Got Pets? 5 Things to Do When Pet-Proofing Your Apartment!

#GreenLiving is a major tool for families who are choosing to create a sustainable lifestyle! Do you need tips for pet-proofing your apartment? A pet can be great company but also come with a lot of responsibility. So you want to treat them well and create a good living environment fir them, whether you have a dog, cat or even a fish! If you're pet-free, but thinking of getting a new pet, it's a good idea to make sure your apartment is pet-friendly prior to bringing them home. If you already have a pet in your apartment, you'll want to ensure that you've done the things below so that your pet is safe.

Remove Choking Hazards.  Dogs, especially, love to chew on things. That's why it's important to keep clutter at bay and to keep potential choking hazards off the floor and higher up and out of reach. Also, be sure that trash cans have lids so dogs can't pull out and choke on food and other items you've thrown away.

Check Your Plants.  If you have house plants, be sure to check whether they are toxic to animals. And keep in mind that cats will chew on plants just as well as dogs. If you have toxic plants, consider moving them to a high place where your pet can't reach them or you may even want to get rid of them altogether if you have a cat, because cats can easily jump up to high places.

Limit the Use of Dangerous Chemicals. Pets like to lick things, from furniture to toilet bowls, so be mindful of the chemicals that you use in your home for cleaning and disinfecting. You may even want to switch over to safer and natural cleaners!

Keep Cords Hidden. Some pets, especially puppies, are prone to chewing on everything they can get their mouths on. That includes electric cords. If you have such a pet, use cable covers to protect the cords and your pet, or keep cords hidden behind furniture out of reach.

Limit Your Pets Space. If there are areas of your apartment where potential hazards exist like the bathroom where a trash can may be uncovered or where you clean with chemicals, consider barring your pet from this space, especially when they're home alone. It's perfectly fine to close off a bathroom or bedroom where your pet isn't allowed or where they're only allowed when you are home. Also, note that most pets enjoy and find comfort in having a designated space that's their own so try to set up a pet area with a bed and some toys just for them, if possible.

Always remember: Your pet is unique, with his or her own personality and tendencies, so your may want to take additional pet-proofing measures bases on your own pet's specific behaviors. Also, keep in mind that the more time you spend with your pet, the less time they'll have for getting into mischief around the house and the happier they will be. And when you do have to be away for work or other reasons, provide your pet with some toys to play with to keep them occupied. For cats, add scratching posts. Sometimes when you're away it's helpful to leave on some music so your pet doesn't feel like they're alone.

When bringing home a new pet that you're just getting to know, be sure to protect your flooring from stains and scratches with plenty of scatter rugs. Use inexpensive furniture covers or flats sheets of fabric on leather sofas and chairs. You may also want to tape the legs of furniture, especially if you're bringing home a new puppy or kitten. Also, try to avoid bringing home your new pet and then leaving them right away. It's always best to spend a day or two at home with them to get to know them and to let them get familiar with their new surroundings while you're there to keep an eye on them and keep them out of harm's way.

Good luck pet-proofing your apartment! 

Grady's GreenLiving Tips was created in 2014 by Grady Management, Inc.  Grady Management was founded in 1965 and continues to provide a full service residential, commercial, and consulting real estate firm in the greater Washington and Baltimore metropolitan area.  Learn more from our website or Facebook page.

Olive Oil in the Winter: 2018 Edition

Olive Oil as a Natural Moisturizer

Last year, Grady's GreenLiving Tips posted about creative, DIY, ways to use olive oil.  This post was so popular, the Grady's GreenLiving Tips team wanted to share it again! 

Olive oil is commonly found in the home and has numerous moisturizing and cleaning qualities.  Several ways to use olive oil include:

1) Applying to hair and skin: Olive oil can be very useful in cold or windy weather because it restores a lot of natural moisture.  Try using olive oil as a pre-shampoo treatment for hair, in the bathtub, or even on cuticles to make the skin softer.

New Blog: Apartment Resident #LifeHacks

Read Grady Management's New Blog

For the past several weeks, Grady Management, Inc. has been promoting our new blog project.  This new blog, Apartment Resident #LifeHacks, debuted this afternoon!  

This blog will be posted during the weeks when there is not a new post published on the Grady's GreenLiving Tips blog.  Read the new blog here: https://apartmentlifehacks.blogspot.com/

One easy way to continue to enjoy Grady's GreenLiving Tips blog is to subscribe to the blog via email on the blog homepage.  Beginning next week, this blog will be posted on an every-other week schedule.

