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Recycling Projects for the Evil Genius

Recycling Projects for the Evil Genius

Authors: Russel Gehrke

Published: August 2010

eISBN: 9780071736138 0071736131 | ISBN: 9780071736121

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

1 My Shade of Green

Tell Me About the Good Ol' Days

Out of the Box

It's a Brick House

Paper or Plastic?

Safer Chemicals

Mean Green

My Shade of Green

2 Recycling the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Collection

Which Way Did It Go?

Buried Treasure in Our Trash

Recycling Half-Truths

Wants versus Needs

Recycling and the Poor

When Recycling Goes Down a Questionable Path

Re-recycled Investment

Recycling Your Waste Stream at Home

Cash in Your Trash

3 Greening Up Household Cleaners

What We Are Cleaning

How Do Cleaners Work?

What's in Dirt?

What's in Dust Besides Dirt?

What Makes Things Stick or Stain?

Can't You Smell That Smell?

Raising a Stink

Smoke Odor Tips

Refrigerator Odor Tips

Garbage Disposal Odor Tips

Basic Cleaner Types

Store-Bought Cleaners and Their Potential Dangers

Hidden Dangers of Cleaners

It's a Bird, It's a Plane—No, It's a Superbug

To Air Is Human

It's a Wash

A Little Big Deal

Take Control

The Easy Life

Your Shade of Clean

4 Greening Up with Safer Pest Controls

Weed-Free Lawns?

Good Weed

The Pest Things in Life Are Free

Pest Recognition

The Pest Offense Is a Good Defense

What's Bugging You

The Buzz on Pesticides

Some Groups of Chemical Products Considered to Be Pesticides

Pesticide Usage Tips

Pesticide Storage Tips

Pesticide-Free Pest-Control Tips

Pest-Control Goals

5 Recycling Plastics and Composite Projects

Two Characterizations of Plastic

What Is What?

