Comments (0)

By Kim, October 21, 2009

. . . by ripping off in almost it’s entirety today’s post from Young House Love, which Sherry Petersik in turn got most of from “Evan the all-knowing homemade cleaner guy:”

****

Clean Up Your Act: All Natural Homemade Cleaners

And now we’ll continue the cleaning chit-chat with this handy little homemade cleaner breakdown. When we talked about getting even greener and experimenting with homemade cleaners in year three of YHL, an expert in that very area offered up a few of his favorite formulas. And we jumped at the chance to learn how all natural and totally eco-friendly cleaning materials are easy and effective- and sometimes way cheaper than paying for the more toxic stuff that can hurt pets, kids, people in general and the planet at large. Here’s what Evan the all-knowing homemade cleaner guy passed along:

This has become an obsession for me. If you think of your home as a sanctuary you want it to be not only beautiful but safe for your health! Store bought chemicals and cleansers can not only be toxic, poisonous or cause other averse health effects (no wonder they have all those warnings and skull & crossbone images on them) but they can also be expensive, completely unregulated, bad for the environment and full of excess packaging that ends up in landfills every day. They often come with big bold warnings that say things like “danger”, “caution”, “corrosive”, “irritant”, and even “chronic health hazard” which by definition can mean anything from “chemicals that destroy tissue” (corrosive) to “causes sterility and birth defects” (chronic health hazard). And even those that just say “danger” or “caution” can be attached to warnings that say “may be fatal or cause blindness if swallowed” or “highly toxic, flammable, poisonous and corrosive.”

Well Evan, when you put it that way, the toxic store bought cleaners bearing those labels (which can commonly be found on everything from basic toilet bowl cleaners to oven and drain solutions) sound pretty terrible. Tell us more.

By contrast, some non-toxic and all natural ingredients like baking soda and vinegar are not only not corrosive, poisonous, or hazardous to your health in any way, they’re actually completely safe if ingested (after all they’re found in the kitchen and they’re 100% edible!).

• Baking Soda is a great naturally abrasive ingredient with mild alkaline properties, it’s also a natural deodorizer and stain remover, and it rinses easily, is completely non-toxic (no more dangers for kids and pets licking surfaces that you’ve cleaned) and it’s extremely affordable (you can grab a 12lb bag at Costco for next to nothing).
• Vinegar is an all natural and mild acid, it’s also a known disinfectant that can remove stains, sanitize, and it’s also completely non-toxic and inexpensive (you can also grab a giant jug of it at Costco for an extremely reasonable price). It should be noted that it shouldn’t be used on stone surfaces or acetate fabrics but there are many other natural cleaning methods that work for those surfaces.
• Hydrogen Peroxide is also non-toxic (learn more about it and it’s many uses here) and is known to be a natural bleaching agent with disinfectant and stain removing properties. It’s also extremely inexpensive (just $1 for three bottles at Walgreen’s).
  
• All Natural Tea Tree Oil And Grapefruit Oil (which have known antibacterial properties) And Lemon Juice (which naturally cuts grease and leaves a totally fresh scent) are also extremely helpful to have in your all-natural cleaning arsenal.
• Liquid Castile Soap (like Dr. Bronner’s, sold at Target, Trader Joe’s, etc) is a vegetable based soap as opposed to a petroleum based one, which makes it completely non-toxic so it can be used on your face and body but will also work well when it comes to cleaning your home. It’s not quite as inexpensive as baking soda or vinegar, but a large 32 oz container is just $8.99 at Trader Joe’s.

But how do you put them all together? Here are some of Evan’s favorite all-natural homemade cleaning formulas:

Surface Spray:

• 16 oz spray bottle
• 2 tsp. borax
• ¼ tsp. liquid castile soap (like Dr. Bronner’s)
  
• hot water

All Purpose Liquid Cleaner:

• 1 gal. hot water
• 1 tbsp. baking soda
• 2 tbsp. liquid soap (like Dr. Bronner’s)

All Purpose Abrasive Cleaner:

• liquid soap (like Dr. Bronner’s)
• 2 tbsp. baking soda
  

Mix to make a foamy paste.

