People have become conscious about the damaging side effects of the cleaning products available in the market. This is the reason that eco-friendly or green cleaning products are gaining popularity with time. The chemicals present in most of the cleaning products can have harmful impacts on the environment. Since these cleaning products contain toxic items that can cause severe health issue it is better to switch to non-toxic items.

Finding such cleaning agents is not at all difficult. Surprisingly you can find them in your kitchen. Things like salt and vinegar can do wonders when it comes to home cleaning. Salt and vinegar are no more treated as items need to add flavor to dishes. But they have become an essential part of green home cleaning methods.

Salt is very effective in removing stains. It also works as mild abrasive. Vinegar can be added to salt. The combination works well when you need to neutralize odors or scrub any surface. Vinegar can be also used effectively for cleaning litter boxes. In fact it can easily remove heavy stains from your garments. Shower curtains can be also cleaned with the help of vinegar. One of the most popular usages of vinegar is to use it as a soap scum remover. A combination of salt and vinegar is good for scrubbing in the bathroom.

Do you want your mirror to get back its lost shine? Clean it with a mixture of water and vinegar or water and lemon juice. If you wish to use a mild abrasive in your kitchen try baking soda.

When you think of green home cleaning, the cleaning agents are not all you should concentrate on. You should consider the cleaning tools as well. For example the vacuum cleaners you use may not be very safe for the environment. As an alternative you can try HEPA vacuums. They clean your home properly and don’t even have any harmful impact on the environment.

You can consult professional home cleaners or go through the home improvement blogs and articles on the web for more eco-friendly home cleaning tips.

In the event of severe weather, you can protect your home by considering the “science” behind home building. Building science-the study of the perfor-mance of buildings and building materials-has become increasingly important. Building materials are also more advanced, helping builders and homeowners construct more structurally sound homes.

Mark LaLiberte, a building science expert recognized internationally as a distinguished author and consultant, offers consumers these tips:

• Reduce wind impact. For example, 19/32″ thick plywood-one of the toughest, most reliable materials around-can minimize wood panel wind uplift and reduce the risk of damage from flying debris, if the nails are six inches apart and penetrate into the roof framing. Plytanium® Plywood from Georgia-Pacific offers greater impact resistance and holds nails securely. Approximately 80 percent of residential hurricane damage starts with wind entry through the garage doors. Reinforce garage doors with steel bracing and install impact-resistant windows, doors or coverings, such as plywood shutters.

• Resist mold. You can reduce the risk of mold growth in wall cavities by installing paperless moisture- and mold-resistant drywall such as DensArmor Plus™ from Georgia-Pacific. For more information, visit www.stopfeedingmold.com.
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Pumps are amazing mechanical devices and an important invention. They are used to move gas or liquid from one pressure are to another pressure area. They are used in a variety of ways from providing water to providing heat to providing energy. Pumps have been around since the 3rd century and are still going strong today.

There are two main categories of pumps: positive displacement pumps and dynamic pumps. Positive displacement pumps have little leakage as they used sealed chambers to force the fluid or gas. Dynamic pumps use momentum to move the fluid or gas and the chambers are not sealed. In these two categories there are various types of pumps.

The following list explains the different types of pumps most commonly found in residential and industrial settings. These are a good representation of the many styles and models of pumps that are manufactured. Most pumps are made for a specific use and that is represented in this list as well.

- A centrifugal pump can handle a large load. They are used most often with oil or chemical processing. They have an impeller that forces the liquid or gas into a rotary motion. This rotary motion cause pressure to build.

- Electromagnetic pumps are made to move liquid sodium and potassium. They are used in the cooling systems of nuclear reactors. These pumps use electrical conductors and magnetic pipes.

- Jet Pumps use high velocity to move fluid. They require a jet of steam or water to carry the fluid through it. The jet pressure makes a vacuum that sucks more fluid. They are so powerful that they are most often used to move water from deep wells.
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BATHROOM FURNITURE:

There are three main types of bathroom furniture. Stand alone, modular and fitted. Stand alone furniture as the name suggests is designed to stand on its own and is not normally attached to the piece next to it. In fact most free standing furniture does not have a clean edge so it is normally impossible to attach another piece to the side without leaving a small gap between the two pieces. The most common type of freestanding furniture is the vanity unit. This allows for storage under the basin but takes up the minimum amount of space. This is ideal for storage in small bathrooms.

Modular furniture is similar to stand alone furniture but have flat sides so that pieces can be added together to make a line (or run) of furniture. This allows for a lot more units to be fitted within the bathroom. Normally this type of furniture incorporates a back to wall toilet and cistern housing. These types of units are best fitted with a gap at either end, as they do not come with filler panels or extra worktop to fill in odd spaces.

Fitted furniture is similar to modular but has a range of units and additional items to ensure that it can be fitted wall to wall without any gaps. This type of furniture also has the largest number of unit sizes and styles available. Fitted furniture in small bathrooms can have the effect of making the room appear smaller.
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