Ode to the Code

Number 7 Plastics: Miscellaneous

Risk Management

Board with Plastics

Products Made with Recycled Plastics

Project 1 Make Your Own Wafer Board–Style Plastic Lumber

Mass-Production Method

Let's Start

Project 2 Make a Square Panel Out of Your Plastic Wafer Board

Let's Start

Project 3 Make a Birdhouse Out of Plastic Lumber

Let's Start

How to Use It

Project 4 Make a Recycled-Plastic Landscape Block

The Plastic Recipe

Mass Production

Let's Start

Project 5 Make Recycled-Asphalt-Shingle Paver Bricks

Background

Summary of the Invention

Let's Start

Project 6 Make a Road-Patch Compound from Recycled Asphalt Roofing Shingles

Potholes 101

Let's Start

How to Use Your Road-Patch Compound

6 Recycling Paper and Cardboard Fiber Projects

Farm-Fresh Paper

Pulp Friction

Paper Cuts

Types of Paper Found in Our Homes

The Paper Trail

Project 7 Make Concrete Papier-Mâché

Mass Production

Safety First

First Aid for Contact Chemical Burns

Protect Your Eyes

Let's Start

Waterproofing

Project 8 Make and Use Landscape Block Molds

Let's Start

How to Use the Mold

Project 9 Build a Concrete Papier-Mâché Landscape Wall or Raised-Bed Garden

Let's Start

Project 10 Make a Concrete Papier-Mâché Shed or Animal Shelter

Let's Start

Project 11 Make a Large Concrete Papier-Mâché Planter

Let's Start

Project 12 Make a Concrete Papier-Mâché Flower Pot or Decorative Bowl

Let's Start

Project 13 Make a Concrete Papier-Mâché Birdbath

Let's Start

Location, Location, Location

I Thought I Saw a Tweety Bird

Project 14 Make Concrete Papier-Mâché Stepping Stones

Let's Start

Project 15 Make a Concrete Papier-Mâché Stepping Stone Walkway

Let's Start

Project 16 Make a Concrete Papier-Mâché Tabletop

Let's Start

7 Solar-Powered Compost Projects

Compost 101

Requirements for Organic Decomposition

Materials for Composting

Materials to Avoid in a Compost Pile

Location

Preparing the Compost Pile

Use of Compost to Improve Soil

Charcoal Is Also Beneficial for Soil

Project 17 Make Your Own Garden-Friendly Charcoal from Biomass Waste

Let's Start

How to Use Your Charcoal

Project 18 Make a Shopping Bag Composter

Let's Start

Project 19 Solar-Powered Bag Composter

Let's Start

How to Use It

Project 20 Build a Barrel Composter

Let's Start

Diagnosing Composting Problems

Project 21 Build a Raised-Bed Composter That Turns into a Garden

Let's Start

Project 22 Build a Solar-Powered Compost Tea Brewer

Let's Start

Compost Tea Tips

8 Clean with Green Projects

Cleaners 101

Anatomy of a Cleaner

Laundered Money

Cut Your Cleaning Cost by 90 Percent or More

Home Basic or Base 50:1 Concentrate

Project 23 Make Your Own Rain Barrel

Let's Start

How to Use Your Barrel

How to Make or Find Your Surfactant (Soap)

Project 24 Making Soap (Surfactant)

Where to Find Lye (Sodium Hydroxide)

Alternatives to Waste Fryer Oil

Let's Start

Project 25 Making a Concentrated Base "Basic" Cleaner

Let's Start

How to Use It

Project 26 Testing Your Base Cleaner's pH Level

Finding pH Strips

Let's Start

Project 27 Making a Base Liquid pH-Balanced Laundry Soap

That's a pHact, Jack

Let's Start

How to Use Your Laundry Soap

Project 28 Making a Base Surface-Cleaner Spray

Let's Start

How to Use Your Surface-Cleaner Spray

Project 29 Making a Base Floor Cleaner

Nonwooden Floors

Wood, Laminant, and Marble Floors

Let's Start

Project 30 Making a Base Carpet Shampoo

Let's Start

How to Clean with the Shampooer

Project 31 Making a Base Carpet Spot and Stain Remover

Let's Start

How to Use Your Carpet Spot and Stain Remover

Project 32 Making a Base Glass Cleaner

Let's Start

How to Use Your Base Glass Cleaner

In the Newspaper

Window Washing Rules

Project 33 Making a Base Disinfectant Surface Cleaner

Let's Start

How to Use Your Disinfectant Surface Cleaner

Project 34 Making a Base Abrasive Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Let's Start

How to Clean the Inside of the Toilet Bowl

Project 35 Making a Base Rust and Mineral Stain Remover

Let's Start

How to Use It

Project 36 Making a Base Mold and Mildew Remover

Prevention Is Best

Let's Start

How to Use It

Project 37 Making a Base Oven Cleaner

Let's Start

How to Use It

Project 38 Make Your Own Supercleaning Citrus Fruit Enzymes

Fruit Enzymes

Does This Smell Bad to You?

How This Enzyme Recipe Works (From My Perspective, Anyway)

Let's Start

How to Use Your Fruit Enzyme as a General Cleaner

How to Use Your Fruit Enzyme Cleaner as a Laundry Detergent Booster

How to Use Your Fruit Enzyme Cleaner as a Super Stain Lifter

Project 39 Make Your Own Citrus Oil Extract

Let's Start

How to Use It

Project 40 Make Your Own Plant Oil–Based Heavy-Duty Solvent

Why Castor Oil?

