All Outdoor Patio Furniture

Okay, so now you know how easy it can be to fix a loose rung on a patio chair, garden bench, or picnic table.  It’s always a good feeling to be able to restore a favorite piece of outdoor furniture to its former glory – or, at least, a semblance thereof – without the help of a professional.  Of course, there are times when a beloved old porch swing, Adirondack chair, glider, or outdoor dining table is in need of repair, but only because of a few scratches.

In many instances, you can hide these flaws, using items that you may already have on hand.  If, for example, there’s a scratch in your wood porch chair, a nut may come to the rescue (as is the case so many times in life).  Rub a pecan, or any nut that has a high oil content, over the scratch, and watch it disappear.  Even a bit of peanut butter may do the trick.  The only trouble there is that the aroma may be so strong that you’ll find yourself craving a peanut butter sandwich every time you sit down.  To avoid this temptation, use olive or vegetable oil instead; simply rub it in with your finger, and polish it with a soft rag.

Another solution, which many people find to be a real eye-opener, is coffee.  Just mix one teaspoon of the instant variety with one tablespoon of vegetable oil or water, and work it in gently with a soft rag.  Although this is great for covering scratches on dark wood patio furniture, it is not recommended for use on shellac, or antiques.

Fortunately, there are many other household items that are not nearly as appetizing, which can diminish the appearance of scratches on wood porch furniture; but these should be tested on inconspicuous areas first.  Iodine, for instance, works well on reddish finishes, such as mahogany; and liquid and paste shoe polishes, available in a wide range of shades, can easily be matched to most wood tones.  Felt-tipped markers and softened crayons can be used, too, and you can mix their colors to get the perfect match for the wood.

So, there you have several easy fixes for scratches in your wood outdoor furniture; but, as I said, your options may be limited if the smell of peanut butter is going to drive you nuts. Furthermore, if you’re trying to cut down on caffeine, the coffee suggestion may be out as well.  However, if you can resist the urge to have a cup every time you get a whiff of it, you can have your “coffee fix” and still get to sleep at night!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: adirondack chair, garden bench, glider, outdoor dining table, Outdoor Furniture, patio chair, patio furniture, picnic table, porch chair, porch furniture, porch swing

If you thought you were shopping around for outdoor furniture, patio dining sets, or even a gazebo for yourself… you might be missing an important factor.  Studies show that your children need more time outside than the majority of them are getting.  If you’re saying, “I know that… but they have this X-box 360 I can’t seem to conquer!” perhaps you should consider this:  give your children a place to play outside and they probably will!

