Category Archives: Blog

Many seniors these days have made the decision to remain in their own home, rather than move to an assisted living facility or nursing home. This seems like the obvious choice when presented with those options, because nobody wants to move into a nursing home at any age. Unfortunately, many seniors who choose to live independently struggle with feelings of isolation or depression due to a lack of quality social interaction. There are several ways to deal with these feelings, like hiring an in-home senior care companionship service, but one you may not have thought of is starting a garden.

Research shows that seniors who have access to a garden have a much higher quality of life overall. Gardens are beneficial for people of all ages, but they are especially therapeutic for seniors.

Often seniors that live at home don’t get to go out to places all that often, due to difficulty driving, or trouble walking long distances. Having an outdoor space that you can call your own is wonderful for taking short walks, or even sitting and reading. The University of Michigan did a study that showed that going outside and being under the influence of plants can increase memory retention up to 20%. For seniors suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s, gardens can be a wonderful way to help keep the mind active and sharp.

Having plants inside the house can also help to boost memory, as well as purify the air inside the home. The effects on memory are not quite as strong for indoor plants, but there are still noticeable mental health benefits. Another benefit of having indoor plants is the recurring task of watering. Easy tasks like this help to keep senior’s minds engaged while they are living at home. This routine can help with memory, and it gives seniors living at home something to do, which can break up the monotony of living alone.

For many seniors the prospect of taking care of a whole garden is a bit daunting, but with the help of a professional gardener, and the right set up, it can be easy to maintain. When sprinklers are placed at proper intervals, watering can be as simple as turning the spigot on and off. Since bending and kneeling are fairly difficult for seniors, especially seniors with arthritis, it’s best to hire a gardener or ask a family member to take care of planting the garden. Once everything is planted and the sprinklers are set up, the rest of the maintenance can be fairly easy.

Gardens that are set up for the express purpose of being a natural refuge for seniors living at home should always have a quiet shaded seating area. This creates a quiet space for reflection, and can be a great place to read, or take a nap, provided you have the right kind of chair. These outdoor refuge areas give seniors a place to go where they can feel connected with nature and the rest of the world. It can be very depressing feeling trapped inside the house due to your mobility restrictions.

Gardens offer a wide variety of benefits to seniors living at home. I’ve detailed a couple of the ways that a garden can increase quality of life, but there are many more ways that I don’t have time to mention here. Everyone responds to gardens differently, and the plants you choose for your garden can make all the difference. Putting your favorite plants in your garden gives you an extra special way to connect with nature in a very personal way.

If you have elderly loved ones who are living at home, bring up the idea of starting a garden with them. You’ll be amazed at the benefits it can provide!

Many of us do what we can to make the world a little cleaner and a little greener, but it isn’t always easy. Recycling takes time. Saving electricity takes investment. Saving water takes discipline. And sometimes, you use what you need to in order to get the job done. You spray a weed, when you could pull it. Or you spray a harsh cleanser, when you could simply scrub.

The same could be said of the way we clean our carpets.

We’ve used detergents and solvents to clean our carpets because, generally speaking, they work. They loosen the stuff in our carpets so the cleaning machine can pull it away. But nowadays, more carpet cleaners are joining the green bandwagon. They know that cleaning day-in and day-out with more eco-friendly solutions makes a big difference – to the environment and to their customers.

Phoenix’s Dr. Chem-Dry, for example, has been using greener carpet cleaning practices for years. Instead of soaps or detergents, Chem-Dry uses solutions that are naturally based. Their primary cleaning solution uses hot carbonation; where soaps loosen dirt in other carpet cleaning methods, Chem-Dry’s bubbles lift dirt away. And those bubbles get the job done, and done well. Overall, green solutions are as effective as traditional cleaning methods.

Green carpet cleaning isn’t just a win for the environment: It’s better for you, too. Green solutions are non-toxic, and safer for you, your family, and your pets. They’re less likely to irritate you, or to contribute to health issues such as asthma or allergies. Think of it this way: Which would you rather pour on your floor: a cup full of club soda, or a cup full of detergent? Which would you rather put into our water supply?

If you like the idea of working with greener carpet cleaners, they’re not too hard to find. But do keep in mind that some professional cleaners are more committed to eco-friendly practices than others. Doing something good for the environment requires your due diligence. If you don’t know what’s in the cleaning solution that could go on your carpet, don’t be afraid to ask.

Ask a professional about his cleaning methods, and you should hear terms like natural, non-toxic, and kid-friendly. If not, find another carpet cleaner. Once you discover that green carpet cleaning works, too, you’ll be glad you made the extra effort.

Replacing your windows allows you to do something good for yourself while doing something good for the environment. New windows are often more efficient than the old, offering better insulation as well as glass that can either trap heat or reflect it away. This manages the temperature in your home, which reduces heating and cooling costs.

That’s a win for you, and a win for the planet.

Because there is an eco-friendly component to replacement windows, it’s not surprising that many potential buyers are taking a closer look at what goes into them. Window buyers are asking questions about sustainability and recyclability, as well as more traditional ones relating to energy-efficiency and longevity. More and more often, window buyers are liking the answers.

Wood windows have long been a favorite among eco-minded buyers. When managed and harvested responsibly, wood is a sustainable product. Wood windows can last for many, many years, which means that fewer of them end up in landfills. Wood can also be recycled and repurposed into new forms – even other windows.

Many windows are now using reclaimed or recycled wood. Some are more traditional wood windows; some blend wood with materials such as vinyl or fiberglass; these windows can also be eco-friendly. Renewal by Andersen, for example, blends PVC with recycled wood to create windows that are long-lasting and energy-efficient; unlike wood windows, the Renewal by Andersen versions are maintenance-free.

While few would make the claim that vinyl windows are eco-friendly, they’re not as detrimental as some suggest. Vinyl is a capable insulator, which aids in energy-efficiency. While vinyl windows don’t last as long as wood, they are built to last – keeping them out of local landfills. While not as readily recyclable as wood, vinyl can be ground into small pieces that can be repurposed into new forms.

Much of the same can be said for fiberglass. While fiberglass yields well-insulated, durable, energy-efficient windows, recycling options are very limited. Perhaps by the time today’s new fiberglass windows reach the end of their lives, more recycling options may exist.

Some might say that their energy-efficiency alone makes new windows good for our planet. Others hold windows to a higher standard, by valuing sustainability and recyclability as well. Either way, most would agree that windows are working harder than ever to make the world a better place.