Non-Toxic Cleaning for the Home

...heap vodka in the same way. It comes pre-diluted — vodka is 40% alcohol and 60% water. What does it do? Alcohol is best used to clean shiny surfaces like chrome, steel, mirrors and glass, as well as eye glasses and electronic screens. It dissolves inks —and also some kinds of paint, so be careful with using it on things like remote control buttons or glossy paint finishes. It is also a strong disinfectant, so it’s particularly good for cleaning kn...

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Essential System #9 – Hydration

...es, the water heater and the tank of the toilet (not the bowl). To use the water in the water heater turn off the gas or electricity that heats the water. Shut off the main water supply and open a hot water faucet somewhere in the house. You should be able to drain the water out of the heater using the heater’s drain faucet. You can also get some water out of the pipes by closing the incoming water valve and opening the highest faucet in the house...

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Urban Homestead Trademarks Cancelled!

After six years of legal wrangling, “urban homestead” and “urban homesteading” belong to us all. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has cancelled the trademarks thanks to the hard work of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the law firm of Winston & Strawn. Here’s the press release from the Electronic Frontier Foundation: Urban Homesteaders Win Cancellation of Bogus Trademarks Global Community Had Faced Baseless Legal Claims and Content Remo...

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Water Conservation

...g what we call BOC, or boring old conservation. So before delving into greywater and rainwater harvesting it’s time to assess where your household is in terms of water consumption and see if that level can be reduced. It’s generally far easier and less expensive to conserve resources than it is to resort to the latest techno-eco-gadgetry. So let’s count down the major sources of domestic water use (according to percentages calculated by the Americ...

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Tippy Tap, Beta Version

...f I keep the support ropes snugged tight against the sides of the jug. The water hole Punch out a hole for the water stream in the front side of the bottle–or the side which is facing you when it is mounted. I’ve seen people burn a hole in the plastic with a hot nail. I just used a sharp screw to make the hole. You’ll have to experiment with the size of the hole to get the ideal flow. The exact placement of the hole is a compromise. The higher it...

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