Volunteers will gather to clean coastline on Saturday

SARASOTA COUNTY - From the shoreline to the gulf floor, scuba diver Greg Vine has removed a smorgasbord of discarded and jettisoned junk from local coastlines over the years.
Fishing lines, whiskey bottles, golf balls, even a .22-caliber revolver — that one he turned over to police — the list of waste retrieved by Vine is as long as it is varied. But all of the items he’s collected share an underlying principle: each were polluting the environment.

“It’s not only disgusting,” Vine said of the rubbish. “But the wildlife has to live with our mess.”

It’s for that reason that he and other members of the Nokomis-based Suncoast Reef Rovers scuba diving club have been cleaning Service Club Park in Venice for more than 15 years. On Saturday morning, the Suncoast Reef Rovers will scour the shoreline once again during the Ocean Conservancy’s 2014 International Coastal Cleanup.

They won’t be alone.

More than 2,000 volunteers are expected to clean up local beaches across Sarasota County from 8 a.m. to noon, said Wendi Crisp, program coordinator for Keep Sarasota County Beautiful. The popular event, going for more than 20 years, reached its capacity of volunteers earlier this week.

Crisp said the high turnout was due to area residents’ strong sense of community and connection their local ecosystems.

“People take ownership,” she said. “They say ‘This is where I live. This is my beach. This is my park.’ I have some groups that come every year and go clean the same area.”

Among the volunteers will be about 800 students from elementary, middle and high schools.

Volunteer helps clean racist graffiti on McHenry home

The racially charged graffiti that marred the garage of a McHenry home has been power washed away and painted over thanks to a helping hand.
McHenry police were following some leads on the case Thursday, the day after the garage of a Drake Court home, which also operates as a day care, was marked with the threat “Go away [racial epithet] or else die,” and the car also was vandalized with the phrase “[racial epithet] ride,” Deputy Chief John Birk said.
The vandalism occurred sometime between 7:40 a.m. Wednesday when some of Cindy Dunklin’s day care attendees arrived and 8:10 a.m. when she took her daughter out to the bus, she said. Her daughter is in kindergarten.


Dunklin is white, and her husband is black.

This is the second time the house has been vandalized, Birk said. The first incident occurred in 2012.

Some of Dunklin’s clients have left her day care, which is called Garden Patch Kids, since the second incident, she said, adding that she’s now looking for new clients.

Her full-service business can be reached at 815-307-3790.

By Thursday afternoon, though, the graffiti was off the house and the garage looks “brand spanking new,” Dunklin said, adding that she scrubbed the car and then took it to Gerber Glass for a buff.

Lake in the Hills resident and Woodstock-based JH Power Cleaning Services owner Josh Harrison volunteered to paint the house after hearing of the vandalism.

“I wasn’t really surprised, just disappointed,” Harrison said. “She runs a children’s day care. That’s not something you want young minds to see.”

If Harrison’s efforts had been unsuccessful, the Dunklins would have had to pay $500 to get the garage door replaced and the car fixed, Dunklin said.

“It’s really nice and a blessing,” she said of Harrison’s offer. “Thank the lord good people still exist.”

No suspects had been identified as of Thursday afternoon, Birk said. Extra patrols have been conducted in the neighborhood on a routine basis.

Police also have conducted a neighborhood canvass, interviewed neighbors and anyone that might have an issue with any of the residents, compared the two incidents for similar leads and evidence and sent a notice to surrounding communities to see if there have been any similar incidents, Birk said.
 

Cleaning chimney not a DIY project

Question: Can I clean my own chimney? I don’t want to spend tons of money and be told I have to make expensive repairs just to use the fireplace.

— Rich C. in Portland, Maine

Answer: Your reluctance is understandable, because the chimney cleaning industry, like other contractor services, has suffered in recent years from scams. Unscrupulous scammers often target new homeowners or seniors, advertising unbelievably low prices for a chimney cleaning. They then sock the homeowner, after a cursory (or even no) inspection of their chimney, with a huge cleaning and repair bill.

Still, if you want to safely use your fireplace, an annual cleaning and inspection is extremely important. Contact more than one chimney cleaning service (three or more if possible) and get a price quote. Don’t agree to any work until you’ve seen estimates from a few services. Don’t be pressured into a sale you’re not ready for.

Your home’s furnace is another item that should get a checkup from a heating professional. Again, if the contractor inspecting your furnace says repair work needs to be done, get multiple estimates before agreeing to anything.

Those concerns aside, you can do some basic inspection and maintenance tasks yourself. These don’t replace the contractor, but help you get familiar with your house’s heating systems.

You can visually inspect the firebox and damper, and check the bottom part of the chimney flue. Open the damper and use a flashlight to look up the flue, checking for debris like leaves or nests, as well as creosote buildup. This black, sticky gunk is extremly flammable and is one of the things professional sweeps take care of. It’s also difficult to remove without the right equipment.