Grady's GreenLiving Tips was created in 2014 by Grady Management, Inc.  Grady Management was founded in 1965 and continues to provide a full service residential, commercial, and consulting real estate firm in the greater Washington and Baltimore metropolitan area.  Learn more from our website or Facebook page.

2017 GreenLiving Blog Recap

In just a few days, it will be time to ring in the 2018 year!  The next GreenLiving Tips blog will be posted in January 2018. The Grady's GreenLiving Tips team wanted to provide the links and a short description of our top blog posts from 2017 to provide a review of the past year of green advice and resources:

1. "Five Reminders for a Daily, Green, Checklist": This blog, posted on October 10, details five easy to accomplish steps to promote GreenLiving every day.  Read the post here.

2. "#Thanksgiving2017 : Five Easy Ways to Have a Green Thanksgiving": This blog, posted on November 21, reviews green ways to prepare for and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday.  Topics include managing food waste, traveling for the holiday, and hosting people for Thanksgiving.  Read the post here.

3. "Five Tips for a Sustainable Super Bowl Party": This blog, posted on January 31, describes ways to host a sustainable Super Bowl party.  Read the post here.

Remember, in 2018, Grady's GreenLiving Tips will change to an every-other week posting schedule.  Learn more by reading our first blog post of the new year.

Have a happy and healthy start to 2018!

Grady's GreenLiving Tips was created in 2014 by Grady Management, Inc.  Grady Management was founded in 1965 and continues to provide a full service residential, commercial, and consulting real estate firm in the greater Washington and Baltimore metropolitan area.  Learn more from our website or Facebook page.

A Green Start to December

Early Winter Tips for the Cold(er) Months

It's hard to believe that it is almost December!  With winter only a few weeks away, there are several eco-friendly steps people can take to ensure their homes are both "green" and ready for the upcoming winter temperatures and weather.

1) Set the thermostat: Remember, an easy way to live a green life is to stop wasting energy.  In the wintertime, it can be enticing to turn on the heat full blast all day long.  However, leaving the heat to run all day, even when outside the home, wastes energy.  Try to reset the thermostat before leaving for long periods of time, such as heading to work or visiting family, so the heat doesn't run constantly indoors.

2) Remember seasonal decor: Hanging holiday lights outside or assembling a holiday tree?  Though staples of the holiday season, it can be easy to forget to turn off or unplug holiday decorations at the end of the day.  To save energy, try to unplug seasonal decor when leaving the room or, at least, by a set time every night.  It may help to create a seasonal checklist to ensure all decorations are unplugged at the end of every night.

Eco Friendly Halloween Tips

Three Easy Ways to be "Green" for Halloween

It's Halloween!  A time for many that includes costumes, candy, and, most of all, fun!  This year, remember that Halloween can provide an opportunity to practice some green and eco-friendly tips.  Below are three ways to be "green" for Halloween:

1) Prepare a flashlight: Preparing a flashlight for trick or treating or passing out candy is not only a smart way to celebrate Halloween, but a chance to practice eco-friendly living.  Remember to pick out an LED flashlight, as these light sources last longer and save energy.  In addition, another great way to save energy is by using glow sticks.  Glow sticks are long lasting, are often cheaper than flashlights, and come in a variety of colors (perfect for this spooky holiday).

2) Trick or treat the "green" way: If collecting candy this year, or even just handing out candy, remember some green tips.  Watch out for litter, such as candy wrappers, that can accidentally become strewn and, eventually, contaminate waterways and plant and animal life. 

3) Organize Halloween decorations after: Halloween decorations can be a chance to creatively recycle, or "upcycle", resources for future use.  After the holiday, take stock of what decorations are still in good conditions to neatly pack away for next year.  Some decorations, like streamers and balloons, can be upcycled into craft projects.  Other decorations may need to be recycled in a more traditional way or simply thrown away.  Remember, there are even ways to recycle pumpkins that are in a good condition after the holiday.

Happy Halloween to everyone celebrating!

Grady's GreenLiving Tips was created in 2014 by Grady Management, Inc.  Grady Management was founded in 1965 and continues to provide a full service residential, commercial, and consulting real estate firm in the greater Washington and Baltimore metropolitan area.  Learn more from our website or Facebook page.

Five Ways to Prevent Energy Vampires

How and Why to Stop Wasting Energy

With Halloween one week away, it is easier than ever to find vampire costumes or decorations in stores and outside neighborhoods and homes.  But a certain type of vampire can lurk inside the home without anyone knowing: energy vampires!  While not the scary character featured in books or movies, "energy vampires" is a term used to describe appliances or devices that use small amounts of energy even when the appliance is turned off and not used for hours or days at a time.  But what exactly are energy vampires and why and how can they be prevented?  Learn more here:

What exactly are energy vampires?

