Archive for the 'Home Maintenance' Category
Anyone Want Some Styrofoam?
My education about the ubiquitous white packing material began with an electronic smack-down from the good folks at Dow Chemical who invented Styrofoam(R). Their product is an extruded polystyrene, and far superior to the white material (expanded polystyrene) of everyday life. The real Styrofoam(R) was used by the US Navy to make life rafts during World War II, and continues to be used for insulation and craft projects. They specifically distance themselves from the coffee cups, coolers, and packaging materials that the uninformed commonly refer to as styrofoam.
While there is an abundant amount of information about the origin and uses of the various polystyrene derivations, there does not seem to be much guidance about how to safely dispose of it. The best general article I found takes on the recycling challenge directly. The website has a search feature to look for local drop-off sites, and suggests a number of re-use options for those of us that cannot recycle directly.
Recycling in Greater Hartford is overseen by the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority, who maintain links to the programs of the individual towns. Here in Hartford the curbside recycling program does not include polystyrene, which I learned this week (see photo). And I had even bundled the pieces with twine just like the newspapers and magazines - what a waste! The pickup people gave the pile a once-over and then continued on their way. Calls to the Waste & Recycling Division of the Hartford Department of Public Works and the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority have not yielded any definitive answers. I’ll update the post if one (or both) gets back to me with helpful information.
So I guess that leaves me to dispose of this stuff on my own - does anyone want some styrofoam? I have some excellent pieces for protecting the corners of rectangular items…
The Wonders of Masking Tape
Recently I showed a house in the Hartford area where the homeowner had a strong affection for masking tape. Throughout the home we saw its various uses; acting as an insulating material to seal gaps between a door and its frame, serving as a water barrier to caulk around a bathroom vanity, replacing glue to hold together a broken piece of wood covering the water meter, and stitching together tears in a porch screen.
Overall, the house had been maintained very well throughout the years by its one owner. You could tell that they truly cared about their home and loved it. Windows had been replaced, the furnace was serviced every year (and they had the records to prove it), landscaping was kept up, and the interior of the house was essentially meticulous. So my clients and I found the various uses of the masking tape to be bizarre, but not entirely concerning.
If tape is going to be the first responder in home repair, I would personally go with duct tape. It has better adhesive qualities and its fabric backing makes it a more robust solution than masking tape. Plus, it comes in a variety of colors these days, making it easier to match with your home decor. But that’s just me.
Whatever adhesive tape you choose for a home repair, just make sure it’s aesthetically pleasing and neatly done. Otherwise the home inspector is really going to ding you for it on their inspection report…
Furry Little Critters
Our neighborhoods are full of wildlife. Some of our furry friends are cuter than others.
Some like to use your home as their own personal playground.
Some even want to move in with you!
The best way to prevent the critters from moving in is to keep the all the gaps and openings buttoned up nice and tight. But there are other alternatives.
