Main > Household > Power-saving
Ceiling insulation is a great way to save on power bills, and has no ongoing costs.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
When starting an aquarium, be patient! It takes time for nitrifying bacteria to multiply. If you introduce fish early, the environment will be poisonous to them, and they will probably die. That would be cruel.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
Fish don't adapt to new environments easily; they're like all animals which lack the ability to reason: they panic.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
The main key to keeping fish in an aquarium, is: their home's condition must be correct and stable. They cannot run away when it's a mess.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
Water: replace about 1/5 of the aquarium water every fortnight, with prepared water.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish > Adding fish
Let them settle overnight in the dark, as they'll be rather upset about the new environment. Wait to feed them the next day.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Power-saving > Appliances
Know the cost of running your appliances: The cost of running an appliance can be calculated using the following formula:
Cost = (watts/1000) x hours x cost per kilowatt-hour.
The cost per kilowatt-hour can usually be found on your electricity bill. There are several different ways to find out how many watts your appliance uses:- Look at the box: a 100 watt bulb uses 100 watts. Or,
- You can use a mains power meter to measure how much each appliance uses. Or,
- You can calculate how many watts an appliance uses: Amps x voltage = watts (In North America the voltage is 120; elsewhere it is probably 220 to 240 volts)
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish > Adding fish
Number of fish: Cold freshwater aquaria can support far less fish than tropical. Generally, 1 inch of fish per 1 gallon tank size (1 cm per 3 litres) is a good rule. But this should be adjusted to suit the fish's metabolism and general behaviour.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish > Adding fish
Quarantine: If adding new fish to an established colony of fish, quarantine the new ones in a small, clean, spare tank to watch for disease.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish > Adding fish
Let fish acclimatise slowly by putting it, still inside the plastic bag and water from the shop, in the tank. Add some aquarium water every quarter-hour. Throw out the bag water.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
Changing tank water: This is very important indeed. If you tend to forget, then do a smaller water change weekly, e.g. with a favourite weekly tv show.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pests
Ants: dried licorice root is a very effective ant-rid. It can be obtained at Asian grocers, for instance, in Chinese traditional medicine soup mixes.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pests
Snails, slugs, slaters: A shaded container filled with water and a sprinkling of standard baking yeast, attracts and drowns these vegetable garden pests. Avoid the trap becoming very smelly by renewing weekly.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pests
Mice: Mice learn not to go near traps that have caught their nest members. Clean the trap well before resetting it with a different bait in a different place.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pests
Cockroaches: Don't leave food scraps out overnight, including oily bottles. Place baits in dark corners, including inside cupboards.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Cleaning
Magic sponge (melamine sponge) is an excellent product for removing difficult marks from surfaces. It is somewhat abrasive, so don't apply more pressure than you need. Melamine sponges are available on ebay for much cheaper (up to 30x cheaper) than you can buy the "magic sponge" in your local store, and it is the same material. These sponges work well when used with a little water, or grease remover, if required.
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Maintenance & repair > Painting > Rollers
Thoroughly clean the roller after use. Stand the roller on its end to dry, then store in its plastic bag so the fibres don't distort or flatten.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
Use a pH kit and a kit to test the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels in the aquarium before adding fish. Different fish species have different needs.
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
A panicked fish moves a lot, and its gills work faster. Abrupt change upsets fish. Be patient!
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Pets > Fish
Filtration: remove nitrates from water, by sucking water through a filtering unit. Don't forget to clean the filtration medium (e.g. sponge).
kellyjones00 (593)
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Main > Household > Power-saving > Appliances
Computer power savings:
Typical power usages are:
Active: 130 - 300 watts
Idling: 90 - 180 watts
Sleep mode (S1): 60-100 watts
Sleep mode (S3): 10 watts
Hibernate: 9 watts
Off: 9 watts
Unplugged: 0 watts
You may need to go to your BIOS settings on startup and set the Suspend type to S3 (Many systems use S1 by default)
An 80+ rated power supply (better than 80% efficiency) will save power.
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Power-saving
Put a lid on it: When you're in the kitchen, there are lots of small things you can do that can help make a difference. Saucepans with lids on heat much quicker, using less energy in the process. The other thing you might not have thought of is to keep your freezer full. It takes less energy to keep a full freezer cold than an empty one.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Carpets
Carpet shampooing:Hot water: Some people argue that using only hot water, with only a minimal amount, or no carpet shampoo, does a good enough job, and gets around all the problems of shampoos.Problems of carpet shampoos: When dry, the shampoo left in the carpet may attract even more dirt. Any brighteners in the shampoo may damage your carpet. Also, carpet shampoo is expensive.Soft water creates more suds, so you can use less shampoo.
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Carpets
Remove the shampoo from your carpet or it will attract dirt. Use a solution of one cup of vinegar to 2 1/2 gallons (US) (or about 5 1/2 litres) of hot water, and go over your carpet with your shampooing machine to extract most of the shampoo from the carpet. Then go over again just using hot water. The hot water reactivates the shampoo already in the carpet, providing the needed cleansing action.
