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Featured Home Design

How to Select the Right Paint Colors

A fresh coat of paint is one of the quickest and easiest ways to give a room a new look, but there are so many color choices available now. How do you select shades that you’ll be able to live with for several years even if you decide to change furnishings or accent pieces? What about the overall color palette that ties the rooms together throughout your home? Choosing the right colors can be tricky. Here’s a few tips to help you select a palette of satisfying shades.

Consider how the space is used and the feeling you want to convey. If you have a favorite piece of art, vase, chair or rug, then let that serve as a starting point for inspiration. Just be sure to keep in mind the effects that color can have on feelings and moods. Calming colors in shades of blue or light green are good choices for bedrooms, for example, since they support relaxation.

Take note of neutrals and earth tones. It’s hard to go wrong with shades of beige or gray since they are neutral enough to be paired with many combinations of bold colors. Earth tones in shades of brown, tan, green, orange, yellow and blue are also good choices if you’re trying to achieve a natural look and feel.

Consider the flow from one room to another. Each room in your home can have it’s own feel and color scheme, but should also integrate smoothly. Tie a sunflower yellow room with an adjoining room by painting the trim in both rooms white or using a common accent color for furnishings or accessories.

Always swatch test your final choices. Different qualities of light can cause changes in appearance for many colors. Paint one or two samples directly onto the wall or paint the colors on a poster board and set it in the room. Leave the samples on the wall for several days, so you get a chance to see the paint color in different lighting situations throughout the course of the day or night. The newer eco-friendly low VOC or no VOC paints are formulated to be just as durable and washable as regular paints, but may take to your walls a bit differently if you not accustomed to using them.

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Eco Tips Featured

5 Money-Saving Eco Holiday Tips

Time and money are in high demand for almost everyone during the Yuletide season. How do you keep our environment and your pocketbook from suffering the effects of all the holiday excess? Here are five helpful tips.

Bulk Up. Buy holiday nuts and spices in bulk from bins at your local health food store or supermarket. When you buy in bulk, you can purchase just the right amounts of spices or nuts you need without paying for excess packaging or more of a product than you know you’ll ever use.

Green Décor. Use citrus, nuts in the shells, cinnamon sticks, pomegranates, rosemary, and pomander balls to make gorgeous centerpieces or table arrangements.

Organic Wines. A bottle of conventional wine may contain hundreds of different chemicals and preservatives. Think organic wines are more expensive? It’s a myth. You can pick up a bottle of Tarantas 2007 Cava Sparkling Wine at $14.95 a bottle at EcoVineWine.com.

Creative Ornaments. Deck the halls and your tree by recycling vintage toys, jewelry and small photo frames into ornaments by attaching a hook and ornament hanger.

Reduce Disposable Plastics. Having a holiday party? Don’t spend extra dollars on plastic plates and trays for treats. Ask each guest to bring a favorite Christmas themed metal or ceramic plate. Everyone will enjoy admiring the different designs and there’s less to throw away.

Check back later this week for more green living tips from Ecohomeideas.com.

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Eco Eats Featured

6 Easy Eco-Friendly Snack Ideas

Busy moms with hungry kids need snacks that are appealing and can be put together quickly. Eco-friendly snacks can be healthy and simple to make. The best eco-friendly snacks have minimal packaging. Since over-packaging of food is a major contributor to landfill waste, purchasing items in bulk will help reduce packaging.

Other ways to reduce landfill waste include choosing foods that come in recyclable packaging or that are made from recycled packaging. Sourcing and buying local foods is another factor in making snacks more eco-friendly. During the spring and summer months, farmer’s markets are an ideal place to find fresh, seasonal produce. While not every farmer is certified organic, many do follow organic practices, but choose not to be certified. Local eggs are also generally easy to find as there is an increased interest in raising chickens. Based on these considerations, here are six suggestions for healthy, eco-friendly snacks everyone will love.

Eggs. Eggs are a fantastic source of protein. Hard-boiled eggs will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator. Hard boiled eggs can be served whole or sliced. These eggs can also be turned into deviled eggs in under 15 minutes.

Meat & cheese Roll-Ups. Pre-packaged foods aimed at children often come in brightly colored boxes. The packaging for these products is excessive and the food is full of additives. Creating a plate of sliced cheeses and meats gives you control over the ingredients. Local, organic cheese and nitrate-free sliced meats make this option a hit with kids and parents.

Fruit & Yogurt Dip. Fresh, local fruit with a yogurt-based dip is a great choice in the summer and early fall months when fruit is abundant at farmer’s markets.

Veggies with Nut Butters. Carrots, bell peppers, celery and more go beautifully with nut butters. If nut allergies are a concern, seed butters can be substituted.