An "energy vampire" is any device or appliance that plugs into a wall outlet for an extended period of time when turned off.  Many people believe that appliances only use energy when turned on and in use.  However, small amounts of energy are used when devices are turned off but remain plugged into outlets.  Common energy vampires include coffeemakers, laptop and phone chargers, and even floor lamps. These devices may be turned off but the appliances are still using energy.

Why are energy vampires negative for "green": and eco-friendly homes?

Those who live a green life often try to find creative and effective ways to limit energy use and reduce waste.  Energy vampires may use small amounts of energy when not in use, but that amount of energy can add up over the days, weeks, and months that appliances are plugged into the same wall outlet.  Small amounts of wasted energy eventually may cause a large, negative, problem for the environment.  

Three Art Crafts for Autumn Leaves

Seasonal Crafts Perfect for the Entire Family!

This autumn, try to turn some common natural resources into beautiful crafts or creative projects the whole family will enjoy.  In an earlier October blog post, Grady's GreenLiving Tips detailed how to use excess pumpkins for crafts or DIY projects.  This week, learn how to utilize another natural, autumn staple, fallen leaves, in art projects.  Below are three different type of craft ideas for autumn leaves:

1) Wall Decor: Once collected, leaves can be added to photo frames to create seasonal decor inside any home.  Additionally, leaves can act as a stencil for paintings or an addition to drawings to create a more realistic look for any autumnal scene.  Leaves can also be painted, dipped in wax, or brushed with glitter and then hung on walls and/ or doorways as another type of seasonal decor.

2) Unique Centerpieces: Leaves can be used to decorate seasonal paper lanterns (perfect for Halloween or harvest festivities!).  In addition, if leaves are place outside a bowl and glued together, the leaves can form a bowl shape that would create a memorable centerpiece.  

Five Reminders for a Daily, Green, Checklist

Remember GreenLiving Tips by Preparing Ahead of Time

One of the easiest ways to live a green life is to stick to a regular routine.  Incorporating several GreenLiving tips into daily tasks and goals will make eco-friendly practices easy to remember.  Below are several ways to create a five point checklist to remember GreenLiving advice:

1) Set a morning routine: Making breakfast?  Showering?  Getting dressed?  All of these aspects of the morning routine is a chance to incorporate a GreenLiving method.  Remember to time showers and turn off the tap after using the sink in order to avoid wasting excess water.  Another GreenLiving tip to add to the checklist is to unplug appliances like the coffeemaker before leaving the house to save energy.

2) Think of options: Travel options that is!  Commuting to work?  Use a green checklist to track what days it is possible to use some other form of transportation to commute and/ or travel.  Try ride sharing or catching the bus or train/ Metro.  

3) Prep "green": Preparing meals and/ or food throughout the day is a great way to practice GreenLiving tips.  Remember to utilize leftovers and bring containers to meals for better food storage techniques.  Don't contribute to food waste!

#FallDIY: Five Creative Ways to Recycle a Pumpkin

Autumnal Themed GreenLiving Tips

Pumpkins are a staple of the fall season, especially in the days leading up to and including Halloween.  But what are ways to utilize leftover pumpkins after this season?  In this blog post, Grady's GreenLiving Tips explores five ways to use a leftover pumpkin:

1) Utilize pumpkins for food and baked goods: Leftover pumpkins can be cut up and made into pies, cakes, and/ or jams.  Pumpkin seeds can also be scooped out and baked as well.

Learn more pumpkin recipes in the All Recipes article "19 Healthy Pumpkin Recipes".

2) Compost old and/ or leftover pumpkins: Pumpkins are primarily made of water and, because of this, are easily broken down into compost.

Five Steps to Create an On-The-Go Green Kit

Traveling?  Heading to the Office?  Simple Steps to Easily Promote GreenLiving

For those who live a green life, practicing eco-friendly habits can be challenging outside of the home.  For individuals who like to be more prepared, compiling a Green Kit can be a great way to enjoy eco-friendly practices when on-the-go for work, trips, hobbies, and beyond.

What are five items to pack in a Green Kit?  Read more here:

1) A durable water bottle: Purchasing plastic water bottles are fine as long as they are recycled afterwards.  But, sometimes, when traveling, it is not always easy to find a recycling bin nearby.  Pack a reusable water bottle in the green kit to refill with water whenever needed.

2) A fork, knife, and spoon: Plastic cutlery is not green and is designed to be thrown away after single, individual, use.  Try to pack one set of durable silverware in the Green Kit that can be used for on-the-go snacks.  This way, it won't be necessary to waste plastic cutlery.

