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A.F. woman shares love for gardens

2008-04-03T16:37:14-04:00

Thursday, 03 April 2008

A.F. woman shares love for gardens

Barbara Christiansen - NORTH COUNTY STAFF

Pat Fugal is not one to let grass grow under her feet -- nor weeds, either.

On her front porch, there is a mat with the saying "Ring bell. If no one answers, pull weeds."

She said that's not likely to happen, for two reasons. For one, people wouldn't do it, and two, whenever she sees a weed, she automatically pulls it.

"I love pulling weeds," she said. "If I see a weed at church, if there is no one looking, I pull it."

Along with being a gardener, Fugal is a firm believer in being self-reliant.

"I want to do everything for myself that I can," she said. "I don't want to depend on other people." To that end, she does some things that others don't.

"I found recipes on the Internet to make my own chili powder," she said. "I will also try making my own yeast."

She said she often likes to experiment.

"I like to try different things," she said. "I am always learning something different."

There has definitely been a learning curve.

"I actually have no background in gardening," she said. "I just learned a little bit at a time. I thought that green beans were like cherries, that you pick them once and they are gone. At the end of the year I went out and saw these really big beans."

Now employed responding to telephone questions for the Extension Services, she started out there with a little bit of knowledge and grew into the job.

"I took a plant sample into the Extension Service and saw a lady with insects on her desk," she said. "She was answering the phone and gardening questions. I asked them if I could wash windows or do anything in exchange for the chance to eavesdrop. I was there for a few hours and they decided I knew enough that the next day I was by myself, answering questions. I could always take their names and call back if I didn't know the answers."

She has done volunteer work at BYU's Bean Museum, sorting insects. To give her more knowledge, she took an entomology class.

"I think my interest in bugs came when I was in the garden, saw some bugs and wanted to smash them," she said. "Then I realized I didn't know if he was a good guy or a bad guy. For example, a lot of beetles eat other insects."

Fugal said there are times to be traditional and times to be creative.

"I have made ketchup and spaghetti sauce," she said. "With things like that you need to stick to the recipes to keep the items safe. When corn is ripe and you can't eat all of it, I like to dry and grind it. Then I make cornbread with a small amount of sugar. That's because it is sweet corn instead of field corn." She explained that field corn is what is used to make standard corn meal.

She has used her creativity to make time-saving devices.

"I developed this thing for cutting cherries in half," she said. It includes grooves in which the cherries roll. With a couple of quick motions, she can cut many in half in preparation for drying them.

Fugal has cherry trees, in addition to several varieties of apples, plums, pears, apricots, nectarines and peaches, hazelnuts and walnuts. She cans and preserves them along with vegetables.

"I have grown just about everything there is in the seed catalogues," she said. "I like to can. I have canned everything from asparagus to zucchini."

Her garden has a relatively new addition, however.

"I got a hive of bees," she said. In addition to getting the honey, it has had other benefits.

"I didn't realize my strawberry production would double with the bees," she said. "But they take a lot more care than I thought."

"They are fun to watch," she added. "I really enjoy watching them."

Her family members have enjoyed the benefits of her production efforts through the years. She told of one of her daughter's first experiences with school lunch. She had been used to corn quick harvested and frozen. When she ate canned corn at lunch, she came home and said she didn't like "plastic corn."

Fugal and her husband Mac often ride bikes to church and other local destinations. A Relief Society president in her LDS Ward, she often bikes when she visits people.

"I don't like putting gas in the car and spending money on gas," she said. They have been riding their bikes since the price of gas was around 75 cents a gallon, however. "I have liked the exercise and being outside."

Ten Purchases You Can Make That Will Banish The Economic Blues

2008-03-26T12:21:49-04:00

Original Story

SAN FRANCISCO -- Speculation over the U.S. economy's health is starting to sound like a mental-ward outburst of moans and cackles, where the paranoid-schizoids' hysteria masks a desperate need for attention and affirmation.

Pondering "Are we or aren't we in a recession?" is a dreary and wearying exercise. If you embrace those parroting the greed-mongering bestseller "How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years," their cacophony of dread will rattle inside your head so resoundingly you'll land in the Cuckoo's Nest yourself.

