Get Inspired. Get Started.
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Get Inspired. Get Started.
HOME & GARDEN
HOME & GARDEN
Hazardous materials have got to go
Time to Freshen up
Prepare systems for warm weather Special to L’Observateur
Disposal times for household goods set in St. John, St. Charles
One springtime task on homeowners’ to-do lists is checking cooling systems to ensure they are ready for summer.
Treat your home to numerous spring season improvements Special to L’Observateur
After a few months of chilly temperatures, come spring, many homeowners are eager to throw open their windows and doors and breathe new life into their homes. Simple changes made now — even before the weather begins to seriously warm up — can improve interior spaces and brighten the atmosphere of a home. Research from NASA suggests adding at least one plant in your home per 100 square feet is efficient enough to clean air. Fresh foliage also makes a home feel warm and inviting. Watering and misting plants introduces moisture into indoor air, which can make rooms overcome with dry air from heating systems feel comfortable. Just be sure to avoid overwatering plants, which can lead to mold growth. Accent pillows on beds and sofas are quick and inexpensive ways to add new bursts of color to rooms. You may be able to make over a room’s entire color scheme with new pil-
“Research from NASA suggests adding at least one plant in your home per 100 square feet is efficient enough to clean air. Fresh foliage also makes a home feel warm and inviting.”
SPRING TIP Freshen up your home
lows. Invest in pillows that you can switch with each season so your decor will never look tired or dull. Another way to brighten the mood in a home is to periodically clean light fixtures to make sure they are working effectively. Spend time dusting them and cleaning off any accumulated debris. If need be, switch out old lamp shades for newer ones that let more light shine through. If inadequate lighting is a problem no matter how many lamps you have, consult with an electrician about installing more overhead and accent lighting.
Recirculated air may be full of dust and other microscopic particles that end up blowing throughout your home. Also, it’s easy to track in dirt and other materials on your shoes that become imbedded in carpeting. At least once a year, rent or enlist the services of carpet and upholstery cleaners to give floors a thorough cleaning. You may be surprised at how clean and fresh a home looks and smells once rugs and carpets are deep-cleaned. You also can make a dry carpet cleaner using baking soda, corn starch and desired fresh herbs for fragrance. Sprinkle and then vacuum up after a few hours. Also, group all books with similarly colored covers together for an instant and eye-appealing look. Simmering some homemade home deodorizer can also help. In a large pot, boil water and some scented herbs, such as rosemary, citrus rinds, vanilla or lavender. The aroma will waft through the home, creating a pleasing scent.
Proper maintenance of cooling systems is essential to saving energy and keeping utility costs down. Fortunately, homeowners need not be certified HVAC technicians to maintain their cooling units. • Clean filters. Whether a home is kept cool by a whole-house central air conditioning system or window units, clean filters are necessary to keep the units working efficiently. Routinely replacing or cleaning filters is one of the most important maintenance tasks
to improve airflow and increase efficiency. The U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy says replacing a dirty, clogged filter with a clean one can lower an air conditioner’s energy consumption by anywhere from 5 to 15 percent. • Know the square footage. When replacing a cooling system, have an understanding of the size of your home (or room if installing an window unit). Determine the area of the home so you buy a unit that suits your needs. Air conditioners use BTUs (British Thermal Units) to define cooling power.
The more BTUs, the larger the space that can be cooled. However, homeowners do not want to exceed the necessary cooling power. This leads to energy waste. EnergyStar.gov can help homeowners find the right cooling system for their needs. • Inspect system coils. The evaporator and condenser coils on air conditioners can collect dirt, even when filters are maintained. Dirty coils are less efficient at absorbing heat, so periodically remove the dirt. Outdoor coils can be kept cleaner by cutting back foliage from the unit.
• Inspect condensate drains. Energy.gov also suggests making sure condensate drains, which take moisture pulled from the air away, are functioning properly. If they’re clogged, they may not be effective at reducing humidity in a home, and they may even leak. • Clear debris. Remove leaves or other plant material from condenser units and fan blades. Obstructed components cause the system to retain heat, compromising its ability to work effectively. Some cover their condensers at the end of the cooling season.
