Tag Archives: household hints

5 Ways to Make a Small Kitchen Feel More Spacious

by DanutaSievwrigh Posted on August 16, 2016

How to make a tiny kitchen look huge was the original idea for this post. Why did we reject it? Simple. Theres already a ton of articles on how to change your kitchens appearance cluttering up the blogosphere. Tile the floor diagonally, install open shelves, put up lots of mirrors, and yada yada yada.

Well I dont know about you, people, but I spend a heck of a lot less timelookingat my kitchen than I do actuallyworkingin it. (Thats not to mention dodging my son and my Jack Russell rescue as I scurry around my cozy 75-square foot space.) Its about time for some new tips on how to make your minuscule kitchenfeelmore spacious, practical and comfortable.

Work with your kitchen traffic patterns

Yes, its an inevitable fact of life. Someone near and dear to you will be seized by an uncontrollable urge to grab a drink or a snack from the fridge just when youre frantically putting a few final touches on the piece de resistance for tonights dinner party. Dont sweat it. One very helpful DIY hack to help you cope with your households traffic flow:reverse your refrigerator door, so that it no longer opens right into the middle of your limited work area.

Maximize cabinets

Get rid of kitchen clutter and keep your essentials close at hand so that you can work effectively. Extend your storage all the way to the ceiling withcustom cabinetryor your own DIY containers. If your kitchen is truly microscopic, make sure that youll have enough room to open a ladder or stepstool when you need to access this area. In the corner spot, install a lazy Susan or even better! pull-out shelving or drawers, for easier access and cleaning. Use those skinny slices of space next to the refrigerator and under your base cabinets; install a sliding storage tower and toe-kick drawers, respectively. Save an inch or two more of precious kitchen real estate with integrated drawer pulls.

Go vertical

Dont overlook the square footage available on your walls. Hang up a magnetic strip to mount a prized set ofchefs knives well above floor level; this will keep them safely out of reach of small children, yet close enough for your own convenience while youre busy taking care of kitchen tasks. In a similar vein, make use of utensil hooks and perhaps a case for storing wine. And why not cast a vote in favor of bringing back the oh-so-handy-but-no-longer-trendy pot rack?

Choose efficient furnishings

Any furniture that you absolutely must squeeze into your kitchens petite footprint should be scaled down and simple to stow away when its not needed. The perfect example is your seating folding chairs and stacking stools rule! In place of a kitchen island, try the flexible solution of a fold-down table or shelf, or a butcher block-topped cart on wheels.

Ventilate

A small kitchen can turn into an awfully stuffy, unpleasantly humid and generally claustrophobia-inducing place to beunless its well ventilated. If you do a fair amount of cooking, dont forego a range hood in order to save space; however, do opt for a slim line, low-profile style. In addition, you might consider installing a ceiling-mounted electric fan. This is an energy-smart way to improve air circulation and supplement (or replace) your air conditioning. To clean and cool the atmosphere in your kitchen, grow half a dozengreen plantsin hanging pots.

By Laura Firszt,Networx.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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5 Ways to Make a Small Kitchen Feel More Spacious

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How to Get Rid of Hard Water Stains the Natural Way

by MadonnaMebane Posted on June 29, 2016

Hard water brings with it a lot of problems, including unattractive rings around your toilet bowl. Hard water is simply H20 that contains high concentrations of minerals such as magnesium and calcium, but it leaves behind ugly brown stains on toilets and other bathroom appliances when the water inevitably evaporates into the air.

The minerals left behind by hard water may leave ugly stains in your WC, but theyre not inherently dirty. That said, you probably want to get rid of them as best you can if you want to maintain a pretty, clean-looking bathroom.

Unfortunately, most of the cleaning agents meant to attack this problem are harmful to the environment. If you like to use nontoxic products in your home, here are some tips for getting rid of hard water stains.

Step 1: Buy the Right Products

Vinegar is by far the most tried-and-true natural product for getting rid of hard water stains. Home bloggers like Jen of The Thrifty Home swear by it, as it is both completely nontoxic and packed with heavy-duty cleaning powers.

Of course, you also have other options. Something acidic, like lime juice, lemon juice or, according to the environmental blog Grist, even Coca-Cola (gross, right?) could also do the trick.

Step 2: Soak the Area in Your Cleaning Solution

Whatever product you chose, now its time to apply it to your hard water stains. If its the toilet youre concerned about, youre going to want to turn off the water valve and scoop all water out of the toilet bowl, Grist says. Fill the bowl with your cleaning solution so that it covers the stains.