If we are in recession -- and we may be -- chances are it will be over before we know it. U.S. recessions lasted two years on average from 1854 to the end of World War I; they've averaged just 10 months in the post-World World II period.

The last two in 1990-91 and 2001 were both over in eight months. Those brief retrenchments followed serious financial catastrophes -- the biggest banking-system and stock-market collapses since the Depression.

We now must wait for the National Bureau of Economic Research -- which somehow became the Lord of the Rings when it comes to declaring a recession -- to say whether one is officially underway. Fortunately, recent recessions have been so short NBER's brain trust was unable to agree we entered into them until after we bid them fond adieu.

If this anguish over the specter of recession is wearing on you, blowing a few dollars on unnecessary purchases can be therapeutic -- for yourself and the economy. Not frivolous spending, mind you, but purchases with immediate and long-term value.

Here are 10 that will improve your quality of life, minimize your fretting over money, save long-term dollars and let you thumb your nose at those who've lost sight that a recession amid 4.8% unemployment isn't exactly hell in the making:

1. Milk frother

Recession or not, many of us need to scale back on our store-bought java addiction. This simple device can help you break that costly habit.

Instead of spending $3 a pop for your daily latte, buy your own electric milk frother for as little as $10 and enjoy caf?-style drinks in your kitchen, says Karen J. Bard, e-Bay pop culture expert.

"Everyday, I brew myself a cup of coffee and then froth some milk and pour it in there," Bard says. "It really satisfies my fancy-coffee needs."

2. A fuel-efficient vehicle

If it pains you each time you fill-up at a gas station, do something about it -- sell your current vehicle and replace it with a significantly more fuel-efficient model.

Whether new or used, buying a reliable high-miles-per-gallon vehicle can save $1,000 or more driving 15,000 miles a year on $3.25 a gallon gas. If you're in a household with two vehicles that both get mediocre mileage, you've got twice the reason to replace one of them.

If you're willing to downsize, say, from an SUV getting 18 mpg on average, you could buy a 2008 Toyota Yaris for $12,000 and cut your annual fuel costs by $1,200 at the above annual mileage and gas price. That's enough to cover half of each $197 monthly payment on a five-year $10,000 loan at the present national average of 6.8% interest.

3. Luxury hammock

With the hazy, lazy days of summer fast approaching, now would be a perfect time to buy a high-end hammock in which to relax around sunset with a cool beverage and personal music player.

Shopping guru Teri Gault, founder of thegrocerygame.com and teritoday.com, likes the Outback Chair Company's Urban Balance Wave Hammock, which retails for $849 and sells for $479 at heavenlyhammocks.com

Says Gault: "You can wile away your time lounging in your fancy hammock and say 'Recession, schmession.'"

4. Friday night dinners out for a month

Dining out once a week is costly, running $3,000 a year for a $50+tip meal. Yet the prospect of having to prepare supper for yourself or your family on Friday evenings deflates that TGIF mood.

Why not treat yourself to a month of Friday dinners out to relieve tension at the close of the work week? Whether it is gourmet pizza, Mexican or Asian fare, the modest cost for one month won't break the bank.

The benefit: Knowing when the weekend starts, you won't have to worry if you have the fixings for a suitable dinner, let alone go through the effort of preparing one.

5. Change of underwear

That's right, toss out every pair of your old drawers and spring for a whole new designer set, which will run about $50 to $75 for five three-packs at a warehouse or discount-clothing store.

Most of us don't update our underwear collection near as often as our visible attire, except when we're in courtship mode. Guys tend to wear their skivvies until the waistband's fraying or separating, as if they're still waiting for mom to replenish their supply.

As the first piece of clothing we don each day, nothing in the morning says "Driver, start your engine!" like a pair of fresh cotton-blend briefs or boxers hugging your cheeks. Says Gault: "Even if you buy the most expensive type, it's not that expensive and boy does it feel good."

6. Change of scenery

Sometimes, improving your state of mind is aided by changing your venue of being -- as in a weekend overnight getaway to air out or energize yourself.

If you live in the city or suburbs, head to the country and take in an outdoor festival or concert Saturday and a challenging hike and picnic lunch Sunday. If you live in the country, head into your largest nearby city for a Saturday museum tour and an evening musical performance, then catch a Sunday matinee play.

