Home+Decor | Indoor Air Quality Lab

Quick Green Tip: DIY Fruit Fly Trap share

Are you dealing with fruit flies this summer? Make a DIY fruit fly trap that's inexpensive and totally non-toxic.

Since the weather has warmed up, the fruit flies have decided that they very much enjoy buzzing around our kitchen. Those icky drosophila melanogaster were fine in high school biology class, but I don't need them landing on my dinner plate. Yuck!

Related Reading: How to Get Rid of Ants Naturally

I'm not too keen on spraying poison anywhere in the house, and the kitchen even more so. That's where I cook food! That my husband and I eat! It's where I wash my baby's bottles. So, when I finally got fed up with swatting fruit flies away while I was making supper, I decided to whip up a quick trap. Here's how!

You need:

a mason jar
apple cider vinegar
dish soap
plastic wrap
a rubber band
kitchen skewer

Fill the mason jar up with about an inch of vinegar, and stir in a drop or two of the dish soap. Cover the jar with plastic wrap, secure with the rubber band, and use the skewer to poke holes in the top. Leave it out on the counter, and in a few days it will be full of fruit flies. Empty the jar and start again until the flies in your kitchen get the message that they're not wanted.

Posted: | Categories: DIY, fruit flies, fruit fly trap, Home+Decor, how to get rid of fruit flies, Living, natural fruit fly trap, vinegar fruit fly trap

Jun

July 4th Crafts to Reduce the Holiday Waste share

Independence Day is coming up next week here in the U.S. For a lot of us, that means backyard parties and all of the potential waste that comes with them.

From plastic utensils to single-use decorations, a July 4th shindig isn't always the best for the planet. You can cut back on a lot of waste just by changing how you set the table, like choosing proper dishes and utensils instead of single-use plastic and paper, but when it comes to decorations you might just want some themed decor.

That's where your crafty skills come in! We've rounded up some DIY projects that you can do this weekend to get your house Independence Day ready with none of the waste.

Lighting

Instead of Christmas lights or other electric lights, rustle up an empty blue glass bottle or two and create an upcycled gas lantern. For a little extra ambiance, make some votives for the table out of old candles from around the house.

Table Decor

If you're planning a 4th of July party, chances are you've picked up a six pack or two. Pull those bottles out and upcycle the cardboard caddy into a cute, thematic condiment holder. But you don't have to stop there! Instead of a crappy, disposable table cloth, whip up a simple table runner instead, using fabric from your stash. Just choose a few prints in patriotic colors, and you're ready to rock.

Hanging Decorations

Nothing says festive like some bunting! It's so much prettier than paper streamers, and you can use it year after year instead of tossing it at the end of the evening. Check out this upcycled bunting that you can make in 10 minutes!

Do you have any DIY plans for the 4th? I'd love to hear about what crafty things you guys have in the works!

Posted: | Categories: DIY, DIY party decorations, holiday decorations, holidays, Home+Decor, Independence Day, July 4th, July 4th crafts, Living, red white and blue, upcycled crafts, upcycling

Jun

Spotted: Upcycled Ottoman from a Wood Pallet share

We love a good pallet project around here, and this tufted, upcycled ottoman is rocking our socks!

Allyson at Domestic Superhero made this ottoman from a reclaimed wood pallet. It's kind of a beast of a project, but the results are so stunning, it's totally worth it.

There's a bit of debate about whether wood pallets are safe for crafting. The short version of the debate is that pallets are sometimes made from treated wood, and some tests have found bacteria like e. coli on wooden pallets. The treated wood is really more of an issue if you're using the pallet wood for something like growing food or building a tabletop that you'll be directly in contact with.

As for the bacteria issue, that almost seems to come down to comfort level. We come into contact with bacteria every day, and you have to decide if you're cool bringing a pallet into your home that may or may not be harboring bacteria. People craft with pallets all the time, and I'm yet to run across a story about someone getting sick from doing so.

If you want to make your own tufted pallet ottoman, here's your supply list:

reclaimed wood pallet
circular saw (if you need to cut yours down like she did)
sand paper
plywood cut to the dimensions of your pallet
hammer and nails
pressboard cut to the size of your pallet
foam batting that's the size of your pallet's top plus enough foam to cover the 4 smaller sides
enough fabric to wrap the pallet completely (don't forget to account for the heights of both your pallet and the batting when you're measuring!)
tufting buttons, upholstery needle, and thin cord
spray adhesive
drill
enough batting to wrap the pallet completely (don't forget to account for the heights of both your pallet and the batting when you're measuring!)
staple gun
wooden legs, mounting brackets, and paint or stain
piece of muslin and hot glue to cover the bottom of the pallet (optional)

Whew! That's a doozy of a list, but this is a dramatic transformation! Once you've got your supplies together, click here for the full tutorial!

Posted: | Categories: Craft Recycled, crafting with wooden pallets, DIY, DIY ottoman, Furniture, Home+Decor, Living, pallet craft, pallet ottoman, upcycled ottoman

Apr

5 Ways to Reuse Cereal Boxes and Organize Your Life! share

[This magazine rack is made from recycled cereal boxes!]

Feeling guilty about the cereal boxes in your recycle bin? Pull 'em out and try some of these upcycled projects to give them a new life!

