smart tipsbe informed

April 02, 2009

Is your wood fence or deck starting to look a little gray and tired?

To remove gray residue and mildew on exterior wood, add 1 quart of household bleach and 1 ounce of non-ammoniated detergent to 1 gallon of water; work it in with a brush, then rinse.  Of course, you should wear safety goggles, gloves and old clothes when undertaking this project.

This issue's Green Tip:

Use a rain barrel to collect rain water from gutters and downspouts.  You can use the water collected to water the garden at a later time or even wash the car!

April 16, 2009

Are you planning to put in a new sidewalk or walkway this year?

You will need to consider the width of the walkway. If the sidewalk is to be used by the general public, like in front of your house, the town may have minimum guidelines so be sure to check with the town or city building inspector. 

If the walkway occurs on your property or in a private garden consider this: A person walking alone will need 24" to 30" of path width. Two people walking side by side usually require 3' to 4'.

This issue's Green Tip:

Consider installing solar powered or motion sensor lights at the exterior.  Solar lights use the power from the sun and can last up to 8 hours on a full charge.  Motion sensor lights activate only when needed and will turn off after motion is not detected for predetermined amount of time

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