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Don't Let Your Pet Kill You in a Car Accident

Buckle up your pets in a car or truck to protect you, your pet and your passengers. If you have an accident, your pet can become a projectile. The Laws of Physics don’t stop. In a 35 mph crash a 60 pound pet becomes about 2,700 pounds of force (about the same as two full grown, male grizzly bears). Many people allow their pets to scoot around, unrestrained, in the back seat of the car or in the bed of a truck. It's safer for everyone in the vehicle if a dog or cat is restrained. A recent American Automobile Association (AAA) survey found, "A large number of accidents, something like 30,000 a year, are caused by dogs in the front seats."

5 Things That Can't Be Trashed or Recycled

Wondering what to do with the cans of unneeded paint or your stash of old batteries taking up space in your house and garage? You know you shouldn't throw them out, but it really is time to get rid of them. Resist the temptation to toss them in the trash anyway. The reason: They (and everything on the list below) contain toxic chemicals capable of contaminating the environment if not disposed of properly.

Unlike items that are picked up at the curb, you'll have to make a special effort to unload these ones responsibly. But, with a little advance planning and some good info, you'll see that it's really quite simple to dispose of these seemingly mysterious items. Here's how:

* Batteries. Recycling rechargeable batteries is fairly easy. Home Depot, Staples, Radio Shack, Best Buy, and other retailers take them back free of charge. There are fewer options for single-use batteries, but look for bins at your local Whole Foods Market, Ikea, or library. Otherwise, your best bet is the local household hazardous waste drop-off site. Where is it and what are your closest drop-off options?

* CFLs. These energy-efficient bulbs are becoming easier to get rid of. Just drop old bulbs off at any Home Depot or Ikea for free recycling. Or ask about CFL recycling at your local Ace Hardware or home improvement store. You can search locally for other nearby solutions.

* Electronics. Every retailer that takes back rechargeable batteries also accepts mobile phones, as do most wireless providers. For computers, cameras, televisions and others, it's worthwhile to do a little homework because some stores charge fees depending on item and brand. Check out Best Buy, Staples, and Office Depot to see what's the best fit. Some places, like Radio Shack, have trade-in programs where you can receive store credit for your old gadgets.

* Motor Oil. In case you need some motivation, consider this: Every gallon of used motor oil that's improperly disposed of can contaminate one million gallons of drinking water. Bring it to Wal-Mart, Autozone, Jiffy Lube, or search online for more convenient choices.

* Paint. It's among the harder items in this group to dispose of, but it's worth it and totally doable. Remember, with proper planning and application, paint disposal is usually unnecessary. Buy the right amount for your project. Apply a second coat and touch up areas that need improvement. If the paint is still in good shape, consider donating it. Liquid wastes are restricted from municipal solid waste landfills – never throw away leftover liquid paints in your trash. The National Paint and Coatings Association suggests:

Latex Paint Disposal Steps

1. Unused latex paint should be poured into an absorbent material such as a cat box filler, shredded newspaper or sawdust.

2. Let it dry completely and dispose of the dried material in your regular trash.

3. In areas where recycling programs exist, save the dry, empty containers with the lids off for a steel can recycling program. Small amounts of dried residue will not hinder steel can recycling.

4. Wash your paint brushes and painting tools in the sink. Never clean your paint brushes near a storm sewer drain.

Solvent-Based Paint Disposal

Solvent-based or alkyd paints require special disposal practices. Solvent-based paints are ignitable and present particular hazards. These products should not be emptied into storm sewers, household drains (especially if you have a septic tank) or on the ground.

Disposal Steps

1. Save solvent-based paints for a household hazardous waste collection program or contact your local/state government environmental protection agency for guidance on reuse or disposal of unwanted solvent-based paint products.

2. In areas where recycling programs exist, save the dry, empty containers with the lids off for a steel can recycling program. Small amounts of dried residue will not hinder steel can recycling.

3. Clean paint brushes and painting tools with paint thinner or turpentine.

Soaker Hoses

Savingwater.org says, “Soaker hoses help you save. Sprinklers waste water on overspray, runoff and evaporation. But by allowing water to seep directly into the soil, soaker hoses put water exactly where your plants need it—at the root zone. So you save…
• Time–no more moving sprinklers or hand watering in garden beds
• Money–using less water means smaller water bills
• Your Plants–they get just the right amount of water, and no spray means leaf diseases are kept in check
• Our Environment—you’re saving water and using a recycled product."

For more info click here.

Brown Spots!

What Causes Brown Spots?

Brown spots can be caused by a number of factors. Lack of water is the most common, followed by disease. Because Utah’s climate is so arid, there aren’t that many disease problems in our lawns. The number one culprit of brown spots in your lawn is lack of water.

There are a number of reasons one area on your lawn may not be getting enough water. You may have sprinkler heads that are not functioning properly. Poor uniformity in your irrigation system can cause one area to get less water than the rest of the zone.