Castor Oil

Let's Start

How to Use It

Project 41 Make Your Own Heavy-Duty Hand Cleaner

Let's Start

How to Use It

Project 42 Make Your Own Green Furniture Polish

Let's Start

How to Use It

Project 43 How to Remove Stains

Know Your Stains

Mechanics of Stain Removal

Know Your Basic Tannin (Plant-Derived) Stains

Know Your Basic Oil-Based Stains

Know Your Basic Pigment Stains

Know Your Combination Pigment and Oil Stains

Know Your Combination Protein and Pigment Stains

Know Your Unique Stains

How to Clean Odds and Ends

9 Home-Friendly Green Pest and Weed Control Projects

Control Issues

Pesty Pesky Weeds

Weed the People

Project 44 Make Your Own Weed Killer

Weed Killer Active Ingredient 1

Weed Killer Active Ingredient 2

Weed Killer Inactive Ingredient 3

Weed Killer Inactive Ingredient 4

Let's Start

How to Use It

Making Your Own Creepy Crawly Controls

Remember, It's a Bug Eat Bug World Out There

Making Your Own Pest Controls

The Many Uses of Boric Acid

Shh … It's a Secret

How to Use Boric Acid

Project 45 Make a Puffer to Kill Roaches

Let's Start

How to Use It

Die Roach Die!

Project 46 Make a Boric Acid Flea Control

Let's Start

How to Use It

Project 47 Make a Boric Acid Ant Control

Let's Start

Let's Start

Garlic as a Pest Control

Project 48 Making Boric Acid Chalk to Control Crawling Pests

Project 49 Make a Garlic Concentrate for Multiple Pest Control Use

Let's Start

Project 50 Make a Garlic Insecticide Soap

Let's Start

Project 51 Make a Garlic Insecticide Flour Spray

Let's Start

Project 52 Make a Garlic and Vegetable–Based Horticultural Oil

Project 53 Make a Pepper Spray to Control Chewing Insects

Let's Start

Project 54 Make a Castor Oil–Based Mole Control

Let's Start

How to Use It

Project 55 How to Make a Beer Trap for Slugs

Let's Start

Stopping Slugs: Rough 'em Up

Project 56 Capture and Kill Fleas with Christmas Tree Lights

Let's Start

What to Buy If You Can't Make Your Own Pest Controls

Understanding All Types of Pesticide Risk

Read and Understand

A List of Pesticides That Contain Natural Ingredients

10 Just-for-Fun Projects and 101 Cool Tips

101 Cool Tips from A to Z

Project 57 Use Recycled Aluminum Foil to Quick Clean Your BBQ Grill

Let's Start

Project 58 Making a Walkway from Used Brick Pieces

Let's Start

Project 59 Making Old Candles into New

Let's Start

Project 60 Making a Weed Block with Recycled Carpet

Let's Start

Project 61 Clothes Hanger

Let's Start

Project 62 Build a Recycled CD Scarecrow

Let's Start

Project 63 Recycling a Garden Hose into a Soaker Hose

Let's Start

Project 64 Make Outdoor Oil Candles from Recycled Glass Bottles

Let's Start

Project 65 Making a Campfire Starter from Lint

Let's Start

How to Use It

Project 66 Paper Egg Carton Planter

Let's Start

How to Use It

Project 67 Make a Dog Training Device

Let's Start

How to Use It

Project 68 Make Sun Tea in a Recycled Plastic Bottle

Let's Start

Project 69 Make a Plastic Bag Dispenser for Your Car

Let's Start

Project 70 Make a Cat Bed from Plastic Grocery Bags

Let's Start

Project 71 Make Homemade Paper from Recycled Paper

Let's Start

Project 72 Make a Piñata from Recycled Paper

Let's Start

Make the Piñata

How to Use It

Project 73 Make a Device to Help You Park in the Garage

Let's Start

Project 74 Make a Better Tire Swing

Let's Start

Project 75 Make Seedling Starters from Toilet Paper Tubes

Let's Start

Project 76 Build a Solar-Powered Hydrogen Firecracker

Direct Current Events

Got Gas?

Let's Start

Project 77 Build a Wind-Powered Scarecrow

Let's Start

11 Making Money with the Items You've Made and Sources

What's the Plan, Stan?

Who Else Is Out There?

Help Them Find You

Word of Mouth

Business Cards

Brochures

Direct Mail

Newspapers

How to Find Your Market

The Price Is Right

Up and Up

Places to Sell Homemade Products

Third-Party Sites

Having Your Own Site

Sources

Index