Tick Advice For Warm Weather

Spring and Summer Pest Care

The spring and summer are great seasons to spend some time outside and in the fresh air.  But with all this outdoor time means an uptick in bees, bugs, ticks, and other pests.  Trying to find preventive pest maintenance that does not include harsh chemicals?  Tick prevention, in many cases, does not necessitate harsh chemicals.

What are ways to prevent ticks?

An easy, cost effective, and efficient way to prevent ticks is to dress in long clothing before spending a lot of time outdoors.  Exposed skin allows ticks to more easily attach to the skin.  An added precaution includes ticking pant legs into socks so there is no easy opening for ticks to find skin.  Ticks are often found in grassy and wooded areas, so avoiding these spots when outdoors is another way to reduce potential conflict with ticks. 

How do I check for ticks?

After spending a significant amount of time outside, it is recommended to take a shower.  Showering shortly after being outside reduces tick related illnesses and also allows an easy search of the body.  Look on the skin for potential insect bites/ live ticks.  Check clothing for ticks.  It may even be best to use a lint roller on clothes after being outside to capture any stray ticks/ insects.  Make sure to check dogs/ pets too as they can carry ticks inside.

What do I do if I find a tick?

After finding a live tick on the skin, use a clean pair of tweezers to try to remove it.  If it is successfully removed, wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water.  If it is not successfully removed, contact a medical provider.  If you begin to notice a skin rash and/ or fever, contact a medical professional. 

The information in this post, and more information about ticks and tick prevention, is included on the Center for Disease Control website: https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/index.html

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.

GreenLiving With The Kids

Eco-Friendly Advice for the Entire Family

Trying to live a green life?  Greenliving is a lifestyle choice and it helps to have the entire family on board.  For some families, it may be easiest to teach greenliving practices early so eco-friendly living becomes a routine.  Some green lifestyle options for children include:

Limit single use plastics, and other waste, in lunches: A lot of waste can occur during school lunches.  When packing lunch, try to limit one-use plastics, such a disposable cutlery and straws.  Instead, pack reusable, durable cutlery and limit straws.  Instead of packing a water bottle, pack a washable bottle which is more eco-friendly.  In fact, encourage school aged children/ teens to pack their own lunch to reduce potential food waste.

Promote recycling early: Recycling is a cornerstone of greenliving.  Promote recycling practices to kids early and often.  This can include recycling both in and out of the home.  This can also include explaining why practices like littering are wasteful.  Visit a recycling plant to learn more about recycling.  There are many ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Encourage greenliving curiosity: Greenliving requires a passion and interest in the environment.  Encourage children and teens to learn more about the environment and sustainability efforts.  Find creative ways to make greenliving an every day occurrence.


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 French Toast Recipe That Can Reduce Food Waste: March 2019

A Recipe for A GreenLiving Lifestyle

Trying to reduce reduce food waste?  Combating food waste is one way to live a green lifestyle.  Examples of reducing food waste can include re-organizing the refrigerator and/ or creating lists when shopping at the grocery store.  Another is finding creative ways to utilize leftover food so that food does not need to be thrown away and wasted.

One way to use leftover food in recipes is by utilizing stale or older bread.  Bread that is just a little stale but is in otherwise good condition may not be the ideal choice for sandwiches, but can be used in other dishes.  Instead of throwing it away, this bread can be toasted or turned into a delicious french toast breakfast.  To make french toast, follow the recipe below:

Share a favorite breakfast recipe below!

This recipe is included on the website Canva.com.

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.

How Meal Prep Can Become a Cornerstone of a Green Lifestyle (February 2019)

Meal Prep Reduces Food Waste

An easy way to live and promote a green lifestyle is by reducing food waste.  Food waste can occur due to several circumstances.  First, food waste can result from food not being stored correctly and, as a result, spoiling.  In addition, food waste can result from people over-buying food and/ or over-preparing food for events and having an excess that is thrown in the garbage.  Food waste is very easy avoid, however.

One solution to food waste is to meal prep in order to plan and schedule out meals for an entire week.  This will save resources and ensure all food is consumed and stored properly.  Three green tips for meal prep are:

1) Plan out recipes in advance: The first step of meal prep is to plan out recipes for the week (or any set amount of time).  This is a great way to reduce food waste because grocery shopping will become more organized and streamlined: no excess ingredients are needed for set recipes.  Try to set up recipes for all meals.  Create a grocery list, or try an app, to even further plan out grocery shopping.

2) Organize and pack all meals at one time: Once the food is bought, the next step is to prepare all recipes.  It is best to cook all food at the same time.  That way, the meals will all be ready at the beginning of the week and food will not spoil before being prepared.  Once the meals are cooked and completed, pack them into containers and store in the refrigerator or freezer to ensure the food remains fresh.  Remember, a big contributing factor to food waste is food going bad and being thrown away.  Storing all meals properly will reduce this kind of waste.  In addition, label all containers with the meal type and date packed to ensure all meals are eaten timely.

3) Remember to incorporate leftovers: Have a birthday dinner, holiday celebration or family gathering to attend?  Occasionally meal prep will not fit into the schedule.  Remember to always incorporate any leftovers from special events and gatherings, if applicable, into future meal prep options.

Have advice for meal prep?  Comment below to let us know.

This blog post was originally published on Grady's GreenLiving Tips on February 6, 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.