Green Home!

Archive for August, 2010

Oregano: Joy of the Mountain

Word Count:
464

Summary:
Oregano (Origanum vulgare), the herb known as ‘joy of the mountain,’ is featured in this article. One of the three essential ingredients in Italian cooking, oregano can be grown both indoors and out. Cultivation requirements and uses in the kitchen and garden are described.

Keywords:
Gwen Nyhus Stewart, B.S.W., M.G., H.T., is an educator, freelance writer, garden consultant, and author of the book The Healing Garden: A Place Of Peace ? Gardening For The Soil, Gardening For The Soul and the booklet Non-toxic Alternatives For Everyday Cleaning And Gardening Products. She owns the website Gwen’s Healing Garden where you will find lots of free information about gardening for the soil and gardening for the soul. To find out more about the books and subscribe to her free Newsletter visit www.gwenshealinggarden.ca

Article Body:
Known as “joy of the mountain,” Origanum vulgare is commonly called culinary oregano or Turkish oregano. Oregano is a close relative of marjoram and is also known as pot marjoram. Similar in taste to marjoram, oregano’s taste is more pungent and has overtones of mint. Greek oregano, subspecies hirtum of O. vulgare, is recommended as the best type of oregano for cooking. Oregano is a half-hardy perennial that can be grown outdoors as an annual or indoors as a perennial. Blooming in early summer, Greek oregano has pink, white, or purple flowers, dark green opposite leaves that are highly aromatic, and slim, squarish, woody, branched stems. Greek oregano has a branching taproot and grows in a clump. Used the world over in Italian, Mexican, and Spanish dishes, Greek oregano is one of the three essential ingredients in Italian cooking along with basil and marjoram.

Greek oregano grows 24 inches (60 centimetres) tall. Cultivation requirements: does best in light, rich, well-drained soil; requires full sun and a sheltered location; do not overwater and allow the top 1 inch (2.5 centimetres) of soil to dry-out between waterings; pinch off flowers to keep the plant bushy; do not over fertilise. Buy young plants or take cuttings to propagate, as the flavour and aroma of oregano started from seed may be disappointing. Start new oregano plants by layering stems from existing plants. Pin down the stem, cover with soil, and keep moist until you see new growth. Transplant new plants to pots or their new location.

Greek oregano requires at least 5 hours of sunlight a day. If you are growing oregano on a windowsill, turn frequently to ensure that all sides receive equal amounts of light. Oregano can also be grown under fluorescent lights. Hang lights 6 inches (15 centimetres) above the plants and leave on for 14 hours a day.

In the garden, plant oregano with broccoli to deter the cabbage butterfly. It is a beneficial companion to all plants, improving both flavour and growth. Oregano can be grown in pots in the garden as well as in the soil. In the kitchen, use in pizza, tomato sauces, pasta, hearty soups, omelettes, cold bean salads, marinades for meats of all kinds, cheese and egg dishes, and bland vegetables such as zucchini, green beans, eggplant, potatoes, and mushroom dishes. Oregano blends well with garlic, thyme, and basil. Oregano butter can be poured over fish and shellfish just before serving or baking. Oregano has a strong flavour so use sparingly and add during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

To harvest, pick small sprigs as needed. Oregano can be stored by drying. To dry, cup off plants 1 inch (2.5 centimetres) from the ground, tie plants into bunches, and hang in a warm, dry, shady location. After leaves are dry, strip off and store in an airtight container.

Polishing Granite

Word Count:
536

Summary:
Of all the natural stones that you can choose for flooring granite is by far the hardest material and the most hardwearing. It is also resistant to staining and acid and alkaline chemicals. This is the reason it is the kitchen worktop of choice and the flooring material of choice.

Despite its hardness it is still capable of being scratched by quartz. Quartz is sand like material which makes up the biggest proportion of dirt brought into a building on the underside of foot…

Keywords:
granite polishing,granite maintenance

Article Body:
Of all the natural stones that you can choose for flooring granite is by far the hardest material and the most hardwearing. It is also resistant to staining and acid and alkaline chemicals. This is the reason it is the kitchen worktop of choice and the flooring material of choice.

Despite its hardness it is still capable of being scratched by quartz. Quartz is sand like material which makes up the biggest proportion of dirt brought into a building on the underside of footwear. Traffic going over this then moves the small particles of sand over the surface of the granite causing minute scratches. The scratching effect on granite will be much less than that on marble for instance but non-the-less it still scratches.