Refrigerator Cleaner:

• 2 tbs. baking soda in 1 qt warm water

Wipe down inside and out and rinse with a clean wet cloth.

Oven Cleaner:

• Dampen with water
• Sprinkle liberally with baking soda
  

Leave 20 minutes, then scrub until clean.

Microwave Cleaner:

• ½ c. vinegar
• 2 c. water
  

Combine in microwave safe bowl, heat on high for 3-4 minutes, remove bowl and wipe down inside of microwave.

Dishwasher Detergent:

• 2 c. borax
• 2 c. baking soda
• 4 little packages of unsweetened lemon Kool-Aid (or generic)

Mix together and store. You can substitute ½ c. of citric acid for the Kool-Aid but it’s harder to find.

Gorgeously Green All-Purpose Spray:

• 32-ounce plastic spray bottle
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon pure castile soap (peppermint)
• 3/4 cup hydrogen peroxide
• 20 drops tea tree oil
• 20 drops of lavender essential oil

Fruit and Vegetable Wash:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 tbsp. baking soda
• 20 drops grapefruit seed extract

Spray on produce, rinse after 5 minutes.

Fruit and Vegetable Wash #2:

• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. baking soda

Spray on produce, wipe after 5 minutes.

Drain Cleaner:

• 1 c. baking soda first
• 1 c. white vinegar second
• 1 gallon boiling water

Allow to foam for 5 minutes before adding water.

Window, Glass and Chrome Cleaner:

• 5 parts water to 1 part white vinegar, OR
• 1 c. water, 1 c. vinegar, ½ tsp. castile soap (like Dr. Bronner’s)

Toilet Bowl Cleaners:

• Liquid castile soap (like Dr. Bronner’s)
  
• Baking soda or borax

Scrub with a toilet brush.

Tub And Tile Cleaner:

• Apply vinegar full-strength to a sponge and wipe
• Scour with baking soda

Soft Scrub for Fixtures:

• ½ c. baking soda
• Castile soap
• 10 drops of antibacterial essential oil (optional)

Add enough castile soap until you have a frosting like consistency. Scrub, then rinse with water.

Mildew/Germ Killer:

• 2 c. water
• 25 drops of tea tree oil
• 25 drops of lavender oil

Spray on tile and do not wipe off.

Mildew/Germ Killer 2:

• 16 oz spray bottle
• 1 part hydrogen peroxide
• 2 parts water

Spray, let sit. Rinse after 1 hour.

Wood Floor Cleaner:

• ¼ c. vinegar
• 1 gal. warm water

Mop or rag should be slightly damp for cleaning.

Linoleum Floor Cleaner:

• 1 c. vinegar
• 2 gal. warm water

Mop or rag can be fully wet for cleaning.

Carpet Stain Remover:

• 1 part borax
• 10 parts warm water

Combine in spray bottle. Spray on stain, wait 5 minutes, blot with clean rag.

Carpet Stain Remover:

• vinegar
• baking soda

Mix vinegar and baking soda into a paste. Gently work into stain with a toothbrush. Let dry then vacuum completely.

Carpet Deodorizer:

• Baking soda
• 10 drops of essential oil (optional)

Mix together then sprinkle generously on carpet, wait 15 minutes and vacuum.

All-Purpose Carpet Cleaner:

After vacuuming first,

• 1 c. white vinegar
• 3 c. boiling water

Blot mixture onto nap of rug with a wet rag, Dry and air thoroughly. Vacuum.

Air Freshener:

• 2 parts water
• 1 part rubbing alcohol
• Essential oil

Mix in spray bottle, don’t spray on silks or delicates. Experiment with how much oil to add, but start with 5 drops.

Air Freshener 2:

• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vinegar or lemon juice
• 2 c. hot water

Mix in spray bottle, don’t spray on silks or delicates.