Nuts & Dried Fruit. Another nut based snack is chopped nuts with dried fruit. This treat delivers sweet, crunchy and salty flavors with every bite.

Snack Platter. Kids on the move need a variety of foods as well as high quality fats and nutrients. Arranging several of the above items on a tray provides kids with several tempting options. Uneaten foods from snack trays can be covered and placed in the refrigerator for future snacking.

When choosing eco-friendly snacks there are several questions to consider. Is it grown in a sustainable way? How far does it have to travel between growing and consumption? How much processing energy does it take to create? How much packaging does it have?

Many eco-friendly snacks can be made ahead which makes feeding busy families even easier. Homemade mozzarella, slow cooker applesauce and homemade yogurt may sound complicated and time consuming, but they are actually quite simple and yield far better flavor than store bought varieties. Families get busier every year, but just because families are busy, doesn’t mean healthy, eco-friendly foods need to be left behind.

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Eco Tips Featured Lawn & Garden

8 Non-Toxic Methods to Control Pests

Pest control is an important part of keeping a home safe, clean and comfortable. However, it’s also important to choose natural pest control methods that are safe for our health and the environment since people and pets can be sensitive to the harsh chemicals used in commercial sprays. The following eight suggestions for non-toxic pest control use natural means to effectively repel and eliminate problematic pests.

Power of Mint

Mint is an all-powerful pest repellent that can work in both the home and garden to eradicate unwanted insects. This method can easily be implemented by tossing a few mint tea bags anywhere that pests tend to visit. Mint works well against ants, weevils and can be used as a shampoo to deter lice. Place mint in cupboards, pantries and other kitchen areas to prevent kitchen pests.

Spray Vinegar

Vinegar is also a versatile pest control method that is natural and safe enough to be used around anyone. A spray bottle filled with equal parts of vinegar and water can be used to spray carpets to get rid of fleas. Additionally, vinegar can be used as part of the shampoo to eliminate fleas on pets.

Diatomaceous Earth

This pest control method is a powder consisting of finely ground rock that is formed from fossilized diatoms, a type of algae. Diatomaceous earth is safe and proven to be effective in homes and gardens for eliminating ants, cockroaches, bedbugs, fleas and slugs. It is also easy to use and can be sprinkled in areas of the home that can be hard to reach such as corners and behind furniture.

Borax and Sugar

Borax is a mineral salt that can be mixed with sugar to deter ants and other insects such as cockroaches. This mixture can be dissolved in water to make a solution that can be used to soak cotton balls. Then, the cotton balls can be placed near areas of the home that insects use for access such as windows and beneath doors.

Apply Heat

Many common pests can be destroyed with heat. Bedbugs, dust mites and head lice can be controlled by washing and drying bedding, clothing and other washable fabrics in the hottest water available. Boiling water can also be poured into ant beds to eliminate the pests at their source.

Citrus Control

Citrus scents are a wonderful way to deodorize the home, yet citrus fruits also contain chemical properties that are repelling to pests. Orange peels can be boiled in water to create a solution that can then be used on a dog’s fur to eliminate fleas. This same solution can be sprayed on carpets and upholstery. Spraying lemon juice at the point-of-entry to a home for ants is an effective repellent as the ants will not cross over the lemon.

Soapy Water

Simple soap and water can be used safely in a variety of areas of the home to repel pests. This solution makes an ideal cockroach and ant spray. When placed in a shallow dish, soapy water left on the floor can also trap and kill fleas.

Bait and Trap

There are many effective natural ways to trap pests. A bottle of fruit juice or wine can entice fruit flies and gnats into a container. A basic type of flypaper can be made by covering wax paper in a mixture of corn syrup and sugar. Generally, a combination of repellents and traps will be effective for eliminating most pets.

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Featured Green Building

Why Use a LEED Certified Builder?

Whether you are building a brand new structure or having work done on your existing home, if you’re an eco-conscious homeowner, you should consider pursuing LEED certification. This involves two aspects of your project: hiring a LEED certified builder and having the structure itself certified.

What is LEED certification?

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is a rating system created by the USGBC (US Green Build Council) to help business and residential builders and building owners create and maintain more sustainable properties. There are two types of LEED certification for structures: standard LEED certification and LEED for Homes certification. The LEED for Homes guidelines lay out how efficient residential structures need to be to be LEED certified, while the general LEED guidelines refer to commercial structures.

The Advantages

LEED certification for your home comes with many advantages. Part of getting the certification involves making a home that is healthier. This is due to the requirements involving air quality, sunlight exposure and more harmonious views.