If youre concerned about stains around your faucet or in your bathtub, youll want to soak some paper towels in your cleaning solution. Place the sopping wet towels directly on all spots that you want to dissolve.

Youre going to want to let the cleaning solution sit for a whilemaybe even overnight, depending on how bad the stains have become.

Step 3: Scrub

Finally, its time to get your hands dirty! Scrub away at the stains with a sturdy brush until theyre gone. Grist also recommends using a pumice stone on really hard-to-clean spots. Just make sure that if you go this route, youve brought the water level back up around the area. This will ensure you dont scratch the surface of your appliances.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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How to Get Rid of Hard Water Stains the Natural Way

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What Everyone Can Learn from Tiny House Dwellers

by JoleenStaples Posted on June 23, 2016

For some homeowners, bigger is better. Even as household size shrinks, square footage hasn’t followed suit. The median size of a new single-family home in 2015 was 2,467 square feet up by almost 1,000 square feet compared to homes built just 10 years ago.

But, not everyone has dreams of decorating a second dining room. Plenty of tiny house dwellers are finding that they can live large with less, downsizing to homes that are anywhere from 100-500 square feet. Sure, the financial perks are sizable (69 percent of tiny house people have no mortgage, compared to 29.3 percent of all U.S. homeowners), but there’s plenty more to love about about a smaller space. You don’t need to ditch your home and shack up in a 200-square-foot studio to incorporate some of the lessons of living lightly.

A place for everything.

Think there’s room for a junk draweror a junk closetwhen you’re living in 100 square feet? Keep clutter from piling up by designating a spot for everything in your home. Not only will it make it easier to find things, tidying up will get easier (and faster) when you’re not just moving piles of things next to other piles of things.

Think before you buy.

Once you have a designated spot for everything in your home, bringing in something new becomes a more deliberate decision. Do you like that cookie jar shaped like a dancing rooster enough to make room for it?

One in, one out.

Still undecided about that rooster cookie jar? Or about adding another plain black t-shirt to your overstuffed closet? Try implementing a “one in, one out” rule to help you decide about a purchase. One rooster cookie jar in, an old cookie jar set aside to donate.

Be picky about freebies.

One man’s trash is sometimes another man’s treasure. But sometimes one man’s trash should stay just that. Yes, it’s hard to say no to your aunt’s offer to pass down her wicker basket collection, even if you’ve never had any desire to own a collection of wicker baskets. But tiny house dwellers are great at saying “thank you, but I don’t have room for that” and there’s no reason you can’t say it, either. Tiny home or not, you’re not obligated to take in everyone else’s castoffs.

Master multitasking.

Whether you live in a studio apartment or have a little more space to spread out, you can minimize clutter and maximize space by choosing furniture that multitasks. Swap your dining table chairs for a bench that offers both storage and seating, mount shelving or a small desk to walls to clear floor space or choose a large ottoman that doubles as a coffee table.

Make a list.

Whether you’re stocking your fridge or shopping for furniture or home decor, avoid impulse purchases by writing down just what you need. Fall in love with something on the way to the checkout line? Snap a photo and sleep on it before you buy.

Choose quality over quantity.

In the words of Marie Kondo, tidying expert and author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, hold onto the items that spark joy, and donate or throw away the rest. How you interpret the advice is up to you, but if your shelves and closets are packed with items that spark guilt, dread, and dust bunnies, start there.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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What Everyone Can Learn from Tiny House Dwellers

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The Problem with Plastic Bag Alternatives

by Gabriele89V Posted on June 15, 2016

Plastic bags are a hot-button issue for environmentalists. Plastic bags are simply no good. In addition to the harmful chemical components of plastic, the material is responsible for a behemoth pile of waste, unappealing yet accurately named the Great Atlantic Garbage Patch, that stretches from the Virginia coast to Cuba, harboring 26 million plastic particles per square kilometer.

If this massive amount of plastic waste wasnt enough to turn you off from disposable bags, consider how they end up in our sewers, on trees and ingested by wildlife that mistake them for food.

All of those facts have to do with what happens to plastic after we use it. The single-use plastic bag has a very short usability span. According Environment Massachusetts, plastic bags are used for an average of about 12 seconds but they can take up to 1,000 years to degrade.

Finally, theres the environmental footprint of plastic bags. These stables of everyday American grocery shopping generate about 1 kg of carbon for every 5 bags used, according to Time for Change. Consider, then, that Americans use about 100 billion plastic bags per year. Thats 200 billion kgs of carbon per yearand were just talking about the United States.