Dusting:

• Slightly dampened microfiber cloth

Furniture Polish:

• ½ tsp. olive oil
• ¼ c. vinegar or lemon juice

Mix in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces.

Scratches:

• 1 part lemon juice
• 1  part vegetable oil

Rub into the scratches and polish.

Rust Remover:

• Sprinkle area with salt
• Squeeze lime onto salt

Leave sit for 2-3 hours, then scrub w/ lime rind.

Metal Polish (copper and brass):

• 2 tbsp. salt

Add vinegar until you make a paste. Rub on metal with a clean rag. Wipe clean.

Powdered Laundry Detergent:

• 1 c. grated Fels Naptha soap
• ½ c. washing soda
• ½ c. borax

For light load, use 1 tablespoon. For heavy or soiled load, use 2 tablespoons.

Liquid Laundry Detergent:

• 3 pints water
• 1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap, grated
• ½ c. washing soda
• ½ c. borax
• 2 gallon bucket
• 1 quart hot water

Mix soap in saucepan with 3 pints of water. Heat on low until dissolved. Stir in soda and borax until thickened. Remove from heat. Add 1 quart hot water to bucket, then soap mixture, mix well. Fill rest of bucket with hot water, mix and let sit for 24 hours. Use ½ c. per laundry load.

Laundry Pre-treatment:

• ½ c. ammonia
• ½ c. white vinegar
• ¼ c. baking soda
• 2 tbsp. liquid soap or laundry detergent
• 2 quarts water

Mix in spray bottle. Spray spot.

Laundry Pre-treatment 2:

• 1 tsp. liquid laundry detergent
• 2 tbsp. ammonia
• 1 pt. warm water

Mix in spray bottle. Spray spot, let sit for 20 minutes.

Fabric Softener:

Add ½ – 1 c. vinegar to your softener dispenser

Bleach Alternative (Laundry):

• ¼ c. hydrogen peroxide

But wait, Evan has even more ideas to keep things green and clean around your casa:

Run your dishwasher late at night without a heat-dry setting and let things air dry overnight instead

Replace sponges with washable and reusable items like microfiber cloths and dishrags

Premix large batches of cleaning formulas so they’re always on hand and you’re never tempted to buy store stuff again

Set your washer to cold/cold for the most eco laundry you can get

Have people take off their shoes when they enter the house and wipe down the shower after each use (these preventative methods will really keep the house cleaner and cut down on your work)

And just because he’s such a pro, Evan even included his resources so you can learn more or see where he got his facts. Gotta love a guy who’s so thorough AND considerate: Consumer Reports, Nat’l Geographic, The Green Guide, Do It Green, Frugal Living, The Vinegar Institute, EarthEasy, Coyne and Kutzen “The Urban Homestead.”

****

There, now I can feel better about not having tossed up any “green” posts to date. And as for Young House Love, read all about how their purchase of an old brick rancher in Richmond turned into Sherry’s full-time design/how-to/makeover job (plus part-time for John, a TJHSST grad) and got them featured month after month, it seems, in various home and design media. And their little dog, too . . .

Comments (0)

By Kim, October 19, 2009

Here is an update on one of our TJHSST kids from 2002 – Teresa (Thao) Nguyen and her band Get Down Stay Down.

New album – Know Better Learn Faster – released on October 13, featured on iTunes (as Chris says, “making it”), and including help from the Portland Cello Project, the Decemberists, Laura Veirs and others.

It’s vintage Thao on steroids.

See previous Thao post for the history and connections!

Comments (1)

By Kim, April 16, 2009

The last of three (3) posts coming up today, all related to some talented young friends of mine who are alumni of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ).

John Petersik (2000) and his lovely wife Sherry have developed a tremendous following for their remodeling/renovation work. The best place to catch up with what is happening for, by, and to them is at their primo website, This Young House.

For starters, they’re writing columns for regional and national publications such as R. Home Magazine and Do It Yourself Magazine; they’ve been featured on HGTV in Rate My Space; and they’ve done both a video tour in thenest.com and an 8-page cover spread for [thenest] Magazine.

