Don’t Miss….Warringah Mall: Shannon Lush & Clean Green Workshops….Fresh Cleaning Ideas from Australia hosts including domestic guru Shannon Lush, Bunnings and Warringah Shire Council.

Experience a new way of thinking on how to Clean Green starting right at home in the environment where you and your family lives.

Clean Green Workshops with Shannon Lush exhibiting environmonetally friendly cleaning products, exciting workshops, give-aways, samples and great prizes to WIN.

You’ll find a new washing product that lasts up to 150 washes, solar powered gadgets, sponges that clean without detergents or soaps and the best in lighting ideas and sustainable living.

Mon 27th to Friday 31st July  11am-3pm daily
Warringah Mall Dolphin Court

Warringah Council Worm Farm workshops will show you how to turn food into fertiliser and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. 

Learn how to Clean Green at Warringah Mall Shannon Lush & Clean Green Workshops

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EveryDay Savings As Seen on TV!

Last night after cooking the dinner it was time to sit and relax while watching my favourite current affair program…..Today Tonight.

The relaxation soon turned to concern after watching the segment on dangers of unflued gas heaters in schools & homes.

Environmental Consultant Len Ferrari was enlisted by the Federal Department of Environment and Heritage four years ago to report on unflued gas heaters, he looked at new and old heaters. 

He handed over his report to the government in June 2004.

“What we found was that in two-thirds of the houses tested, the concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, the toxic gas, was above the level set by the World Health Organisations.”

In some countries eg UK these unflued gas heaters have been banned. So you may well ask yourself…. why are they still being used in our schools or even sold in the shops for us to install in our homes? It is quite obvious there are concerns as….

The NSW Education Department has a policy of warning teachers in classrooms to open windows and doors to counteract the nitrogen dioxide emissions.

I wonder how many teachers are following this warning policy.  For many of us who do have children who suffer from asthma or allergies these unflued gas heaters could be making them sicker. 

If you haven’t been to your school’s P&C meeting in a while… now may be the time to take a copy of the information revealed by Today Tonight about the dangers of unflued gas heaters in schools & homes & bring it to their attention. 

You may not think you have the power to make changes but if you don’t try you’ll never know.  It reminds me of  the time… many years ago, when the parents of Harbord chained themselves to the fence & camped outside when the telephone co. tried to install their towers right next door to our kindergarten.  Now that was certainly…. Parents Power United! 

Resources:
Campaign Opposing Unflued Gas Heating (COUGH)
Clean Air Society

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Is your list of household repairs growing?  I’m sure there’s a yearning to tackle these jobs yourself…. now you can with the help of Bunnings DIY Workshops.

These are the current DIY Workshops available…

Sat, 29th Mar 11:00 AM    – How to lay & seal pavers
Sat, 29th Mar 2:00 PM      – How to Create an outdoor entertainment area
Sun, 30th Mar 11:00 AM   – How to make & repair flyscreens
Sun, 30th Mar 2:00 PM     – How to preserve timber fences, decks & outdoor furniture

These are very popular workshops so contact your Bunnings DIY Workshops so you’ll have your next DIY project impressing your friends. 

Great alternatives are available to help you “green” clean your house without the use of toxic chemicals….. These days we are becoming more aware of the dangers of toxic chemicals in our cleaning products to our health.  Our children are suffering from asthma & other allergies & it’s important to their health as well as our own to be more aware.

Our grandmothers survived for many years on bi-carb soda, vinegar and lemon juice… and many of us are reverting to these products that no longer carry the overpowering fumes of chemicals.

Bunnings DIY Workshops are a great opportunity to brush up on your handyman skills…. the  summer season is upon us and most are busy planning your latest project.

Just imagine showing off your latest DIY projects…

Sat 5th Jan   (already held)
11am – How to create an outdoor entertainment area
2pm -  How to install domestic shade sails & shade cloth

Sun 6th Jan (already held)
11am – How to build a log/sleeper retaining wall
2pm -  How to lay & seal pavers

Sat 12th Jan & Sun 13th Jan **This weekend**
11am & 2pm – 5 minute projects

11am -Indoor workshops
* repair holes in plaster
* build your own shelves
* hang paintings

Outdoor workshops from 2pm
* maintain your BBQ
* build a worm farm
* remove oil stains from your driveway

Sat 19th Jan
11am – How to sand & polish timber floors
2pm -  How to lay a floating timber/laminate floor

Sunday 20th Jan
11am – How to lay ceramic floor tiles
2pm  – How to lay ceramic wall/splashback tiles

Sat 26th Jan
11am – How to repair/prepare walls for painting
2pm  - Painting techniques

Sun 27th Jan
11am – How to apply render – various applications
2pm -  How to maintain a health swimming pool

Now who would imagine all these great DIY classes hiding under the Bunnings roof & offering every handyman these FREE Bunnings DIY Workshops.

