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Decorating Tip: Clear out the paper
The key to clearing paper clutter and maintaining an organized home is to deal with the paper you receive right away, no matter what it is. It's easy to walk in the house, throw the mail on the kitchen counter. Without a proper filing system, important notices can easily get lost. Tip: An excellent way to decrease the amount of paper in your home is to sign up for online bill-pay and email statements.
-- HGTV/ Scripps Howard News Service
Home-Selling Tip: Repair hidden problems
Part of preparing your home for the market is taking care of any hidden problems that go beyond cosmetics. Hire an inspector to look for outdated electrical systems, deteriorating roofs, water leaks and other small problems. Investing in these fixes now will ensure you reap top dollar when you get to negotiations.
-- FrontDoor.com
New Product: HTC noise-reducing smartphone
Sprint unveiled its new HD Voice technology for its upcoming smartphone, the HTC Evo 4G LTE, which is due out sometime in the second quarter. The company says the new technology reduces background noise and increase voice quality. The product will cost around $200 with a two-year contract.
-- Consumer Reports Electronics Blog
Did You Know …
Investment-home sales surged an extraordinary 64.5 percent to 1.23 million last year from 749,000 in 2010. – National Association of Realtors
Going Green: Steel-making grows effficiency
The American Iron and Steel Institute wants people to know how green steel can be. After all, we use in in everything from cars to buildings to machinery. To start, the energy intensity needed to produce 1 ton of steel has dropped by 27 percent since 1990, according to AISI, and they say steel is the most recycled material. AISI also says you don't have to separated steel before recycling it, as in plastics, and it can easily be separated from garbage with a magnet.
-- Earth911.com
Garden Guide: Starting seedlings indoors
There are many advantages to starting your seeds indoors in addition to allowing anxious gardeners to "get their fingers dirty." In theory, plants started indoors will be bigger and produce faster than seeds planted directly into the garden. Many of us wait until the cell packs of tomatoes and peppers are available at the retailer. But starting your own seed allows you to raise the varieties you want and not rely on what the retailers have available.
-- University of Illinois Extension