Clean the damper and firebox by removing ashes and unburnt wood (when they’re fully cooled) and brushing ashes and residue from the visible parts of the fireplace.

Get ready to turn on the heating system now, as well. Buy replacement filters and schedule the furnace’s annual inspection. Clean dust and debris from the registers and the air intake cover.

Home tip

MONICA GELLER’S 14 BEST OCD TIPS

it comes time for me to clean my apartment, I have no patience, no desire and no idea where to start. I usually get as far as taking out a spray bottle of disinfectant and cleaning around the various piles of clutter that have accumulated, before becoming overwhelmed and sitting down for a snack, never to finish my task. When I recently found myself in this exact scenario, I turned the TV on during my snack break and started watching “Friends.” It was The One With The Chicken Pox, and Monica was obsessing over the way her boyfriend Richard made the bed. In life, we can all take some notes from Monica’s OCD ways when it comes to tidying up, because wouldn’t life just be nicer when our toilet paper is folded at the tip? Here are 14 of Monica’s anal retentive rules to remember next time you need to clean.

1. Categorize Your Towels: Eliminate bathroom disasters by sorting towels into “everyday use,” “fancy,” “guest,” and “fancy guest.”

2. Use Logic To Properly Make The Bed: The duvet tag should be at the bottom right corner and flower-covered sheets should face up, not down, because that’s where the sun would be. You get it…

3. Clean Your Cleaning Supplies: Monica uses a Dustbuster to remove dirt from the vacuum cleaner, and wouldn’t be opposed to using an even smaller vacuum to clean the Dustbuster. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

4. Iron Wrapping Paper: There’s no need to be wasteful, and you might as well get out the creases while you’re busy saving the environment.

5. When In Doubt, Clean: Keep your own space spick and span at all times, clean up after others because they’re incapable of cleaning up after themselves properly, and even wash the neighbor’s car if you feel so obliged. In Monica’s world, a clean world is a happy world.

6. Wash Before White: If you’re about to touch something white, go wash your hands thoroughly and do not stop until you’ve sang the entire “Happy Birthday” song. Feel free to also send guests and significant others to do the same if they’re about to reach for something white.

7. Keep A Ribbon Drawer: Obviously something everyone needs, color-coded and organized by ribbon thickness for quick selection during gift wrapping and party emergencies.

8. Every Disc Has A Case: Whether they’re DVDs or CDs (for those of you still trapped in the ’90s), every disc should remain in its appropriate case. Finding “Top Gun” in the “Pretty Woman” case could throw you off schedule and destroy your day.

9. Label Everything: Photographs, kitchen mugs, dishes … basically everything deserves a label in case something goes missing. If you’re super organized, you can create a file system for photos with key search words like “dead” or “dogs.” Which reminds us…

10. Buy A Label Maker: Monica spent eight hours with her label maker organizing a filing system in which she researched and wrote about a variety of career fields. She continued to label everything in her giant, rent-controlled apartment.

11. Toilet Paper Etiquette: When you’re done with the toilet paper, carefully fold the tip into a point for the next person’s ease of use.

12. Bake With Precision: Do not bake a recipe for any more or less time than the recipe calls for, sprinkle ingredients in clockwise, circumference circles and do not eat anything before it’s cooked.

13. Use Military Time: It’s more efficient.

14. Have A Secret Junk Closet: The need to have a clean, crisp-looking countertop free of clutter poses a problem when you own too much stuff. For this, keep a locked closet or room in your house filled to the brim with your shit.

10 Hidden Health Dangers Lurking in Your Home

Air pollution. Hazardous waste. Pesticides in food. Cellphone radiation. The list of hazards and toxic pollutants that can harm our health seems to grow with almost daily. But what you may not know is some of the biggest dangers are only as far away as your kitchen cabinet, medicine chest, or garage.

 

 “When we buy products, especially everyday personal-care products, we assume they're safe. And it likely doesn't occur to most people that they may be using them improperly, or running risks even if they do follow instructions,” says Jody Rohlena, a senior editor of ShopSmart, published by Consumers Union.

 

Here’s a list of home products and pollution sources whose risks may surprise you.

 

Aerosol sprays: Chemicals used to propel sprays, including hair and antiperspirants, can cause lung problems and trigger allergies and asthma. Tip: Swap aerosol hair sprays for pump products. Close your mouth and eyes when you use a spray. 

Special: The Healing Powers of Vinegar: Arthritis, Heart, Brain, More 

 

Household cleaners: Those chemical products you may be using to get your home sparkling clean and healthy may actually be doing just the opposite. A 2009 study by the Environmental Working Group identified 457 air contaminants – 24 linked to serious health concerns, including cancer – in 21 household cleaners. Tip: Always read product labels, follow directions for use, and open a window or run a fan when cleaning. Consider non-toxic homemade cleaning products. To clean glass, mix one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice with one quart of water.