1. Nature Deficit Disorder:  Recent studies have shown that children not exposed to the outdoors enough are suffering from a specific series of concerns.  Most likely fueled by a more media-centered society and parents fearing that their children will be less safe outside… many effected children are suffering from a marked lack in creativity, anxiety and depression, attention deficit problems, and long-term inabilities to cope with stress.  And, of course, it goes without saying that these children are also much more likely to suffer from childhood obesity; a condition that will undoubtedly affect them for the rest of their lives.  Luckily, this is a problem that can be easily fixed.  If you have a mandatory amount of time your child is required to spend reading, doing homework, or even working on chores… consider extending this to spending time outdoors.  Even if it’s not playing, doing homework on a porch swing or at a picnic table instead of at their desk will do wonders.  They will be more aware of what is going on around them and better able to evaluate a variety of senses at one time.  Being outside offers changing stimuli, unlike the constant décor of their bedroom, and the more time children spend outdoors, the more time they will yearn for the fresh smell of the open air. And remember, children build their immune systems as they’re developing.  Kids that are kept away from any sort of dirt and germs will be unable to cope with them as they grow older.  Studies show that adults that spent more time outside as children were less likely to suffer from allergies.
2. Exercise… both mentally and physically:  It’s clear that children are getting less exercise with every generation.  Not only does this lead to a lot of pent-up energy, it leads to a long list of health concerns.  But, children are little balls of activity, and giving them a place outside to expend that is good for them.  Climbing trees, swinging on monkey bars, running, and jumping are all great for their health.  A few minor bumps and bruises may occur, but this is a natural part of being a kid!  Youngsters have an innate need to be active, it’s the constant push from the media encouraging docile sit-in-front-of-the-screen behavior that turns them off of it.  The earlier you foster their love for wind blowing in their face as they sprint after a little brother, the more they will love it as they grow older. But, the physical exercise is not where the importance stops.  Playtime outside will cause your children to develop their own story lines, create their own games, and pretend an old, scary witch is plotting great destruction from that rocking chair, or a far-away princess is sleeping on the chaise lounge.  Let your child’s mind deviate from the plot lines of their video games, the characters on their cartoons, and even the lessons in their schools—let their brains develop correctly by entertaining their active imaginations!
3. Foster team work:  Children who play together, learn together, and teach each other how to develop successful interpersonal skills will be much better off later in life.  If children are constantly left to their own devices to make afternoons fun and full of laughter… they’ll find a way to make sure everyone is involved because, it’s true, “the more the merrier.”  Say goodbye to phrases like, “does not play well with others.”  Through pre-determined team sports like soccer, quoits, kick ball, croquet, bocce ball, and football… your children will learn the value of team work, as well as gracious winning and losing.  Youngsters who learn how to deal and play with a variety of personality types will be less likely to get in fights in high school and more willing to explore new places and ideas. And if you don’t have a horse shoe set, don’t fret.  Many outdoor games are incredibly inexpensive, and even if that’s not in your budget this year… kids can make a game out of almost anything.
4. Learn responsibility:  Giving your children their own space to take care of will give them a sense of ownership that fosters responsibility.  Whether this is their own playhouse or simply a section of the garden with a garden bench, explain that they are responsible for taking care of their little bit of earth.  Teach them to weed and take care of their section of garden or plant flowers in the playhouse’s flower boxes.  Learning to cultivate nature will teach them that they are responsible for taking care of the environment and that their hard work produces beautiful things.  Learning this kind of responsibility will not only be good for their work ethic and behavior, it will also instill a love and accountability for the environment.  Just think, if coming generations know that taking care of the earth is an important responsibility… maybe our fragile planet isn’t doomed.
5. Get selfish; make time for yourself:  Do you often feel like you can’t think over the blaring television?  Do you wish you could get on the family computer to read this blog, but your daughter is too busy playing an online video game? Are you constantly trying to find some way to have a few moments to yourself?  Fostering a love of the outdoors in your children will do just that.  Imagine your kids walking home from school, dropping their book bags at the door, and racing outside to their playhouse, or even just to their section of the yard or garden.  Picking up a soccer ball on their way, you’ll be free to do the things you need to do.  Or, of course, to sit back in your Adirondack chair or porch glider and watch your children run, jump, play, and laugh their way to better holistic health!

See you (and your kids!) outside!

Hazel

Exhausted after a long day of playing!

Tags: adirondack chair, chaise lounge, Croquet, garden bench, gazebo, Outdoor Furniture, patio dining sets, picnic table, play houses, playhouses, porch glider, porch swing, quoites, rocking chair

As we march toward March, cabin fever is at fever pitch for those of us who live in areas where winter is winter.  With spring about to spring, we long for the long, sunny days, when we can garden in our gardens, plant plants, and picnic at our picnic tables.  Now, those in frozen regions may say that things won’t melt ‘til Memorial Day; but, land agoshen, that’s a scary notion!  All of this cold has really gotten old, and May may be too long a way away to wait.

Of course, if you live in a warm climate, you don’t have to worry about winter; and if you have an enclosed porch, sunroom, or gazebo, at least, you can use your patio furniture all year long.  Otherwise, relax in the knowledge that spring is but a few weeks away, and get your outdoor furniture ready.  Make sure that it’s up to another season of heavy use and abuse, especially if it’s old and worn.

You may have a faded favorite that holds cherished memories of family gatherings, and has held cherished family members who are no longer around.  It’s well broken in, and, perhaps, broken down; but you still don’t want to part with it.  However, if any piece of porch furniture is questionable, safety-wise, you’ll have to decide whether or not it can – or should – be repaired.  For example, an old rocker that’s off its rocker, and has to be propped against a wall to be kept upright, is a lost cause; but a porch chair with a loose rung or two may just need a bit of glue.

