Q: Our landlords are letting us paint, which is fantastic, and, what's more, they're also going to pay for the paint. We'd prefer to use a zero-VOC paint. Our problem? Here in Berkeley, American Pride runs $39 a gallon, while Behr Paint from Home Depot costs a lot less than that. So, how to convince the landlord?
Sent by Jonathan
Q: I recently decided to become a "green cleaner" and have started creating my own cleaning solutions from baking soda, white vinegar, etc. I have found DIY recipes for almost every cleaning need, but I am stumped when it comes to a good, green, and cheap laundry detergent. Does anyone know of any?
Sent by Cris
Q: My dilemma is this: I live in a 1930's bungalow with cedar shingles outside and plaster inside. There is no (as in ZERO) insulation between. In doing research on how to conserve energy, insulation is usually top on the list. What is the most environmentally friendly method of putting insulation into the space between the shingles and plaster? Cost is a factor (as always) but we are committed to using earth conscious materials and methods. Second, how can I cut down on energy loss until I can afford the insulation project?
Sent by Angel
If you liked our post on how to make a one-pot herb garden, you are going to love this article on container gardening in Mother Earth News...
If you're tired of your grass front lawn, but not quite ready to replace it with a productive vegetable garden, you might consider moss instead. We used moss in our own front yard, and it is growing in slowly but surely...
Q: I want to start composting my kitchen waste and I'm wondering whether seeds from produce can go in. One would think that pepper seeds might start a plant of their own in the compost pile. What say you? I found the EPA's web page on compost, which lists Do's and Don'ts, but it doesn't address seeds.
Sent in by Click Chick
Q: We have an unusually large terrace. We're hoping to grow grass on a nine foot by twenty foot section of it. We think it would be a great place for our son to play, but we're worried about roots penetrating roofing membrane and causing a leak as we're on the top floor. What do you think?
Sent in by Melanie
Q: I'm thinking of pouring an epoxy floor in my basement but am worried about off-gassing and other environmental/health aspects of this type of flooring. No luck finding much information online. Does anyone have feedback?
Sent in by Pauline
Q: What is a better energy-saver: insulation or new windows? Our brownstone is very drafty, and we can only afford to do one energy saving application. Should we open our floors and put insulation or get new windows?
- Sent in by Alice
We just got a looooong email forward (you know the kind) about the dangers of fabric softener, which is said to include chemicals like "chloroform, benzyl acetate and pentane." While we can't verify the information in the email, it's really no surprise that fabric softeners have a number of artificial ingredients and chemicals in them. So, here's a more natural way to soften those sheets...
It's a good idea to wash a pillow every year or so. Mom used to take them to the dry cleaner, where the stuffing would be taken out, bathed in chemicals, and then put in a fresh, new case. But we try to avoid dry cleaning in general and it seems like an especially bad idea to put all those chemicals right next to your head every night. So, how do you wash a pillow if you're not going to dry clean it? We've got a few tips...
Dear Re-nest,
I've seen many questions pertaining to green beds but haven't found anything on natural mattresses (except for babies) or what I'm looking for: memory foam.
I've read that most mattresses use polyurethane foam, which releases poisonous chemicals into the air for years. Flame retardants used in mattress manufacturing can also off-gas nasty toxins.
Thanks so much -- recommendations welcome!
-Susie
I had a revelation in the shower at 6 AM: the trademark text-heavy label on the Dr. Bronner's bottle makes me dizzy. It's not just the excess of exclamation points and quotation marks! Also sentence fragments: IN THE UPPER CASE! Though I have had a grammar fetish since eighth grade —thank you, Mrs. Kennedy— there's something about the panoply of type styles, sizes, and spacing all on a curved surface that started my head spinning this morning.
So, I resolved to do something about the offensive type. But that's proving difficult...
We've covered American's preoccupation with square footage before, but a blog post over at the Oregonian about Dee Williams' $6 monthly bill for heating led us to the website of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, particularly as a moveable vacation home...
All the fruit we had gave us not only delicious fruit conserves, but also a bumper crop of fruit flies. We were humane to the spiders, but we had something else in mind for these fast-reproducing pests...
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