 

Air fresheners: Commercial air fresheners often contain volatile organic compounds and phthalates, some of which are linked to cancer and reproductive problems. Tip: To remove odors and purify the air inside your home, open windows when possible, run your air conditioner or heating system, and consider a filter-based air purifier.

 

Cosmetics: Women who use months-old mascara, leave their makeup bag in a hot car, or use a little water or saliva to moisten the tip of an eyeliner applicator put themselves at risk for serious eye infections. Preservatives in makeup that keep them free of bacteria can be compromised by water, saliva, heat, and contaminants on hands. Tip: Wash your hands before applying makeup. Replace mascara every two to four months. Discard eye shadow and liners after a year. Store makeup in a cool, dry place.

 

Contact lenses: Failing to keep your contact lenses and cases clean can put you at risk for potentially blinding bacterial infections. Tip: Wash your hands with soap and dry them before touching lenses. Clean your lens case by dumping the used solution and rinsing it with fresh solution, before allowing it to air dry. Replace the case every three months. Never rinse lenses in water.

 

Antibacterial products: Researchers have found that triclosan – an antibacterial chemical used in soaps, deodorants, mouthwashes, toothpastes, bedding, clothes, carpets, toys, and trash bags – causes health problems in laboratory tests involving animals. Tip: There is little research to suggest antibacterial products are better than soap and water.

 

Special: The Healing Powers of Vinegar: Arthritis, Heart, Brain, More 

Radon: Naturally occurring radon gas is the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers. It can seep into your home from rocks and soil under your home. Tip: Test your house for radon, using an inexpensive ($20-40) monitor. If levels are higher than EPA’s designated safe standard – 2 to 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) – a radon-abatement specialist can usually remedy the situation, usually through a gas-venting system, for between $800 and $2,500.

 

Combustion gases: Carbon monoxide (CO) and other combustion gases are among the biggest indoor hazards. They can be released by faulty gas stoves, furnaces, and gas generators, as well as wood, kerosene, and propane heaters. Tip: Have your fuel-burning appliances inspected annually. Install CO alarms on each level of your house, including the basement. Change the batteries at least every year, and replace the alarms every five years.

 

Mouthwash: Some consumers have claimed using mouthwash stained their teeth or affected their sense of taste. The American Dental Association has said the ingredient responsible — cetylpyridinium chloride — is found in many mouthwashes. Tips: If you notice brown spots on your teeth or a change in your sense of taste after using a mouthwash, stop using it. Flossing, brushing, and dental cleaning are all that’s need to keep your teeth and gums healthy.

When cleaning fees are a drag

Washington - Landra Osmus doesn't smoke. So when she checked out of the Comfort Suites at Sabino Canyon in Tucson, Ariz., recently, she almost choked on her bill, which included a surprise $150 (about R1 500) cleaning fee.

Osmus, a hospital auditor from Tucson, had spent a weekend at the hotel with her 12-year-old granddaughter and a friend for a birthday celebration. A hotel representative claimed that she was being charged because “there was smoke present in the room.” But Osmus contends that the fumes came from outside the hotel, from an alley where guests were smoking.

“I'm not responsible for the alley,” she says, adding that the Comfort Suites' accusations were causing her “great emotional distress.”

Turns out that cigarettes are stressing out a lot of travellers, and in a lot of different ways.

Hotels and car rental companies are struggling to deal with shifting winds when it comes to smoking. That includes some states' legalisation of recreational marijuana use and the increasing popularity of e-cigarettes. At the same time, travelers allege that companies are turning customers' tobacco habit into a profit centre by overcharging them for smoking in hotels or rental cars — even if, like Osmus, they don't smoke.

Result: Whether you use tobacco products or not, you have to know about these new problem areas. Otherwise, some of your hard-earned vacation dollars could go up in smoke.

When Osmus contacted me for help, I suggested that she send Comfort Suites a polite written appeal and advised her to be patient. She sent the letter. In response, the property's general manager investigated her claim and found that the smoke was indeed coming from the street.

“I went ahead and refunded the $150 charge that we assessed you as a smoking fee,” the representative wrote in an email.

Depending on your perspective, the travel realm is either becoming a less accommodating place for smokers or a healthier place for nonsmokers. Cruise lines are at the forefront of this change, with Carnival and Norwegian recently banning smoking on balconies. Guests will still be able to smoke in the casinos.

And even though the recreational use of marijuana is now approved in Washington and Colorado, the travel industry hasn't exactly welcomed weed tourists with open arms. In fact, there's a considerable amount of confusion about where visitors can light up, or, for that matter, how to even wrap things up. Some tourists are reportedly leaving their stash in their rental cars in Denver before flying home.

