Why Aloe Is Useful to Green-Home Living

Everyone is talking about going green and carrying their recycled grocery bags. It seems like Green Home living is just so darn hard to think about doing. Compost Bins seem like a lot of extra work and messy. Remembering those little grocery bags when you need them, oh yeah. Washing and reusing water bottles instead of just grabbing one out of the refrigerator….Hmmm

Then my friend Robin gave me a terrific idea that does not use any brain power, helps the environment and most of all helps alleviate asthma and allergies. Sound good? Aloe, yes the tiny liquid filled plant that you put on burns. It is amazing. Aloe is nature’s way to heal sunburns, skin diseases and even clean out your digestive track.

Yes, who would have thought that one plant could clean your intestines and your kitchen floor? The uses of Aloe Vera plants can be traced back 6,000 years to early Egyptian civilization. Aloe contains more than 100 nutrients rich in vitamins. It also includes anti-oxidants and minerals such as Zinc, Copper, Chromium and 7 out of the 8 essential amino acids.

So now you get the picture on how good it is for your skin and body. What you probably did not know is that it is naturally anti-bacterial. You can purchase it in bulk inexpensively and use it for just about anything. When you buy a concentrated bottle of aloe just have a few empty containers available. Fill bathroom soap containers to soothe those cracked dry winter hands. Next fill spray containers so you can use it on your counters instead of any strong cleaning solutions or bleach. It will kill germs, and if your kids put a peanut butter sandwich on a wet counter, it will not hurt them or have that icky bleach taste.

Lastly use the remainder to fill a jug for floor and bathroom cleaning. Robin uses aloe because her children have so many allergies and she always keeps every surface spotless. She suggested it to me because I have asthma and have a hard time cleaning my house with all of the cleaning solution fumes. It is also medicated so there are no harmful effects or stickiness when using this for cleaning purposes. The blossoms of Aloe Vera give your house a nice fragrance too! They even make washing detergents, shampoos and air fresheners out of aloe. Amazing huh?

Using Ceilings to Add Flare to Your Home

Ceilings are the neglected child of the home interior family. Many people are embarking on the adventure of changing their current home’s interior rather than “Movin’ on up” to a new home. When we moved into our home it was a definite fixer upper! We wanted to create a home that was imaginative and comfortable. (We did not want to have just cool paint colors.) So we started visiting new builds and open houses for ideas. Of course you notice colors and furnishings first, but then we started talking about what made one house more of a home. Really, who wants a generic house?

Looking up it was right in front of our eyes, the ceiling. Most people have flat ceilings, some even covered in that terrible popcorn stuff. What is that? So before we did the normal painting and carpeting we knocked out a few ceilings. Any room can be made more elegant and fashionable, by adding aesthetic value, whether you chose to create a tray ceiling, vaulting your ceiling or adding moldings or skylights. When you tray a ceiling you add sophistication and the illusion of additional height.

Tray ceilings can be inverted or recessed. A recessed tray begins from boxing the outer edges of the room inward with the highest part being in the center of the room. The easiest and most common are a single tray, however if you have a large room you may even want to do two. An inverted tray does the opposite and calls attention to a particular architectural or decorative detail such as a dropped box area that would highlight a chandelier over the dining room table.

A cathedral or vaulted ceiling follows the line of the roof to create the illusion of a larger room by drawing your eyes up. These two ceilings are more modern and great if you live in a warmer climate. These ceiling projects can be done relatively inexpensively by a drywall contractor or a daring do it yourselfer. Yep, we did it ourselves, with a lot of dust.

Skylights are terrific for adding originality and sunlight however make sure you have a reputable contractor for instillation. You do not want leaks!

Important: Make sure to complete your project, no matter whether your style is elegant or just plain funky, with moldings and trim!! This seems like a small touch but it brings the room together.

Eco-Friendly Insulation: The Best Way to Save Green at Home

Insulation helps your home maintain temperature and lower your heating and cooling bills. Many believe eco-friendly home insulation is the best thing you can do in your home to save energy and lessen your carbon footprint.

Regardless of the state of your home, increasing insulation will only help your project along. The thicker the insulation, the more energy efficient your home is. The more space in your walls, the more insulation you can fit inside. You can, and should, also insulate your roof to reduce the amount of heat that flows through your roof to the cold outside air. This article will help you choose the insulation that is best your and your family’s health.

Getting Started

1. Before you get started decide on an overall budget. Determine a realistic investment and allow a professional to help you maximize your spend. Keep in mind: Choosing eco-friendly insulation can put a fluctuation in the budget.
2. Ask the professionals for recommendations. Ensure the provider has prior experience working with eco-friendly materials, as they function differently than traditional counterparts. Another benefit is the possibility of contractor discounts if ordered through their company. To help alleviate the costs some energy companies and state and federal governments offer rebates for going green. Also, check with your homeowners insurance to see about premium savings you can get for going green! Explore all options before purchasing the eco-friendly insulation!
3. Consider your future energy savings. The future energy savings of using eco-friendly insulation will be significant. Check out eco-friendly living sites, like Low Impact Living, to calculate the potential savings from using eco-friendly insulation opposed to standard fiberglass insulation.
4. Evaluate installation costs. Installation costs are going to be additional to those of the product itself. If your builder will not be installing the insulation, make sure to get the installation costs worked into the quote. This cost should also have been worked into your insulation budget in Step 1. All good budgets also have a cushion for mistakes and miscalculations.
   

Additional considerations

Many different types of insulation are available, although formaldehyde is used as a binding agent in most products. Instead, look for cellulose, recycled-content, or formaldehyde-free insulation:

Batt or blanket insulation comes in the form of batts or rolls in widths that correspond to standard spacing of wall studs, and attic and floor joists. Fiberglass is a typical component, but you can find batts made from natural fibers such as wool and cotton. One popular cotton insulation type is made from recycled blue jeans, which makes it blue in color but green in when used.

Loose-fill cellulose is made from recycled newsprint treated with natural chemicals to make it fire resistant. Cellulose is naturally formaldehyde free.

Spray-in foams made from natural soy are healthier and offer all the benefits of conventional spray foam without formaldehyde or other environmental hazards.

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