Resources:
Decorating Made Easy
Decorating Kids Room
Clutter Free Your Home
Vegetable Garden Secrets
Home & Garden Magazines
Monster Mall
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Got 10 minutes? Here are minute organizing tasks you can do in ten minutes or less:

1. Clean out your medicine cabinet. Get rid of old makeup, expired medicine and toiletries you haven’t used in months…or possibly years! (*expired medicines can be left at your local chemist for disposal)

2. Weed out 10 file folders. Invest just one minute or less per file folder. Get rid of anything outdated or no longer useful.

3. Clear off your desk. Take everything off your desk and clear the surface, even if you have to temporarily put everything on the floor in categorized piles (i.e. paper, supplies,  etc.). Once you can see your desk, you’ll have a surface on which to begin organizing everything you just removed from it.

4. Delete, delete, delete. For the next 10 minutes, delete as many messages as you can from your email inbox. This includes any email you can simply read and chuck.

5. Organize a drawer. Whether it’s your junk drawer, a drawer in your bedroom dresser or a desk drawer, spend 10 minutes emptying out the junk, and arranging it so that similar items are being stored together.

6. Make a task basket. Gather 20 index cards and write one 10-minute cleaning task on each. Put these cards in a basket. Each day, draw a card from the basket and perform the task.

7. Tidy up. It’s OK if you don’t have time for a deep cleaning session. But 10 minutes is plenty to do some light dusting, wipe off a surface or vacuum up some crumbs.

8. Hunt and gather. Walk around your house with an empty clothes basket in hand. Put anything that is not in its proper home, in the basket. Spend another 10 minutes today, or tomorrow, putting everything back where it belongs.

9. Make a Donation Box. Simply get a large cardboard box and label it ‘Donation Box.’ Every chance you get, place items that are in good condition, but you no longer use, inside the box. When it’s full, call your local charity to come pick it up, or drop it off if they don’t offer a pick-up service.

10. eBay Box…. Items you think you can sell on eBay… place in a box & start listing it on eBay to make some extra cash.  With the coming xmas season you’d be surprised what you have lying around & possibly new that you could sell.

11. Make a chore chart. Everyone living in your home over the age of 2 should share the household chores. Make a chart listing the chores and the family members responsible for each chore. Be sure young children are given age appropriate chores, and reward everyone at the end of the week to keep them motivated!

These minute organizing tasks will help keep on top of all the clutter… and an uncluttered house helps unclutter your mind…. Now all I have to ask is….where shall I start with my minute organizing tasks!

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Outdoor Lifestyles are an important part of our beautiful Australian weather that invites us to enjoy the outdoors. Not wanting to have huge gardens to care for container gardening could be your answer to adding colour to your outdoor living area.

Whether you enjoy flowers or herbs for your container gardening it’s important with our water restrictions to look for plants that will survive the hot summer that is heading our way. Today the temperature reached 35 deg and it’s only Spring…. just imagine what summer has in store for us.

Timber Decking Revamp
“Looking for a cheaper alternative to keep my timber deck looking nice – other than having to spend $250 on decking oil from a paint sho?”
Keeping your deck in tip-top order…there are many clever tricks to save. Check out some of the ideas below for some much cheaper options!
Revamp deck with Condy’s Crystals
You can give your deck a cheap revamp using a product called Condy’s Crystals, available from chemists. These dissolved in a bucket of water will colour the wood if it is still in its raw state. Much cheaper than buying decking oil!
Mix your own decking oil for less than half price
Instead of buying expensive decking oil, you can mix mineral turpentine and linseed oil to make your own cheap version but beware when stocking up on these at hardware stores! Some large hardware stores try to sell a pre-mixed version of linseed oil and turps, at about $60 for three litres. In comparison, three litres of turps only costs around $15 and the linseed oil can be bought separately for $10 and you only need a small amount, so don’t fall into the trap of buying the pre-mixed version!
The colour of this mixture can turn out quite dark, depending on how much linseed you put into the mix and of course your original wood, so it is a good idea to test a little bit first. If you have an old baking tray or kitty litter sized tray, make the mixture in there, then just use an old broom to sweep the oil on. The average sized deck takes around just half an hour to give a new lease of life!

Maximum timber protection with colourguard
You can save money on not having to treat timber decking so often if you make sure you have a colourguard in the oil you use. This is basically sunscreen for your timber and available from paint and hardware stores. Shop around for the best price – it’s well worth the effort as this product will double the length of time needed between treatments and save you more in the long run!
Old fashioned beeswax best for decks
The cheapest way to give a wooden deck a new lease of life is to do it the old fashioned way – with plenty of elbow grease! Do you remember the old fashioned beeswax polish in a tin? My mother used to put a pair of old thick socks on her hands, an old scarf on her knees and wax it by hand. It lasts longer than most modern-day products and you get some exercise as well! Get the family involved to help and see the difference!