Clearly, plastic bags need to go. But its not quite as simple as switching to paper or reusable bags, as Ben Adler argues in an article for Grist. Here are a few things we need to consider as we enact new policies to prevent against environmental degradation caused by plastic bags.

The Problem with Paper

Paper bags are often lauded as much better for the environment than plastic products. This is because paper is biodegradable and is therefore much less harmful to nature than plastic. A paper bag in the middle of the ocean is unlikely to cause any trouble to marine life or the composition of the ocean, as its made out of the same stuff as any natural plant.

However, as you probably suspected, deforestation isnt an issue to take lightly. We need the worlds forests direly. They offset carbon in the atmosphere, helping to curb climate change. They are also the homes of billions of species, which the planet requires for biodiversity.

Paper bags made from recycled materials are a great option in some ways, but not in others. In his article, Adler points out that paper bags, in fact, have a higher carbon footprint than plastic.

Very broadly, carbon footprints are proportional to mass of an object, David Tyler, a professor of chemistry at the University of Oregon, told Adler. For example, because paper bags take up so much more space, more trucks are needed to ship paper bags to a store than to ship plastic bags.

The Problem with Reusable Cotton

If youve ever shopped at supposedly environmentally conscious stores, youve probably been handed a complimentary green shopping bag at checkout (or been given the option to purchase one). Even aside from the idea of giving people goods that they wont necessarily use, this practice can be extremely wasteful.

Cotton isnt a miracle product. According to the World Wildlife Fund, cotton occupies just 2.4 percent of the worlds cropland, yet it makes up 11 percent of the global market for pesticides and 24 percent for insecticides.

The Best Solution

Because of these factors, many environmentalists believe that recycled plastic meant for reuse is the best alternative. Plastic that can withstand many uses and that isnt easily thrown away will cut down on waste while curbing carbon emissions and protecting forests.

The ideal city bag policy would probably involve charging for paper and plastic single-use bags, as New York City has decided to do, while giving out reusable recycled-plastic bags to those who need them, especially to low-income communities and seniors, Adler writes.

As for how citizens can best address the problem themselves, using reusable options is still your best bet. However, rather than purchasing cotton bags simply for grocery shopping, consider using a backpack or duffel bag you already own. No need to use resources for yet another bag when you probably have perfectly good ones lying around.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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The Problem with Plastic Bag Alternatives

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How to Make Your Garden Wildlife-Friendly

by DeliaFQDSrufv Posted on May 9, 2016

The National Wildlife Federation designated the month of May as Garden for Wildlife Month. Urban expansion in many parts of the world continues to destroy valuable wildlife habitat. You can help turn this around by encouraging more wildlife in your area. There are many simple ways you can make your backyard more wildlife-friendly.

Water Features

Clean water is vital for the survival of all living creatures. Some of your local wildlife will need water simply for drinking and bathing. Whereas, animals like frogs and amphibians, and certain insects, need water for reproduction and a place to live.

You can start small. You might be surprised how many wild visitors a simple birdbath or shallow container of water will bring to your garden. You can also add a larger water feature, like a fountain or artificial pond.

Make use of any natural water features you already have on your property, such as a creek or wetland. If the area has been damaged for any reason, take the time to restore it to its natural state. Build up the banks if needed. Plant reeds, sedges or water plants along the waters edge to provide shelter and living spaces. These will also help naturally filter the water and keep it clean.

Food Sources

You can purposely put out food for animals, such as bird seeds or liquid hummingbird feeders. Planting wildlife-friendly plants is a good hands-off choice.

When youre considering what to plant in your wildlife garden, think of what it can provide animals. Does it make fruit like nuts and berries or plentiful flowers and seeds? Are the leaves and stems eatable to foraging animals? Try to avoid plants with thorns or toxic foliage and ones that are sterile and dont produce fruit.

Some great low-maintenance fruiting plants are raspberries, hazelnuts, wild currants, crabapples, hawthorn or Oregon grape. Many common wildflowers will provide abundant amounts of pollen, nectar and seeds. Try cornflowers, poppies, asters, blanket flowers, geraniums, cosmos, Shasta daisies or herbs like oregano, thyme and sage.

Another option is to include areas of natural grass or shrubs if you have the space. These are great for foraging animals like deer, geese or rabbits.

Shelter

Wild animals benefit from areas where they can hide from predators, make a nest or other home, as well as take cover from poor weather. Shelter can take many forms.

