My Life By Lynne Thompson
How to Go Low-Flow
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low-flow shower head that delivers the relaxing, refreshing experience of one manufactured before the implementation of gallons-per-minute restrictions? Anna Salerno, sales manager at Edelman, a home supply store with locations in Bedford Heights and Westlake, swears they exist. Here are a few of her favorites: Speakman Icon Shower Head (Model S-2252, $94). Salerno has the 2.5 GPM model (it’s also available with 1.75 GPM and 2.0 GPM flow rates) in her guest bathroom. It’s one of her go-to housewarming gifts for friends and relatives. “When the water comes through [the sprays], it intertwines and it mixes,” she says. “So there’s never a gap in your showering.”
Moen Four-Function Shower Head (Model 3638, $117). Salerno couldn’t tell if she was using the 1.75 or 2.5 GPM version while at a Chicago-area Aloft 46 COMMUNITY LEADER | MAY 2022
hotel. “But, it was remarkable,” she gushes, singling out the targeted or invigorating-spray setting as “sturdy” and “strong.”
Delta Universal Showering Head (Model 52687, $193). Salerno was “overwhelmingly surprised” by the blast this three-setting, 8-inch-wide rain shower head delivered at 1.75 GPM — particularly when set on the drenching spray — during a boutique-hotel stay. “I have hair longer than my shoulders, and I had absolutely no trouble rinsing shampoo from my hair,” she says. Hansgrohe Raindance Select (Model 26469001, $560). Salerno installed this two-setting marvel of German engineering, available in 1.5, 1.8 and 2.5 GPM options, in her own shower. She especially likes the RainAir setting. “It’s very soothing, very calming, but yet strong enough to kind of relax your muscles,” she says. “I work out a lot. I use that feature every single morning.”
Be Proactive on Pests Spring has sprung — and a multitude of winged and multilegged pests have emerged, looking for a home to make their own. Associate certi- Bill Kirchner fied entomologist Bill Kirchner, president of Cleveland Chemical Pest Control, suggests taking some simple measures outside to make your house a less-accessible option. Caulk and seal cracks and crevices. Doing so in early fall is particularly helpful in deterring what Kirchner calls “overwintering insects” such as Asian lady beetles, brown marmorated stink bugs and cluster flies. “In the spring, there’s a lot less ways for them to get inside,” Kirchner says. Trim any branch overhanging or touching the house. “You can have carpenter ants in the tree, and they can walk right on the roof and get in the house,” he says. “It gives squirrels and raccoons a highway right onto the house.” Plant flowering trees and bushes away from the house. “They may attract bees and wasps,” he warns. Subsequently, trying to mitigate the problem by sprayingan insecticide, he adds, may kill beneficial bees. Store firewood away from the house. Kirchner warns it can be a haven for insects such as carpenter ants. Treating it with any chemical is a no-no. “You can’t spray the firewood — you’re going to burn it,” he says. Mulch sparingly. Kirchner advises putting down a layer no deeper than onehalf to three-fourths of an inch. “Anything heavier will hold moisture,” he says. “Then, you get all sorts of bugs.”
