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LINDA'S
SPRING TIPS
 Save
money with this homemade recipe for cleaning windows:
1 pint (16 ounces) rubbing alcohol
½ cup ammonia
1 tsp. Dawn or Palmolive dish soap
Put the first two ingredients in an empty milk gallon jug. Fill it with water and then add the soap. For ease of use, pour the mixture into a spray bottle. This solution
works great…no rinsing necessary!
An alternate recipe:
½ cup cornstarch
1 gallon water
While spring cleaning, don’t forget your ducts –
especially if family members have allergies to dust and mold.
Companies that clean ducts can also spray them to inhibit
mold and kill dust mites.
Save energy by sealing duct joints with mastic or high-quality,
UL-listed, foil-faced duct tape. If ducts are routed in unconditioned
areas of the home, such as attics or basements, be sure to
insulate them to reduce heat loss.
Plant trees now to save energy later.
An air conditioner will work only half as much in a house fully shaded by trees, compared to an unprotected house. Merely shading the air conditioning unit will increase
its efficiency by 10%. Trees that lose their leaves in the fall protect the home from the summer heat, while permitting winter sunlight to warm it.
If you’re planning extensive landscaping, draw up
an overall plan or have a professional create one for you.
This will allow you to add items over a period of time that
complement each other in a unified design.
Remember you can make your home’s lot appear larger:
By repeating shapes of bushes and trees and creating long site lines by placing trees diagonally (a tree on the front left corner of your lot and another on the rear
right corner), you can makeyour home's lot appear much bigger.
For year-round visual interest, choose trees and shrubs that are attractive in different seasons. For example, include perennials or trees that blossom during the
summer, maple trees or burning bushes for brilliant foliage in the fall and evergreens or red-stemmed dogwood to provide color in winter months.
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