Spring
break means spring cleaning for some. There
is nothing like the nice weather to get you
motivated for the summer months ahead. Maybe
it’s the warmth of the sun, or maybe it is
the sun shining through those dirty windows!
Either way we will be sharing tips with you
during the next few weeks to help you get
organized for the warm weather to come.
Organizing
your Bathroom
Counter space is at a premium
in the home and that is especially true in
the bathroom. We asked Linda Gemal from
Rejuvenate your Home (503-803-8000) to
give us some tips on how to organize your
bathroom cabinets. Most people have quite a
mess under their cabinets. In the bathroom
the clutter is really bad. Organizing this
space is tough; there are water pipes and
drains to consider. First, clean out the
area you are trying to organize and then
measure the space under the sink and find
out what type of room you have to work with.
Take these measurements to the local home
improvement or container store. Look for
someone that can point you in the right
direction and help you make an efficient
space. Linda went to the Container Store and
found a lot of fun and functional drawers
and bins. Linda picked out some trays that
had rollers and were stackable. She also
picked out ones that were clear so she can
see what are in the drawers without opening
them. Once she had them installed you can
really see how much better the space is
organized. There is much more room for
storage and it is much cleaner too. What a
great way to take control of your bathroom
again.
Geranium Lake Easter Eggs
Easter is a week away and it
is time to dye those Easter eggs, but this
year we decided we needed to add a little
twist so we stopped by
Geranium Lake Flowers
(503-228-1920) to get some ideas from one of the most
creative people we know, Kim Foren. She
brought out her recipe for ‘botanical
inspired’ Easter eggs. These eggs are made
by using onion skins or beets to create a
dye. First you need to get some raw,
unboiled eggs. Then you take some small,
pressed flowers and foliage from your garden
and then hold them in place with a small
piece of nylon. You pull the nylon tight
over the egg (don’t break the egg) and tie
it tight with zip-tie or string. Then you
boil the water with vinegar and the onion
skins in the water bath. After it boils
about 10 minutes you pull the egg out and
let it cool down. After it cools, cut off
the nylon and rub a little vegetable oil on
it to give it a sheen and you are done.
People will be amazed how great they look
and they add a great touch to your holiday
table! You can find the
step-by-step directions here:
word document -
pdf file
Window Coverings
Picking the right window
covering can be a very tough job with all
the choices out there. We were joined by our
friend
Amy Troute (503-805-0811) from ‘design
for home’ to try to take some of the
confusion out of the process. She introduced
us to the people at
Premiere Window Coverings
(503-533-0922). They have a ton of different
examples to choose from. First of all you
have to decide what function you want from
your coverings. Do you want shades or drapes
for light control, energy conservation, or
privacy? Then you have to look at the style
of covering and how it works with the type
of window you have. Will a crank window
interfere with the shade? Do you have high
ceilings… the list goes on. The type of
covering can also help you save some money
too. There are many styles that are designed
to minimize heat transfer. Now, if you are
narrowing down your choice, don’t forget to
take color into consideration. A warm color
can cast a warm glow into your home and a
cooler color can set a different mood. The
prices can be very cheap or very expensive
(especially with the remote control ones
that David loved.) So check out all
the choices at Premiere Window Coverings or
contact Amy to help walk you through it.
Tofu Mousse Dessert
Tofu has a bad rap. Some
people feel it is a tasteless, textureless
food. Well, maybe it wasn’t prepared right!
We were joined in the demo kitchens at the
NW Natural Appliance Center
(503-220-2362) to learn how to make a great
Chocolate Mousse recipe from David and Wendy
Gabbe Day. David and Wendy both teach
classes in vegan and vegetarian cooking to
help people learn how to better prepare
these dishes. David and Wendy will both be
at the Energy Trust Better Living show at
the Expo Center this weekend to help people
cook and eat better foods. For the recipe
David told us that you have to boil your
tofu for 4 minutes to help freshen it up.
Tofu is made out of soybeans and should be
treated like any food product when you are
cooking. After the 4 minutes in the boiling
water it is cooled down under running water.
While you are cooling it down you can get
your other ingredients together. You will
need dairy-free chocolate chips, cocoa
powder, salt, peanut butter, raw sugar,
vanilla extract, and vanilla soymilk.
For
the complete recipe, click here. We have to
say it’s a great recipe and it was good for
you too. For more tips you can check David
and Wendy out at the Better Living show or
get a complete listing of their classes at
www.DavidsVegetarianKitchen.com.
Air
Conditioning Tips
Even though the real
heat of summer may be a ways away, it is not
too early to think about doing a little
maintenance to your AC and getting it ready
for the summer. We met with Mike Hansen of
Roth Heating and Cooling (503-266-1249)
to see what they recommend. Mike said that
the first thing we should look at is the air
filter. Just by changing the air filter you
will be reducing the strain on your whole
system and make your AC work better. If you
have a specialized air cleaner, it should be
checked by a service technician. Next you
will want to head outdoors and check your
unit. Make sure that there is no winter
damage and that all the leaves and debris is
cleaned out of the area around the unit.
Then head inside and turn on your unit.
Listen to make sure that it sounds good and
not making any weird or abnormal noises. It
may take a while to get up to speed and
start cooling down the house. If you do
notice any problems feel free to contact the
experts at Roth Heating and Cooling.
Vacuum Maintenance
Spring cleaning time is here;
do you know if your vacuum is up to the
challenge of all that cleaning? We stopped
by
Stark's Vacuums (800-230-4101) to learn
some tips for maintaining your vacuum so it
will last longer and clean better. Ken
Raasch joined Robin to give us the ‘dirt’ on
cleaning machines. First of all he talked
about upright vacuums. You should always
check your filters and never let them get
too dirty. It cuts the airflow down and that
affects the cleaning. Most of these filters
can be cleaned a couple of times by hand,
but after that you should replace them
because there is too much dirt for anyone to
get at. If you have a canister vacuum you
will usually find a vacuum bag inside the
unit. The problem here is that people let
the bag get too full and that will decrease
the airflow too. Do not try to empty the bag
and reuse it. There is still dirt in the
‘pores’ of the bag and that will make the
bag less efficient. Another problem is your
beater bars and belts. The beater bar is the
part that ‘sweeps’ up debris from carpet and
allows the vacuum to suck it up. The bars
can become clogged with hair, string and
other stuff and it may even quit rotating.
This will create a strain on your belts that
drive the bar and cause them to break. Even
if the belts don’t break they can become
stretched out and work less effectively. If
you smell something burning that could be a
sign that you have belt problems. You should
look at changing belts 2-3 times a year to
keep it running smoothly!
