5 tips for saving water in the shower

You could literally save hundreds of gallons of water per month if you made a few, minor tweaks to your shower routine. Here are five shower-related tips to help you conserve water and cut down your bills:

1.   buy a low-flow showerhead.

Many modern showerheads feature efficient, high-pressure systems that offer the same amount of pressure as standard showerheads – without the hefty bill.

 

2.   play your favorite song.

Playing a song while in the shower pumps you up for the day and helps you understand how much time you spend in there. Try to be in and out before the song is over.

PS: Stay tuned for our favorite songs to sing in the shower!

 

3.   catch that cold water!

As you wait for your shower to warm up, put a bucket in your shower to save that water for your plants, etc.

 

4.   get an inflatable shower curtain that eats you alive if you take too long.

This does indeed exist, but please don’t actually try this.

 

5.   check out the (disclaimer!) new line of shower tools by simplehuman.

Hitting shelves near you later this month!

Photo credit: SXC

this month’s forecast: showers

Here at simplehuman, we’re quite passionate about the shower. It’s the one place in your house where you can wake up, chill out, and belt out your favorite tunes (“Rubber Ducky," anyone?).

To properly celebrate this wondrous part of your home, we’re dedicating the month of July to the shower. We’d like to share the latest trends in shower design, what’s new for the shower from simplehuman, and cool shower-related stuff we like.

So get out your shower caps and your microphone – err I mean, loofah – and enjoy some squeaky-clean shower goodness with us! 

Photo credit: SXC

the ten commandments of barbecuing

For all of you barbecue masters or masters in training, we happened upon a radio segment that unveils the 10 Commandments for Grilling  according to the master behind The Barbecue Bible.

Here they are, all 10, from Steven Raichlen as told to KCRW's Good Food:

1. Be organized.

2. Gauge your fuel.

3. Preheat the grill to the right temperature, namely 500 degrees F.

4. Keep it clean; use a metal spatula and brush after pre-heating and after cooking.

5. Keep it lubricated with oil.

6. Turn, don't stab (i.e. use a spatula or tongs, not a fork or skewer).

7. Know when to baste.

8. Keep it covered if you're cooking a large cut of meat. And don't peek.

9. Give it a rest on a the (clean) cutting board for a few minutes after cooking.

10. Never desert your post.

For the full story, read the commandments or listen to the interveiw with Raichlen here.

Photo credit: The Book Company

summertime rx

Yesterday was the official first day of summer and leave it to Real Simple to put together the perfect guide of how to deal with summertime foibles and emergencies. Yes, this time of year hopefully means a whole lot of fun in the sun, but it can also come with a few mishaps tailored to the season.

This handy guide's got how to deal with it all:

how to treat a sting (we've covered bee stings here at simplehuman before as well),

a barbecue burn,

a gash from hedge shears (ouch!),

a puncture wound (a la from a rusty nail on that cabin floor),

heat exhaustion,

and food poisoning. (Here's our post on how long foods stay fresh in the fridge and don't forget that the general rule of thumb for food left out at a picnic or soiree is no longer than two hours--but if it's hot and you're at the beach, cut that in half. Here's more on party food safety from the Mayo Clinic.)

Now, may none of these happen to you. But if one does, it least you'll know what to do.

Photo credit: flammetta53

gifts to make dad's life easier

With Father's Day around the corner, how about a gift that will make his life easier? We've come up with a few ideas for just that, but please leave a comment to tell us what simple tool would complete the list.

*A car gps so he always knows where he is and where he's going.

*Some useful gear from a great company like Patagonia for his summer adventures. We really like the Sunshade shirt, hiking socks, and the tech belt, which can be used as a hitch or a bottle opener.

*The Solio universal charger will charge up all manner of gadgets as long as the sun's out.

*A knife and tool sharpener.

*And for fun, the Kettle Chips Create a Chip Kit to help him concoct his most perfect flavored chip.

Photo credit: Patagonia

yard sale treasure map

Yard sale season is here and everybody's getting in on hunting for treasures this year. I love the homemade signpost signs in my neighborhood, but if you don't happen to catch every one, you can use the Yard Sale Treasure Map and find a lot more gems than you might just walking around the block.

This brilliant little site takes advantage of Google maps and Craigslist to bring you all the yard sales in your zip code. Then, it helps you plan your trip as you take to the road, stopping at all the yards that tickle your fancy.

Photo credit: re-nest

text expander for macs

I heard about TextExpander from a techie friend about a year ago. After finally checking it out, I now see what all the fuss was about.

In a nutshell, the program helps you work and type more efficiently by replacing your keystrokes with customized abbreviations. What does that mean? It's full of personalized shortcuts (called snippets) so that you can more easily insert a customized e-mail signature, auto-correct your most common typos (I can never spell broccoli correctly--except just then), add your basic information to forms, insert frequently used html code without copying and pasting a whole bunch of stuff, and the list goes on.

Get the full scoop on TextExpander to see if it's a good fit for you.

Photo credit: alcomm

keeping your electronics squeaky clean

If you've ever noticed that your formerly white keyboard has become a musty shade of beige (plus the left Shift key no longer works), or your DVD player's buttons aren't quite as responsive as they used to be, then you know that home electronics can suffer from neglect. Cleaning them isn't just great for personal pride — it helps them function better and last longer.

With the sun up longer and those long shadows in the morning and evening highlighting every speck of dust, it's easier to get inspired to keep your valuable electronics in tip-top shape. The folks at Apartment Therapy's Unplggd have a nice round-up of tips for cleaning your HDTV, keyboard, computer monitor and more. Which means you have no more excuses for that sTIcky SHifT key.

uncluttering cables and cords

There's nothing worse than a mass of cables and cords under or on your desk or worse, in your living room. I find tangled wires totally not conducive to calm.  Wired has two ingenious products to clear up that clutter. And they're both only 10 bucks (and are cute and colorful as candy).

The Dotz Cord Straps allow you to tie up bundles of cords and label them with letters or numbers or a secret code of your own device.

Second, and my favorite, are the Dotz Identifier Entertainment circles that attach to each separate cord so you can have each color-coded and tagged with a visual symbol of what that particular length leads to (pictures of gadgets from woofers to digital cameras come with the pack).

Consider your cord clutter cleared. 

Photo credit: Wired

polite in public photo booths

At an event last month I was introduced to Polite in Public via one of its spunky, funky photo booths. Essentially, this company will come to your event with photo booth in tow. Then, guests can get their photos taken for free in front of a custom background specially created for your event and can use any of the themed props and costume pieces from its treasure box.

What makes Polite in Public booths especially fun and creative (aside from said background and accoutrements)? It's not actually a booth as much as a photo session set--up so other guests can see you posing. Plus, as soon as the photo is snapped you get a hard copy of it. The next day you can get the digital version from the site to share with other party-goers or those who weren't present.

If you're the party thrower and are part of a company or organization, your logo appears on the photo--a marketing plus when it gets passed around.

See some sample event photos. And get your questions answered.

Seems a simple way to spice up your event and please your attendees--perhaps the perfect indulgence for graduation parties...

Photo credit: polite in public