Refinish Your Furniture

A couple years ago, I got this ugly white filmy stain on my coffee table. Not sure what caused it, perhaps the heat of a pizza box. I turned a blind eye, in fear that I had destroyed the finish and it was going to be a major undertaking to restore it to its original glory. My mind spiraled with visions of chemical stripper and sandpaper, and stains and varnish, doing a ton of work just to end up with a top that didn't perfectly match the rest of the table. You can't tell the size from this cropped photo, but the stained area was approximately 6" x 10".

Finally ready to face the daunting task, I start Googling my options, and was presented with shockingly easy solutions, none of which involved removing and redoing the finish.

Option 1: Rub it mayonnaise.

Option 2: Rub it with equal parts oil and vinegar (so mayonnaise). 

Option 3: Rub a hot iron on steam setting over it. 

The iron option seemed a little more advanced and scary, so mayo it was. The worst that could happen would be I'd need to wash it off, and I'd be out less than 10 cents.

So I gathered a soft white rag and a bottle of mayo. I squirted about a tablespoon of mayo onto the rag, and rubbed into the wood, with the grain. 

The results were *immediate*. Within 10 seconds, the white film was completely gone, and the excess mayo wiped clean with a dry part of the rag. Use a little lemon furniture polish as a next step to remove any last mayo smell.

Lesson learned: don't be intimidated to try and do minor restoration of your furniture. These tiny touch-ups will prolong the life and look of my furniture for years, costs almost no $$ and time, and takes no harsh chemicals.

Are you ready to upgrade your furniture for free?

Sustainable Suites

T and I finally made a trip to Spokane after more than a year. Typically we'd go a few times a year to visit his mom, but alas, COVID. His mom finally got her first vaccine, so we headed for a visit and to do some honey-dos. 

To reduce our time together, we opted for a hotel, which is how we ended up at the Downtown Spokane Oxford Suites, a great mid-level hotel on the riverfront. They seemed to have a bicycle theme throughout the hotel, quite appropriate given the location. In the lobby, they incorporated upcycled wheels and tires into their bike-themed decor. Why, hello, Spokane!

 And here, multiple wheels create an abstract pattern above the lobby check-in desk.

Do these give you ideas for reusing and materials for home decor? Ranging from modern to shabby chic, it gets the imagination going for how you could make some interesting DIY art on any theme.

Beyond the lobby art, there were some sustainable features in the room itself. LED bulbs in all the lamps: 

These ecosmart bulbs are 9W LEDs with a 60W equivalent brightness.

Moving into the bathroom, they replaced the mini toiletries with full-sized toiletries, saving on both packaging and product waste:

Now they didn't brag about these amenities or sustainability features on their website; however, they did call out that they have electric car charging (including Tesla) available. Until these features become mainstream, you may need to make a quick call to the hotel or read some reviews to seek out hotels making these smarter choices. 

Large hotel groups are already starting to make the change, including the likes of Marriott, Holiday Inn, and Crowne Plaza. Per Marriott, a global change across their portfolio will "prevent about 500 million tiny bottles annually from going to landfills; that’s about 1.7 million pounds of plastic, a 30 percent annual reduction from current amenity plastic usage."

What can you do? Choose hotels that are committing to these changes, and if you are faced with a hotel that hasn't made the switch, politely leave a comment at guest services. 

Time to Start Your Edible Garden!

It may seem crazy to be thinking about a spring or summer garden in the midst of Snowmageddon 2021, but now is the perfect time to start your plants indoors.

There are so many videos and posts out there about creative ways to reuse household items as seed starters, that I thought I'd try a few out for you! Check back in a few weeks and I'll share which were the most successful.

Option 1: the salsa jar I held back from recycling.You'll want to put some rocks or vase marbles in the bottom for drainage.

Option 2: the plastic vented produce container. This one held tomatoes, but you'll see this same container used for berries too. The idea behind these is that you can close the lid, creating a greenhouse effect.

Option 3: Any old plastic tub. We eat a ton of dairy, from sour cream to yogurt to cream cheese, so plastic tubs are a-plenty. I drilled some small holes for drainage, or you could use rocks, like we did with the glass jar.

Option 4: a TP or paper towel tube. Cut down to a few inches tall. Cut 4 slits around the bottom, so you can fold into a flat base, like a box. The idea here is that the cardboard is biodegradable, and when you're ready to plant outside, you can plant the tube and all.

Once you've gathered your containers, fill with potting soil and seeds. My seeds are coming in the form of a halved organic cherry tomato. No need to clean off the tomato - it will degrade in the soil. Push the tomatoes or seeds into the soil and cover with about 1" more of soil.

Place your starter pots in a sunny window and water as needed to keep the soil moist.

Happy planting, folks! What edible plants will you be growing this year?