Five, Common, GreenLiving Misconceptions

Don't be Fooled By Some Eco-Friendly Myths

Trying to live a green life?  It is often easy to find green and eco-friendly advice online and on social media apps and websites.  But is all the green advice correct?

Below are five common greenliving tips that can become misconceptions or are simply incorrect:

1) Pet adoption helps the local animal population: The reality is that pet adoption is a GREAT way to help the local animal population if the new pet owner has time to care for a four-legged friend.  Oftentimes, people adopt new pets without realizing how much time and energy it takes to care for an animal (especially a puppy and/ or a kitten that requires training).  Unwanted or older animals are sometimes returned to shelters or, even worse, abandoned outdoors.  Only adopt a pet if absolutely sure the pet will be cared for for years to come.

2) Plastic water bottles are a great option if the bottles are recycled afterwards:  Plastic water bottles are recyclable, which is a great way to reduce waste.  However, plastic water bottles are not the best option to drink water.  Reusable, durable, water bottles are the best as they can be re-filled and washed numerous times.

Three, Easy, Steps for Green Back to School Prep

Heading Back to School?  Remember The Following Eco-Friendly Tips:

Wow, summer really flew by!  It will soon be September.  For some students, it may be sad to admit that summer is ending and, soon, it will be time to begin heading back to the classroom.  

When preparing for the new school year, it is easy to practice some green and eco-friendly tips found in this blog.  Back to school shopping can be fun, but remember the three "Rs": a commitment to reduce, reuse, and recycle.  Instead of wasting resources, and money, on new school supplies, take time this year to follow these three tips:

Reduce: Remember, green materials and supplies are out there!  This year, try to buy some school supplies made out of recyclable products.  Common supplies like pencils and pens, even notebooks, can have a recyclable counterpart.  To find these products, look out for a label that indicates the supplies are made from recycled materials. This is a great way to support recycling and greenliving.

Five, Simple, Ways To Reuse Plastic Bags

This Resource Can Be Used for Many Different Projects

Grocery shopping?  Going on a lunch break?  Packing for a vacation?  It may be a habit to reach for and/ or use a plastic bag.

Unfortunately, if thrown away or disposed of improperly, plastic bags can easily become tangles in plants, trees, and other forms of vegetation, waterways, and animal habitats.  Typically, sturdy, re-usable bags are the best for the environment.

Instead of simply throwing away plastic bags after a shopping trip, which can cause lasting and severely damaging effects on the environment, below are five ways to re-use plastic bags in everyday life.  Even though plastic bags cannot be traditionally recycled, these are great methods to reuse a resource and promote a green life:

1. Suitcase or box buffer: For those packing boxes or storing items in closets or storage bins, always use and layer plastic bags to act as a buffer for delicate items.
2. Plant protector: Cover outdoor potted plants during the evening or storms with old grocery store bags to protect from rain, wind, and other elements.  

Three, Simple, Ways to Reduce Food Waste

Struggle With Food Waste?  There are Easy Ways to Manage Excess Waste.

Food waste, also known as food loss, is a form of waste that stems from people throwing away food that is spoiled or simply leftover from meals or from excess produce purchases.  Food waste is easily preventable, below are three tips that can help reduce food waste:

1) Get organized and make a list.  Before shopping for food and/ or produce, always try to plan out weekly meals to determine exactly what ingredients are needed.  In addition, it is a good idea to try to make frequent shopping trips to avoid buying excess food.

Five Ways To Reuse Plastic Bags

Reuuse, Don't Throw Away

Grocery shopping?  Going on a lunch break?  Packing for a vacation?  Instead of simply throwing away plastic bags after a shopping trip, which can cause lasting and severely damaging effects on the environment, below are five ways to re-use them:

1. Small trash can liners: plastic bags are the perfect size to line small trash cans in bathrooms and guest rooms.
2. Pet waste bag or glove: when walking the dog or cleaning up a cat's litter box, it never hurts to be prepared.  Utilizing the plastic grocery bag as a pet waste glove is a perfect way to save resources.
3. Car trip trash: keep plastic bags in the glove compartment on longer car road trips in case anyone needs a place to dispose of trash or waste on the way.
4. Plant protector: Cover outdoor potted plants during the evening or storms with old grocery store bags.
5. Suitcase or box buffer: For those moving homes or storing items in closets or storage bins, always use plastic bags to act as a buffer for delicate items.

Grady Management was founded in 1965 and continues to provide a full service residential, commercial, and consulting real estate firm in the greater Washington and Baltimore metropolitan area.  Learn more from our website or Facebook page.