LILL’s LIST

Utility bills are a big part of our budgets. Gas and oil prices are rising everyday and electricity is expensive. Trying to keep up with rising prices is hard enough without wasting money on energy thieves. Are you guilty of these cleaning mistakes that waste energy?

1.How about the baseboard heaters? When is the last time that you took off the covers and gave them a good vacuuming and then a wipe with a damp cloth? Did you know that dust build-up reduces heat output? So you’re wasting money on oil or electricity if your baseboard heaters are dirty.

2.What about your computer’s CPU? When you start thinking about places that dirt can build up in your environment, think about anything with a fan. Anywhere that a fan pulls in outside air - for instance your computer’s CPU - should be vacuumed at least every few days. When dust builds up on components inside the CPU, it takes longer for heat to dissipate, which shortens the life of the unit and uses more electricity.

3.Hairdryers also have fans. When is the last time you really looked at the intake on your hair dryer or gently vacuumed the lint and hair out of it? If you let it build up too long, it can actually catch on fire. Even if it doesn’t, just like the baseboard heaters, it has to work harder to do the same amount of drying, so keep it clean and save electricity and drying time.

4.When was the last time you cleaned your dryer vent? Especially in winter weather, many people forget to clean their outside dryer vent. Sure, the little door is supposed to open automatically and release lint into the air, but lint still builds up on the inside of the vent and even on the pipe inside the house. It’s very important that you check the vent regularly, clean the vent and as far inside the pipe as you can. There are long brushes that can do this and you can find them at hardware or home products stores.

5.Have you vacuumed your fridge lately? Not the inside; the coils. Either in back or underneath your fridge, there are coils of tubing that hold the refrigerant that cools your food. These are delicate and you have to be careful when vacuuming that you don’t break them, because the refrigerant is poisonous. Just gently vacuum the surface, because when they’re dust-covered, they don’t work as efficiently. It takes more time and electricity to cool the interior.

6.Isn’t this a bright idea? Clean your lightbulbs. When they’re off, just wipe them with a damp cloth. Dust makes them dimmer and can even make some of them overheat, which can make them fail sooner than a clean bulb.

It doesn’t take long to get the dust and dirt off these items. The time it takes is worth it when you think of the money you’ll save. And let’s not forget that using less energy is better for the environment, which is certainly as important as saving money is.

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Like most people nowadays, you probably worry about germs and carry hand sanitizer with you. And most of us would say we’re pretty good about keeping ourselves and our environment clean. All those commercials about antibacterial wipes and cleaners have most people convinced that they’ll get some dread disease from their counters or poison their family if they don’t use them. It’s not true, but it’s scary.The irony is, I’d be willing to bet that there are several very dirty objects that you and your family touch everyday, without even being aware of it.

1. Earrings. Do you have pierced ears? Do you wear posts? Do you take them out everyday and clean them with peroxide? If, like many women, you wear the same post earrings for long periods of time, take them out right now and look at them. Chances are, they’re covered with skin oil, cosmetics, shampoo, soap and unidentifiable gunk. Soak them in some peroxide while you read the rest of this article.

2. Rings. While we’re on the subject of jewelry, check out your rings. Look at the area around the prongs and anywhere there’s an opening. Again, most rings that are worn daily have a residue of skin oil, cosmetics and dirt that builds up in spite of the many times you put your hands in water everyday. How this fails to wash off is a mystery, but it doesn’t. However, inexpensive jewelry cleaner can clean rings, earrings and bracelets too, for that matter.

3. Eyeglasses. Wear glasses? Clean them with that spray cleaner? Look at the hinge areas and in between the lenses and the frames. Nose pieces are very hard to clean without soaking and quick to accumulate grime. This is why just spraying them with lens cleaner won’t keep them clean. At least once a week, you should soak them in mild dish detergent and water. (Warning! Check with your optician first if you have coated lenses. Some of them need a special cleaner.)