Before you take the patio chair apart, make sure that you will remember which pieces fit where, by stretching a length of masking tape from the leg to the end of the rung that goes into it, and labeling it with corresponding letters or numbers at each end.  When you pull the rung out of the leg, just tear the tape in two, so that you can simply match ‘A’ to ‘A’ or ‘1’ to ‘1’ when putting it back together.  The masking tape should peel off easily, without damaging the finish; but if you’re unsure, either test an inconspicuous area, or use painter’s tape.

Loosen and remove the old glue by brushing hot vinegar onto the joints.  This should work in only a few minutes, but if the old glue is very thick, it may take up to an hour to completely dissolve the build-up.  Get all of the old glue off, or the new glue won’t attach properly to the wood fibers.  White or yellow wood glue will work beautifully; epoxy or permanent glue will ensure that your outdoor furniture will never come apart again.

Don’t use nails or brackets to put the patio chair back together; and use screws only if they were there in the first place.  To make certain that everything sets properly, clamp the joints together until the glue dries thoroughly.

Indeed, sometimes, the sentimental value of an old patio chair or porch swing makes it well worth the effort it takes to fix it.  And sometimes, the comic value of something like, say, that backward-tipping rocking chair, makes it priceless to keep around, even if it’s irreparable.  I know I’ve had some real laughs with mine!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: gazebo, Outdoor Furniture, patio chair, patio furniture, picnic tables, porch chair, porch furniture, porch swing, rocking chair, sunroom

It’s no surprise that one of the most popular pieces of outdoor furniture in the nation, the chaise lounge, did not originate in this country.  Well, to be completely accurate, I guess I should say that part of it did; the lounge part.  The correct name of the beloved patio chair upon which we lounge is chaise longue (’shAz-’lo[ng]), which translates, literally, from French, as “long chair” – and, ya gotta admit, that’s a good name for it! Sometimes also referred to as a lounge chair, or a steamer chair, the chaise longue was created in 16^th century France, as an elongated chair with four legs, and a slanted back, for reclining.  Although earlier versions of it (upon which royals, including Cleopatra, relaxed) are known to have existed in ancient Greece and Egypt, the chaise longue was designed differently, so that people could lie on their backs, as well as on their sides.

At first, the chaise longue was often made out of curved wood and woven caning, or rattan.  As it evolved throughout Europe, naturally, there was much experimentation with various designs and materials, as it was adapted for diverse surroundings and uses. The chaise longue is believed to have reached our shores, along with the huge waves of immigrants, sometime during the 1830’s.  Here, it underwent another series of changes, especially because of the many new materials, such as plastic and tubular steel, that became widely available after the turn of the 20^th century.  The large variety of rich upholstery fabrics also allowed endless incarnations of the chaise longue, which was used mainly indoors. Eventually – and inevitably – this country’s love of outdoor living led to the creation of the familiar chaise lounge that graces countless patios, porches, decks, gazebos, and cruise ships, today.  Of course, it still comes in many variations, appearing with arms and without arms, or with a single arm, and may be made from several materials, including cedar, pine, teak, and polywood. By the way, there is one other fascinating aspect of the Americanization of its name.  Besides calling it a “lounge,” people commonly pronounce chaise, as “chase,” so it comes out as, “chase lounge.”  I think that says everything we need to know about this country’s earnest pursuit of leisure.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: cedar pine, chaise longue, chaise lounge, Gazebos, lounge chair, Outdoor Furniture, patio chair, polywood, steamer chair, teak

There are tons of projects for us to do, in and around our homes; but, at least, we get to work with houses that already exist.  Imagine the monumental challenges that our earliest ancestors faced, when, surrounded by wilderness, they had to construct various forms of shelter from whatever was at hand.

Many of those who weren’t lucky enough to find caves to live in (the “high society” crowd), made huts from wood and branches, while others draped animal skins over wooden frameworks, or used the bones of mammoths for the skeletal (literally!) structures, then covered them with the skins.  In any case, it took a lot of effort to build even the most makeshift abode.

