Home Improvement Empire » Kitchen

Composting Kitchen Waste

admin — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 21:53:45 +0000

There is no need to let kitchen waste go to waste! Gardeners can spend lots of money buying good soil or compost to make the garden grow. There is, however, no need to do that if you eat at home more than once a week! Composting kitchen waste solves several problems simultaneously by converting kitchen scraps that would otherwise be thrown away into rich, organic soil for the garden. Incorporating compost into the soil helps keep the soil alive and life-sustaining. Creating your own compost saves money and helps the environment.

Composting 101 There are a few things that every new composter needs to know: · Kitchen compost can include any vegetable matter or paper. Do not add oils, meats or fats to your kitchen compost, as it will cause your compost to smell and attract animals. Additionally, you need certain conditions of heat and bacterial activity to properly compost these materials. · Shred your scraps or tear them up into the smallest pieces possible. This will help the scraps break down faster. · Compost operations need green and brown materials. Kitchen waste falls into the category of green materials. In addition to the kitchen waste, you will need to add dried shredded leaves or other brown matter. · One of the most efficient ways to compost kitchen waste is to use worms. Vermicomposting can be done outside or under the sink, depending upon the space available and the winter climates. (Worms cannot sustain chilling temperatures.)

Kitchen Composting Many successful gardeners make all of their compost in the kitchen! You can compost in the space under your kitchen sink, especially if you employ worms to help. This is how you build an under the sink worm bin: 1. Get a Tupperware or a small trash can and poke holes in the top for air. 2. In a separate container, soak a mix of grass clippings and dry shredded leaves overnight. 3. Put about two inches of gravel in the bottom of the container and fill with water up to ½ inches below the rock line. 4. Drain the grass/leaves mix and place it in the container. Let it sit for 48 hours. Once the temperature has stabilized to 100 degrees or lower for at least 24 hours, you can add the worms. 5. Let the worms become acquainted with their new space for about a week. At that point, you can begin adding food for the worms. 6. One pound of worms can consume about one pound of kitchen scraps per day. After about two months, you can remove some of the composted material and continue to add food.

Composting Kitchen Scraps Outside

If you have plenty of space outside in a part sun/part shade area, consider a compost pile to compost your kitchen waste outside in the garden. You can decide whether you want to maintain a hot compost pile or a cold compost pile. Hot compost cooks faster, but you do have to turn it and monitor it. With cold compost, you can employ worms to help break down your kitchen scraps. With either type of pile you will need a combination of green materials and brown materials to start your pile. If you are composting cold and not using a container, build a bottom framework of larger twigs and materials. Alternate layers of green materials (kitchen scraps and freshly cut grass) and brown materials (shredded leaves and straw). You can continue to add layers to the pile, occasionally building in a layer of sticks. The layer made of sticks allows oxygen into the pile that helps the bacteria and other soil organisms that will eventually break down the kitchen waste in the pile. Composting kitchen waste is a simple and rewarding way to recycle your green kitchen scraps and have rich, fertile soil for your garden.

Discount Kitchen Cabinets vs. Kitchen Cabinet Refacing

admin — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 21:28:28 +0000

A complete set of kitchen cabinets can start at around $800 at the bottom of the line for discount kitchen cabinets and go all the way up to $100,000 for a high quality set.

To estimate the costs of your kitchen cabinets measure the length of the area that will have base cabinets, the ones that sit on the floor, and the length of the wall cabinets.

Add these two numbers together and you have the number of lineal feet of required cabinets. If it is your intent to install a pantry or other cabinet that is floor to ceiling, include the length dimension in both the base and wall cabinet number.

Most home centers and kitchen cabinet specialty retailers will post an average lineal price for each design and quality. The price per lineal foot does not include the countertop or cabinet installation.

The lineal foot price indicated is usually based on a 10-foot long, straight wall configuration, (no corner cabinets required or glass doors). It will not include any trim or cabinet options and in most cases will not include doorknobs, or drawer pulls. Unless specifically indicated the price will not include installation.

As a rule of thumb, you can double the lineal foot price of the cabinets to arrive at the total cost of the project, installed.

The lineal per foot cost is in the doors and hardware. Doors can be made of veneered MDF or hardwoods that are richly stained. Luxury door hardware, such as hinges, knobs, and pulls can add as much as $50 to the price of a specific cabinet.

Drawer slides are also an important price driver. Quality drawer slides make a major difference to the price of a cabinet.

When you are shopping for your cabinets, pay special attention to the hardware that is used and fabrication techniques. Make sure you are comparing similar qualities when looking at best price.

Knowledge and planning are the keys to a successful home remodel project.

Kitchen cabinets have an enormous spread in pricing from $80 a lineal foot for laminate faced, self-assembly to $300 a lineal foot for hardwood doors, glass insets, and ceiling trims.

Because of this spread in price, it is important to set a top amount that you can afford. Then you consider the cabinet designs available up to that price point.

If your cabinets are in good shape, or at least the frame is in good shape, and you like the configuration, consider replacing just the doors. Combined with a refinishing job on the frame, this option can give you a whole new look at a fraction of the cost of new cabinets.

The choices are simple when it comes to doors: replace them completely, refinish your existing doors or do a combination of both.

Replacing your doors is quite self-explanatory; unless you have strangely designed custom-built doors, door sizes are standard and replacements will be easy to find at any good home renovation store or cabinet manufacturing company.

Judge replacement doors just as you would the entire cabinets. Look for quality materials and excellent finishes.

Another option is kitchen cabinet refacing. kitchen cabinet refacing involves removing your kitchen cabinet doors and drawers and resurfacing them with wood or laminate veneer. The newly refaced doors and drawer fronts are then mounted using new hinges and pull.

For the best look, the interior edges of the face frame should also be faced, or at least completely sanded and refinished. This process is much less expensive than replacing your kitchen cabinets, yet provides a fresh updated look.

The cost of having the average kitchen refaced by a professional kitchen cabinet refacing company can run between $2500-$5000 depending on the size, number and layout of the existing cabinets, and is considerably less than replacing the whole kitchen. Kitchen cabinet refacing can usually be done in about 3-5 work days.

Securing car rental for a trip

admin — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:08:40 +0000

Many individuals and families sketch their business trips or vacations intricately so as to formulate every moment of the tour pleasurable. These tours are planned healthy in advance in order to avoid any last minute hitches. Information related to their travel, hotel accommodation, local sightseeing and local transportation are gathered from the Internet or from travel agents. Of the numerous arrangements to be made for a trip, be it business or leisure, securing a car rental is an essential consideration. Upon accomplishment their purpose, travelers are advised to explore information related to the various car rental companies like Top car rental Bergerac Airport and car hire Top car hire Bordeaux the city.

Local newspapers and telephone directories are excellent sources of information for this point and details about Top car hire france. After assimilating a list of numerous car rental companies, they should evaluate the services and prices being offered before taking any decision. With some car rental companies, clients can pre-pay and keep 15% on weekday and weekend rentals. A number of car rental companies supply a wide variety of services as well as flexible fuel and coverage options and 24-hour emergency roadside assistance. There are unique charges for companies planning conferences, conventions and those requiring 11 or more cars at a time.