Fern @ Life on the Balcony's Profile

Display Name: Fern @ Life on the Balcony
Personal URL: http://lifeonthebalcony.com
Member Since: 4/21/08

Latest Comments...

EricaJ--Now you know why it was at the rummage sale! ;-)


Modern Bird Feeders for Spring
Product Roundup
4/12/11 3:03 AM

Darlingclementine--I've never heard of pallets being sprayed with formaldehyde, however, one of the two main methods of preventing insect damage or the inadvertent transport of insects is to spray pallets with methyl bromide, a gnarly pesticide. The other method is to bake the pallets at a high temperature. There is an international treaty governing this topic, so many pallet manufacturers stamp their pallets with markers indicating which insect control method they used (which in turn makes their pallets more valuable, as they can be legally used in international transport). Anyway, here is more info on identifying the different markings: Pallet Marking Guidelines.


DIY Small Space Pallet Garden
Life On The Bacony
4/12/11 2:56 AM

We're curious to know if ATers woudl move back-to-the-land...what would you farm?

Heirloom vegetables and goats (for goat cheese...mmmmm).


Apartment Therapy Re-Nest | Former Urbanites, Now "Local Food" Farmers The New York Times 7.3.08
7/14/08 11:31 PM

In addition to what Moryse said (which was all good advice!) tomatoes have deep roots, so if you are planting them in a container, it needs to be deep. You can't plant a tomato in a window box!


Apartment Therapy Chicago | Organic Fertilizer For Your Tomatoes
7/14/08 11:27 PM

Where did that table come from? I hope they didn't cut down such an old tree just to make a dining table...which wouldn't be very eco-friendly!


Apartment Therapy Re-Nest | Blogging NPR: Smart Home - Green Wired
6/11/08 1:04 PM

You know, I think you could even do something similar for indoor use. For example, you could make a "house" to hide the litter box and then plant the roof with kitty grass...Or am I totally off my rocker?


Apartment Therapy Los Angeles | Greenrrroof Animals Homes
6/11/08 11:12 AM

Reports I've read about that, bepsf, exclude the alcohol-based gels, so I'm assuming these would be excluded as well. Their active ingredient is derived from thyme. It's the chemical antibacterials that cause resistance.
I carry these for travel only, so I picked up one to try. I like the fresh scent and that it sprays as opposed to being a gel.

I think you might want to reread those reports. What you've posted above doesn't make sense. The reason anti-bacterials are bad does not have anything to do with the type of anti-bacterial soap/gel. Anti-bacterial soaps and gels may be causing highly resistant forms of bacteria because bacteria are constantly evolving to their environment. When they are confronted with lots of attempts to kill them, especially attempts that are unsuccessful (such as taking incomplete doses of antibiotics), they have lots of opportunities to mutate into a resistant form.

From the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia:
"Bad bacteria have become much more resistant to antibiotics because of the overuse of these drugs and antibacterial cleaners. Bacteria evolves into stronger and stronger forms in order to survive and becomes much more difficult to kill. So not using antibiotics and antibacterial products unnecessarily is better for us."

Why your comment regarding alcohol gels doesn't make sense: alcohol based gels are WORSE than other gels because alcohol dries your skin out. Dry skin is more susceptible to bacteria. The major manufacturer of alcohol based gel (Purel) now makes a form of its gel that contains aloe for exactly this reason.

But to get back on topic, I have used the above soap, I think it is a good product if you feel you must use anti-bacterial soap. I started buying it when my grandma was undergoing chemo and radiation and had an impaired immune system. I used this soap right before I went into her room so that I would introduce as few bacteria as possible.


Apartment Therapy Re-Nest | The CleanWell Company: Green Antibacterial Sanitizers
6/6/08 2:26 PM

I don't think anyone has lived in that apartment. I think that the architect took those pictures before his clients moved in. There isn't even any shampoo or soap in the shower! No one lives like that. Even my super anal uncle leaves a bottle of shampoo (mind you, he transfers it to a different container) in the shower.

I find it really hard to believe that anyone could--let alone, would want to--live with every single one of their possessions stowed away in a cupboard. No books? No cooking gadgets? Not a single photo or piece of art?


Apartment Therapy Los Angeles | Hot or Not? The Park Square Mews
4/21/08 10:22 AM