This effect can be minimized by the correct maintenance programme. A typical maintenance programme for granite flooring would be to dust mop the floor each day to remove these particles of dirt and once or twice a week depending upon traffic wash the floor with stone soap. This reseals the floor and enhances the colour. This is then wet vacuumed up and the floor then washed with pure water which is also wet vacuumed up. This wet vacuuming prevents the possibility of water staining.

Once per week or once every other week, again depending upon traffic the floor is misted with a crystallising agent and buffed at high speed. This removes the minute scratches and restores the shine to a floor which may be dulling very slightly in areas of high traffic. Then once per year it can be shined using a more abrasive crystallising compound and a slow speed buffer with non-rusting steel wool pads.

If this regime is followed then the shine on the granite floor should last for as long as you require it.

If the floor becomes neglected and is not cleaned correctly then it will slowly become dull and the scratching will build up enhancing the dull effect. If this was a marble floor then the scratching would be greater and could be removed and the shine restored by using diamond grinders on a slow speed buffing machine. However successful re-grinding of granite cannot be achieved. It can be re-ground using the diamond technique and made shiny but quite often it causes a colour change in the granite which is obviously not acceptable to the customer.

This regrinding process which for marble might take about 30 minutes per square meter for granite, being much harder takes about two to three hours to achieve any sort of shine.

In the processing plants marble is ground for about 40 minutes to achieve the high gloss effect. Granite on the other hand will be ground for several hours to achieve the same effect. There is no way that once the granite is in place this process can be replicated.

Consequently if you have a granite floor and it dulls and somebody offers to restore the shine by re-grinding it do not bother. You will end up with a floor that may be shiny but has probably changed colour and it will have cost you a small fortune. Take care of it from the outset and you will never be in this position.

Symptoms of Black Mold ? Learn What To Look For

Word Count:
461

Summary:
Black mold isn’t nice stuff to have around. How do you know you’ve got it?

Keywords:
symptoms of black mold, black mold symptoms, toxic mold symptoms

Article Body:
Symptoms of black mold in your home can manifest themselves in many different ways. You do need to know what these symptoms are so you can be cognizant of anything occurring in your home that could lead to a build up of black mold. This form of mold is very toxic and can cause mild allergies as well as serious medical conditions. When you know what the symptoms of black mold are, then you know what to look for.

You can be on the lookout for symptoms of black mold if there is a high level of humidity in your home. If the humidity is higher than 55%, then this is the prime condition for the development of black mold symptoms. The thing that you need to be most aware of is that you may not even realize that there is black or toxic mold in your home until someone starts to get sick. Even then the symptoms may be so much like a sinus infection or asthma, that you might not associate them with toxic mold symptoms.

Since the basement is the place where most of the water pipes in a home are located, the condensation on these pipes often goes undetected for long periods of time. In fact you may never realize that there are symptoms of black mold present if you don’t have a problem with the pipes. When leaks are discovered, many homeowners concentrate on fixing the leaks and don’t realize they are toxic mold symptoms and therefore do nothing about the black mold itself.

Odors or musty smells are often the first symptoms of black mold. This is because black mold grows in places that are not usually visible or in places that you can’t get to for cleaning, such as in cracks and crevices. Getting an odor does not necessarily mean you have toxic mold in your home, but it is definitely one of the symptoms that can alert you to the need for black mold testing. If the odors are present when the air-conditioning system is running, then these are serious toxic mold symptoms.

Yellowish stains on the walls are also symptoms of black mold. Black mold has a greenish color to it and when you notice the wall starting to stain underneath the wallpaper or coming through the paint, this is a symptom that you do have a serious mold problem. Toxic mold symptoms can also manifest themselves as the paint coming off the walls because of the excess moisture. One way you can find out if you do have black mold in the walls is to shine a black light on it. If you see a yellow glow, this is one of the symptoms of black mold in the wall.