Even so, it wasn’t long before people began adding on rooms to these modest dwellings, and furnishing them with chairs and tables that had been crudely fashioned from rocks, wood, and branches.  Outdoor furniture, I guess, was anything that was found lying around on the ground.  Perhaps a felled tree could have been used as a lounge chair, a smooth rock, as a garden bench (or, if it teetered on an uneven surface, a rocker), and an animal pelt tied between two trees, as a hammock, a hammock chair, or even a porch swing.

Naturally, people quickly began accumulating more possessions, in an attempt to keep up with the Joneses – or, the Oggs, as the case may have been.  Then, because of the apparently innate compulsion of the human race to hoard things, even when there’s no place to put them, the first storage sheds were created; and, like many homes, and some inhabitants thereof, they were nothing but skin and bones.

Throughout the ages, they have really fleshed out, appearing in many forms and materials, in virtually every culture, evolving into the good old backyard structures that we’ve all come to know.  In the 21^st century, however, apparently unsatisfied with being used only for storage, the shed has once again changed the way it is perceived in society.

Today, there are several styles of sheds, made from vinyl, cedar, and pine, available with features that include skylights, insulation, window boxes, and dozens of colors of siding and roofing.  Along with their impressive, new looks, garden sheds are taking on daring new roles, as home offices and gyms, studios, playhouses, guest rooms, and hobby rooms.  In fact, because they have proven that they can successfully serve all of these purposes, and many more, sheds have become almost as popular as gazebos.

It just goes to show that great things can happen when you’re courageous enough to shed your old image.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: backyard structures, cedar, chairs, garden bench, Gazebos, hammock, hammock chair, insulation, lounge chair, Outdoor Furniture, pine, porch swing, rocker, roofing, Sheds, siding, skylights, storage shed, storage sheds, tables, vinyl, window boxes

Are you not sure what to do with a pool house if you don’t have a pool?  If you have a pool… are you still not sure if you’ll get enough use out of it?  Well, I’m here to tell you a pool house does NOT need a pool to be fabulous, and it can be used for plenty of activities!

1. Party Central- If you want the best backyard for get-togethers, parties, and barbeques… a pool house will definitely send you to the top of the list.  Pool houses include a concession window and bar that’s great for putting out drinks, snacks, pizzas, and goodies!  Plus, you can install a mini-fridge or microwave behind the window for quick prep and easy serving.  Imagine not having to constantly run between the kitchen and your party to get all the necessary supplies! Your guests will have a convenient and stylish place to grab some refreshments and you’ll be free to enjoy their company.  You can even design your pool house with an attached screened in porch and decorate it with a deep seating patio group, Adirondack chairs, and a porch swing.  That way everyone can come in and enjoy the evening bug-free once the sun goes down.
2. A Guest House- Neither you nor your house guests enjoy   the sofa-bed.  They feel like they’re intruding as they take up one of the family’s most used rooms; there’s no sense of relaxation with the constant and nagging feeling that they’re not only intruding, but lack a sense of privacy as well.  You hate quietly stumbling over the coffee maker or tip toeing around the room in fear that your morning commotion will wake your house guests.  The solution? A pool house.  Imagine having your own separate guest house with a screened in porch, windows, insulation, and electricity for your guests to retire to.  They’ll feel at ease knowing they’re not in your way, but won’t have to pay big for a hotel room that leaves them removed from your home.  And you won’t have to stay up wondering if your hundred pound dog is going to decide to jump up and lovingly (though they might consider it annoyingly) cuddle with them.  Your guests won’t feel like they “made it work” in your living room, they’ll feel like they escaped to a peaceful retreat!
3. Dressing Room- If you do have a pool, a pool house is incredibly helpful with the logistics that go into having such a great backyard watering hole.  Gone will be the days of dripping bathing suits hung from towel racks in your bathroom to allow puddles of water to sit on the tile.  No longer will your carpets suffer from little wet and dripping bodies scurrying through the house.  The days of wet towels starting to stink of mildew as they are buried at the bottom of the family hamper are over.  With a pool house, you can make sure all of the post-pool clean up happens before anyone leaves a watermark in your home.  Try setting up a pool shower with a privacy screen just outside the structure for people to rinse off and maybe even wash the chlorine from their hair.  Then, you can set up plenty of drying racks or clothes lines for wet towels and bathing on your porch.  Inside, throw in a Red Cedar Towel Valet and Hamper to keep clean dry towels in and a Modular Red Cedar Shelving Group for clean undergarments, shorts, and tee shirts.   Now, your family can go for a nice long swim, then shower, dry off, hang wet garments to dry, and put on clean, dry clothes before coming back into your home.  Sounds great, huh?
4. Good, Old Fashioned, Storage- If you have all kinds of outdoor furniture and décor, or even a heap of gardening and landscaping tools and equipment, you’ll need storage.  Most patio furniture needs to be stored throughout the winter to prevent damage, and garden equipment needs a safe and dry place to wait for you to use them!  A storage shed is great, but if you’re looking for a structure with a bit more aesthetic appeal, a pool house is a fantastic place to store out-of-season furniture or tools.  Plus, the optional attached porch will create a wonderful sitting area to enjoy as a bonus to your organized storage!  The other upside to using a pool house for a storeroom is versatility.  A shed can really only be used for one thing, but investing in a pool house now will free you up to use the structure as a guest house in a few years or to use as a party-station if an engagement or birthday calls for a big celebration.
5. A Fifth Room- A fifth room can literally be anything you want it to be.  An extension of your living space brought out into nature, you can create a home office, a personal hot tub spa, a meditation and exercise area, or an outdoor dining room.  A pool house will allow you to create another valued area of your home, with the solitude and convenience of being detached from the rest of the house.  There’s no reason your fifth room can’t be used for all of the above; a place to host parties, a spot for guests to stay, a private dressing area, a storeroom, plus a few more options!  Though a pool house may seem dependent on having a pool, it’s actually an incredibly versatile structure!

