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Portable Clothes Washer Review and Comparison – What Works

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A portable clothes washer is great for RV camping, apartments, dorms, condos – anywhere you don't have a ton of space. Manual clothes washers also save on electricity and are great for emergency situations. I put four of the most popular portable washers to the test at our off grid home, and share the results below.

Note – all four of these washers are manual washers that don’t require electricity. You need access to water, a way to heat the water if desired, a place to drain the water, and a spot to hang your clothes to dry.

three manual clothes washers sitting on stairs [Read more…] about Portable Clothes Washer Review and Comparison – What Works

Battery Recycling – How to Recycle Batteries Safely

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Whether you are using a flashlight, cordless power tools or cellphone, battery powered tech makes life easier. But what happens to batteries when they reach the end of their lives? We'll explain safe battery recycling – where, how, and why you should. This is extremely important, because some batteries can explode or catch fire if handled improperly.

Batteries ready for recycling [Read more…] about Battery Recycling – How to Recycle Batteries Safely

12 Best Tips for Keeping Your House Cool without AC

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Summertime may bring many wonderful things but the extreme heat is not one of them. For many, using air conditioning is not affordable nor available. Here are some tips for keeping your house cool in the summer heat, with or without AC. We use these techniques in steamy South Carolina to reduce our air conditioning bill. Scroll down to see 12 ways to keep house cool without AC.

Note: See the post “Heat Stroke – Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention” for more tips on staying safe in high temperatures.

Kid cooling off with a fan [Read more…] about 12 Best Tips for Keeping Your House Cool without AC

Musty Smells in the House – Finding Them and Getting Rid of Them

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Smelly basement floor with mildew

If you have musty smells in the house or basement and want to get rid of them, the first thing you need to do is ask some questions. If my house is musty, do I have mold? Does my house get musty in summer? Does my house smell musty only when it rains, or only after I've been on vacation? Once you've narrowed down the symptoms, you can focus on eliminating the problem. The only lasting way to get rid of musty smells in the house is to find the source. In this post, we'll discuss sources of musty smells in the home and how to deal with them. [Read more…] about Musty Smells in the House – Finding Them and Getting Rid of Them

ICF Construction – What You Need to Know About an ICF Home

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ICF Construction (Insulated Concrete Form) - building with ICF, ICF energy efficiency, ICF cost, living in an ICF home and ICF durability. #ICF #greenhome
Back when we were researching our “forever home”, we chose ICF construction for a number of reasons. It's tough, energy efficient and should last a lifetime with minimal upkeep. In this post, I'll discuss:

  • what ICF construction is
  • how it differs from conventional construction
  • why we chose Insulated Concrete Forms
  • how much energy is saved (for heating and cooling) by using ICF construction
  • how an ICF home performs during emergencies
  • ICF costs
  • whether it's suitable for the do-it-yourselfer
  • what it's like living in the house
  • recommendations for potential ICF problem areas

Let's get started! [Read more…] about ICF Construction – What You Need to Know About an ICF Home

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