And don't economize, splurge a bit. If your hotel room comes with continental breakfast and you're home for Sunday dinner, your core costs are just a night's lodging, three meals and gas. You can be a homebody the next several weekends to balance the budget.

7. Auto detailing

Can't afford a new car any time soon? Spend $200 to $300 for a new-car smell instead of $15,000 or more, says John Ewoldt, Dollars & Sense columnist at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis.

Consider it the long-overdue spa day that your workhorse transportation deserves. A full detail includes hand-washing and waxing, polishing, buffing out minor scratches, engine degreasing, tire-dressing, vacuuming and shampooing upholstery and carpeting (including stain removal), cleaning doorjambs, floor mats, visors, ashtrays, vents, sunroof and headliner and dashboard.

Then when you're stuck in a rush-hour backup, bemoaning lost time and the cost of stop-and-go traffic on your petrol bill, the smell of your freshly detailed car may act as aromatherapy and calm your harried nerves.

8. Sauna or hot tub

If you're sweating the state of the economy, really sweat the angst out of your system by installing a portable sauna or hot tub on your back porch or deck for as little as $2,000.

Not only will it help you relax at the end of stressful days, it could be the catalyst to rendezvous and enjoy catch-up time with a spouse or significant other with whom you scarcely converse during the course of many a busy week.

Be sure to haggle for price, upgrades and free delivery and chemicals for hot tubs, Gault says. "Then just lay back and say, 'Worry about the recession? I'm too busy taking a soak!'"

9. Cookware set

If we are in for a prolonged recession and need to slash dining-out budgets, buying a high-quality set of pots and pans will make preparing all those home-cooked meals less onerous.

You don't need to spend a fortune. Consumer Reports' gives its top ratings to Costco's 14-piece Kirkland anodized-aluminum, nonstick set for $200 and KitchenAid's 10-piece Gourmet Essentials Brushed Stainless Steel set for $149.

Your cookware set's in fine enough shape? Then consider buying some useful supplemental pieces such as a cast-iron wok and skillet and bakeware such as Le Creuset's hefty enamel-over-cast-iron products.

10. Bed linens and pillows

When it comes to creature comforts, a top-quality set of sheets and pillows makes slipping into bed pleasurable rather than just like punching the clock on another day. "Sumptuous bed linens make an ordinary bed feel extraordinary," says eBay's Bard.

One interesting option, bamboo sheets, will make you "feel like you're sleeping on a cloud," Bard says. "Soft like Egyptian cotton, yet very reasonably priced and the result of eco-friendly growing practices, the only difference you'll notice is in your wallet."

Considering how close we are and the time we spend with our bed pillows, many of us don't pay enough mind to what we lay our heads on each night. Go test out and buy a few $25 to $40 pillows and you're sure to sleep better, recession or not.

Of course, you can always lose yourself in a good book to tune out the recession chatter. For a challenge, try the works of R. Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome, second president of the Mensa (high IQ) Society and a futurist who foresaw our pressing need for alternative energy long before his passing in 1983.

One of Fuller's later titles: "And It Came to Pass, Not to Stay." If we are in a recession, take comfort knowing such will be its fate also.

Chris Pummer is a former senior editor for MarketWatch and Bloomberg News and a former reporter for such papers as the Los Angeles Times and San Jose Mercury News.

Car Mats: Must For Cars

2008-03-23T11:48:47-04:00

Original Story

The role that cars sport in fabrication life easy cannot subsist undermined. They demonstrate there relevance up independent fronts. The biggest relief that race stand to obtain from cars is that they make commuting completely hassle unrestrained. No more delaying protracted hours for busses or taxis or jostling accompanying passengers for seats in a bus. Cars besides acknowledge individual the liberty of influencing at individual?s own speed. Ever wondered like to what make these cars thus advantageous? yea, they are car accessories. Element that is thus very momentous for the even functioning of some car. In fact it can subsist said that had it not been for accessories afterwards cars would possess forfeited a fair bit of its sheen. Amazing afterwards, to diocese that race don?t furnish like plenteous weightiness to car accessories like they should furnish. Talking about car accessories individual car accessory that needs special mention are car mats or car overthrow mats. Supremely advantageous they return yeomen services and defend the car from independent things.

