mniche's Profile

My canon died a few months ago very suddenly. I went to canon's website to check out the specs on my old one for consideration of getting a new one, and lo and behold, the camera was under recall for the exact reason my camera broke. I ended up getting a new one anyway, but I sent in my old one for repair, and am passing it off to my husband.

This isn't the first time this has happened to me either. My husband's 5-6 year old laptop went out and I discovered a recall for that too. I would suggest looking to see if there are any recalls for your broken electronic equipment before just recycling it. Or see if it's worth a repair.

Honestly, I ask potential landlords if bank information and Social Security Numbers are strictly necessary. 9 times out of 10, they aren't. I've found that showing a potential landlord a recent credit report is more than fine.

It doesn't hurt to ask!

If it is indeed a pantry shelf, maybe a garbage can went in that caddy area?

We're shopping for our first house in New Mexico, and have come across similar questions. But without a doubt, the "Energy Star" rated new homes are a ways out and are not places where you could reasonably walk or bike anywhere. Sure they came with energy star appliances, tankless water heaters and energy use monitors but nothing else in the house (wood, insulation, paint) was green at all.

I think it goes back to the fact that the greenest brick is the one already in the wall.

Plus starting in April there will be some fantastic rebates for water and energy efficient appliances (kinda a "cash for clunkers" for appliances) so there's that!

I almost never use a disinfectant for anything. I tend to rely on the soap and water method. However, on occasion, I feel like I really need something like this.

For instance, we're looking for a house to buy and a lot of the places we've seen would need this stuff sprayed on every surface. :)

I use a piece of scrap paper. I roll it the long way, use a working burner to light the end of the paper on fire, and then use it to light the burner that's gone out. I like to keep my hands away as much as possible, so this works for me, and I always have a scrap piece of paper around (junk mail works too!). If you have an older stove that is not self lighting, I'd use something else to light the paper on fire.

Just make sure you have water nearby to extinguish the paper afterward :)

the FTC is suing a number of bamboo manufacturers because the chemicals used to turn hard bamboo into something soft and cloth-like is not Eco-friendly, like many of the producers of bamboo fibers purport. They say it is no different from rayon, is not biodegradable, and cannot retain bamboo's anti-microbial properties because of the chemicals. As far as I know, there is NO Eco-friendly way to turn bamboo into cloth or other textiles. Thus, these products are not eco-friendly! Hardwood bamboo on the other hand (flooring, cutting boards) are a different matter.

I've been digging on those EarthLust water bottles for awhile now. I like the designs much more than other water bottle companies.I just ordered one from another store, and I'm so excited to get it.

I think it depends on the type of fly. In a house I recently rented, they had an indoor planter that got infested with fungus gnats. You can do a search online and see if these little guys are the issue. If so, they lay eggs on the soil and live under there for awhile as larvae before they become flies. A lady at the plant store recomended putting sand on top of the soil, which pretty much killed the flies when they tried to emerge. But I think treatments depend on your type of fly...

New Belgium also makes an organic beer called Mothership Wit. I've had organic beers I've liked better, but it's still pretty good.