Plants and natural areas provide excellent spaces for wildlife to live. Try to include shrubs and trees where you can in order to provide height in your garden. The larger a plant is, the more shelter it can naturally provide.

Leave fallen leaves and branches on the ground when possible. These will allow spaces for a variety of species to move into. For instance, native bees and other beneficial insects often make homes and overwinter in fallen plant debris. Even undisturbed piles of rocks or logs can offer excellent shelter for many animals like snakes, rodents and insects.

You can also build your own garden shelters. Birdhouses, bat houses, bee boxes or an outdoor dog house are good starting projects. Its helpful to preserve any old rock walls or other human-made structures that may or may not still be in use. Insects and other small creatures can use the cracks and holes as habitat.

Go Organic

Chemicals used in the landscape will often do a lot more harm than you intend. For instance, many weed and feed products for lawns contain the herbicide 2,4-D. Studies have found that dogs whose owners use lawn products containing 2,4-D are twice as likely to develop canine malignant lymphoma.

Use compost and other organic products to provide nutrients and replace synthetic fertilizers. Find organic ways to target weeds and insect pests individually, rather than applying broad-range chemical pesticides. For example, you can purchase ladybug larvae at many garden centers to deal with an aphid infestation. The rest of your wildlife population will thank you.

Habitat

Consider creating some wild, human-free areas in your yard. Plants native to your area would be especially well-adapted for this use. A wild area could be left on its own with very little irrigation or maintenance, which can help more sensitive species establish themselves without human interference.

Related:
10 Ways to Save the Bees
What to Plant, Weed and Prune in May
Gardening for Butterflies

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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How to Make Your Garden Wildlife-Friendly

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The Green Gold in Your Wedding Dress

by EstellaMassie Posted on March 21, 2016

Keeping your wedding dress forever might seem like a good idea the day after your wedding when you’re still euphoric after your wonderful event. But within a few years or maybe even a few weeks, you may be wondering just what you’re going to do with a big white gown that needs to be kept in an airtight plastic bag for the rest of its life.

Are you going to move itaround from place to place, then cram it into the back of a closet somewhere? Or maybe stuff it into a trunk in the attic where you’ll forget all about it? Or pay to store it at a facility that will keep it pristine until maybe a daughter or niece or godchild gets engaged?

Why not take amore eco-friendlyapproach, one that may generate a little cash for you, too?

Enjoy your dress, then find a way to repurpose it sooner rather than later.

Here’s how:

Turn it into a cocktail dress:Depending on the style of your dress, you should be able to shorten it or dye it. There are many tailors who could do the job so well for you, you’d never be able to tell that the garment originally was a wedding gown. Some dry cleaning facilities will dye fabrics if you prefer to have a dress that’s a color other than white. Take a look at 11 different wedding dress transformations Cosmopolitan featured recently.

Re-use the material:If your dress has a long train for a big flowing skirt, that material could pretty easily be converted into a shawl or shoulder wrap, a short jacket for evening wear or even fancy napkins and a tablecloth. Check out the free skirt sewing patterns on So-Sew-Easy.com. If you’d rather not sew something yourself, have a tailor do it for you. It’s pretty straightforward to convert fabric into a shawl or wrap, but Prom DIY puts up the instructions on YouTubehere.

Donate it:Search “donate wedding dress + your locale” and you’ll find women’s shelters and organizations that help girls who need prom dresses. You can also donate your dress to Fairy Tale Brides, a non-profit that re-sells the dresses at reasonable prices, then donate their profits to charities that include St. Judes children’s Research Hospital, Suited for Change and the Kids Network. You can download a donation form on their website here.

Rent it:You can rent a gown to wear or you can rent out your own gown. A surprising number of online companies make this process easy, from Rent the Runway to Borrowing Magnoliato Pre-Owned Wedding Dresses.

Sell it:Many of the online companies mentioned above will buy your wedding gown from you and relieve you of all responsibility to ever have to take care of it again. Given the care with which most gowns are made, they should be able to stand up to at least ten weddingsso why not let them? Of course, you can also put your dress on EBay or Craig’s List, sell it at a local consignment shop, or let your Facebook community know it’s for sale. Agree on a price you think is fair, then enjoy the pictures and the memories, as well as the thought that someone else is extending the life of your lovely gown.