LEED certification also requires water and energy efficiency. This makes your home more eco-friendly. It also reduces your costs, as reduced water and energy usage translates into lower monthly costs for those utilities.

But this isn’t the only way it can save you money. Indeed, homes that are LEED certified also have higher resale values. This makes your home more valuable should you choose to sell it.

LEED Professional Credentials

But it isn’t just structures that can be LEED certified. Builders can also be certified. That is, their work has been evaluated by experts and rated based on how many of the designated areas they have hit, and how well. Builders with this credential have been acknowledged for their innovation and awareness of green building techniques and processes.

Getting LEED Certified

You can use the LEED for Homes Green Rater to determine how efficient your home already is. To get certified, you’ll need to register your project with USGBC and have your project evaluated by a professional LEED for Homes Green Rater. You’ll also need to have your home rated by a Home Energy Rating System Rater.

You can find a map of LEED for Homes providers on the USGBC website, www.usgbc.org. If there are no providers in your immediate vicinity, don’t worry. You can contact any of the providers listed and seek their aid.

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Eco Tips Featured Gadgets & Gear

3 Gifts the Eco-Conscious Mom Can’t Live Without

Eco-conscious moms share a bond that keeps an innovative world on track for bettering the earth. So, what can you get for this special lady that recycles, makes compost and cans fresh vegetables? Here are 3 great ideas that save time, money, the environment and may be something that Eco-Mom has been wishing for.

Wool Dryer Balls

Made out of pure New Zealand wool, these soft tennis-ball sized, natural fabric softeners, eliminate the need for ever buying another box of chemically-enhanced dryer sheets.

  • Keeps clothes remarkably soft
  • Eliminates static cling
  • Lasts for 500 loads of drying
  • Does not harm the environment
  • Uses a renewable source – wool

Not to be confused with the dryer balls that are advertised in department stores, wool dryer balls are chemical-free, all natural and have no scent.

Infusing Water Bottle

Getting kids to drink more water can sometimes be like forcing medicine down their throats. Flat and boring, water gets to be old news before long. An infusing water bottle (such as the Aqua Zinger at $25.95) is made to extract the juice from your favorite fruits and vegetables, giving your water a refreshing new twist. A quick shake is all that is required to keep the flavor renewed and abundant.

  • Self Contained
  • No harmful parts
  • Small enough to be portable
  • Reusable and sustainable
  • Perfect for kids

If there is one thing that Eco-conscious moms love, it is the ability to care for children in a safe, natural way. This awesome gadget provides healthy, rich vitamins from fruits and vegetables, and integrates into much needed water, for better bodies.

Bamboo Charcoal Deodorizer

Save mom the trouble of trying to clean pet areas or coping with smelly gym bags by giving her a natural charcoal deodorizer that lifts and eliminates odors. The Moso bamboo plant is highly renewable, growing over two feet in a single day and produces extremely porous charcoal, naturally, unlike any other type.

  • Conveniently packaged for immediate use
  • Lasts for an entire year
  • Rechargeable by placing in the sun
  • Contains no chemicals or harmful ingredients
  • Removes odors instead of merely covering the scent

Mom will find these small packets of bamboo charcoal perfect for drawers, closets, shoes, and any other area that needs a bit of renewing, without the worry of using harsh chemicals.

The ingenuity of a world-wide society, has made it possible to solve problems of waste and pollution, without spending a lot of extra time. Select a gift for your mom this year that will become a welcome part of her efforts in keeping her family and the planet safe. They will be more welcome than a box of chocolates or more decorative, kitchen towels.

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Eco Tips Featured Uncategorized

How To Green Your Beauty Routine

Cosmetic companies are making it easier for consumers to recycle empty beauty containers. Before you throw out that empty container of foundation or bottle of moisturizer, check with your favorite cosmetic company to see if they have a recycling program. The following companies accept used beauty containers in exchange for free product:

Origins. The Origins recycling program allows you to return your empty products to their stores (any brand), and then they take care of shipping the containers off to the proper recycling facility. For every container returned, Origins will offer you a free product sample of your choice.

Kiehl’s. Return your empty Kiehl’s product containers to accumulate stamps for freebies like lip balm or travel sized products.

MAC Cosmetics. By returning six MAC packaging containers to a MAC counter or MAC online, you’ll receive a free lipstick of your choice.

Aveda. Aveda’s cap recycling program accepts caps that are rigid plastic (usually noted with a 5 in the chasing arrows recycling symbol). Caps that twist on with a threaded neck such as those on shampoo, water, soda, milk and other beverage bottles and pharmaceutical lids, flip top caps on tubes and food product bottles, laundry detergents and some jar lids such as peanut butter.