Tags: adirondack chairs, deep seating patio group, fifth room, modular shelving group, outdoor decor, Outdoor Furniture, patio furniture, Pool house, pool shower, porch swing, privacy screen, storage shed, towel valet and hamper

Most people are familiar with using Treated Pine, Red Cedar, Teak, and even Oak for outdoor furniture.  If you’re looking for more information on long-loved patio furniture materials that have stood the test of time, check our Shirley Bovshow’s Eden Makers Blog for tips and advice!

While traditional and time honored garden furniture materials will always be appropriate, beautiful, and well-respected, many designers are starting to use some unlikely candidates to craft their outdoor pieces. Today, I have five reasons to start looking at Eucalyptus Wood for your outdoor furniture!

Growing Eucalyptus Helps the Earth: Unlike a lot of vegetation, an abundance of Eucalyptus trees will offer a helping hand to many surrounding species.  We all know that Koalas love their sweet leaves, but the trees’ rich flowers also provide a large source of food to pollinators such as insects, birds, and bats.  Further, Eucalyptus trees draw a tremendous amount of water from the soil in order to grow, so planting them in places where architecture or human interference has caused damage will lower the water table and reduce soil salination.  This is also a sparkling use of the earth’s water as the tree naturally cleans it of toxins to both release it back into the water cycle and create valuable oxygen.

Growing Eucalyptus Helps People: Eucalyptus trees have become economically important to many groups of people by becoming a cash crop in poor area of Africa, The Andes, and parts of South America.  Not only does this cultivation bring prosperity to poorer communities, it also helps to maintain their health.  The process of transpiration that causes Eucalyptus trees to use an incredible amount of water in their growth has caused many areas to plant Eucalyptus in overgrown swamps.  Swamps that have developed over too large of a region create dangerous and outsized areas for mosquito larvae to foster.  Using Eucalyptus trees to naturally downsize these overgrown swamps significantly reduces outbreaks of malaria.

Eucalyptus is a Sustainable Product: Eucalyptus is incredibly sustainable.  First of all, the tree grows exceptionally fast and can be chopped at the root to grow back again.  Because of its quick growing cycle and ability to re-grow from the roots, many wood production companies use plantation grown and carefully managed Eucalyptus trees instead of logging in native and valuable rain forests.  And, this can continue for many decades, as well-managed plantations produce soil that can sustain endless replanting.  Further, we can use more than just the Eucalyptus wood.  Eucalyptus oil can be steam distilled for sustainable, natural cleaning and deodorizing products, and small quantities can have healing effects in cough drops and decongestants.  The oil even has natural insect repelling properties for commercial mosquito repellants. Eucalyptus nectar is used to make high-quality monofloral honey, and all other parts are employed to make sustainable and natural dyes for fabrics. A plant with several attributes that can be used across industries makes it valuable, efficient, and better for the earth.