Recycling is great, but reuse is always better! Cardboard recycling is pretty efficient, as recycling goes, but it still takes energy to turn old cardboard into new paper products, and transporting cardboard from your home to the recycle center produces carbon emissions, too.

Boxes are a natural pick for storage, right? When I was researching some ideas for cereal boxes, I noticed that so many of them were organization-related! Next time you polish off a box of cereal, save the box for one of these home organization cardboard crafts!

1. Magazine Rack - Do you have magazines all over your house? Tidy those suckers up with a cereal box magazine rack!

2. Expandable File Folder - Get organized! Check out how to turn an old cereal box into a chic way to store your files.

3. Mini Album - Get your photos all in order with an upcycled album.

4. Fabric Storage Baskets - Cover old cereal boxes in fabric to make boxes for all kinds of organizing needs!

5. Closet Organizer - Tame a messy closet with the power of upcycled cereal boxes!

Have you guys made anything fun with reclaimed cereal boxes lately? Share your ideas in the comments!

Posted: | Categories: cereal box crafts, Craft Recycled, crafty reuse, creative reuse, DIY, Home+Decor, Living, reuse, upcycling

Feb

Infographic: America’s Cancer Clusters share

We talk a lot about indoor and outdoor air pollution around here, so when I ran across this infographic at sustainablog, I couldn't resist sharing it with you guys. It gives a lots of information about common carcinogens that we encounter both in the workplace and at home. Check it (you can click the graphic to view a larger version):

Indoor Air Quality and Cancer

The part of the graphic that struck me most was the section at the end on cancer and indoor air quality. The air inside our homes is often far more polluted than the air outdoors, thanks to chemical cleaning products and off-gassing from our furniture and housewares.

If you're not familiar with off-gassing, it's when a product made with harmful toxins releases small amounts of those chemicals into the air. A good example is that "new car smell." What you're actually smelling is all of the chemicals used to make everything from the seats and steering wheel to the dashboard, gear shift, and floormats. When you think about what's actually causing that smell, it's not such a pleasant odor!

Looking for some tips to improve the air quality in your own home? Check out these 9 ways to make your home's air safer!

Posted: | Categories: cancer, Health, Health+Beauty, healthy home, home, Home+Decor, indoor air quality, Living

Jan

5 Packing Peanuts Alternatives share

Packing peanuts are the pits from an environmental perspective. These single-use packing materials are made from Styrofoam, a petroleum product, and they're a huge waste of resources.

Of course, you can find ways to reuse those packing peanuts, but the greenest option is to skip them all together.

Whether you're packing for a move or wrapping up something fragile for shipping, it might be tempting to pad your package with peanuts, but there are lots of other, more eco-friendly ways to protect your valuables while they're in transit. We've rounded up a few packing peanut alternatives, and I've love to hear your ideas in the comments!

1. Shredded Paper

Do you have a paper shredder to dispose of things like bank statements and bills with sensitive information on them? Instead of dumping that paper in the recycle bin, save it for the next time you have to pack and ship something fragile. I love this method, because not only does it replace a disposable petroleum product, but it extends the life of that paper just a bit longer.

2. Linens and Towels

Next time you're packing for a move, don't put your linens, towels, and clothes in separate bags and boxes from your breakables! Instead, use all of that free fabric to wrap valuables. You'll end up with fewer boxes, which means a quicker, easier move, too!

3. Reclaimed Paper

Junk mail, old newspapers, and magazines are perfect for wrapping up breakables, whether you're shipping something or packing for a move. Just make sure you use lots of layers, so your valuables will arrive safely.

4. Popcorn

This might sound crazy, but in a pinch you can use popcorn in place of packing peanuts. Yep! Actual popcorn! Just make sure you go with the air-popped variety. Buttered popcorn would be a hot mess by the time your package arrived at its destination.

5. Fabric Scraps

Seamsters! Those bins of fabric scraps that you've been hoarding are invaluable when you're moving. Use them to pad boxes with fragile items.

What other eco-friendly packing peanut alternatives have you guys run across? Let's keep the ideas going in the comments!

Image Credit: Packing Peanuts photo via Bigstock

Posted: | Categories: alternatives to packing peanuts, Home+Decor, Living, packing peanut alternatives, packing peanuts, reuse, single use plastic, styrofoam

Jan

Spotted: Upcycled Packing Peanut Garland share

Aren't packing peanuts just the worst? They're made of toxic Styrofoam, intended for a single use, and they get everywhere when you open a box that's full of those suckers. Reader Hester Burch of Fun in the Making shared a beautiful, seasonal way to reuse those nasty little peanuts, so at least they're not landfill-bound after you unpack a boxful of them: snow swag!

Hester says:

Create a winter wonderland. Foam peanut snow swags would also be cool décor for a winter wonderland prom theme. -bonus that the materials wouldn’t cost anything!

All that you need to make your own are:

packing peanuts
embroidery needle
white string or embroidery thread

If you need more details, check out the full description of how she made these on Hester's blog! I love how they look all strung up on her chandelier, and I think they'd look lovely strung up in a window or layered up on the mantle.

Have you guys found any fun ways to reuse packing peanuts? Share your ideas in the comments!

Posted: | Categories: crafty reuse, creative reuse, DIY, Home+Decor, how to reuse packing peanuts, Living, packing peanut crafts, packing peanuts, reader tip, reuse, upcycling

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