Now the question that arises is that what is it that these mats effect that they are considered to subsist thus momentous for cars. fountain answer to this is simple. The role played by these mats is inordinate. They not only keep the cars from dust yet besides defend them from water. These mats besides demonstrate to subsist the perfect cushion for your feet protecting them from the uneasiness of solid car floors. It besides protects your feet from the uneasiness of car overthrow which gets heated up if the car runs for some time.

However, car mats possess to subsist taken care of to ensure that they do there job nicely. For pattern race must ensure that they effect not lay some sharp edged object up mats thus that they effect not endure some hurt. race would besides effect fountain to ensure that they wash the mats at normal intervals and dry them completely preceding using. If the mats endure some hurt afterwards it is better if they are replaced accompanying the fresher ones.

Slight fixedness to these points would move a protracted passage in ensuring that car mats or car overthrow mats move a protracted passage in protecting the car from dust and water like fountain like fountain like providing comfort to race.

Door mat says Go Away. No, Come In. No...

2008-03-21T10:25:00-04:00

Original Story

The classic Go Away doormat with a twist: turn it upside down and it greets your guests with a cheery "Come In."

Car Mats: Keeping Your Car Floor Neat

2008-03-20T11:12:16-04:00

Original Story

A car appears good when kept in spanking new condition. It is not at all hard to maintain a car with a use of right car accessories. Keeping up car exteriors is as much important as ensuring shipshape interiors. Car mats are among those accessories that help in keeping the interiors dirt free, neat and odourless. The car floor mats are available across the nation through online and offline vendors. They come in various attractive patterns and durable materials. These mats are made washable to ensure repeated use after wash-drying.

The car mats are easy to place on the floor of the car and are among those accessories, which do not require hardware to mount them. With car floor mats placed on the floor there are no chances of dirt getting accumulated on the floor. If you do not use this accessory, the floor of your vehicle is likely to get smelly and untidy. The vehicle needs proper maintenance and cleanliness for a spanking new appearance. Use of products and accessories helps the user gain appreciation for the vehicle.

The accessories related to spotlessness inside the car come in handy for the hygiene of passengers. Neat interiors of a car can also be accentuated with a use of car perfumes. Fragranced and clean interiors give a pleasurable experience to the passengers travelling inside the car. The use of car mats becomes essential during the mushy weather conditions. All through the rainy season, floor of your car becomes prone to moisture and dirt coming along with shoes. Floor mats will avoid the chances of rust due to dirt and moisture.

Such add-ons are quite valuable to make your car retain its new look. The car mats are made up of variety of materials, which provides the user an ease over handling and repetitive use.

Organized Spring Cleaning with Lisa Lelas

2008-03-19T10:26:52-04:00

Original Story

The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing and you don't want to be stuck in the house doing Spring Cleaning. Professional Organizer Lisa Lelas has some tips to help you get a jump start on your Spring Cleaning.

Information provided by Lisa:

TV Organizing Segment-March 2008

With Professional Organizer, Lisa Lelas of Life Styling, of Guilford

www.LifestylingwithLisa.com

Organizing Spring Cleaning! Don't wait until all the flowers are in bloom. Get a jump on spring cleaning now so that when the nice spring weather arrives, you'll have more time to get out and enjoy it!

" Begin with an organizational plan to get your home thoroughly clean. Such as a one room a week system to concentrate on over the next 6 weeks or so. Under each room, list those things that require your attention. There will be several items on your list that don't need to wait until spring to be accomplished. Highlight those items that you can do NOW, over these last few weeks of winter.

" Things like washing the windows, putting screens back up on your windows and laundering all the throw rugs to hang out to dry might not be applicable until the weather warms up, however you could start by washing the inside windows and window sills now and doing the outside windows another time. You will have saved yourself half the time of your annual window wash down! If some of your throw rugs can fit into your dryer, consider getting a jump on laundering just those for now.

" By popular request, each year, I will share my favorite best recipe for sparkling clean windows: 1 cup white vinegar, 1 cup ammonia, 2 tablespoons corn starch, 1 gallon warm water and roll of cheap paper towels (they have less lint).

" Now is a time you could flip over all the bedroom mattresses (best if you can do this every season...or at least twice a year).