Check out the terrific photos (1, 2, 3, 4) from the magazine spread and read their blog post on the process of the photo shoot – pretty funny.

John’s degree is in Communications and Sherry’s is in Fine Arts – and it’s clear that they are putting both to good use.

My connection to John? I carried his mellophone and toted water for him at Marching Band Camp and on numerous Marching Band Trips. How’s that for A-List, huh?

The other two posts are on Sam Willmott (2005) and Thao Nguyen (2002) – both performing in DC on Friday evening, April 17!

It’s Good To Have A Friend In The Business®

If you would like to discuss real estate questions, sell or buy a home in Northern Virginia – including Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Burke, Centreville, Chantilly, Clifton, Fairfax, Fairfax Station, Falls Church, Kingstowne, Lorton, McLean, Reston, Springfield, or Vienna – contact Kim today.

4.5% Listings with First-Class Service — Cash Back to My Buyers!

Comments (2)

By Kim, April 16, 2009

The second of three (3) posts coming up today, all related to some talented young friends of mine who are alumni of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ).

Thao Nguyen (2002) – most TJ alumni know her as Teresa – graduated with degrees in Sociology and Women’s Studies from William & Mary. In high school she worked mostly with vocalist Brenna Clerkin as the duo Brenna & Teresa. Here’s a selection from their EP Three Words:

[audio http://members.cox.net/khannemann/knocksmedown.mp3]Knocks Me Down – Brenna & Teresa

From this morning’s Washington Post:

Falls Church native-turned-Kill Rock Stars darling Thao Nguyen plays tomorrow at the Black Cat with her band the Get Down Stay Down, and offers more than enough smart heartbreak to go around (sorry, no faux-lebrity melodrama, though). Nguyen and her band broke out last year with the album “We Brave Bee Stings and All,” a jaunty collection of soulful pop tunes spiked with downer lyricism delivered in a staccato sing-speak.

“I’m a huge Motown fan, and I enjoy the juxtaposition of a bright-sounding song with a melancholic lyric,” Nguyen told us when we chatted up the 25-year-old recently by phone in Portland, Ore. The sad thread isn’t a put-on; her childhood seems to have consisted of toiling in her mother’s laundromat (“I feel like I was an indentured servant,” she says jokingly of her days spent making change for customers) and time spent alone.

“I would say I spent the majority of my time in my room, being sad or watching television. Growing up there helped in that I had nothing else to do but focus on playing music,” Nguyen says. She has since moved to San Francisco, where urban living seems to suit her, uh . . . better. Tomorrow’s show is something of a homecoming.

“For all the lamenting I have done,” Nguyen confesses, “I am a product of the place I came from. And everyone [here] has always been so supportive and hospitable.”

The Black Cat is at 1811 14th St. NW. Tickets are $13. Show starts at 9 p.m, also featuring Sister Suvi and David Shultz and the Skyline.

Move quick, or you’re gonna miss Thao because she’s off to Durham, NC on Saturday.

Here’s a recent video for Bag of Hammers (you may have heard the tune on a Clorox commercial):

My connection to Thao:  she rehearsed in my basement. That’s right – some of her first collaborative work took place there in the summer of 1999 after summer school computer science sessions, playing songs like “Brown Eyed Girl,” “Cocaine,” and Cake’s “Let Me Go” with a band (that term is used loosely) calling itself Cool Whip. [Note - most TJ students go to summer school to fit in all the classes they want to take with the ones they have to take. It's like camp for them.] Later, my son Chris backed her and Brenna on drums at a TJ talent show and at Jammin’ Java in Vienna. Yes, another A-List connection, folks.

Here is a review of her most recent work written by Chris after he caught up with her when she played at Berkeley in 2008.

UPDATE:  See Washington Post Weekend feature from April 17 – may require free login, may not be available more than two weeks or so.

