when was the last time you vacuumed your refrigerator?

NEVER, probably.
At least that was true for me until recently, when I cleaned the heat-exchange condenser coils, which are what cool your refrigerator by releasing heat. If the coils are covered in a blanket of dust, the refrigerator has to work harder. You’ll hear the motor kicking on often and for a long time.
Refrigerators [...]

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Yoplait and other no-no snacks

How bad can Yoplait be? Sure it’s way too sweet for me these days, thanks to tons of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS),  but hey, it’s yogurt.
Apparently, HFCS is not the only problem. According to Good Guide’s Five Snacks Your Kids Should Avoid some mercury was detected in the HFCS in Yoplait. Bad news. Read [...]

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water audit

Take shorter showers!

That’s the big take-away for today’s Water Wise House Call. The Ssnta Clara Valley Water District offers it free as part of their water conservation program. I signed up a few weeks ago as part of my own effort to maximize energy/resource efficiency in my new rental house.
Some things the surveyor did:

Calculated our [...]

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water: how hot is too hot?

138ºF  water. Scalding hot. Waste-of-energy hot. Hurts-my-hands-to-wash-dishes hot. Risky-to-jump-in-the-shower hot.
Sure, it’s better than the other way around–no hot water–but my guess was the water heater in my house was set too high.
The recommended temp is 120 F. It’s good from a utility perspective (for dishwashers and clothes washers) and for safety, especially for children. Also, [...]

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fill your fridge, save energy and money

Two climate change-fighting volunteers from Green@Home came by for a housecall today. I learned, among other things, that my refrigerator is too empty.
Why is this a problem? Because –here comes my simplified explanation–an empty(ish) fridge has little to “hold” the cold when the door is open and closed. Which means that all that warm air [...]

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plastics safety Q&A

I found a Plastics Q&A from the Green Guide helpful in sorting out the confusing world of household (and specifically kitchen) plastics.  Among the topics covered:

Q: Which plastic containers contain bisphenol A (BPA)?  A: Those that say “#7 PC” in the recycling triangle.
Q: Do Brita filters leach harmful chemicals?  A: The short answer is no.
Q: [...]

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Things you should NEVER buy again

I’m not a big fan of lists of MUSTs or MUST NOTs, since I think that it’s difficult to come up with a list that is relevant for everyone.  That said, those little lists that are printed on wallet-size paper are pretty convenient.  I think of them as guides, rather than a definitive list.
So, from [...]

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stop boiling water!

I love tea, so I boil a lot of water.  I usually just put in enough water in the kettle for a cup of tea.  And then later I boil more when for the next cup of tea.  I know, it’s not the most energy-efficient; not exemplary Everyday Sustainable behavior.
This morning, my boyfriend found the Zojirushi thermal carafe in [...]

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Dishwasher: Energy Saving Tips

I found the manual to my dishwasher online at the KitchenAid site–hooray for PDFs!.
This is what I learned in “Energy Saving Tips”:

Use the ENERGY SAVER DRY (no heat). 
Flash dry dishes.  After final rinse, unlatch door and advance Cycle Selection Dial to Pots/Pans Cycle; open door and pull out the racks.  Because of the heat buildup [...]

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