Related
10 Easy Ways to Make Your Wedding More Eco-Friendly
25 DIY Wedding Ideas

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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The Green Gold in Your Wedding Dress

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What Are the Best Apps for Ordering Groceries Online?

by MichellD32 Posted on March 8, 2016

If you like to cook but don’t have time to shop for food, there are plenty of mobile apps that can make it easy for you to do your shopping online.

Why bother?You’ll save time driving to the store and strolling the aisles. You may get better organized about what you cook, since you can look at recipes while you shop to figure out exactly what ingredients you need. Maybe you’ll reduce waste, too, since you won’t be tempted by impulse products while you’re standing in the check-out line.

Plus, I found when I was shopping online for groceries that often, the food I got delivered was of better quality than what I found in the store.

A big disadvantage of online grocery shopping is that food comes in a lot more bags and containersthan I would use if I shopped myself. For example, I rarely put loose apples or oranges in a plastic produce bag, but if I order them online, they come in a bag that’s not very easy to re-use. Because groceries are packaged and then boxed up so an order is easy to deliver, it’s hard to avoid all that packaging waste.

WHAT APPS TO USE?

Grocery Store – Many grocery stores have their own apps so you can shop online but keep it local. For example, the Giant chain in the Washington, D.C. area calls its online service Peapod. You get a $20 discount on your first order if it’s over $100, and the first two months delivery charges are free. They offer “natural and organic” options as well as conventional ones. A mobile app means you can order from your phone if you’re in a meeting or on the go and realize you need food but don’t have time to shop.

Boxed – Boxed is a service that lets you order packaged groceries and household products in bulk. Delivery is free on all orders over $50 and there’s no membership fee. Boxed doesn’t deliver meat, fish or fresh produce. But for cereal, cookies, toothpaste, baby food, pet supplies, coffee and tea, you order online and receive your order in 1-3 days.

Instacart – This app allows you to shop from several stores in your zip code (if they’re working with Instacart). For example, where I live outside Washington DC, I could use Instacart to shop online at Whole Foods, Costco, Harris Teeter, Safeway and Petco. The first delivery is free; thereafter, delivery fees depend on when you want your groceries delivered. Within 2 hours, the cost would be $9.99; otherwise, it looked like it would cost about $5.99 for deliveries. When I clicked on Whole Foods, a number of discounts showed up, which was appealing. Otherwise, prices online seem to be about the same as in the store.

WeGoShop – Want a sort of personal shopper to take your order, do the shopping and deliver everything to your home? Take a look at WeGoShop. It differs from other services in that the shopper goes to the stores of your choice rather than a limited selection. For example, you might want items from a liquor store, grocery store, food coop, deli and specialty store. Your WeGoShop assistant could make all those stops for you without a problem. You pay for your groceries and a service fee upon delivery by cash, check, debit, credit card or by using a WeGoShop gift certificate. You need to call to place your order.

What online grocery apps do you use? Please share.

Related
Best Grocery Shopping Apps to Help Manage Your Next Party

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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What Are the Best Apps for Ordering Groceries Online?

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7 Home Maintenance Troublespots to Take Care of Today

by HwaCopewic Posted on March 7, 2016

Okay, okay, I admit it. I didn’t follow my own advice. The signs of potential trouble were there, yet I chose not to take them seriously.

For quite a while, I’d been finding it more and more difficult to turn my key in the front door lock. I tried wiping the key down with a little oliveoil and cleaned out the lock faceplate … which wasfullof dog hair. But I avoided taking the plunge and calling an actual handyman (or woman). Until I ended up lockedinto my apartment. Pretty scary for a minute there.

My son was still outside, so I passed him a pair of pliers through the window; though he was able to force his key to turn, we knew it was only a short-term solution. Fortunately, we found ahandymanto come and adjust the lock at 9:30 at night without charging an arm and a leg, but next time … Well, I’m going to do my best to make sure there isn’t a next time, by taking care of small home maintenance issues before they mushroom into big trouble.