Check for broken sprinkler heads, heads that are misaligned (a good indicator is a wet sidewalk or street), or obstructions such as trees, shrubs or landscape rocks.

If there are several brown spots within one zone, you may have an overall design problem. Fixing a design problem is costly and labor intensive. If you must replace your system, please consult with a professional irrigation designer. However, if the system seemed to work at one point, you most likely have poor pressure in your system. Call an irrigation professional to help you correct this problem.

For a monthly maintenance check, print this checklist of things to look for in your irrigation system. Print this list, turn on your zones, and mark the problems on the sheet. This way, you will have a record of system maintenance problems!

Coping with Brown Spots

No matter how much maintenance you do on your sprinkler system, no one’s irrigation system is perfect. It is impossible to design a sprinkler system that is 100% efficient. Don’t feel so bad.

After getting the system as uniform as possible, you may still have brown spots.

At this point, you have three choices:

1-Over-water your lawn, thereby wasting a valuable resource,
2-Hand-water the brown spots when needed, increasing your maintenance time
3-Plant something else there that doesn't need as much water.

North-Central Utah Monthly Lawn Watering Guide

A typical Utah lawn has a water demand curve that begins in mid-April, rises to a peak in July, and then falls rapidly until mid-October. Adjusting your timer monthly to better follow this demand curve will save you water and money. An easy way to do this is keep the minutes constant and increase or decrease the number of days between waterings as shown below.

Times shown are for spray head sprinklers; double times for rotor head sprinklers.

March- No irrigation recommended
April- No irrigation recommended
May- 24 mins every 4 days
June- 21 mins every 3 days
July- 21 mins every 3 days
August- 21 mins every 3 days
September- 21 mins every 6 days
October- No irrigation recommended
November- No irrigation recommended

Do I need to cycle?

On soils with high clay content, or areas with steep slopes, you may need to cycle. Cycling breaks up the required run time into several short durations that allow the water to penetrate deeper into the soil, improving root depth and overall plant health.

(Sample Cycle Times)

Cycle- Run Time- Soak Time
1- 7 min- 1 hour
2- 7 min- 1 hour
3- 7 min- -

To determine if you need to cycle, turn on your system and time how long it takes for water to start running off. This is the maximum amount of time you can water in one cycle. Divide the recommended minutes by this to give you the number of cycles to run. For example, if water begins to run off after 7 minutes, divide the suggested number of minutes (21) by 7. This gives 3 cycles, which can be scheduled as shown.

How do I water plants other than grass?

If your lawn and decorative plants are watered by different sprinkler zones, you will be able to save even more water. Shrubs, flowers and other decorative plants require 25-50% less water than the lawn. If possible, water these zones a few minutes longer than the lawn but half as frequently.

What if I already water less than recommended?

The recommendations are based on average conditions. If you already water less and are satisfied with how your lawn looks, don't increase your watering time. Instead, try decreasing the time! Turn down the minutes until you begin to see stress in your lawn, then turn it back up a bit and leave it. As you fine-tune your schedule, you will save even more water and money than this schedule suggests!

What if the recommended times are not enough?

If this schedule does not seem to be enough water for your lawn, please check your system for inefficiencies and maintenance issues before increasing your run times. Watering the whole lawn to green-up just a few brown spots is an inefficient use of water.

Cleaning a Flat-screen TV

By now, your new flat-screen TV has probably gotten pretty dirty. But don’t be tempted to use the same methods you would to clean your tube TV. Flat-screen television sets require more specialized care. Here are a few “Dos” and “Don’ts” to keep in mind:

- Don’t reach for strong chemical cleaners like alcohol, ammonia-based cleaners or window cleaners. They can damage the screen’s special coating.
- Don’t spray a liquid cleaner on the screen, as it can leak into the TV casing and damage the circuitry.
- Never use paper towels or newspapers to wipe of the screen either. These are wood products and will scratch the screen.

What you should do instead is look for a solution that is specially labeled “safe for laptop screens” or “LCD and plasma screens.” Cleaners are available at thousands of retail locations nationwide. Once you have your cleaner on hand, disconnect the power to your TV, and use either lukewarm water or your screen care solution to clean your TV.

Summertime Energy-Savings Tips

The California Energy Commission’s Consumer Energy Center says "The average home spends about $1,900 a year on energy costs. But you can lower your energy bills and help save the environment at the same time!" Here are some fast and free energy-savings tips:

- Be a speedy chef. Nothing is more energy efficient for cooking than your microwave. It uses two-thirds less energy than your stove.
- Push a button to wash your dishes. Surprise! Your dishwasher uses less water than washing dishes by hand. Then let dishes air-dry to save even more!
- Fill up the fridge. Having lots of food in your fridge keeps it from warming up too fast when the door is open. So your fridge doesn't have to work as hard to stay cool.