Create a budget-friendly home landscape this year
“We have two locations: one in St. Charles Parish on the west bank and another in St. John the Baptist Parish LAPLACE — For the on the east bank. We urge 18th year, St. John the everyone to take advantage Baptist and St. Charles of this opportunity. Please Parishes industries will clean out hazardous materihost the annual Household als from your garage, utility Hazardous Materials Collection Day from 9 a.m. to room or shed and properly dispose of these 1 p.m. April 16. wastes on April St. James “At last year’s 16 at one of Parish, Household Hazardous these two availLouisiana Department of Materials Collection able sites.” Lambremont Environmental event, with 71 said organizQuality and volunteers, we ers are looking Louisiana forward to colDepartment of collected over 37.5 lecting houseAgriculture & tons of potentially hold hazardous Forestry are harmful materials.” materials from also supporting the community. the event. “Please visit The event Jay Lambremont the event provides housewebsite for event coordinator holds an opporevent details tunity to propand ongoerly dispose or ing recycling opportunirecycle materials that are ties at www.hhmcd.com,” inappropriate for curbside Lambremont said. “At last pickup. year’s Household Hazardous Jay Lambremont with Materials Collection event, Marathon Petroleum with 71 volunteers, we colCompany and Lynette lected over 37.5 tons of Currier with OxyChem potentially harmful materi– Taft are the event coordials and prepared them for nators for local industries recycling, recovery, treatsponsoring the event. ment or disposal. We unload“Please mark your calendar and plan to attend this See Hazardous, Page 7A annual event,” Currier said. Special to
L’Observateur
Fresh flowers, new throw pillows and lightweight draperies are some easy ways to transform a home in time for spring’s arrival.
Saturday, March 26, 2016
L’Observateur
owners to create lawns they can be proud of.
Homeowners understandably envy the award-worthy photo spreads in lawn and garden magazines, wanting to emulate those same looks on their own properties. Scores of designers and landscape architects are involved in the process of creating those amazing lush lawns and perfectly placed plantings. Although not every homeowner has the budget to create lavish landscape designs, it’s still possible for home-
Budget The first step in any project is to determine how much money you can devote to the job. Once you have established the budget, all other factors can be built around it. Great landscapes are inspired by many things, whether it’s a memorable piece of art or a landscape layout in a lawn and gardening magazine. Use photos of other gardens or neighbors’ yards as inspiration and build off of them.
Special to
As long as the theme is cohesive, it will look pleasing to the eye. Understanding the space will help you better allocate your budget. If your yard is more of a retreat, look for ways to create privacy and a vacation feel. If you have kids and entertaining friends is a main priority, focus on recreational aspects, such as a pool, playset and some durable plants. Understanding how to allocate your budget will help you to avoid spending money frivolously.
Repurpose Brand new items can quickly eat up a budget. However, repurposing salvaged or inexpensive items can stretch that budget while adding some unique flair to a landscape. See if you can find an outdoor patio set that someone is giving away or selling for a lower price. All it takes
is a coat of paint and some new cushions to make it look like new. Discarded bricks or stones can be worked into a patio space or used to create raised garden beds. Purchase inexpensive flower pots and then paint them to make them look like stone or another desired material. Native plants, shrubs,
trees, and flowers will fare better than nonnative, exotic plants. That means you’ll have to spend less time and money nurturing them into health, and less money having to replace plants that cannot withstand your climate. Perennials may cost more at the outset, but the savings will be realized in the years to come.
Hazardous: Tire limit in place From Page 6A
ed materials from 523 vehicles at both locations.” The collection locations are in St. John the Baptist Parish at the Plaza LaPlace Shopping Center at 1921 Airline Highway in LaPlace, known as the New Wine Ministries parking lot, and in St. Charles Parish in Luling at the School Board Office parking lot, located at 13855 River Road. According to statistics gathered in 2015, the largest recycling category was 19,029 pounds of used elec-
Sponsored With support from Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, this event is sponsored by the following 24 local companies as a community service: Air Liquide, Air Products, ArcelorMittal, Arkema, Bunge, Chemours (formerly DuPont – Burnside), Cornerstone Chemical Company, Denka Performance Elastomer, Dow, DuPont, Entergy, Evonik Corporation, Galata Chemicals, Hexion, Marathon Petroleum Company, Monsanto, Nalco Champion, Norco Manufacturing Complex (Motiva/Shell), Nucor, OxyChem, Praxair, Shell Pipeline Company, Valero and Yuhuang Chemical, Inc. In addition to these sponsor companies, United Way of St. Charles is serving as the fiscal agent for this annual event and Pin Oak Terminals made a $500 donation.
tronics and 10,000 pounds of paint. The following household hazardous materials will be accepted and properly disposed of or recycled: oil-based paint, latex paint, solvents, tires (limit five per vehicle and one delivery only), automotive and other rechargeable batteries, household cleaning products, acids/bases, used oil, antifreeze, aerosol cans, fluorescent lamps, pesticides, herbicides, scrap metal, major appliances and used electronics, such as used computers, copiers, printers, radios, TVs and other
electronic devices. Organizers cannot accept explosives, ammunition, infectious medical wastes, unidentifiable materials, compressed gas cylinders (including propane tanks), radioactive wastes (smoke alarms), asbestos, high school lab wastes or commercial/governmental facility waste, including in-home business waste. There is a limit of five tires per vehicle. Anyone with questions can email to the Household Hazardous Materials Collection Day hotline at hotline@ hhmcd.com.
15306 Airline Hwy. Prairieville, LA 70769
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