyester fibers and plastic water ...

Eco-Friendly Home Economics for the Working Class

Not long ago I was talking to someone about going green and they actually told me that they had gone through 30 different tubes of caulking.  They used it to plug the gaps and holes that were through their home.  They put the caulking around the cracks, around doors, windows, and more.  While I'm not sure how the job was that they did, since they used quite a bit of caulking, more than likely using the 30 tubes of the caulking actually do quite a bit of good.  No doubt it helped them keep the home comfortable while saving money by increasing the energy efficiency of the home. There have been times when I've been working on homes that had huge leakage areas.  After having energy audits done it came out to several meters or area that were leaking, which is just as bad as having a huge window that is always open, even during the winter months.  More than likely you wouldn't keep your windows open in the winter months, but many homeowners accidentally do things that are almost as bad because they have a lot of leakage areas. For a nice tube of caulking, you'll only pay about $6, although ...

How Home Building may affect Wildlife

Two scientists, Heidi Kretser and Michale Glennon, who are part of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Adirondack decided to find out how building a home can impact wildlife.  They came up with a study that would show them this.  They would look at small mammals, large mammals, and amphibians and reptiles.  This study was done at three different stages during the process of building, which included the stage before construction was done, the time while the construction was being done, and then the stage that was after the construction had been completed. One study that they did was set up at the home site for the Kraft family.  They were working to build a home that was energy efficient in the Upper Saranac Lake area.  Now these scientists are in the second part of the surveys, bind done at a control site as well as at the site of construction.  They reason they have decided to use a control site is so that they can see the differences in changes in population that is due to phenomena that may be region wide and those that are actually due to the impact of construction. To learn a lot more about this study being ...

Eco-Friendly Rubber Roofing

Rubber roofing is an alternative to asphalt roofing.  This is hardier and is guaranteed to last a lifetime unlike asphalt roofing, which start leaking after five years.  Rubber roofing is a mix of recycled car tires, slate dust, and saw dust.  To sum it up, rubber roofing is eco-friendly. Rubber Roofing Tools If you are planning to install rubber roofing for your home, how about doing the job yourself?  Installing rubber roofing is way easier and quicker than repairing slate or asphalt shingles.  The chances of a leaking rubber roof is there but then it may take about thirty to forty years before this can happen; rubber roofing is tough and can withstand tough weather conditions.  Because rubber roofing is lighter than shingles or asphalt roofing, hoisting rubber roofing from the ground up won't be difficult. Rip Claw Hammer Stripping off the existing roof to its wood base, removing nails, and sweeping away the debris are done before installing the rubber roofing.  The basic rip claw hammer and a push broom will do for the job.  To prepare the roofing surface, all loose boards should be nailed down with penny nails.  When everything is set, it is time to install the drip edges and ...