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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

Sustainability Doesn’t Mean What You Might Think it Means

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wiper blade clearing window with sun shining through rain, "Sustainability" text

“Sustainability” is a popular buzzword in many circles – sustainable communities, sustainable development, sustainable agriculture, sustainable building, sustainable growth – heck, even sustainable fashion. But what does “sustainable” really mean, and how do we apply it in our daily lives – or is sustainability what we really want? I'd suggest that we strive for something more. Sustainability and self-reliance talk often go hand in hand, so August and I decided to share some of our thoughts on the subject. [Read more…] about Sustainability Doesn't Mean What You Might Think it Means

How to Make Wool Dryer Balls

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How to Make Wool Dryer Balls to fluff and soften your clothes, reduce drying time and save energy. Eco-Friendly, non-toxic, can also be used as a soft toy.

This is a guest post by Leigh Dudenhoeffer of Frozen Tundra Fiber Arts.

A lot of people have brought it to my attention that my wool dryer balls are ‘too bouncy’ to be 100% wool. If you were to say this to me in person, I’d invite you to cut one in half and see for yourself. I would also consider it to be a waste of the hard work I put into my dryer balls. The halved ball, on the other hand, I would be able to recycle into new dryer balls.

I don’t like to share anything about my process or the processes my art or craft goes through to get from point a to point b. This time, I will share my process. I find that it’s necessary for a dryer ball to have some bounce in it to bounce its way around the clothes dryer. It’s this bouncing action that is what actually softens the clothes as they’re being propelled around the inside of the clothes dryer. The balls wedge themselves between the items of clothing, reducing  drying time and saving you money. [Read more…] about How to Make Wool Dryer Balls

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