FURminator - deshedding, pet grooming tool

Posted on September 23rd, 2008 in pet grooming by homeimprovement
I picked up the FURminator at my local pet supply store after I saw it sitting on the checkout counter. The FURminator is a deshedding - grooming tool for dogs and cats. I bought the smaller version for my cats. My older cat has all kinds of matted hair and a regular brush just doesn’t seem to keep up with it. After she started getting back into grooming herself and leaving piles of hair everywhere, I decided to do something about it. So I tried the FURminator. I paid double what I should have paid for it at the pet supply store. Amazon has the one I bought for a little over $16. So if you are interested buy your FURminator through Amazon.com.

I tried it on my older cat, and almost filled up a small garbage can with all the fur. When I was done (did it over a few days a little at a time), my cat looked like she had lost 10 pounds and 5 years off of her age. Be careful however, as I caused some scratches and irritation on her tail when I was using the FURminator

Hostas revisited after a month

Posted on June 29th, 2008 in Hosta by homeimprovement


Thunderbolt Hosta a month later

The lighting is a bit different as this picture was taken in the morning but notice that this hosta has flowered, added a couple layers of leaves and the bottom leaves have gotten bigger. I probably have it in too much sun.


Thunderbolt at the end of May

Krossa Regal
Krossa Regal after a month

I took off the bad leaf and the plant seems much more compact now. Coloring is quite a bit different with this morning sunlight.


Krossa Regal earlier after just planting

Growing Hostas

Posted on May 31st, 2008 in Hosta by homeimprovement


Thunderbolt

Here’s a recent hosta acquisition of mine. This is called “Thunderbolt.”
Large (leaf 81-144 square inches; plant 18”-28” tall)

I was attracted to this plant instantly. I probably didn’t give it enough space as 36-48″ is the recommended spacing. I probably paid too much for it but it sure is striking.


Krossa Regal

This is a blue hosta and is showing the effects of being recently divided (see browning on the leaf). The Krossa Regal will reach a size of 70×36″ with 4 to 5′ flower scapes (pretty massive). As you can see I’ve got a long way to go to get there.

Memory Foam Mattresses are Garbage

Posted on May 18th, 2008 in memory foam mattress by homeimprovement

Less than two years ago, I bought a memory foam mattress off of ebay.com. I know, I know, big mistake! It was an 8″ QUEEN MATTRESS W/ 3″ MEMORY FOAM 5.3lb density. Memory foam is pretty much an oxymoron. There’s basically no such thing as foam that retains the memory of its shape or whatever their claim was - “keeping you in a natural, ergonomical position” - bullshite - memory foam does not provide adequate support for your back.

Almost two years later, my wife’s back and mine are not in good shape. I’m taking delivery of a real mattress in a couple days. We can’t wait to get rid of the sleep on cloud garbage. Hopefully, with time, our backs will get better. The seller’s id was sleeponcloud. Now sleeponcloud is no longer on ebay.com as a seller. Fancy that!

Los Angeles Eco-Home Impressive

Posted on May 6th, 2008 in green by homeimprovement

I watched a bit of Eco-Home on public television. Eco-Home is a house in Los Angeles, Ca that takes advantage of green practices in order to have little or no impact on the environment. Among the green practices employed are using native and other drought resistant plants in place of a lawn (a Xeriscape); collecting and re-using grey water to irrigate fruit trees in the back yard; employing solar panels to generate electricity; heating water with a solar water heater; using a sunpipe to light the kitchen during the day; using low flush toilets to conserve water; composting kitchen scraps and other materials to enrich the soil; as well as many other environmentally sound practices.

RoundUp WeedKiller lessons

Posted on May 2nd, 2008 in weed killers by homeimprovement
I was over at Sears Hardware debating whether to pick up the regular pre-mixed, spray bottle RoundUp or the concentrated version that makes 2.5 gallons of Roundup or 5 gallons (slightly more diluted) of Roundup. I ended up getting the 15 ounce bottle of concentrate. I mixed it up using 6 ounces of Roundup to 1 gallon of water. It seems to be taking much longer to kill the weeds. I’ve sprayed them three times now.

What I suppose happened, is that Sears probably doesn’t move much of the concentrate so who knows how long that stuff has sat on the shelf. I imagine over time that it breaks down and isn’t as effective.
So if you go to buy Roundup, opt for the pre-mixed, spray bottle version or check with the store to make sure the concentrated version of Roundup hasn’t been sitting on the shelf for over a year.

Delta Water Amplifying Shower Head

Posted on April 21st, 2008 in energy savings, green, home improvement, shower head by homeimprovement
I recently picked up the Delta Fluidics Adjustable Shower Head. I already head a 2.5 gpm navy shower head but never liked it’s look and it actually cooled the water as it delivered it to you. If the shower head considerably mists the water that actually cools the water being delivered to you. So although you are using less water than a normal showerhead, you are using more hot water than you need to because you are continually turning up the hot water.The Delta Fluidics Adjustable Shower Head doesn’t mist the water as much and actually feels like its delivering more water to you. It is adjustable between 1.8 gpm and 2.5 gpm. Since it doesn’t cool the water as much, you also use less hot water.My first water saving appliance was the 1.6 gpf toilet. I switched two 5 gallon toilets out with these water saving units and watched my water bill drop by a third. I’ll be interested to watch my water bill with the new shower head working at 1.8 gpm and it may have an impact on my natural gas bill as well if I do indeed use less hot water in the shower. Check it out, it’s only $25 and you get free super saver shipping at Amazon.

Update: A nice little benefit to this showerhead is that since it does not mist so much, your showers will be less steamy and thus less fogging on your mirror.

Update: Ok, let’s start measuring the savings, shall we? From 11/14/2007 through 02/16/2008, I used 11 CCF of water. Around the middle of May, I should get my next water bill. It will be interesting to see what water savings has resulted. Also, the Delta Shower Head seems unaffected by toilet flushings during shower time (at least when running in 1.8 GPM mode) - not bad!

Squirrel Trapping Adventure

Posted on April 8th, 2008 in animal removal by homeimprovement

This post has moved - click here to be redirected to the new post.

World’s best snow removal system

Posted on March 2nd, 2008 in snow removal by homeimprovement
I have to laugh at my neighbor. He bought a $500-$600 snowblower and it take him 30 minutes to clear his driveway. He then spends another 30 minutes with a shovel. What a complete dork. For $45 I have a better snow removal system and it takes me 10 minutes to do my drive, sidewalk and patio. Yep, the janitor’s push broom is the best snow removal system that I have found to date. No aching back, no sore muscles and no problems. Granted the push broom is only good until a certain depth of snow - maybe 5 or 6 inches but here in central Ohio we rarely get more than a few inches at a time. Even if we do get more than that, I just hit the driveway a couple times with the push broom before it accumulates. And to think that I almost spent $600 on a snowblower. What a joke!

Simple tips for keeping your home warmer in the wintertime

Posted on February 24th, 2008 in do it yourself, energy savings, heat, home improvement by homeimprovement

This post has moved - click here to be redirected.

Next Page »