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Sensible, Seasonal Sink Ideas
Winter
Switch to compact fluorescent lights since they use 66 percent less energy than regular bulbs and last fifteen times longer. A staggering 25 percent of all electricity used in the United States comes from lighting consumption. A small change in your home’s energy usage can add up significantly over time. A simple sign on the wall can be a helpful reminder for children to turn off the lights.
In winter ceiling fans can save up to 10 percent in heating costs by circulating warm air from the ceiling to the floor where you can enjoy it, reverse the motor and operate the ceiling fan at low speed in the clockwise direction.
Green Pad–and–Vinegar Solution
1/4 cup vinegar
green pad
Scrub the vinegar onto the brick or stone with a mildly abrasive supermarket green pad. Rinse.
Soot Cleaner
1/4 cup washing soda
Hot water to make a paste
Use baking soda as a natural surface cleaner. Mix 1/2 cup baking soda with enough liquid dishwashing detergent to create a frosting like consistency. Apply mixture to a sponge as an ideal cleaner for any sink. Or, if you don’t want to use a sponge, dip half a lemon in baking soda for a great sink cleaner.
Spring
Surface cleaner
Use baking soda as a natural surface cleaner. Mix 1/2 cup baking soda with enough liquid dishwashing detergent to create a frosting like consistency. Apply mixture to a sponge as an ideal cleaner for any sink. Or, if you don’t want to use a sponge, dip half a lemon in baking soda for a great sink cleaner.
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Disinfectant spray
1/4 cup vinegar
2 cups water
10 drops lemon oil or tea tree oil
Combine vinegar, water, and lemon oil or tea tree oil. Shake well before spraying onto problem areas
Wood Polish
Polish wood with olive oil. Mix two parts olive oil with one part lemon juice, and use a soft cloth to apply to wood.
Summer
Plant a tree to save energy. Shade trees can reduce air conditioning use by 20 to 50 percent. Plus, if every American family planted just one tree, more than a billion pounds of “greenhouse gasses” would be removed from the atmosphere every year.
Used coffee grounds can go straight on the borders in your garden, or in pots, to make instant compost. It’s also ideal at deterring slugs from your plants.
Ceiling fans can make you feel cooler while reducing air conditioning costs by as much as 40 percent in summer. Use the ceiling fan in the counter–clockwise direction.
Fall
Set your lawnmower blade on the highest setting, leaving grass 2–3 inches long. This encourages healthier roots and protects the soil better from the hot sun — meaning less water is necessary to keep the lawn green and growing.
Clean Air Tips
Choose your candles wisely. Petroleum–based and lead–wick candles contribute significantly to dangerous levels of indoor air pollution. Buy (or make) candles made from beeswax, soy, or vegetable oils, lead–free wicks, and pure essential–oil fragrances.
Empty your refrigerator tray. It can start looking pretty swampy in there, and the refrigerator fan blows that moldy yucky air right into your home.
Photography credits: Spray Bottle:ŠiStockphoto.com/bortonia, Light Bulb:ŠiStockphoto.com/bangbouh
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