" Shop the bulk warehouse stores and stock up now with all your cleaning supplies. Buying two of everything makes sense if you have a two story home. Keep a fully stocked cleaning bucket upstairs and a second one downstairs...you might even consider keeping a third one out in the garage.

" Assign different colored wash clothes/sponges for different jobs to prevent cross contamination, such as yellow is for dishes, the blue sponge for the kitchen floor, pink for countertops, etc. Throw them into the dishwasher regularly to keep them clean.

" While it's not advised to put out new door mats before the weather gets warm, it's a great time to shop for them now...while selections are at their best. Purchase a new door mat for all entrances to your home every spring! 80% of dirt tracked into your home can be blocked with new door mats!

" Sprinkle baking soda or scented carpet powder onto carpets the night before you begin your spring cleaning. By the time you vacuum that room the next day, the room will really smell great!

" Drop 2 Alka Seltzer tablets into your toilet bowl for easy cleaning. Wait 20 minutes and scrub.

" Spray some all purpose cleaner onto the bottoms of fluffy white gym socks and wear them around any wood floors in your house...wiping as you walk. This is a great way to clean baseboards as well, pointing your toe and wiping along the top and edges of the wood trim.

" Tips provided by Lisa Lelas, professional organizer, author & speaker. Owner of Life Styling, of Guilford, CT. She can be reached by visiting www.LifestylingwithLisa.com or emailing LifestyleLisa@aol.com

Space Invaders flashing LED door mat

2008-03-19T10:20:04-04:00

Original Story

Door mats as technology? Yes, that's the case with this Space Invaders flashing LED door mat.

It works on three levels - firstly, it keep the dirt off your lovely new carpets, secondly, it impresses your gadget-loving friends and thirdly, those glowing/flashing invaders might deter any unwanted visitors from crossing your threshold. But probably not.

The flashing image works on a motion sensor, so you'll not be annoyed by it all day and it is powered by 4x AAA batteries.

Survey Investigates Knowledge Of Matting Systems

2008-03-18T22:10:00-04:00

Original Story

A recently released survey finds that most facility managers are well versed on the benefits of matting systems. The survey was conducted for Crown Mats and Matting during early February 2008. Nearly 120 people participated.

More than 95% of the respondents indicated they have mats installed at key building entries, and nearly 82% own, rather than rent, their mats.

Further, another survey question revealed that two-thirds know a high-performance matting system usually has a longer warranty and is more effective at capturing and trapping soil.

Among other findings:

91% know high-performance matting systems play a role in green cleaning.

70% understand that a "scraper mat" is placed outdoors to aggressively remove soils from shoes.

Similarly, 72% know a "wiper mat" is placed inside a facility to remove remaining soils, contaminants, and moisture from shoes.

One survey question asked how many people are hospitalized each day in the United States as a result of slips and falls. "Most of the respondents said it was 1,000 per day," says Tricozzi. "However, the correct answer is closer to 10,000, and many of these [accidents] could be prevented if an effective matting system was in place."

As to stopping soil, the respondents were evenly divided when asked how much money it costs to remove one pound of soil from a building. Half answered $250 to $500, while others thought it was $750. The correct answer, according to ISSA studies, is around $500.

The respondents were also asked what the term "Rule of 15s" means, as it applies to matting systems. A third said it means mats should be 15 feet long. However, the Rule of 15s actually means three mats-a scraper, a wiper/scraper, and a wiper-each five feet long, should be placed at all building entries. This was correctly answered by about 50% of respondents.

First impressions play big role in real estate

2008-03-18T10:05:00-04:00

Original Story

People only get one chance at a first impression.

The same goes for houses, said Kathy Akers, a Realtor at Boone, Hill, Allen and Ricks in Rocky Mount. It can be as simple as a glance out a car window or a picture in the newspaper, but often a house's curb appeal decides whether a potential buyer will ever step foot in the house.

As with anything, if you don't have the good first impression, it doesn't matter what the rest of the house looks like. They are already in a mind-set that they are not impressed," Akers said.

A person can have the most gorgeous interior imaginable, but if the front yard is unkept and the front of the house screams neglect, it will be harder to sell the house, said Doug Bryant, a Realtor at Re/Max Classic in Nashville. The front of the house needs to be clean, warm and inviting.

