Toy Thursday: Toy Packaging!

Did anyone notice over Christmas all the packaging used for the toys this year? Judah and I opened up his ink pad set today to use for the first time since Christmas and it reminded me of all the Christmas packaging. I had to use the scissors to open the cardboard first. Then I had to use the scissors to open the second layer of plastic around the ink pads. A huge feat for just three ink pads.

This year it seemed like the toys had more packaging than usual, making for extra waste. For instance, everything seemed doubly wrapped. Sometimes you even find marketers use a huge box to display a large, bright, colorful picture just for relatively small toy in comparison. What a waste to our environment as this cardboard serves little purpose and then gets thrown out after the item is opened. And I am sure we are paying for the added marketing expense too.

Then the packaging companies used for toys this year seemed more excessively annoying especially when the kid was in a hurry to open the gift. Those plastic twisty ties take forever to unwrap while the kid just stands there jumping up and down in excitement. Some items have that plastic cover cinched so tight you cannot even rip it open. And this year we even had some toys screwed in which required extra time hunting down a screwdriver in addition to the scissors.

Finally the packaging becomes so unsafe. You have to make sure you gather ever last bit of plastic or twisty ties and tiny screws before the kids pick them up. You have to use extra caution for even the tools you need just to open the item like scissors. You would think that the companies could at least make the toy packaging safe for kids.

For this post I ask the toy companies to think twice about the packaging they use for toys. Be less wasteful and more environmental friendly. Also, keep in mind the safety and the age of the child when packing a toy. Just so you know toy companies, all this hassle makes me not want to even purchase from you. Just saying.

Wash Wednesday: Garage Grease!

This last weekend we finally had Judah's birthday party. Since his birthday has been falling on Memorial Weekend, his special day has turned into a huge family event with family and friends (since most of our friends in town do not have family). This year, we had to postpone it a few weeks, but we still had a dozen kids and their families here for some grilled hamburgers and hot dogs.

Fortunately, with this many people over, we are able to have the party out in the garage with the nice, summer weather. And it is a good thing too. Last year, the garage seemed dirtier after the party with spilled cake, sticky lemonade, and side walk chalk than before the party even got started. We had to spray the garage floor to keep ants from permanently inhabiting.

Likewise, this year we had to clean out the garage before our guests came over to the celebration. The night before we spent tucking away buckets and items in our little nook corner of the garage, stacking everything neatly on the shelves. We then covered our stuff up with tarp that hung from hooks from the ceiling. Next, we proceeded to sweep out the garage followed by rinsing it down with the hose.

Lastly, we scrubbed down the grease off the garage floor, making it safer for our company. To do this Judah and I took some sponges soaped up with laundry detergent and got on our hands and knees, adding a little elbow grease. Once we scrubbed the floor, we rinsed it again with the hose and let it air dry over night.

My first experience with a leaky car was some years now on my first campaign. My old, silver 1997 Dodge Stratus (RIP, it died this year), leaked oil from a minor car accident during that summer. I had neither the time nor the money to fix it at the time and surprisingly, my car kept going as long as I refilled and replaced the leaky oil. Finally, after the campaign, I got it fixed but not too soon before I kept leaking oil onto the candidate's driveway. Remnants of the leak followed us to our current garage where unfortunately we have our own grease spots on the floor.

My word to the wise is catch the leak before it makes a huge mess on the floor. Now I know why the candidate's husband was so upset. To this day, even with the car gone, we still have grease spots. And we have them on both sides of the garage because I switched parking spots at times.

Grease spots are dangerous for one. Kids tend to flock to this spot thinking it is water or dirt, getting it all over their hands and feet. If the spot is the littlest bit wet, one can fall down. Grease gets on your shoes and ends up in the house. Grease spots also look terrible. No matter how hard I scrub the spots, somehow their is no going back to a white washed, clean garage look.

At least the laundry detergent conquered some of the mess, drying it off and revealing a nicer and safer floor. And Judah did a good job helping while being heavily supervised. As soon as he started horsing around, Judah was taken upstairs for a bath himself while daddy finished cleaning.

Wash Wednesday: Ridding of Hazardous Waste!

I still cringe to this day when I think of my dad, dumping the leftover paint (from rinsing paintbrushes and tools) or used car oil on our country, gravel road, mixing it in the rock. Surely, there was a better option to dispose of the water-downed substance. Perhaps no other options existed then but they do today.

Thankfully, our cities today offer so many opportunities to care for the environment, including recycle. Most cities provide recycle bins to each household as an incentive to recycle standard products like plastics, glass, and paper. In turn, cities can make money off of collecting people's garbage. Cities even allow for yard waste pick-up as a means to recreate mulch for later purchase. Overall, cities have a number of environmentally safe methods and means to recycle these days.

Judah and I were reminded once again of the importance of recycling when we saw the public works vehicles and trucks at our nearby Farmers Market last week. I would not consider myself an environmentalist but rather a concerned citizen when it comes to my own garbage. So while Judah sat in the garbage truck, I found out when the next city-wide clean up days were.

Still do you ever wonder what to do with leftover paints and cleaners? There are some things in your household that do not belong in the trash, regular recycling, or even on the curb for scheduled clean-up days. So what do you do with these hazardous materials throughout your home and garage when you are done with them (or want to be done with them).

Check with your local waste management authority. Most communities provide a hazardous waste, scheduled drop-off for similar items mentioned below. So think twice before you throw these items in your trash. Instead, check with your community on how to properly dispose of such materials.

Home and Garden: Aerosol cans, Batteries (household), Brush killer, Concrete cleaners & etches Fertilizers, Fluorescent light bulbs/ballast, Fungicide, Furniture polish, Insect spray Mercury thermostats/thermometers, Metal polish (solvent-based), Mothballs, Pesticides, Pool chemicals, Rat, mouse and gopher poison, Rust removers, Spot remover, Wallpaper remover, Weed killer

Garage and Workshop: Aerosol cleaners, Antifreeze, Auto polish, Auto starter fluid, Brake fluid, Car wax, Carburetor cleaner, Caulk, Contact cement, Driveway sealer, Epoxy, Gasoline, Glues, Kerosene, Lighter fluid, Motor Oil, Oil filters (used), Paint remover, Paint thinner, Paint (oil-based and lead-based), Petroleum-based adhesives, Roofing tar,
Shellac, Stain, Varnish, Windshield washer solution

Kitchen and Bathroom: Polish remover, Toilet bowl cleaner, Ammonia-based cleaners, Cleaners (solvent-based) Drain cleaners, Floor care products, Oven cleaner

Our own community is doing their particular drop off date for hazardous materials on June 25. For a complete listing of Iowa communities teaming up with Metro Waste Authority, check out the "Clean-up Crew."

To learn more about how to dispose of medicine, read "Cleaning Out the Medicine Cabinet" as well as learn more about Iowa's Takeaway program.