Your Questions About Green Living

Ruth asks…

What is an eco friendly way to clean the mildew in my shower?

I hate using Tilex! It has all the fumes and they make me sick is there some kind of natural solution, possibly in my kitchen pantry that I can spray on the tile to remove the mildew. Thank you for all your answers!

The Expert answers:

Vinegar and water mixed at 1 part vinegar and three parts water should work fine with a little elbow grease.

Sandy asks…

Should I use French cut green beans to make my new eco- friendly glue?

The way one can adhere to a white tile floor is a thing to behold.

The Expert answers:

A carrot peeling sticks even better, dontchathink? 😉

James asks…

Eco Friendly Cleaning?

I need to clean the shower in my dorm. It has a little black mildew/mold growing in it. It needs to be COMPLETELY gone before we leave for Christmas break. I heard people will come through and scrape each and every tile with a razor to make sure it’s clean. However, I don’t want to use harsh chemicals. What will work for this?

The Expert answers:

Undiluted white distilled vinegar kills mold. Spray it liberally onto the mold. Let it sit for a few minutes. Spray a bit more and use a scrub brush to clean it. RInse it and make sure it is dry. The vinegar smell dissipates as it dries, plus it is a natural, non-toxic cleaner.

Betty asks…

Best quality flooring? (hopefully eco friendly)?

We were thinking about replacing some old tiling in the kitchen for wood flooring. I was wondering about some good options, preferably sturdy, low maintenance, and non-costly wood.

The Expert answers:

Cork and bamboo fit most of your needs but are a bit more costly. Oak being very abundant fits all the above to a point. Not as eco friendly . Most all wood floors are fairly low maintenance if you keep after them w/ a dust mop on a day to day basis. So now that I ve confused you lol you can e mail me w/ any flooring questions going thru my avatar GL

Mary asks…

vinyl tile, vinyl sheet, or linoleum flooring?

i know linoleum is ecofriendly…my biggest concerns are 1.how it will look in 5-10yrs(i.e.will it peel, buckle, or will the edges of the tile collect dirt in seams?) and 2. cost for total job- i have probably 1,000 sq ft to do on an EXTREMELY limited budget. thanks!

The Expert answers:

A thousand square feet is a big space. Sheet vinyl comes in very wide widths so the number of seams will be none or few. To do it right it must be cemented down and rolled with a hundred lb roller to make it stick tightlly to the floor.If you do not cement it down, then the edges will curl unless held down by trim and the [problems you mention will appear. (Include cracking for tiles). Vinyl tle are easy and good but not a continuous surface and more expensive unless you use the cheapest self-stick tiles.
In all cases the final result depends on the surface underneath. Self-stick will not work reliably on anything but a clean fresh wood surface. If there are lumps or anything but a perfectly flat surface it will show through on the finished job whichever material you choose. I think sheet vinyl is the cheapest but the patterns are not so good and they charge more for anything even a little better looking. If you take the time to install a plywood under surface or else treat every imperfection with leveling compoud then the result will look good even if the pattern is ordinary. Because t will be a smooth expanse. But if not, it will look like the rocky road to Dublin.

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