Bed Bugs

Green Ways to Deal with Bed Bugs

After nearly disappearing from existence decades ago, bed bugs have been making a comeback in the last several years. While the ability for humans to travel long distances in a short amount of time is one reason for this rise, another is the fact that these pests have shown a resistance to some pesticides. Finding a way to get rid of them without the use of chemicals can be a safer strategy for the family. If bed bugs find their way into a house, there are several green ways to deal with them.

Keep them out

The best green method for dealing with bed bugs is to prevent them from entering the home in the first place. Once an infestation occurs it can be difficult to eliminate.

*While bed bugs are often thought to be present only in unclean places, the fact is they can also be found in residences that are pristine. Often, they are brought into a home following a trip in which they were unknowingly encountered. Still, eliminating clutter from a home will help reduce the amount of places they can hide, if they do hitch a ride back.

*When on a trip and staying in a hotel, check the room for any signs of bed bugs before unpacking. Check under the bed and upholstered furniture, in the seams of any bedding and behind framed artwork hanging on the walls. While searching the room, make sure to keep luggage off the floor. When preparing to leave, inspect all clothing for any signs of the pests. If bed bugs are found on clothing, wrap the garments in sealable plastic bags. Upon returning home, immediately wash and dry the clothes on the highest heat setting possible. Vacuum the baggage and then use hot, soapy water to clean by hand.

In the home

If bed bugs find their way into the home, immediate action will be necessary to eliminate them. Here are some green methods to try.

*Use a steam cleaner on bedding, carpets and along walls to kill them. Bed bugs are susceptible to high heat.

*Spread some diatomaceous earth around rooms where bed bugs are known to be located. This feels like fine powder to humans, but on a microscopic level it contains sharp edges which can pierce the soft, waxy shells of bed bugs. Holes in the shells will cause the bugs to dehydrate and die. Use carefully as getting the powder in human lungs may cause damage.

*Glue traps can be placed around the posts of beds. When the pests come out at night to feed, they will become trapped on the boards and can be removed the next day.

Bed bugs seem to have adapted to some pesticides so trying to remove them from a home using non-chemical means may be better and safer for the family. Several “green” methods may be necessary, but persistence and immediate action will be keys to ending an infestation.

This is a guest post by Karen Barnes, who writes for a site that has advice about bed bug steamers and other green solutions such as bed bug traps. She believes it is not necessary to resort to using insecticide to exterminate these pests.

Choosing Heat Pumps

by John Baintree

Factors To Consider When Choosing Renewable Energy Heat Pumps

There are a surprising number factors to consider when choosing a renewable heating source for your property.  I myself have had the opportunity to chose a heating source for my new build property and it has been a surprising journey as to which source to eventually use.

After much research I have decided that the best option for us will be either a ground or air source heat pump.  However, I have written a summary of questions you should ask yourself before you make any decision on a heat pump.

The following points are the main considerations that I continually asked myself:

• Are you building a new development?  If the ground source heat pump is to be installed in a new development then you cut costs by combining and installation with other building work.  You can also make sure the property is as suitable as possible for the ground floor heat pump to perform at its optimum level.  I have found a company called Thermasys to be extremely helpful in their attitude to self builders wanting to use a heat pump. This is the same with an air source heat pump, however there is less work (and cost) as there is no need to dig a trench. 

• Is the property well insulated?  Both air source and ground source heat pumps produce a lower temperature heat than your traditional boiler, such as gas or electric, so it is absolutely essential that the property is well-insulated and draught proof. During our build I have ensure that we have 100mm insulation board in all our external framed walls.  Before installation it’s necessary to ensure that the property is as heat efficient as possible.  By making sure your property is well insulated it could also make the ground source heat pump system you need smaller and cheaper!

• What type of fuel will you be replacing?  A ground source heat pump can save money on fuel costs however the amount you save depends on the type of fuel you will be replacing.  If you are replacing an electric or a cal heating system then a ground source heat pump can save you money! Heat pumps are not recommended for homes on the gas network.

• What type of heating are you having?  As ground source heat pumps produce heat at a lower temperature than traditional heating methods they work better over larger areas, such as large radiators, under floor heating systems or low temperature fan convectors.

  
  

  John Baintree has recently undertaken the challenge of project managing his own self build. He shares his new knowledge of renewable energy far and wide.

Off The Grid

Living Off The Grid With Solar Power - Simple, Fun, and Challenging

My wife were desperate to get out of the city.  It was 2007, we were having an extremely stressful year with work.  I owned a small construction company that was just about to give me a heart attack.  She had a job she hated so much she would cry on the way to work sometimes.  On top of all that, we lived in a duplex with noisy neighbors.  And don’t even get me started on the constant, traffic, sirens, and aircraft noise of living in the city.

That’s when we decided: LETS GET OUT OF HERE – FOR GOOD!  So we started looking for homes in the mountains.  And, as luck would have it, we found our dream home after just one day of looking.  Incredible views, astoundingly quiet, on a beautiful lake and surrounded by Aspen-draped mountains, we thought we had died and gone to heaven.  There was just one thing: there was no grid power in this part of the world.

 The author and his wife in front of their solar-powered home.

The home was powered with a solar power system and a backup generator.  Heat would have to come from a wood-burning stove.  It wasn’t exactly roughing it, but it was a drastic lifestyle change.  And so, in the dead of winter, we moved our lives to the peace and quiet of Colorado Rockies.  No more walking to sushi on Friday night.  No more rowdy concerts and raucous cab rides on Saturday night.  We still do those things every once in a while but we don’t miss them as much as we thought we would.  And we also don’t have to deal with car break-ins, dirty air, bad water, rude drivers, and traffic jams.

Living off the grid meant we had to make other adjustments too.  The only lights on in the house at night are ones we are actively using.  We started listening to our iPods with headphones instead of throwing on the stereo and cranking the music.  Laundry waits until a sunny day.  Everything is on a power strip and gets turned off at the end of the evening.  We don’t own a toaster, microwave, clothes iron, or hair dryer.

We’ve become acutely aware of the patterns of the sun and weather.  We open the blinds wide to let the sun pour in and heat the house in the winter.  In the warm summer evenings we close them and crack windows strategically to allow the mountains breezes to cool the house.  We’ve installed a wind generator and tuned into the patterns of our breezes too.  Winter mornings might mean shoveling both the driveway and solar panels clear of snow.  

Don’t misunderstand, we don’t live like hermits.  We have a large flat screen TV, three computers, plenty of lighting, and tons of entertainment devices.  We just use them strategically to conserve power, always keeping in mind that the sun is our friend.  Up here we find that we need those things less anyway, with all the hiking, skiing, biking, and boating there is to do here.

We’ve learned a lot about solar, living away from civilization, but mostly about ourselves here.  And I can honestly say this is happiest I’ve ever been.

Kriss Bergethon is a writer and solar expert from Colorado.  You can visit his site at Solar Power for more information.