A wide variety of sources can cause a house to smell poorly, from the trash that’s overdue for the dumpster to a teenager’s body odor. But some smells require more attention than others because they can cause health problems, fires, or even death. Let’s take a closer look at five domestic odors you should pay attention to if they occur in your home. 5. Smoke If you smell smoke in your home, exit your home through […]
Tips
July 17, 2017
Regardless of where you stand on the environment, there’s no doubt that commercial weed killers are some nasty stuff. In fact, one of the most popular commercial weed killers, Monsanto’s Roundup product, is based on a chemical called glyphosate, which the World Health Organization says is “probably carcinogenic,” meaning it causes cancer. That’s a high price to pay not to have dandelions in the yard this summer. Luckily, there are lots of better options using natural […]
July 5, 2017
The science of meteorology must have some of the most complex terminology in any science, and when you add in colloquial terms and slang, the vocabulary we use to describe the weather can get downright wacky. Here are some of the most out-there weather terms we’ve run across in digging into the weather. 1. Toad Strangler This is a colloquialism native to the southern United States that describes an extremely heavy downpour of rain […]
June 19, 2017
Despite what skeptics may say, solar energy is a very good thing—for efficient home designs, for the environment, and for your checkbook. It’s one of the only self-sustaining processes for creating and storing energy, rather than buying it. Let’s take a closer look at some of the home trends that are being impacted by solar. 1. The Solar Energy Market is booming According to the Solar Energies Industry Association, solar energy is off-the-charts popular […]
June 5, 2017
Whether you’re just wanting to keep your family safe from foul weather or you’re an amateur storm aficionado with dreams of tornado chasing, there are all sorts of applications you can use to keep track of big storms in your area. But the weather apps you’ll find in the App Store and Android Store are also based on all sorts of different technologies, so it’s important to understand what you’re looking for in a […]
May 22, 2017
The “green roof” movement is one of the more interesting contemporary building movements of our times. There are lots of famous examples, from the fascinating vertical green wall at the Musée du quai Branly in Paris to the Living Green Roof at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. But most homeowners don’t realize that for a small investment of time and supplies, they too can install a green roof that brings a […]
April 24, 2017
Even though much of the country is still coping with a surprisingly robust winter storm right now, others are starting to think about spring cleaning. Here in America, spring cleaning is an especially necessary custom due to much of the country being geographically located in continental and wet climates. Long before the advent of air conditioning or vacuum cleaners, March was often the best time for dusting because the weather gets warm enough to […]
April 10, 2017
When it comes to building or re-building a home, it’s easy to fall into the pitfall of underestimating the roof. It’s the part that goes on top, right? In fact, a roof is a relatively complicated structure of a home and it’s also one of the most essential ones, given that it protects your family from rain, snow, wind, falling squirrels, and so forth. Depending on the purpose of the home that it covers, […]
March 27, 2017
When installed and used properly, rain barrels can be a safe and efficient way to capture a valuable resource that would otherwise be lost to storm drains. In the simplest terms, rain barrels collect water from rooftops and store it for later use. What is a Rain Barrel? Rain Barrels are specifically designed or adapted containers that hold between 40 and 80 gallons of water. These unique home devices come in a variety of […]
March 20, 2017
As the weather gets warmer, it’s time to start thinking about spring cleaning, and one of the most important elements of this task is vacuuming all those little-used spaces you don’t usually get around to cleaning. Why not have a robot do your vacuuming for you instead? Yes, really. It might sound like an Internet start-up but the Roomba is actually one of the most well-established and innovative cleaning products on the market. Roomba is a […]