4.Watches. The back of your watch face and band pick up skin oil and dirt. If it’s a metal band, clean it gently with a non-abrasive cloth and jewelry cleaner that’s safe for metals. If it’s a leather band, use a vegetable-based soap or saddle soap. For plastic bands, dish detergent and water are fine.

5.Car Door Opener. Most of us use one of those plastic key fob door openers. One tap of our thumb and the lights flash, the horn beeps and the car is locked. Of course, our thumbs also deposit oil and dirt on the fob and how often do we really look at the thing? Like many items that we use several times a day, key fobs don’t really register on our “dirt” radar. They’re so much a part of our lives that we just don’t notice them anymore. Swipe yours with a cloth dampened with a gentle cleaner or a wet wipe, but make sure you don’t get liquid inside it.

6. Cosmetic bottles. They’re not technically fashion accessories, but you probably use them everyday. They’re the pump or spray bottles on your dresser or your bathroom vanity and they’re usually covered with a film of product that attracts dust. Wipe them with a damp cloth once a week or so and don’t forget the cosmetics in your purse. Compacts, lipsticks and other cosmetic containers pick up all kinds of residue, which is why it’s a good idea to keep them in a little plastic cosmetic purse you can wash once in awhile.

Routine maintenance of all these little overlooked things doesn’t take all that long. You can do it every Saturday morning or in a few minutes, one evening a week before you go to bed. Not only will you cut down on germs, you’ll prevent the embarrassment of having someone else notice your dirty little secret before you do.

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If you have a spot in your garden or yard that has about the same conditions as their original location, you may be able to transplant native plants. However, before you dig up that wild orchid or flowering ground cover, make sure that the plants aren’t on the endangered species list. Your local University Extension Service can help you determine that and they can also help you with planting tips for the native plants in your area. You should also make sure that you have permission from the landowner if the plant isn’t on your property.

Even if the plants you’re interested in aren’t rare or endangered, it’s best to make sure that there are enough plants of that type before you remove any. If there are only one or two, perhaps it would be better to choose another type of plant or check with local nurseries to see if they have any.

The next thing you need to do is make sure that the spot you’re transplanting to duplicates as closely as possible the setting the plant is in. If it’s growing in a high and dry woodland setting, don’t try to set it out in the full sun or in a spot with poor drainage. Consider how much sunlight it gets, how windy it is, how much rain it gets and what kind of soil it’s growing in. Is the soil acid or alkaline? Clay or sandy?

Preparation is everything when transplanting anything, but never more so than when the plant is growing in the wild. If possible, prepare the plant months before you actually move it. For most plants, this means getting the roots ready for transplanting by pruning them with a sharp spade so that they’ll form a compact root ball. This stimulates new root growth at the cut edges, with the biggest growth taking place about six inches out from the edges.

Then, when the plant becomes dormant in the fall and you dig it up, be sure that you take as much soil as possible beyond the new roots. I’ve had very good success with transplanting native plants, and I think it’s because I always go way overboard with the amount of soil I take with each plant. I don’t dig down deeply, but I do take about four times the circumference of the root ball in soil. A cardboard box can be handy to set the plant into to transport it to its new location.

After you dig up the plant, prepare the new location by digging a hole not quite as deep as the one the plant came out of, and as wide as the clump of soil you’ve taken with the plant. Put some of the soil that you dug up with the plant into the bottom of the hole and as you plant, intersperse the new soil with the soil that the plant came with. This will reduce planting shock and help the plant settle into its new home.

It’s best not to plant native plants too deeply, but you should firm the soil around them and stake them if necessary, to support them and so that you’ll remember where they are as the seasons progress and won’t step on them by accident. Fertilizer isn’t required, but mulch should be applied around them to conserve water and simulate their natural environment. Water, of course, as you would any transplant, but don’t overwater. Check the soil to see if it’s dry before watering and water deeply enough to soak the ground but not enough to saturate the plant.

With some effort, native plants can add a special, natural touch to your yard or garden. With the right planting method and some tender loving care in the beginning, they’ll give you many years of trouble-free beauty.

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