Ask MetaFilter questions in the home & garden category

Source for fake boxwood material?

monkeybutt — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:54:00 -0800

Source for fake boxwood material? Does anybody know of a source for fake boxwood materials (or similar)? I've seen faux boxwood topiaries in shapes (spirals, rings, etc) in stores but what i'm looking for the the supplier of the raw plastic material for these creations. i'm looking to make an entire wall out the stuff.

thanks

User manual European potato harvester

stbalbach — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:36:19 -0800

Where can I find a user manual for this European potato harvester?

Can I replant rooted herbs I got from a grocery store?

icollectpurses — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:12:57 -0800

Can I replant rooted herbs I got from a local grocery store? My local grocery store sells a bunch of healthy basil, the roots and everything. I know with some plants like scallions you can plant it in dirt and be able to grow it, but wasn't sure about rooted herbs.

Anyone with green thumb that's tried this?

I heard somewhere that once things have been rooted you can't plant it again to grow, but trees get replanted all the time.

This time, I want to move WITHOUT trauma...

paultopia — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:39:51 -0800

How to manage short, cluttered move solo, with no swap space? I'm bad at planning big projects... I'm an on-campus grad student, and in just under a month, I'm moving from one end of campus to another. I'm really bad at big projects, and every other move I've ever made (many) has been a horrible traumatic crisis, with me frantically flinging stuff into boxes with the landlord looming waiting for me to get the hell out, etc. I'm really BAD at this. So I turn to mefi...

Here's the 411.

- It'll probably be just me (I hate recruiting friends to do this).

- No major furniture will be moved, perhaps just a couple of bookshelves.
-- but one of the bookshelves might not be movable (I might not be able to get it out of the old place without destroying it), so I might have to buy a new one before installing the books in the new place.

- But I must get rid of a bed first (and replace it with the disassembled university-provided one attached to my old place).
-- which requires finding the bolts and so forth to put it together, which are buried under mounds of stuff somewhere

- I have hundreds upon hundreds of books. Other than books, the major items to be moved are clothes, paperwork (lots of it), and misc clutter (old computers, etc.) But the brunt of it will be books. It's not too much stuff -- maybe 1.5 rooms worth.

- I'll have two days from getting the keys to the new place before I have to turn in the keys from the old place. So I have to transport everything in that period.

- I have no "swap space" -- that is, in the current place, there is approximately nowhere where I can do things like pre-pack things and pile them up. At most, I can find room for a few (like 4 or 5) small boxes.

- I'm just going across campus, so it seems silly to pack boxes and stuff...

- I have to clean the place too, after the stuff is gone. But I can possibly hire someone to do that on the cheap, and I probably will, because I hate cleaning.

- I can't afford to hire anyone to do anything else.

- Every time I've moved before, in my life, I've ended up living out of boxes because I've been so exhausted after the process that I can't bring myself to unpack.

Help? I'm at a loss for how to plan this. The best I can come up with is pack as many boxes of stuff as I can squeeze in, use that to clear enough space to switch beds out, and then leave the rest for a panicked miserable rush in the two days... ??

thx

There is a mouse living in my stove. He was not invited.

serialcomma — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:56:34 -0800

There's a mouse in my stove. At least, I hope it's a mouse. I've heard something clanging around in there for the last couple of nights. (It's perfectly silent during the day.) I've been able to keep the noise to a minimum with the occasional sharp rap on the stovetop, but I haven't actually seen the pest myself. There are no signs of mice elsewhere in the house, at least that I've noticed.

What are my options for getting rid of it?

1. Set traps, open the oven door, and hope the intruder finds its way out into a trap.

2. Leave it in the oven, where it will eventually die due to lack of food, and I won't have to deal with a living creature. Then remove the coprse. (Actually, is there any potential harm to it being in a gas stove, provided I don't turn the stove on?)

3. Call the landlord, ask them to send an exterminator, and let a pro deal with it.

Any other suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

Identify my plant and its pest

condour75 — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:05:25 -0800

What is this plant? And what is eating it? We moved here last September, and the plant was in similar shape then. I just assumed it was a goner, but this year it sprouted leaves, which were summarily eaten again. Its tenacity has inspired me to save it. Swarms of above-pictured bug are flying around it all day, so I'm assuming that's the culprit but I'm not sure. More pictures of the devastation here. Any tips to organically eradicate the pest would be appreciated, but I figure once I know what I'm up against, my google-fu will be sufficient. We're in Aberdeen, NJ, which is zone 7, if that helps. Thanks!