Smoking can be expensive if you're running a hotel. Marti Mayne, a lodging industry consultant, says that smaller inns, like bed-and-breakfasts, can suffer as a result of illicit smoking. “It means that every single piece of bedding and towels must be removed and washed, rugs will have to be steam-cleaned, as will curtains, lampshades and anything else that might be fabric and can absorb the smell,” she says.

The cleaning takes time, too, which means that the room must be taken out of inventory. That loss, which Mayne says could be anywhere from 10 to 50 percent of an inn's revenue, is a “double whammy” of financial loss and cleaning expense.

But where some travel companies see cost, others spy an opportunity.

Take car rental companies. As they've cracked down on customers smoking in their vehicles, they've revved up their cleaning fees, according to Jordan Perch, a transportation analyst for the Web site DMV.com. The average fee for a car rental cleaning is $250. The going rate for a top-of-the-line car detailing is $150, which means that a car rental company can pocket the difference.

“Considering that the most expensive rates for a daily rental are somewhere around $100, if you rent a car for a day, the potential fine for smoking in it would cost you more than double that amount,” he adds. “That does seem a little irrational.”

But not as irrational as customers who are charged for something they didn't do.

Consider what happened to Angelo Figueroa when he rented a car from Budget in New York recently. “When I returned the car, the representative mentioned that it smells like smoke and asked me if I smoked,” he says. “I said no.”

The agent then conferred with another employee, who “confirmed” the smoky smell. The agent said she would charge him $70, even though the normal fee was $250.

“I told her I don't smoke, and that I'd dispute the charge, and I'd like to talk to a manager. The second employee told my agent, 'Just charge him $250 then,' “ Figueroa remembers. No manager was available to speak with him. A $250 charge then appeared on his credit card bill.

Figueroa, an attorney based in Cleveland, complained to New York's Department of Consumer Affairs and received an immediate refund.

Stories like Figueroa's and Osmus's should be encouraging to other travelers. Even though travel companies seem to be capitalising on our alleged tobacco use, your odds of disputing the charges are fairly good.

Sometimes, all it takes is a little perseverance.

* Elliott, National Geographic Traveler's reader advocate and author of How To Be The World's Smartest Traveler (National Geographic), maintains a consumer advocate website at elliott.org.

What's cooking

From chopping boards to pots and pans, Dr Chemical shares his top tips to keep your kitchenware spotless and hygienic.

A question I am often asked is how best to clean cooking utensils - knives, chopping boards, pots and pans, etc.

You've created your culinary masterpiece but what to do about the mess afterwards?

Try these tips to ensure your cookware is hygienically cleaned.

CUTLERY

The cutlery is easy - the stainless steel that modern cutlery is made out of is nonporous, and so is a poor substrate for bacterial growth.

A quick rinse in hot water and detergent or a cycle through the dishwasher and the job's done.

CHOPPING BOARDS

Chopping boards are not quite so straightforward. The issue here, of course, is bacterial growth.

Whether they are made out of wood or plastic, they possess a degree of porosity, with crevices in which moisture can lodge and bacteria can grow. And this is the best time of the year for it (or the worst, depending on how you look at it), with all the damp weather around.

There are several ways of disinfecting hard surfaces - bleach, laundry disinfectants and so on - but the easiest is the way it's done in hospitals: alcohol.

There is a popular brand of disinfecting hand gel called Aqium, whose label tells us how to do it.

It's changed now, but it used to say "70 per cent methylated spirits". That's all it was, and that's all you need to make a very effective disinfectant. Get some metho from the hardware store, and make it up as a 70 per cent solution (7 parts metho to 3 parts water) and you have a very effective disinfectant. This is what hospitals use to disinfect surgical equipment, as it is chemically benign and will not damage anything (unlike bleach, which is a strong oxidiser). But some contact time is required.

Put some in a generic sprayer, spray your chopping board, and leave it. About 30 seconds contact time is required to do the job, so just leave it to evaporate. And don't worry about the "methylated" bit - metho doesn't contain methanol anymore.

POTS AND PANS

For pots and pans, it depends where you are. If you are camping, just clean your cast iron saucepan by sitting it in the fire. With enough heat the food turns to charcoal (carbon) and the carbon turns to CO2. So yes, you could clean your saucepans at home with a butane burner, but it'd raise a few eyebrows.

A simple way to do it is with washing soda. Sprinkle a few tablespoons in the bottom of the saucepan, fill it with water, and bring it to the boil. Then simply turn it off and let it cool.

Once it's cooled, tip it out and you'll be amazed at how clean the pan is. Any solid residue will have been separated from the surface by this process, and will easily be removed with a gentle scourer.

Or, if you're in a hurry, use the washing soda as a paste with a scourer - you get the combined action of the physical scouring and the chemical action.