"It is some small little things you can do sometimes like a new welcome mat. If the welcome mat when you walk up is all torn to pieces, that is going to kind of give them a negative vibe, because they are like, 'They can't put a new mat down here. What is the rest of the house going to look like?'" Bryant said.

Bill Lumpp, a Realtor at Century 21, the Combs Co. in Rocky Mount, advises clients to walk around the neighborhood to compare their houses to the neighbors' houses and see how they stack up.

"If the house next door has a beautiful yard and yours doesn't, then the person looking at the house is going to want the one next door instead of yours," he said.

To help homeowners improve the curb appeal of houses they want to sell, these brokers offered suggestions on some possible changes, upgrades and maintenance steps to take.

Ryanair passengers sleep on floor mats

2008-03-17T18:43:00-04:00

Original Story

HUNDREDS of Ryanair passengers were stranded at a French airport on Saturday night, including families who spent the night sleeping on foam mats in a school gymnasium.

Around 600 travellers, including 150 Scots, were forced to stay overnight in Grenoble after evening flights to Prestwick, Stansted, Luton and Dublin were cancelled due to high winds.

Scottish holidaymakers described the "chaos" in the airport as queues of hundreds of travellers struggled for information on hotels and alternative flights.

Ewan Ogilvie, 41, from Glasgow, was one of "three coach loads" of travellers forced to sleep on the floor of a school gym due to a lack of accommodation in Grenoble. The sub-contractor and his friends, Eddie Burns and Josh Hardy, eventually made it back to Glasgow the following afternoon, after spending £1000 among them on flights.

"It was absolute mayhem in the airport," he said. "There was no communication. We were told, we have no information for you' - basically stop asking us, go away'. All there was was the airport service desk and the queue for that was so long that we didn't ever make it to the front.

"While we were waiting in the queue we heard the morning's flight to Stansted was already full, so we felt we had no choice but to make our own way home.

"We decided to hire a car to drive to Paris but, just as they were handing over the keys, we heard an announcement saying there were spaces on a flight to the East Midlands.

"We belted round to the gate but when we arrived we were told: No - it's full'.

"We were told that there were no hotel rooms available in Grenoble that night, so we bedded down in the airport, but then at 2am they announced it was closing for the night. Buses arrived to take us to a gymnasium where we slept on foam mats on the floor.

"There were about 200 of us, including families with young children. There were blankets but not enough to go around.

"In the end, we were up till the small hours booking alternative flights. We spent £1000 among us getting back to Glasgow via Gatwick.

"It was the attitude of Ryanair which shocked me. Any other airline would at least explain what was going on. But the airport was full of people stranded and unable to get information. It was carnage.

"There was no food, no accommodation and no subsistence. Basically, we were told, you're on your own'."

Under "denied boarding" regulations introduced in February 2005, passengers denied access to aircraft, or whose flights have been delayed or cancelled are entitled to compensation of up to 600 (£460).

The airline must offer to reroute to the final destination as soon as possible. Airlines are obliged to provide passengers with free meals and refreshments and, in some case, free lodgings for the night.

However, a EU report in November 2006 revealed that airlines had exploited the excuse of "extraordinary circumstances" and avoided payouts by citing matters beyond their control, such as weather, strikes and technical malfunctions. The commission warned airlines they had until October 2007 to begin providing passengers with the information, assistance and compensation required under the law, or face legal action.

A Ryanair spokesman said: "On Saturday, four Ryanair flights from Grenoble were cancelled due to high winds - the flights were to Prestwick, London Stansted, Dublin and Luton. Each flight holds 159 people when full, so it is possible that around 600 passengers were affected.

"The reason for the delay was communicated to passengers. All passengers were offered a full refund or alternative flights the next day.

"All passengers were given U261 forms to claim compensation. Passengers were entitled to reimbursement for hotel stays and reasonable expenses."

Parenting Tip: Auto Floor Mats

2008-03-17T18:24:00-04:00

Original Story

Huh? What do parenting tips and auto floor mats have in common?

Well, all parents need them - no vehicle on the road experiences more interior wear and tear than the family minivan!

Actually, this parenting tip came from my dad. You see, he recently bought a new car. To keep the interior looking better longer, he wanted to purchase a set of heavy duty rubber auto floor mats.