Allapattah and Downtown Miami- how is it?

aussicht — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:04:39 -0800

I am contemplating moving (I live in Wynwood, and like it) nearer to where I go to school/work (hospital district/the gables). How is living in allapattah or downtown miami? i'm used to living in working class areas and can handle myself, but am not sure if crime is bad there? Is anything open downtown after like 6? What about community spaces, bars, restaurants, cafes, etc? My girlfriend is asian, and I know there's no neighborhoods with many asians around, but is downtown homogeneously latin or is it more diverse?

accident involving lots and lots of soot-like dust and my bedroom...

krautland — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:01:04 -0800

accident involving lots and lots of soot-like dust and my bedroom... my landlady has a bunch of guys converting the loftspace below her roof into a proper attic she can store items in. one of them broke through the floor and into my bedroom below. we're talking a big hole here - he actually landed in my bed.

the whole room is covered in 2cm of soot-like fine black dust. it went into all the cupboards and closets. all my clothes are severly blackened. it looks sort of what you'd imagine the inside of a chimney to be like and the stuff it itchy and makes me cough.

if you have dealt with this kind of problem before, would you mind giving me some basic info on what to do? I'm not talking financial issues here, obviously that needs to be worked out but my questions at this point are more basic:

how do I clean that kind of mess thoroughly?
are all my clothes ruined or can I get that stuff out?
is this something dangerous beyond just a hassle or nothing to be too worried about?
I'm also not sure what to ask her to do before I go back and sleep in there again. the mattress is covered, the sheets are ruined, do we need professionals to clean this or how do I do it?

one more thing on the soot: I washed my hands four times now and I still feel it all over them. this stuff does not go away easily.

It sure looks like gray water

tingting — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:27:11 -0800

I do a lot of stuff with paper pulp that I make from recycling newsprint, magazines, etc. The process requires a decent amount of water use (soak water, rinse-out-the-ink water, etc) and I hate just seeing it go down the drain. Can I use this (literally) gray water on my plants?

Shower experiences

Freedomboy — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:52:33 -0800

Has anyone installed a shower panel made by Dreamline? Any issues or concerns? more inside Looking to spiff up a tired shower with a new tile look and replace the cobbled together shower head and hand held wand by using an all-in-one shower panel. The ones made by Dreamline seem to be without installation, or any other, problems on a basic net search but has anyone had one?

Reuse/recycle paint

richg — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:06:36 -0800

We've got a fair number of cans of house paint left over from various projects. Is there some agency or organization that will take the paint and use it (as opposed to disposing of it in a landfill)? We live in the Seattle area. It's almost all latex paint. Recycling would be OK, too, but we'd really like is to see it used for something. There's no more than a gallon of any one color (a couple dozen cans all told).

I would like to save as much as my tree as possible

stormygrey — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:23:39 -0800

TreeFilter: How do I know what is actually dead? I live in downtown Atlanta and as you may know we had a tornado a while back. Our house was in the path and one of our ancient oak trees took a hit. I am not sure it is was lightning or just wind damage, but there is a large V shaped swath of dead limbs that we just noticed now that the trees are filled back out with foilage.

Its probably over a third of the canaopy that is affected, they didn't leaf out at all and viewed from the street approach it looks like the majority of the tree is dead.

These are the oaks in question when they were healthy, they are rather squat, so the limbs are possible to get to. TREE

My questions are:
Are the limbs that didn't get any leaves for sure dead?
Does this indicate the rest of the tree may be in trouble?
I have chainsaws, do I take out as close to the trunk as possible?
Will my poor tree fill back out?

Cracked Crock

Rykey — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:13:03 -0800

What can I use to seal a crack in a ceramic crock that holds drinking water? I really like my ceramic crock water dispenser (holds a 5-gallon jug on top, very similar to this one). Recently, though, it's developed a very fine crack along its bottom, such that water leaks out (yep, checked to make sure it's leaking from a crack and nowhere else like the spout, etc.).

I'd like to spare myself the expense of paying $40 for a new crock, but I don't want to defeat the purpose of drinking really good/healthy water by sealing the crack with something that will release chemicals into the water the crock holds.

Does anyone know of a sealant that is 1)totally waterproof, 2)will adhere to ceramic material, 3) is cheaper than replacing a $40 crock, and 4)won't break down over time (or at least in my lifetime?)

Let's assume that answers along the lines of "Just drink tap water, it's no worse for you than water from a jug," "You could get a cheaper crock at so-and-so," and "Use this kind of water dispenser instead" are not viable answers for my purposes.