Eucalyptus is Durable and Weather-Resistant: With naturally occurring oils that contain insect repelling properties, this wood is perfect for outdoor furniture.  When pre-treated and kiln dried, it is renowned for its excellent resistant to all variations of weather, insect attacks, and decay.  It’s not just the oil though; Eucalyptus hardwood has an incredibly tight gain with a very high density.  These attributes make the timber strong and resilient to all kinds of normally damaging outside factors.  While a weather-resistant and durable wood is good for any product, outdoor furniture benefits from these characteristics more than most.  Using Eucalyptus wood is not only helping the earth, animals, and people in developing countries… it’s helping you make sure you choose a material that is sure to last!

Eucalyptus is Gorgeous and Lustrous: If you checked out Shirley Bovshow’s Blog, you saw that Teak outdoor furniture is absolutely the most revered.  Teak is enormously breathtaking in beauty, and has a density and durability that makes buyers flock.  But, one of the reasons Teak wood boasts such a high price tag is the years and years it takes for the Teak tree to reach the maturity it needs to produce such a high-quality wood.  But, premium grade Eucalyptus has the same resilience and beauty of Teak, with a much faster growing process that drives the prices down.  With Eucalyptus, you can get a lovely natural luster in your wood that will last for decades—without breaking the bank!

Whew!  Now that you know more about Euclyptus than you probably ever imagined you would before reading, you know that when choosing your next outdoor furniture set… Eucalyptus hardwood is a great material not only for you and your family, but the world and its eco-system as well.

See you Outside!

Hazel.

Tags: Eucalyptus Wood, garden furniture, oak, Outdoor Furniture, patio furniture, red cedar, teak, treated pine

On Tuesday, Punxsutawney Phil came out of hibernation, saw his shadow, and predicted six more weeks of winter.  No surprise there, especially since spring officially begins on March 20^th, which is just over six weeks away; so it’s pretty much the same, shadow or not.

Sure, Groundhog Day is just for fun; but it certainly is strange.  I mean, what started this whole idea of a groundhog, also known as a woodchuck, or a whistle pig, being able to predict the weather?  Naturally, it began ages ago, and, like all other holidays (although it’s not actually a holiday), it’s so wrapped up in obscure traditions and folklore, that it’s difficult to pinpoint its exact origin.

As usual, when it comes to the unusual, the ancient Celts are somewhere in the mix.  In the 5^th century, they believed that, on certain days, halfway between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox, animals possessed supernatural powers that enabled them to predict the weather.  In some parts of Europe, such as Germany and France, people thought that animals coming out of their dens too early would be frightened by their own shadows, and go back inside for another four to six weeks.  Often, these animals were badgers and bears.

Some also suppose Groundhog Day, which falls on Candlemas Day, to be inspired by the old Scottish couplet, “If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year.”

It is widely believed that the Pennsylvania Dutch brought the old tradition to this country in the 18^th century.  The first written American reference to Groundhog Day was found in the diary of James Morris, a storekeeper in Berks County, Pennsylvania.  Dated February 5, 1841, it reads:

“Last Tuesday, the 2^nd, was Candlemas Day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate.”

So it seems that, during the winter, people have always looked anxiously for indications of spring.  Here at CedarStore.com, the signs are unmistakable.  Instead of a rodent popping out of a hole, we have a whole bunch of eye-popping new products coming out.

Yes, we already offer thousands of patio chairs, porch swings, gliders, picnic tables, accent tables, hammocks, garden benches, chaise lounges, and teak screens.  But with these fantastic additions, we’ll have the most extensive collection of outdoor furniture available anywhere, beyond the shadow of a doubt!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: accent tables, chaise lounges, garden benches, gliders, Hammocks, Outdoor Furniture, patio chairs, picnic tables, porch swings, teak screens

As I was saying, there’s more than one unpleasant result of being stuck indoors for most of the winter.  Many people, of course, come down with cabin fever, and won’t be cured until they can get back to cooking on their grills, eating at their picnic tables, napping in their hammocks, and relaxing on their porch gliders.  Furthermore, with all of the windows being closed, the air can get a little, well, stuffy, inside.