The other two TJ Alumni posts are on Sam Willmott (2005) – also performing in DC on Friday evening – and John Petersik (2000).

It’s Good To Have A Friend In The Business®

If you would like to discuss real estate questions, sell or buy a home in Northern Virginia – including Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Burke, Centreville, Chantilly, Clifton, Fairfax, Fairfax Station, Falls Church, Kingstowne, Lorton, McLean, Reston, Springfield, or Vienna – contact Kim today.

4.5% Listings with First-Class Service — Cash Back to My Buyers!

Comments (1)

By Kim, April 16, 2009

The first of three (3) posts coming up today, all related to some talented young friends of mine who are alumni of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ). Coming from the country’s preeminent nerd academy, you would think they’d be, oh, maybe scientists or engineers, but au contraire – they are artistes. They could also be scientists or engineers, but in the context of today they are budding if not fully flowered artistic talents.

I realize this is supposed to be primarily a blog about Real Estate . . . but hey, if I can get the TJ Alumni business, I’m gonna be set!

Sam Willmott is a 2005 TJ grad now finishing up at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture. He is a composer and lyricist already gaining some terrific recognition – in fact, his Standardized Testing – The Musical!!!! earned the 2009 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Musical Theatre Award for music and lyrics. Here’s an excerpt:

And you can see it tomorrow night (Friday, April 17) at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater for a measly ten bucks, along with the national finalists of the John Cauble Award for Outstanding Short Play and the KCACTF Ten-Minute Play Award, performed by an ensemble of Washington, D.C.’s leading actors.

My connection with Sam is that he was Tony, the male lead, and my daughter Vicky was a Shark in West Side Story. I had the privilege of not only seeing him perform but actually feeding him and the rest of the cast at multiple rehearsals! That’s an A-List connection, folks!

The other two posts are on Thao Nguyen (2002) – also performing in DC on Friday evening – and John Petersik (2000).

It’s Good To Have A Friend In The Business®

If you would like to discuss real estate questions, sell or buy a home in Northern Virginia – including Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Burke, Centreville, Chantilly, Clifton, Fairfax, Fairfax Station, Falls Church, Kingstowne, Lorton, McLean, Reston, Springfield, or Vienna – contact Kim today.

4.5% Listings with First-Class Service — Cash Back to My Buyers!

Comments (0)

By Kim, March 11, 2009

Two students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) finished in the top ten in the country in the 2009 Intel Science Talent Search. TJHSST is a Fairfax County public school.      

The fourth place finisher was Narendra Tallapragada of Burke, who received a $25,000 scholarship for his project to find ways to simplify complex models of atomic and molecular interactions. His goal is to one day create minicomputers that could be used, for example, to create automatic insulin pumps that can be placed inside diabetic patients or intelligent clothing that responds to temperature.

Seventh place went to Alexander Kim of Fairfax, who received a $20,000 scholarship for researching the variation and diversification in populations of the giant American river prawn, the largest freshwater invertebrate in North America. His research furthers understanding of how species evolve and has implications for the future of ecosystems. 

This year’s Intel Science Talent Search finalists come from 17 states and represent 35 schools. Of the more than 1,600 high school seniors who entered the 2009 Intel Science Talent Search, 300 were announced as semifinalists in January. Of those, 40 were chosen as finalists and invited to Washington, D.C., to compete for the top ten awards. 

FCPS – News Releases

It’s Good To Have A Friend In The Business®

If you would like to discuss real estate questions, sell or buy a home in Northern Virginia – including Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Burke, Centreville, Chantilly, Clifton, Fairfax, Fairfax Station, Falls Church, Kingstowne, Lorton, McLean, Reston, Springfield, or Vienna – contact Kim today.

4.5% Listings with First-Class Service — Cash Back to My Buyers!

Comments (1)

By Kim, March 10, 2009

Ok, since one of my kids works in the solar industry, this matters a lot to me. Not only that, but let’s use some of that “free” solar power while we still have the sun!