How long should it take a 20,000 gallon pool to use ten of the 3" chlorine tabs in the dispenser attached to the pump/filter?

jesirose — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:18:01 -0800

How long should it take a 20,000 gallon pool to use ten of the 3" chlorine tabs in the dispenser attached to the pump/filter? The pump runs for 8 hours a day (it's July and it's in Texas)

One website I found says" Tabs are 3" diameter and weigh a full 8 oz.Last up to 7 days in pool. 1 tablet per 10,000 gallons of water"

Does that mean 1 tablet in 10,000 gallons lasts 7 days, or the full dispenser should last 7 days? I'd think if I put 10 tablets in my feeder for my 20 gallon pool, they should last about 5 weeks.

Is this accurate? Can you all who have pools and use these 3" dispensers let me know how quickly you go through the tablets?

On a related note, if anyone in Plano TX or the surrounding Dallas area can personally recommend a cleaning and maintenance service that isn't full of you know what, please do so.

Is honesty the best policy?

Anonymous — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:39:34 -0800

How should I handle a broken window at my apartment? Last night, I was standing out on my balcony with some guests when a june bug flew into my face. I was startled, and jumped a bit. Unfortunately, I was standing next to my window and my sudden movement shattered the glass.

My guests suggested telling my landlords that I didn't break the window, but came home to find it in such a state due to someone throwing a stone or a large stick at it in my absence. I wanted to run this situation by the hivemind before proceeding.

Obviously, I'd like to get this taken care of without losing my deposit or damaging my rental history. I live in Washington state, if that makes a difference. Should I tell the truth when reporting this damage, or go with the recommendation of my guests? Would either scenario make that much of a difference? The true cause of the damage is accidental, but I'm worried that won't matter. I'm in good standing with my landlords, love my apartment and have no intentions of moving out anytime soon.

What should I do?

what's a schedule a?

crazylegs — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:28:57 -0800

What the heck is a "Schedule A" in real estate? This question is referring specifically to real estate in Canada, I don't know if it's different in the US or elsewhere. What does it mean when a property ad says "Schedule A required"?

Canada jokes involving the phrase "schedule, eh?" prohibited.

How clean is clean enough for the floor before a carpet install?

tickettrader — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:37:55 -0800

I am laying carpet in the basement this week. It's has a quality carpet pad and will be on top of concrete. The drywall mud/tape guy and the guy who sprayed the ceiling left an absolute mess on the floor. I've cleaned, scraped, swept, scraped, mopped, scraped etc. for a couple nights and the floor is fairly clean now. At the very least, it is VERY LEVEL as any cracks are now filled with mud that has been smoothed over. My question is - how clean does the floor need to be? Do I have to worry about the little bit of mud/drywall dust somehow magically seeping up through the pad and into my carpet?

My freezer is not cold enough

UbuRoivas — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:52:33 -0800

My freezer is not cold enough. Any tips on how to diagnose or fix this? I have a reasonably new (6 months old) regular, upright fridge / freezer. For the past couple of days, the freezer has been operating at about the exact same temperature as the fridge (I have a little fridge/freezer thermometer to confirm this).

Before I arse around trying to get a techo out for warranty repair, are there any quick-fix tests I can try? eg defrosting, checking that the fridge is level, smashing it with a hammer, etc?

I've already tried the temperature dial on all settings, and shifted the no-longer-quite-frozen food around the freezer. The manual is completely useless, by the way.

What's the best light bulb option these days?

willnot — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:19:26 -0800

What's the best light bulb option these days? I need to replace the bulbs in my bathroom (9, 40 watt bulbs currently). Lights are typically on for about 20 minutes a day. Occasional they'll be on and off quickly. There are no windows. I want to be environmentally conscious, but price does factor in at some level. I don't know how long I'll be staying in this place. Prices are dropping, and I may want to buy a new place in a year or so and either sell my condo or rent it out.

At that point, I'd probably need to replace the fixture in some way anyway because it's got this weird metal block around it that's all rusted and nasty looking. Maybe it makes sense to bite the bullet and just replace it now, but I'd like to avoid that hassle if I could.

I've just been letting the bulbs burn out without replacing them. I'm down to 2 of 9 though, and I'm thinking I better replace them now or risk having to shave in the dark.

I like the idea of LEDs, but they seem so expensive and not all that great yet. Compact Florescent seems better for lights that are on for longer, but I may be off base in my assumptions there. If I went with regular bulbs, 40 watts X 9 seems like a lot of wasted light/energy to me.

What's the best way to go here?