  1. Door that no longer works quite right. If any door feels stiff and overly difficult to open and close, you may have a lock that is crying out for a little TLC, as mine was. Another cause of “sticky” doors is excessive moisture in the air. Wobbly doors which seem loose in their frame may need their hinges tightened or their strike plate repositioned.
  2. Problematic electrical plug or cord.If you have to forcean electricalappliance‘s plug into the wall socket or yankitout, or itscord has frayed, you are putting yourself atseriousrisk forelectric shock or fire. Stay safe — get the problematic part taken care of before you use the appliance again.
  3. “Minor” roof leaks. Adopt a zero-tolerance policy for “little” drips and “minor” wetness on your ceiling or walls. Water is capable of causing more serious property damage than fire and the longer you neglect it, the worse it will get. PS: Even if you can’t track down the source, that doesn’t mean nothing’s wrong. Water is like toothache pain — it travels.
  4. Leftover leaves.No matter how carefully you cleaned up in the fall, dead leaves will be blown around by winter storms, landing on your exterior window wells and sills, your roof gutters, or your yard. They trap moisture and can do a great deal of harm to your walls and roof, as well as choking your lawn or garden.
  5. Cracks in exterior walls.A tiny crack in the masonry or stuccoexterior wallof your home may be quite simple to seal. However, over time it will tend to worsen, making repair of the crack itself more costly and time-consuming, but also letting in drafts (making your HVAC system work harder) and dampness.
  6. Worn hose on your washing machine.Replacing the hose on your washing machine is so, so, so cheap to take care of right away … but so, so, so expensive and messy if it’s neglected until the hose bursts, flooding your basement (or upper level!!) floor.
  7. Unusual sounds or light patterns from your smoke detector or CO alarm.Smoke detectors andcarbon monoxidealarms are inexpensive, easy-to-maintain devices that can and do save lives. Pay attention to any strange behavior. Chirping — emitting a short beep at regular 30-second intervals — signals that the batteries need to be changed (ideally, perform this task semi-annually; coordinate it with the spring and fall clock changes to help you remember). Unusual patterns of beeping or flashing lights may indicate a malfunction; have the unit repaired or replaced ASAP.

By Laura Firszt,Networx.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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7 Home Maintenance Troublespots to Take Care of Today

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5 Urban Homesteading Projects for Beginners

by LTYEarlene Posted on February 6, 2016

Urban homesteading is on the rise in cities and suburbs across the country. The practice of urban homesteading involves making your household as self-sustaining as possible by producing your goods and foods at homethink raising chickens, growing vegetables, sewing your own clothes and beekeeping.

People start homesteading for a variety of reasons. Some want to know where their food, cleaning products and clothes come from and whats in them. Others simply like the idea of minimizing environmental impact by keeping all production close to home. Still more want to transition to living off the grid completely.

Rest assured, you dont need to go all in all at once. If you want to give urban homesteading a shot but arent quite ready to jump right into raising goats, here are some great projects for beginners:

Start a Small Vegetable Garden

If you have the space, a small vegetable garden can help you start growing your own food. Dont feel as though you need to convert your entire yard into a vegetable garden right away. A small strip of land alongside your house (that gets adequate sunlight) is perfect for constructinga raised bed that runs the length of your home, and will give you plenty of space for growing veggies. Beginners should stick to the basics. Lifehacker recommends salad greens, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers and green beans for those new to gardening.

Compost

Composting is really quite easy and only requires a little bit of effort each day. Once youve gotten into the swing of it, youll have ready-made compost that canact as fertilizer for your yard and vegetable garden. In order to compost successfully, your mixture will need organic matter, some moisture, warmth and oxygen, according to self-proclaimed composting guru The Compost Guy. Store your compost bin in a warm place, make sure to mix it up regularly to allow oxygen into the mixture, keep it moist and add plenty of organic matterkitchen scraps, manure, fall leaves, grass, straw, cardboard and hair are great for composting.

Collect Rainwater

This is a pretty straightforward tip. Collecting rainwater is great for water conservation as you wont have to turn on the hose in order to water your plants, wash your car, do your laundry or scrub your dishes. If you really get into it, you canpurchase a water purification system to use your rainwater for showering and bathing (though that would require quite a bit of rain). Collecting rainwater is super easy, too: Simply place a rainwater collection tank outside.

Make Your Own Cleaning Products

Cleaning products are expensive and often toxic. Making an all-natural, all-purpose cleaner at home is super easy, if you have the right ingredients. The natural homemaking blog Wellness Mama recommends combining 1 teaspoon of Borax, 0.5 teaspoons of washing soda, 1 teaspoon castile soap and a few drops of your favorite essential oil with two cups of distilled water. Put the mixture into a spray bottle and use it anywhere in your home without fear of toxins.

Hang Your Laundry to Dry

Wet clothes dont necessarily need to go into an electric dryer. Conserve energy by hanging your clothes out to dry! During the winter months, you can assemble a drying rack within your home thats quick and easy to take down once your wardrobe has driedtrust us, your clothes with dry just as efficiently and you wont use as much power.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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5 Urban Homesteading Projects for Beginners

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