The dealer?s price? Over $100.

Wholesale warehouse club price? Under $30.

And the warehouse club auto floor mats that he bought are a set of four mats (for front and back seat floors) that are made by Good-Year. They are a good quality for an excellent price.

And there you have it - my auto floor mat parenting tip!

Anti Static Mats-Where to Buy the Best

2008-03-17T18:15:00-04:00

Are you looking to purchase Anti Static Mats? There are many good reasons to purchase one. In this article I discuss why you need an anti static mat. You can also click on the link at the bottom of this article to find the best place to purchase your anti static mat.

Don´t you hate that feeling; you walk across the rug at home or across the carpet at work, reach for the doorknob and..........ZAP!!! You get a static shock. Getting a shock is an unpleasant enough experience but did you know that in the workplace it can be very dangerous and even kill you?

What is Static Electricity?

To understand how static electricity is created, let´s look at the above example of how static electricity is generated when you walk across a carpet at work. When you walk across the carpet, the soles of your shoes rub against the carpet. This rubbing action causes friction and generates a type of energy. This energy remains dormant or stored up until the person who is carrying the charge eliminates the energy. This usually occurs when the person who is carrying the electrical charge touches a door handle or metal equipment and gets a static shock. This is known as an Electrostatic Discharge (ESD).

The Problems with Static Electricity in the Workplace.

A build up of static electricity can be dangerous. A static electrical spark can do costly damage to microprocessors, commercial machinery and equipment. Sometimes the results of a static shock could be catastrophic, especially if the employee works with flammable chemicals and gases. A spark has the potential to cause a fire or an explosion. Instances of workmen dying of shock too have been reported. Therefore it is essential to resort to precautionary measures. One method that offers safeguard is the use of antistatic mats.

The Solution

Anti Static Mats or Electrically Conductive Mats are designed to protect sensitive equipment by quickly drawing the static off workers before they touch susceptible chemicals or apparatus. The Electrically Conductive Anti-Fatigue mat quickly drains static electricity from workers before it can be passed on to sensitive equipment such as computers, cash registers or any product with a computer chip.

Most Anti Static Mats come under one of three classifications. These classifications include:

1.Conductive

2.Antistatic and

3.Non-Conductive.

Antistatic mats are made from different materials like vinyl and stainless steel fibers. They are available in various sizes, and colors to suit the décor and have anti-fatigue and slip resistant properties. Some are light duty mats meant for people to stand on or to place equipments. For applications like using under chairs and movement of laden carts, heavy-duty mats are required.

Something that you must consider before you purchase an Anti Static mat is the rate in which you want the static electricity to be discharged. If static electricity is discharged too quickly this may also cause damage to some equipment. It is therefore very important to consult a professional in the matting industry. Tell them what application you want the mat for and they should be able to give you good advice on the most appropriate mat. If they can´t do this, find someone who knows what they are talking about. Most good manufacturers will provide guidance to you and help you to select the most appropriate mat type.

For maximum control against static electrical build up, use anti static mats on floors and work spaces, and have employees wear anti static wrist bands, heel bands and provide them with conductive shoes. To eliminate these hazards in YOUR workplace use Electrically Conductive Mats and Static Dissipative Mats to protect your investments and your people.

So where's the best place to but Anti-Static mats? Of course - www.matdepot.com

Be green, wipe your feet

2008-03-16T17:04:00-04:00

Original Story

Lead custodian Keith Giles, at Unity College for less than a year, has reinvigorated the school's role in its overall green approach to cleaning services.

In addition to purchasing earth-friendly cleaning products, Giles purchased Andersen floor mats. One might say, with that purchase he has "cleaned up," both financially and health-wise.

Keith Giles shows off the Andersen floor mats.

“These mats are particularly effective in trapping a higher percentage of loose dirt than conventional mats, and this results in less cleaning time for custodians,” said Giles. “There is also better air quality in all Unity College buildings because there is less loose dust floating in the air.”

Giles said purchasing Andersen mats help Unity College to reach its sustainability goals. “In what Unity College spent in one year to rent floor mats, it was able to purchase the Andersen mats,” Giles said. “Depending on traffic we expect these Andersen mats to last three to four years.”

