We all know that compact fluorescent lights are one of the best eco-lighting options out there. But the potential risk of a broken bulb is a real one - especially with that bit of mercury inside.
That risk became a reality for Tom Irvine, the chief executive of Florida-based Clear-Lite Holdings, after a lamp was knocked over in his 5-year-old son's bedroom, breaking the C.F.L. bulb. Like a fly to a flame, his son rushed over to examine it. Tom's solution was to create a safer CFL.
Clear-Lite created a new CFL bulb called the ArmorLite (SRP $7.99) that features a silicone safety shell preventing broken glass and mercury from escaping if the bulb breaks. But it's not the perfect solution.
Spring is a popular time to stain the deck, fence or other wood in your backyard. Keep the task simple and buy a good quality stain to have the best looking wood in the neighborhood.
Timing Is Key
Make sure that you will have decent weather for the duration of the project. Most brands recommend looking for 24 hours of a steady temperature above 41 degrees Fahrenheit with no forecasted precipitation.
One of the most labor intensive do-it-yourself tasks is hammering. Not only can it quickly become extremely tiring but if you don't have the right technique you may waste a lot of nails including your own!
The Hammerhead Auto Hammer from Craftsman looks to make hammering standard and finish nails a cinch by saving you time and energy.
While overkill for building shelves or light-duty work and maybe not the best option for general carpentry, the Hammerhead falls somewhere in between contractor grade and DIY. The best examples we can think of are building a ramp, installing baseboards or putting up a fence.
How It Works
You simply load up a nail into the magnetic holder and lay it against the surface to be nailed. Pull the trigger and at a rate of 3600 impacts per minute the Hammerhead goes to work. Within a second your nail will be flush with the surface.
It took less than a second to drive a nail through a 2x4 and when it was done there was no damage to the surrounding wood.
Our friends at One Project Closer have been lamenting the fact that Home Depot decided to drop their favorite interior paint, Ralph Lauren, and replace it with Martha Stewart Living line of paint.
They had a loft to paint recently and decided to do a comparison between Martha Stewart's line which is $4 more as compared to Glidden which prides itself on being at a better price point for the same quality..
At one point, there was hope that the modular home craze would catch on. But most new buildings, like the modulars, have suffered since the crash of the housing market.
According to the Washington Post, a new demand for them has come up. People are looking to build new modular homes - just a whole lot bigger.
The appeal is obvious. In less than two days, future homeowners can have a multi-bedroom and multi-bath home with a low cost. They've got all the bells and whistles of a green home, but ironically, building a bigger home than is necessary is environmentally unfriendly, whichever way you slice it.
After you've selected the color you want and assembled your painting supplies, the first step before applying the paint is prepping your wall surface. The most high quality paint will have a tough time adhering properly to a surface that is dirty, moldy or in any way not ready to accept paint.
There's now an iPhone app called PaintRemedy, developed by the Paint Quality Institute (a Dow Chemical Company), that allows you to identify your type of wall prep issue and provides you with a solution for fixing the wall and properly prepping it before painting.
More info about this iPhone app.
PaintRemedy is a free and easy-to-use app that allows users to quickly pinpoint and identify a home's interior and exterior paint problems. Developed for both professional painting contractors and do-it-yourselfers, this handy tool shares specific tips to correct the old paint problem before repainting.
According to this article from the New York Times, Tupperware is repositioning itself as not only a food storage company but also a vital part of your food prep for both men and women to use.
The 64-year-old brand, still sold primarily at Tupperware parties but also online, wants to be known for more than storage for your grandmother's macaroni salad.
Tupperware containers in which food can be stored often have a secondary function, like a mixing bowl with a lid; single-purpose storage bowls tend to have some design flair, like the Stuffables line whose lids expand, or FlatOut containers, whose telescopic bowls collapse to about an inch.
In case of an emergency you should know how to turn off the gas in your home from the meter. The following steps will show you how.
Step 1. It is important to know exactly where your gas meter is located (See above image) so that in the event of an emergency, you know how to shut it off.
* DO NOT turn off your meter unless you smell gas, hear the sound of gas escaping or see other signs of a leak.
Step 2. As you face the meter, you will see a pipe running from the ground to the meter. There is a shut-off valve running parallel with the pipe usually located about 6 to 8 inches above the ground.
When spring comes and the snow melts away, dirt and grime are bound to be left behind. Pick a sunny day and get outside to give the deck or patio a good cleaning.
Make sure that the temperature is high enough to avoid freezing the diluted cleaning solution.
1) Gently clear away any remaining ice or snow patches on the patio with a broom or plastic shovel. This will remove any heavy debris as well, leaving just the stains and build up from the snow.
2) Buy a concentrated cleaner that works for both wood and concrete for the most versatility. Dilute the solution as per the instructions on the bottle.
3) Using a shop broom or a long handled scrub brush, clean the deck or patio surface. Start from one side and move all of the way across. The cleaning solution will likely foam a little (like soap) and the liquid in the bucket will get dirty faster than you think. Change up to clean solution as you feel the need to. Most brands will clean between 100 - 200 square feet of surface with each mix.
The depth of these categories is huge so we felt they needed their own websites.
You can reach these other blogs from the navigation bar at the very top of the page and don't forget the content on every blog is also segmented into specific categories which you'll find along the right-hand side of the website.
We'd like to thank Maggie Hong of Pixrelated for creating our great crest logos and Chad Everett for his Movable Type mastery in developing the back-end of our blogs.
We'd also like to thank our bevy of bloggers who pump out great content on a daily basis, Katy Ryan, Tabatha Muntzinger, Laura Serino, Diana Dart, Deren Monday and Jennifer Volland. You can also check out the rest of our team here.
If you're interested in blogging for Charles & Hudson or have a product or service announcement you think would be a great fit for our home improvement blog network please contact us.
Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoy our new blogs.
Live across the pond and want to downsize your home into something more eco-friendly? Consider a new line of modular homes created by U.K. company Affresol, as reported by Fast Company magazine.
The prefab homes are made from a recycled plastic waste product called Thermo Poly Rock, which creates homes that Affresol says are "well-insulated and completely waterproof, fire-retardant and rot resistant."
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We're fans of the Hard Case line of flashlights from Energizer and this 4 LED swivel light light promises to be as useful and durable as any.
It's small size makes it great for the car, truck, boat and camping. As well as stashed in rooms throughout the house. The attached clip allows you to place this on your belt or in your pocket and the rotating head allows for 125 degrees of angled light.
