10 A
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017
Fall
A Special
Supplement to
Siuslaw News
Home Improvement
ENJOY AN ECO-FRIENDLY AUTUMN Reduce fire risk as
cold weather sets in
Shopping at a nearby farm stand can guarantee fresh, quality produce while supporting local businesses.
A
utumn arrives with cool breezes,
awe-inspiring foliage and the hint of
holidays on the horizon. Fall is a favorite
time of year for many people because
the crisp weather motivates people
of all ages to enjoy the great out-
doors.
Individuals conscious of their
carbon footprints can use fall as a
time to take inventory of their
behaviors and make changes where
necessary. The following are some
steps to take right now that fit perfectly
with the harvest season.
• Shop at a local farm stand. Take
advantage of the many roadside stands
that crop up this time of year where you
can find bushels of apples, pumpkins,
gourds and late-summer vegetables. After
a day of sightseeing, visit a farm stand for
warm cider and freshly baked doughnuts.
Buying local produce reduces reliance on
foreign-shipped foods and other products,
while also cutting back on the fuel con-
sumed to get foods from the farm to the
table.
• Use nature to decorate. Skip plastic,
mass-produced decorations and rely on
nature to dress up your home. Fill vases
with leaves and berries. Place small pump-
kins on mantles, and enrich the landscape
of your home with vibrantly hued mums
and other cool-weather plants. Corn husks
and stalks can add harvest flair to front
porches. Twigs nestled and tied together
can make interesting table centerpieces.
• Create a composting pile. Outdoor
chores are easier in cool weather than they
are when the mercury rises. Set aside a
place in the yard for composting. A
healthy compost pile should have roughly
two-thirds carbon (brown) materials and
one-third nitrogen (green) materials, says
EarthEasy.com. Use those lawn clippings
and raked leaves to make compost for
spring plantings.
• Visit a corn maze. After corn has been
harvested, farm owners often use their
land for supplemental income. Corn
mazes can be simple or complex
depending on visitors’ ages. Engage
in family bonding outside and turn
off electronics in the process.
• Bake your own pie. After a
fun-filled day picking apples at a
nearby orchard, head home and
use those locally sourced apples to
whip up a delicious pie.
• Recycle old clothes to dress your
scarecrow. Clothing that is not worthy of
donation can be transformed into a festive
scarecrow just in time for Halloween
hijinks. Fill out the body of the scarecrow
with newspaper and then add some pieces
of straw around the neck, hands and feet.
• Host a football party. Watch the game
on television or have a pickup game in the
yard. Serve finger foods to cut down on
the need for plastic or paper plates and
flatware. Purchase a keg of beer from a
local brewery to eliminate individual beer
cans and bottles. Set out a nonalcoholic
punch bowl so the kids can enjoy refresh-
ments, too.
Autumn can be a great time of year
to embrace some eco-friendly practices.
— Metro Creative Connection
CORRAL ENTRYWAY CLUTTER NOW
T
he entryway to a home is
the first thing guests expe-
rience when coming inside. It
also can be the first place res-
idents drop their belongings
after long days at school or
work. As a result, entryways
can quickly be consumed by
clutter. Taming such messes
takes a mixture of ingenuity
and planning.
Homeowners hoping to
clear their entryways of clutter
must first decide what they
want to get out of the space.
Will it simply be a decorative
spot with photos and other
home decor on display? Or is
functionality the primary
goal?
Once that decision has been
made, take inventory of which
items need to be in the area,
such as shoes, keys, umbrellas
or coats, and which don’t. To
make things more organized,
rearrange the former while
removing the latter.
Next it is time to assess
storage needs and what’s
already available. User-friend-
ly storage items may need to
be purchased to make the
room as functional as possi-
ble. The following ideas also
can help bring order to the
space.
• Create a command center.
Create a central location
where items are neat, orderly
and within reach. Use a bul-
letin board, dry-erase calendar
or something that can house
schedules and important
notices. Hooks can hold keys,
chargers and more.
• Keep it covered. Covered
bins can serve as a seating
area and also a place to store
shoes, hats and scarves.
• Create cabinet space.
Store items in cabinets so they
are organized but out of sight.
This way belongings are not
just left on an entryway table.
• Create another drop zone.
If the entryway is too small to
serve its purpose, outfit anoth-
er room or area that also can
do the job. This can be a laun-
dry room or mudroom area.
Install shelves, a bench, cabi-
nets and hooks. Just be sure
this space is close enough to
the entryway to make it use-
ful.
• Go vertical. An easy way
to keep things neater is to
remove items from the floor
and embrace vertical storage.
Shoe racks, hooks for purses
and a cabinet for coats may do
the trick.
Clutter can accumulate in
entryways. But some simple
adjustments can quickly
revamp the space to make it
neater and much more func-
tional.
— Metro
Plenty of things heat up when
the temperature drops, including
the risk for fire hazards. Fire-
places, stoves, heating systems,
candles and even electric lights
are used more often during the
winter than any other time of
year, so it makes sense that the
risk of home fires increases
when the mercury drops.
The U.S. Fire Administration
says 905 people die in winter
home fires each year. Under-
standing potential risks and
exercising caution can help
homeowners protect them-
selves, their families and their
homes from fire.
Home heating fires peak
when many people are home
preparing dinner. The following
steps, courtesy of the American
Red Cross, can improve safety
in the kitchen and reduce the
likelihood of a home fire.
• Never leave cooking food
unattended, as it can take just
seconds for fires to ignite.
• Keep anything that can
catch fire away from the stove or
other appliances that generate
heat.
• Clean regularly to prevent
grease buildup.
• Make sure appliances are
turned off before leaving the
room or going to bed.
The National Fire Protection
Association warns that heating
is the second leading cause of
home fires, deaths and injuries
in the United States.
• Install heating appliances
according to manufacturers’
instructions or have a profes-
sional do the installation.
• Fuel-burning equipment
needs to vent to the outside.
• Never use an oven to heat a
home.
• Keep anything that can burn
away from heating equipment,
including portable space heaters.
• Clean and inspect heating
appliances regularly.
• Turn off portable heaters
when leaving the room or going
to bed.
Electricity also can contribute
to home fires. The Energy
Education Council offers these
safety suggestions.
• Never force plugs into out-
lets.
• Check that cords are not
frayed or cracked.
• Make sure light bulbs are
the proper wattage for fixtures.
• Install ground fault circuit
interrupters in kitchens, baths,
laundry rooms, and elsewhere,
making sure to test them regu-
larly.
• Check periodically for loose
wall receptacles and loose wires.
Home fires can be prevented
with simple safety checks.
— Metro
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