The U.S. solar industry is expected to support more than 440,000 permanent, full-time jobs, including many in the manufacturing and construction industry, by the year 2016. The solar jobs growth layer shows where these jobs are likely to be created across the country. You’ll see that many of these jobs are being created in states that have experienced the worst of the current economic crisis, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ohio.

Official google.org Blog: U.S. job growth, powered by the sun.

Comments (0)

By Kim, January 25, 2009

Because two of my kids – and most of their friends – are engineers.

Henry Petroski in today’s Washington Post:

“We will restore science to its rightful place,” President Obama declared in his inaugural address. That certainly sounds like a worthy goal. But frankly, it has me worried. If we want to “harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories,” as Obama has decreed, we shouldn’t look to science. What we need is engineering.

To be fair, Obama’s misconception is a common one. Most people who aren’t scientists or engineers seem to think that science and engineering are the same. They’re not. Science seeks to understand the world as it is; only engineering can change it.

That’s not what most high-school teachers or even college professors tell their science students. But the truth is that full scientific understanding isn’t always necessary for technological advancement. Take steam engines: They were pumping water out of mines long before a science of thermodynamics was developed to explain how they worked. The engines were what prompted researchers to look into the nature of steam power in the first place.

This may make me a heretic, but I’ll take the argument a step farther: Science can actually get in the way of technology. In the 19th century, some scientists were convinced that even the largest steamship couldn’t carry enough coal for transatlantic trips. Only when skeptical engineers designed ships that made this supposedly impossible task possible were the naysaying scientists forced to reconsider.

And think about the Wright brothers, who refused to believe that only birds were meant to fly. If Wilbur and Orville had waited for the publication of a sophisticated textbook on aerodynamics, they might never have left their bicycle shop in Dayton for the dunes of Kitty Hawk. Engineering, not science, enabled them to develop propellers that worked in the air the way a ship’s propeller spins through water.

Steamships and flying machines may seem like things of the past, but the ingenuity behind them couldn’t be more relevant today. Some of our greatest energy challenges require engineering breakthroughs, not scientific discoveries. The principles that explain how a battery works, for example, are old news. But a lightweight and cost-effective battery pack with enough juice to power a car over long distances remains an elusive goal.

The same is true of fuel and solar cells. Scientists established long ago that natural processes involving chemicals and sunlight can produce electricity. We need engineers to make the cells lean enough to compete with coal and oil. Science alone is never enough.

The president and his green team — particularly Energy Secretary Steven Chu — appear to understand the urgency of the world’s energy problems. I’m not so convinced that they accept that science, for all its beauty, is not the best place to seek practical fixes. Obama should keep his promise to “restore science to its rightful place” — and put engineering on at least an equal footing.

Henry Petroski is a professor of civil engineering and history at Duke University.

Comments (0)

By Kim, November 18, 2008

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology – TJHSST – is arguably the preeminent magnet high school in the United States. Two of my kids graduated from TJ and I spent a lot of time there over a seven-year period.

TJBash is a “quote repository” containing (PG-rated) quotes by TJHSST students, alumni, and faculty mostly relating to humorous personal experiences occurring in class, such as:

// During “Word of the Day” in English

?Erin: My word is “masticate”, which means to chew. I picked it because I like the way it sounds.?
Ms. Bello: Does anyone want to use the word in a sentence?
?Erin: I masticate every day.?
Tim: I masticate 3 or 4 times per day. I even masticate with my friends.?
Bello: Good job, guys.?
Tim: Would you like to masticate with me, Logan?
?Logan: *laughing too hard to answer*
?Erin: Do you think you masticate too much, Tim?
?Tim: There’s no such thing as too much mastication.

Another:

//In Chemistry, Dr. Acio is explaining variably charged metal ions

Dr. Acio: Tin (II) is called stannous, tin (III) is called stannic. Don’t do what one kid did and say it’s “satanic chloride.” It ain’t satanic, it’s stannic.
A: *mutters* No, there’s only one satanic thing in this room and it writes tests.