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Carpets
General tips:Always test for colorfastness before using any stain removers - pick a small area in a hidden corner to make sure the cleaning product won't affect the carpet color.Door mats in front of doors (one outside, one inside) make a huge difference in reducing the amount of dirt tracked into a home - use them generously.Act quickly on spills even on stain-resistant surfaces - start your blotting and absorbing before stains get a chance to sink in to deeply.—When picking up spills, remember to blot and not rub or scrub, which can damage the carpet fibers.
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Power-saving
Bubble wrap applied to the inside of your windows will keep your home warm in winter, or cool in summer. Cut a sheet of bubble-wrap to the size of your window. Spray the inside of the window with a fine spray of water, then press the bubble wrap onto the window, sticking it to the window. This will decrease your electricity usage.
Kevin Solway (173)
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Main > Household > Hot glue gun
Connect power adapters together: If your appliance requires the use of an adapter to fit the power sockets in your country, use hot glue to join the plug to the adapter, keeping them together, and increasing safety.
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Hot glue gun
Removal of dried hot glue, if you can't peel it off, can be done with isopropyl rubbing alcohol, or denatured alcohol, or nail polish remover. The alcohol can be applied by dripping it from a stick, or by using a pipette (see image). A messier way is to melt the hot glue with a hot air gun.
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Hot glue gun
If you don't have a hot glue gun, but you have a hot glue stick, then you can use a lighter to melt the end of the hot glue stick, and then wipe the molten glue onto the surface you want to stick. For this reason it doesn't hurt to keep a hot glue stick in your toolbox.
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Hot glue gun
When adding a second glue stick to your glue gun, it can sometimes fall out. You can solve this by melting one end of the second glue stick slightly, by applying it to the hot end of the glue gun, and then inserting the second stick, and sticking it to the end of the glue stick that is already in the glue gun.
thesource (378)
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Main > Household > Power-saving
Three biggest ways to save on power:
1) Rent a small one-bedroom unit. It's less lights, less cooling and heating. But you need a door between the two rooms to reduce heat and cool air loss. One bonus is you only need two split system airconditioners to cool and heat the entire appartment.
2) Share that same unit with someone and split the bill. That person will probably have to be your partner though because it would be far too crowded to have a two bedroom situation. You will always pay around 30-40% less on utilities and phone when you share.
3) Be sure to rent a unit with a gas stove and relatively small or narrow refrigerator.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Stains
Fresh Blood stain. Put article of clothing into bathroom sink and pour some peroxide on it and let it set a couple minutes. work it in a little, rinse and repeat.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Stains
Blood on fabric and carpet. Pour, 5% hydrogen peroxide on the stain and let it bubble. Then, blot with damp cloth.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Stains
Ink pen stain: To get an ink stain out, spray ultra-hold hairspray on the stain, let it dry, then wash like normal. (Don't be afraid of putting too much hairspray on the stain.)
[guest]
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Stains
Ink stain. To remove ink stains from cloth, or leather spray hair spray on the area and wipe off with a clean rag.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Stains
Ink Stains. For removing ink stains on shirt or jeans pockets just soak in milk overnight and wash as normal the next day!
[guest]
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Stains
Blood stain. Soak affected garment in salt solution overnight then machine wash as per usual. 1/2 cup of cooking salt in a small or medium sized bucket. garment will look as good as new
[guest]
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Stains
Clothing: I have found that most types of baby wipes work great on removing a strain from your clothing. Anyone with babies always have baby wipes handy. Try it some time it works. I always use them when my 2 year old gets something on her and it works great for taking ink from your skin.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Stains
Red wine: Use salt. Also, use white wine.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Stains
If your garment is cotton or similar try disguising the stain by tie-dying it.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Stains
Try adding dishwasher products for removing stubborn stains.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Stains
Nicotine stains. Remove them from your fingers with lemon juice, and scrubbing with pumice stone. Then add hand cream.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Stains
Melted Wax: To remove melted wax from clothing, lay a brown paper bag over the garment before you iron over it then keep moving the bag around it will absorb the wax.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Stains
Chocolate Stains. First blot or scrape off any excess chocolate. Add a solution of biological washing powder, and then blot with clean towels. If the stain remains soak the fabric in biological detergent. White fabrics can be dabbed with bleach.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Stains
Chewing gum: To remove chewing gum from clothes freeze, or cover the gum with ice, then crack and scrape off.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Stains
Ink Stains. If the ink is still wet put salt on the stain, and then brush it off after a few minutes when it has soaked up some of the ink. You may need to repeat this a few times. Clean wet ink off carpet with soda water, then blot it off with paper towels. Then clean with a detergent.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Cleaning > Stains
Rust stains in white cotton: To remove the stain, rub with lemon juice and salt. Leave it several hours. It's even more effective when placed in the sun. Wash as normal.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Pests
Mouse Trap. A pumpkin seed is a good cheap and effective bait for a mouse trap. Mice love seeds and the smell and the pumpkin seed will not be easily removed by the mouse if you put it on firmly. If you want to make the pumpkin seed even more alluring, rub a small amount of cheese over the upper surface of the seed before, setting the trigger on the trap.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Pests
Ants: Some ants will not walk across a chalk-line.
[guest]
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Main > Household > Power-saving
Stop drafts: If you have an older house you can save money on your heating bills by blocking up unused chimneys. Plastic foam is the best but you can use old clothes.
[guest]
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