Posted by Kevin McKee on Wed, Jan 06, 2010 @ 12:16 PM
With freezing weather our daily routine gets a little shaken up. Now with some preparation, we can avoid costly damage to our property or even dangerous mistakes that can compromise our health as we move indoors to wait out the cold.
1. Protect Yourself.
With cold, freezing weather we will almost do anything to stay warm. Just make sure it doesn't harm your indoor air quality. Don’t bring in your grill or use your gas stove to warm up your house. These can release deadly amounts of carbon monoxide into the home. Using a space heater or electrical appliances may work, but never leave them unattended or close to any combustible materials. Always turn them off before going to sleep.
If you happen to build a fire, be aware that smoke releases fine particulate into the air that you are breathing. The safer, healthier, and greener alternative is to use one of those fake, man-made fire logs. A 2006 EPA study comparing real logs to these fake logs, shows that fake logs produce 75% less carbon monoxide, 80% less particulate, and 90% less hazardous air pollutants.
3. Protect your Home.
With freezing weather always comes the chance of freezing pipes that can cause serious damage to your property. Take the necessary precautions like covering outdoor faucets, not setting the temperature below 55˚ F indoors (even when away from the home), keep cabinets underneath sinks open to the warmed air, and keep a faucet dripping. A little expense now could save hundreds or even thousands later. Read the Texas Department of Insurance’s press release from yesterday on more tips to protect your home or property. http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/news/2010/news2010.html
3. Protect your Pets.
If you can, bring your pets indoors. They probably aren’t use to the freezing weather either. If they must stay outdoors provide them with an enclosed shelter and provide an entrance facing away from any wind. Make sure to give them some extra blankets or hay to bundle up with. Their health will greatly appreciate it.
4. Protect your Plants.
With drastic changes like freezing you can lose or greatly damage some of your landscaping plants. The best way to protect them is with a burlap bag or some type of fabric. Plastic doesn’t breathe and can do more damage. Make sure to cover them before the sun goes down and then uncover them when the sun comes up.
What else do we need to protect ourselves from the freeze? Let us know.
Photo Courtesy of jlcwalker.
Posted by Kevin McKee on Tue, Jan 05, 2010 @ 09:35 AM
As individuals, we have a primary need that rises above all others: the need of survival. Second to this innate need to survive, is the need for good health, which will largely determine our comfort, self-image, productivity, relaxation, and fulfillment that we get out of life. Hence, we find ourselves in this "Green” movement seeking greater and better health.
Cleaning is for Survival and Good Health
As humans, we have always understood the necessity of a good healthy environment in order to survive and to promote better health. Once settlements began to develop and our ancestors no longer roamed the planet leaving their waste behind for nature to cleanup, they began to “clean” their environments by burying their waste. As settlements got larger, waste management became more and more important.
It was not until about 200 years ago that we, as humans, learned what sanitization and controlling germs was all about. First we discovered germs and that those germs spread. We learned to minimize germs by removing stale air, getting rid of standing water, controlling rodents, and removing trash. We discovered that cleaner environments meant better survival and healthier bodies.
The evolution of cleaning came from our primary need and desire to preserve life, and promote health. The results of our cleaning efforts have greatly extended our life spans and elevated the quality of our lives that we now enjoy today.
Green Cleaning is the Next Level of Clean
We know how to clean, how to sanitize, and how to disinfect our living environments, but now we find that these common cleaning chemicals leave behind residues. Most of these residues, we have come to find out, have a negative impact on our health. The only solution is to find alternative methods to cleaning, that eliminate the wastes in our environment but don't impact our quality of health.
Zerorez is a pioneer in the field of green cleaning and has the only lab tested, and proven carpet cleaning method that leaves no residue behind. This no residue or zero residue cleaning is so effective, that it is the only right way to clean our indoor environments. Everything else leaves some kind of chemical residue behind, which will definately leave some kind of impression on the health of our bodies. With Zerorez there is nothing left but clean. Nothing is greener and nothing can be better for our health.
Photo Courtesy of musicalwds