Common Umbrella Blunders

Word Count:
508

Summary:
How many times have you been caught in the rain and had no place to duck in out of a downpour? By the time you reach your destination, all you can think about is how you might still be dry if you had brought an umbrella. Worse still are those times when you do bring an umbrella and the wind is so strong it collapses your little piece of sanctuary and you get wet anyway. Although seemingly low-tech in this age of wireless this and that, the umbrella is still the most practical…

Keywords:
umbrella

Article Body:
How many times have you been caught in the rain and had no place to duck in out of a downpour? By the time you reach your destination, all you can think about is how you might still be dry if you had brought an umbrella. Worse still are those times when you do bring an umbrella and the wind is so strong it collapses your little piece of sanctuary and you get wet anyway. Although seemingly low-tech in this age of wireless this and that, the umbrella is still the most practical way of keeping dry when you simply must get somewhere-no matter the weather. Here are some common blunders to avoid when shopping for an umbrella.

When possible, you want to actually open your umbrella up before buying. One of the common blunders people make is buy an umbrella without looking at the stitching. With cheaper models, it is possible to see light coming through little pinholes because the material is cheaper. The stitching itself should be taut and held firmly against the ribs. Pinholes and loose stitching will lead to leaks every time. A quality umbrella should be impervious to water from above so it needs quality material and taut stitching.

An umbrella collapses in high wind situations due to cheap or poorly crafted ribs. Thin ribs made out of substandard metals will not stand up to the stresses of Mother Nature for very long. An umbrella that cannot handle winds of up to at least 35 mph is not worth having.

The ribs should be thick and slide smoothly along the shaft. Well-made ribs crafted from quality materials will glide up and down the shaft and then lock into place. The locking mechanism on a quality umbrella should also be thick, made from quality material, and have a high-tension spring able to withstand the stresses of high wind situations. To test the quality of the ribs, try hitting your hand against the ribs in order to stimulate the blunt forces caused by high wind gusts. If the umbrella collapses or even seems flimsy when striking it, move on to the next model.

Finally, an umbrella handle needs to be sturdy and made from quality materials as well. Umbrella handles made from plastic tend to crack and deteriorate quickly. While these will be cheaper, it is important to remember that an umbrella lies dormant in a closet for most of the year. Plastic handles tend to dry out because the petroleum in them evaporates quickly. Umbrella handles made from wood or hard rubber evaporate at a much slower rate and therefore last much longer.

Buying an umbrella isn’t a difficult thing and there are only a few points to keep in mind: Look for quality material; taut stitching; quality, well-made ribs that glide along shaft and won’t collapse if you hit them; and lastly, handles made from wood or hard rubber. Keeping these simple points in mind when buying your next umbrella may help ensure you stay dry for many years to come!

MPs champion anti-scalding campaign

Word Count:
364

Summary:
New Anti-Scalding Bill to be passed in the United Kingdom.

Keywords:
anti-scalding shower,showers,thermostatic control showers,bath, baths,taps

Article Body:
MPs have backed a call by Mary Creagh, MP for Wakefield, for a change in the law that could see fitting of anti-scald taps and controls on baths and showers made compulsory.

Creagh tabled a Private Members’ Bill, Prevention of Scalding Injuries (Bathing in the Home), in the House of Commons in April with 80 MPs showing initial support. She has now asked the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and DEFRA to include her proposals to make thermostatic mixing valves (TMV) a legal requirement for all new builds alongside their other current considerations for changes to building regulations. A decision could be reached after the summer.

Creagh says: “The tragedy is that scalding accidents can be prevented. Thermostatic mixing valves can be fitted to domestic boilers to regulate water temperature and a law to this effect is being introduced in Scotland this month. I am calling on the Government to do the same south of the border. We need to change the law to stop these horrific accidents from happening.”

Every year, around 20 people die as a result of scalds caused by hot bath water, and a further 570 suffer serious scald injuries, with children and the elderly particularly at risk. Mira md Roger Wilson applauds the campaign. He says: “Sadly, scalding injuries are much more common than most people realise. Perhaps it is not also realised that the solution – thermostatic control of taps and showers – is already an available, straightforward and proven technology. We urge specifiers, in private and public sector housing, to include thermostatic controls on their baths and showers.”

Mary Creagh’s initiative has cross-party support with backing from Liberal Democrat MP Annette Brooke, who is also championing the ‘Hot Water Burns Like Fire’ campaign, fronted by actress Amanda Redman.

The House of Lords is the venue for a special needs platform this month presented by the BMA’s commercial director Yvonne Orgill, who is also chairman of the National Home Improvement Council. She will submit considerations for improved bathroom design awareness for 10% of the population who suffer from various degrees of disabilities.

Written on behalf of www.victoriaplumb.com an online retailer of bathroom furniture and bath related products serving the United Kingdom.