A lot of offensive odors like to hang out in the kitchen, because all of the good food in there eventually ends up as discarded bits, in the trash can, garbage disposer, dishwasher, or sink, or as leftovers in the refrigerator.

In fact, this situation may be exacerbated now in certain homes, because some people still have food from the holidays in their refrigerators.  Hard to believe, but, hey, why not?  Some still have their houses decorated, and their Christmas lights on!  (By the way, if you’re in that number, I beg of you – TAKE ‘EM DOWN, ALREADY!!)

(A-hem!) So, remember, like last year, and the holidays, it’s out with the old; and that includes old ice cubes, which can hold onto odors.  Clean up any spills in the refrigerator with a soapy sponge.  Put a quarter-inch of baking soda into a few, shallow dishes, and place them on separate shelves, where they will absorb odors for up to three months.

In the dishwasher, smells can be caused by particles of food stuck inside.  First, clean the filter, which is usually located below the bottom rack, with a paper towel.  Then, run the “quick rinse,” or “rinse only” cycle, with the machine empty, to wash away debris.  Afterward, leave the door open a crack, to air it out.

Offenders in the sink are scraps of food that get stuck in the pipes, or the garbage disposer.  Clean the blades by grinding up the old, smelly ice, or make cubes from equal parts of water and vinegar.  If your disposer has a rubber gasket, rinse it thoroughly on both sides.  Whether or not you have a disposer, pour ½ cup of baking soda into the drain, while running warm water.

Doing these things on a regular basis will make things a lot more agreeable for everyone, and make everyone more agreeable.  After all, people always get along a lot better after they clear the air.

And now, here’s some inspiration to convince you that, yes, spring is coming!

Ahhhh, now doesn’t that feel better?

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: Hammocks, Outdoor Furniture, picnic tables, porch gliders, winterizing

As I said before, there are many outdoor tasks to do in January, besides shoveling snow.

Yes, I realize that there are places that never get any snow.  In fact, some people in these areas probably had their Christmas dinners at their picnic tables instead of their dining tables.  Right now, they’re doing gardening as usual, then relaxing in their Adirondack chairs, porch gliders, hammocks, or patio chairs, and having a cold one.

Then, there are regions where the temperature rarely goes below freezing, and snow comes infrequently, in negligible amounts.  Residents of these places can do a good bit of gardening now, and will have many days where it’s warm enough to sit on their porches or patios and enjoy their outdoor furniture.

However, because those of us who are snowed under right now, and dealing with below-zero wind chills, actually have to tussle with nature, I’ll concentrate on our priorities.

First, we must remember that wild animals have a tough time finding food when everything is covered with snow.  If you’re not already feeding the birds, start now (you’ll be glad you did).  Set up some birdfeeders and birdhouses where you can enjoy the show that they put on (as I am doing right now), and where there is shelter close by.  If you still have your Christmas tree, prop it up a few feet from the feeding station and use it for this purpose.

Its branches can also be used to cover any plants, root vegetables, shrubs, or perennials that need extra protection from the cold.  Speaking of branches, now is a good time to prune most shrubs and deciduous shade trees.  If snow has accumulated on your trees, knock it off, in an upward motion, so as not to snap any branches; and prune any that break.

You can also use this time to plan for spring.  Make a map of your garden, and list what you’d like to plant where, keeping your seed and bulb catalogs nearby for inspiration.

Oh, I forgot to mention that other wildlife shouldn’t be left out in the cold (so to speak), either; so get some inexpensive bags of ear corn for squirrels and deer.

I probably should have brought that up earlier, but (wait for it) I always like to end with something corny!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: adirondack chairs, birdfeeders, birdhouses, christmas trees, Hammocks, Outdoor Furniture, patio chairs, picnic tables, porch gliders, reusing christmas trees