Is a mattress cover really necessary?

k8lin — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:00:22 -0800

Do I really need a mattress cover? We finally purchased a new pillowtop mattress (it is 14 inches tall, if that somehow matters, and it has memory foam in the pillowtop but is otherwise a firm mattress) and it's being delivered next week. The woman who sold us the mattress told us that we absolutely had to get a mattress cover, which she said is basically just a sheet that protects the mattress. I've looked around and I am concerned that this will just add another layer of wrinkle-prone fabric to my bed.

I hate wrinkled sheets. I make the bed properly and wash my sheets often, but my old mattress is ancient (we're talking 1970s) and I could never find properly-sized sheets for it, which may have been part of the problem. I don't have allergies and am not really concerned about getting any stains on the mattress itself, as it seems extremely unlikely since I've never had that problem before.

So: do you use a mattress cover? Why? Is it a necessary part of bedding that I have just been ignorant of until this point? If you do use one, do you have problems with wrinkles, or is that just unfounded paranoia?

If you do have a mattress cover and you particularly swear by it, tell me details -- what fabric is it made of? How often do you launder it? How has it changed your life for the better, or worse?

Indoor gardening?

mjewkes — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:25:11 -0800

What kinds of food plants will grow inside by a window? I have a single window in my room of the shared house I am living in. It faces east and gets a bit of sun from morning to mid-day. What kinds of food plants will grow in the windowsill without a grow-lamp?

Note that I can't have anything outside - so containers won't work.

How noisy is noisy in Toronto?

mariokrat — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:49:56 -0800

Is it (will it be) that noisy at Charles Street around Bloor and Yonge? I'm moving to Toronto with my wife next month to go to graduate school. We haven't found a place yet, and I just got an e-mail this morning from the U of T telling me that I've been offered a two-bedroom place at their 35 Charles Street West family housing building. Sounds great, except we need to reply in two days, and the letter says:

It is a busy, noisy neighbourhood. Immediately north of building 30, there are two new high rise building developments planned, one of which is already under construction. If your family is bothered by noise, particularly if one or more members in the family will be at the apartment throughout the day, you may be very unhappy living on the north side of 30 Charles St West as it is closest to the construction.

We're currently living in a central part of Calgary and have both lived in noisier parts of Tokyo and Yokohama so a good amount of city noise won't be of much concern to either of us. Neither me nor me wife need to be in the apartment during the day (although it would be nice if I could study there from time to time), but I would be unhappy if we were woken up every Saturday morning at 8 from the nearby construction.

I'm going to ask a friend in Toronto to try and see the room, but I'm not sure if he'll be able to make it before Thursday.. So if you're in Toronto, have you noticed any huge amounts of noise and dust in the area of Charles Street? Should I look for other things, or would it be silly for me to pass on this cheap, central apartment?

Also, has anyone lived at the Charles Street residences? Are they any good?

How to cleanout a clogged vent stack?

mmascolino — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:42:00 -0800

Help me best attack a clogged vent stack. I've been in my late '30s house now for two years and the two bathroom vanities (located one on top of each other) have always drained slowly. I've cleaned out the traps and snaked periodically and that has always helped somewhat but never to the point that I could truly claim victory.

I've finally gotten around to going up on the roof to peer into the vent stack openings (I have three of them and they are all fairly large (3.5" diameter pipe). None of these pipes are covered or screened which seems like an oversight to me. I do have very large trees in front and rear of the house so who know how much stuff is down there.

Anyways, two of the the three pipes are clear. In the not clear pipe, I can see standing water. Using a manual snake, I can make it down about 11 feet before I hit an obstruction (or a piece of pipe that I can't navigate). Of that, about 7 feet of it is standing water.

I tried the snake for some time, but clearly I was unsuccessful. Besides calling a professional with a professional snake, is there anything else I can try? I've thought of trying the garden house with a straight line high pressure nozzle but haven't bought one yet. Is there any safe enzymes or bacteria that I can put down the vent stack that eat away at the (presumed) organic material that is blocking my vent? I do have a shop vac but due to roof design it would be tough and dangerous to get that up there.

Thanks in advance for all your suggestions.

Replacment windows

allelopath — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:08:43 -0800

We have 2 windows that need to be replaced because they leak (cold air comes through easily during the winter). I don't know what to replace them with. The difficulty is that they are 'custom' and installed in 2 ft thick adobe wall, so I just can't a buy a casement window and install it. With current windows, the carpenter made the window box and frame and separately bought cranks and installed them. Even so, I don't really like cranks like this. Any suggestions? Inside dimensions are 12" x 46" Photos here

Eames chair question

Zebtron — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:38:17 -0800

I bought a vintage Eames fiberglass shell on eBay not realizing it had the wide mounts. Is it possible to move the mounts to fit a narrow base without harming the chair?