Did you just (finally) invest in a dishwasher? Or has your family upgraded to a fancy new model? Good for you - this is one appliance that is vital to the efficiency of a modern home. Who wants to scrub dirty dishes for hours anymore?
Now it's time to try your skills at moving the old model out. If this is your first dishwasher, look for a place in the cabinets that has been left free and clear for this appliance - unless you're living in a century home it's going to be there somewhere. That is where the new dishwasher will fit snugly. The connections should be happily waiting for you.
For all the rest of you that bought a replacement, it's time to get that old one out.
If your kitchen is the heart of the home, your pantry is like the main valve that keeps it all flowing smoothly. Does that thing have a name? (Can't you tell that science was never my strong suit?)
What I'm trying to say is the pantry is where everything flows.
Essentials in the Green Pantry
Besides those natural spices and organic pasta, there are a few things your pantry should include in an effort to be more eco-friendly.
Waste is something that you can't avoid while undertaking renovations. Besides the packaging, sawdust and tarps that are lying around at the end of the day, there are also the old materials to be taken care of. With kitchen renos, that pile of potential garbage can get pretty large. And as seen in other cities, excess construction waste can become a more dire problem.
Old kitchen cabinets are sort of like valuable garbage. Instead of tossing them straight into the landfill, check out a few other options for that sturdy, albeit out-of-style and worn cabinetry.
Be Generous
Do you have wood or particle board cabinets? And do you remember shop class? Combine those together and let your old cabinets go to good use at a local high school.
Cork is cool, no doubt about it. This tree is actually planted not to be cut down, but to be kept healthy for decades, providing a harvest of valuable bark for the building industry. Cork tree farms are found on the sunny shores of southern Europe and are used to produce all sorts of items from bottle stoppers to shoe components. Then the post-industrial waste is recycled into cork floor, a product in high demand around the world.
It gives me a certain amount of pleasure to know that my cork floor could be made from vintage wine bottle stoppers. Just saying.
Why Is Sealing Necessary?
Cork floors have plenty of advantages, from softness to durability and sound absorption. They do, however, need to be covered with a thin protective layer and should be treated just like any other wood flooring.