The mats are designed to stop up to 85 percent of dirt within the first 15 feet of building entry. Scrapers go outside the door, waterhogs are directly inside the door, and then there is a finish mat. “The scraper and waterhogs get most of the dirt, and the finish mat basically dries your feet,” said Giles. “This is an entire system for reducing dirt in buildings, and especially floating in the air, so overall, we have been very pleased with this approach.”

Ami Knisley, senior vice president for academic affairs, likes the approach. “We hear a great deal about implementing green solutions in the workplace,” said Knisley, a member of the college budget committee. "We’re pleased to know that working with Andersen allows us to live up to our role as America’s environmental college while saving money for the college.”

Simple Solutions for Office Hazards

2008-03-16T13:39:00-04:00

Original Story

Office work spaces often have overlooked hazards that threaten the physical well-being of all who enter. Company co-workers or, if work is done from a home office, family members and pets, unknowingly can be in harm?s way. While some threats are fairly obvious, others can lurk in the most unexpected places. In the office, equipment cables and wires can become a trip-and-fall hazard ? and an expensive workers? compensation case. Poised and ready to trip all who pass, office cables and wires are far more than an unsightly nuisance. Slips, trips and falls constitute the majority of general industry accidents. In the United States, they cause 15 percent of all work-related deaths and are second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities, according OSHA.

In a home office environment, small children and common household animals like cats, dogs, rabbits and ferrets often see equipment wires as play things ? all too often as chew toys. Clearly such a circumstance puts the child or pet at great risk, with electric shock and strangulation at the top of the list.

The experts at http://CableOrganizer.com offer these simple office safety solutions:

Cable Control on the Cheap:

For just a few dollars, computer cables can be easily shielded with a split wire loom, a flexible and durable polyethylene corrugated tube with a split down the side where you enter your multi-cable bundle. If you have to add another wire later on, you can easily slip it into the split wire loom along with the others without removing the entire bundle.

Achieve Lift-Off: Cables, power adapters, power strips, hubs, modems and other small devices can be readily lifted off the floor and put safely out of harm's way with cable management products that loop, tie and hang ?cable clutter? off the floor to reduce work space risks including snags, trips and liquid spills.

Wire Fire Can Be Dire: With a glut of equipment, wiring and electrical outlets conducting heat, often over long periods of time and in compact spaces, fire safety is an important workspace consideration. In addition to the standard fire extinguisher, other fire safety measures also should be employed. Flame spread is one vital safety consideration that easily can be addressed. Flame-retardant wire sleeving that does not support combustion can significantly reduce office fire hazards. You also can establish an effective insulating barrier to prevent the spread of fire and smoke through structural gaps and voids with fire-rated expanding polyurethane foams ? a cost-effective way to establish an insulating seal on concrete, brick, wood, metal, aluminum and steel.

An Important Mat-ter: Use traction floor mats in high-traffic and extended-use areas, particularly those prone to moisture or spills. Be sure to use a floor mat with beveled edges to eliminate trip risk. Mats with sponge bases will enhance ergonomic safety for employees who must stand for longer periods of time.

Surface Raceways: Home office wires that run across the floor to a distant outlet are among the most dangerous office situations, with a high risk of injuries or damaged equipment. Fortunately, surface raceways are a readily available and easy way to organize and protect electrical cords that run along the floor or on the wall. These ?cable channels? are made of tough PVC and can be painted to match office décor.

Cord Protectors: These wire cover systems are another great way to keep from tripping on loose cables and cords running across a walkway or behind your desk. Cord protectors cover, hide and protect cords and cables while keeping floors clear and safe. They also lie flat, and stay flat, and are easy to install.

Heavy Metal: Whether you want greater protection for your wires from children, animals, rodents or pests, or have a need to protect outdoor fiber optics, RG-6 coaxial cable or Category 5E cables from wildlife or the elements, metal braided sleeving, made from tin-coated copper, is both flexible and strong, and also offers electromagnetic interference (EMI) protection.

Take the Edge Off: Wrap anything with a sharp edge such as broken/cracked glass, brittle plastic casings or other materials that may break and produce a sharp or rough edge in corrugated cardboard and secure with a heavy-duty duct tape to protect yourself and others from accidental lacerations. This is especially important before placing such items in a trash container.