It is that time of year again here in the Northeast, time to start a fire in a wood stove, fireplace or even in the backyard.  We have a wood stove in our home which we have used for the past 2 winters and it has saved us hundreds of dollars.  We would keep a fire going all day and turn the heat down during the day and turn the heat up at night.  Doing this really did save us from buying hundreds of gallons of oil and is a great idea for anyone who has the time.  My husband would chop wood when he had time and stack it on the deck so it was near the door.  We got our wood for free by going to family land and cutting down tree’s that were dead and in need of cutting.  Ask some of your friends and family if they have any dead trees they need to get rid of in their backyard, you may be surprised at how much wood you can get for little work and for free.  Even if you have to buy wood, it will still cost less money than buying oil or gas all winter.

When building a fire in a fireplace or in an outside fire pit you will need to start the fire with something.  Some of the best fire starters are free.  You can use lint from your dryer, pine cones, shingles, newspaper, junk mail and more.  You can buy fire starter blocks from the local supermarket or garden store, but they really are not as good as a free fire starter and they certainly cost more money.

If you plan on having some fires this winter, make some hot cocoa, curl up in a nice warm blanket and watch some TV or read a nice book.  Doing this is one of the best things you can do this winter, you will be so comfy and relaxed.

Here are some neat ideas for starting your fires this winter: ( FYI: Lint is very flammable.)

Walk around your yard and collect pine cones to use as fire starters this fall.  Send the kids out to collect the pine cones too.

Wrap your pine cones with lint or dip them in recycled candle wax and then use as fire starter.

Place lint in the center of a toilet paper roll and use as fire starter.

Place pine cones into an egg carton to use as fire starter.

Use leftover shingles, or old shingles as fire starter.

Use very dry bark as a fire starter.

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We have all been told that we should be using compact fluorescent light bulbs in our homes in place of the usual incandescent light bulbs we are all used to.  While it is true that a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) is better for the environment than an incandescent light bulb, disposal of a broken bulb is very different.

A CFL has a small amount of Mercury in the bulb and when a light bulb breaks the mercury spills out. It is very important to cleanup a broken CFL properly.  Mercury is a heavy metal of which some forms are known to be highly toxic.

After I found out the correct way to clean up a broken CFL I told my friends and family.  My sister in law told me that she had many CFLs break and she just vacuumed them like a regular light bulb.  I looked on a CFL package for cleanup instructions and there are none, therefor most people do not even know how to properly clean up a broken bulb.

I have read and I highly recommend that if you plan on using CFLs in your home that you only use them in lights and lamps that are out of the reach of small children as they can be knocked over very easily and cause a light bulb to break.  This actually happened to me a couple of weeks ago.  My 1 year old daughter knocked over a lamp and the bulb fell onto the wall and burst onto the wall and carpeting.  Luckily we knew the proper procedure for cleanup and followed the steps below.

What to do if you break a CFL:

1.Turn off any fans and central air and open windows

2. Leave the room for at least 15 minutes

3. Clean up the light bulb area as follows:

Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces

• Carefully scoop up glass pieces and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
• Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug

• Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
• Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.

4. Dispose of the broken CFL in your trash can outdoors.  Wash hands with soap and water.

Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding and Other Soft Materials

• If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.
• You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
• If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.

All of the information above is from the EPA website.  All of the above should be followed in order to safely clean up a broken CFL.  For more info from the EPA visit their website.

Different Kinds of CFLs

Standard, Straight and Spiral more info

Helpful Links

Energy Stay CFL information

Snopes Faqs

Planet Green

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