Garnier. Garnier has partnered with a recycling program called TerraCycle. Sign up online at terracycle.net to receive mailing labels and collection materials to shop your used items (regardless of brand) to be recycled.

Make yourself and the world more beautiful by supporting eco-conscious brands.

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Eco Tips Featured

Avoid These 3 Holiday Eco Disasters

With all the hustle and bustle surrounding the holidays, it can be easy to forget about maintaining an eco-friendly home environment. There are lights to string up, trees to trim, fireplaces to be decorated, and tables to set. When purchasing new holiday decor or unpacking the old, be mindful of potentially harmful products or plants. Here are three potential eco disasters to avoid this season:

Lead Wick Candles. About forty percent of candles on the market contain lead wires inside their wicks. Most often these are scented candles, which are used more heavily around the holidays. A candle with a lead-core wick releases five times the amount of lead considered hazardous for children and exceeds EPA pollution standards for outdoor air. If you use candles, look for those made from beeswax or soy. You can also purchase LED candles that can be reused.

Mistletoe and Holly. Mistletoe and holly are toxic to both pets and humans, so opt for silk substitutes that can then be reused year after year. Just be sure to steer clear of faux decor that is made of PVC and may release harmful dioxins into the air.

Electricity Wasting Tree Lights. Burning and breaking lights are fire hazards and waste electricity. Use less electricity and avoid having to deal with burning or breaking lights by purchasing LED tree lights. With the new warm LED colors on the market at lower prices, LED holiday lights give incandescent lights some good eco-friendly competition.

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Eco Tips Featured

Why You Should Use a Green Dry Cleaner

To avoid the additional toxic load on the environment and on your body, find a green cleaner that does not use perc in their cleaning processes. Perchloroethylene (or perc) is a clear, colorless solvent that is used by most dry cleaners because it removes stains and dirt from common types of fabrics. The bad news is that perc is also a toxic chemical tied to both human health and environmental concerns. Perc can pollute the air, water or ground during the various phases of the dry cleaning process.

Take the time to find a professional green dry cleaner that acts responsibly toward the environment. Most experienced dry cleaners are familiar with perc-related health or environmental issues.

Here are some specific actions you can take to minimize the impact on your health and our environment:

  • Know what you are paying for. Learn about the different cleaning processes and options that are available to you.
  • Ask about the cleaning methods used. This includes safety and maintenance practices, and how she/he handles her/his solvent waste streams.
  • Bring clothes to a professional cleaner who follows safety requirements. Also check to be sure the cleaner properly maintains the cleaning equipment.
  • Consider the wet cleaning process as an option. Ask your cleaner if they are familiar with the wet cleaning process and consider having clothes wet cleaned instead.
  • Give your cleaner information on how the clothes were soiled. Provide the fabric content information off of the care labels and point out any stains in advance.
  • If you smell solvent when you enter a cleaning shop, go somewhere else.
  • Ask to have the clothes re-processed if there is a solvent odor. If you think the solvent was not effectively removed, or if the newly dry cleaned clothes have a strong odor, ask your cleaner to re-process your order or take them to another cleaner.

Source:  EPA.gov, Frequently Asked Questions About Dry Cleaning

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Featured Home Design

Tips for Selecting a Home Improvement Contractor

Dealing with reliable home improvement contractors will make your renovation projects go much smoother and keep any associated inconveniences to a minimum.

When you speak with contractors regarding a bid on your project, be sure you are clear about what you want to achieve. If you noticed certain cabinets, flooring, lighting or countertops that you liked in a magazine, save the photos and show them to the contractor. Explain in clear terms what you expect as the end result and the contractor will be more effective at estimating the cost of the project. This should also cut back on or eliminate changes during the construction process since last minute changes can be very expensive.

Here are a few helpful tips to reference as you begin the contractor selection process:

  • Check to make sure the contractor you select is licensed, bonded and carries liability insurance.
  • Request references and verify with at least two previous customers.
  • Ask for a written estimate that is specific about all work that is to be performed.
  • If the estimate does not specify, ask for a start date and projected completion date.
  • Note the professionalism of the contractor. Is the work to be done explained in clear detail?
  • If you have any preferences or rules that the contractor must follow, make them clear. Examples:  No smoking on the property, no work on Sundays, no work to start before 8 AM, must remove shoes or put on protective foot covering before entering the home, etc.
  • Get at least three estimates from different contractors for your project.
  • If the estimates differ greatly in cost, find out why. Could it be that one contractor will use a higher grade of materials that the other? Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
  • When discussing the project, how did you feel about the contractor in general? If you have any doubts or reservations, do not hire them.