Knowledge Weighs Nothing

How To Prepare For Life In A Peak Oil World

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I hear so many people saying they are prepping for this and prepping for that, but so far, no one has ever told me they are preparing for peak oil.

Peak oil is when global oil supplies reach a peak. Once oil supplies reach this peak, oil supplies will decrease and never rise again. Demand for oil will be higher than ability to supply it as oil supplies diminish. With so many developing nations catching up to the western world, the demand for oil world wide is increasing.  Sure, some nations have their own oil supplies but this is a global crisis, not a national one.  If  you think that because the US has enough oil now due to hydraulic fracturing or fracking etc, think again! Once China, India and other countries buy up and use all the oil in the Middle East etc, things are going to get difficult for all of us.

To read more about peak oil and preparing for life in a peak oil world, check out the post below.

How To Prepare For Life In A Peak Oil World

(Photo from:  Wikipedia)

How To Remove Cat Urine (AND The Smell!) From Carpets

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Cat urine in the carpet can be a nightmare! If you don’t have cats you won’t know what all the fuss is about, but if you do have cats, you know exactly what I am talking about… It is so, so difficult to clean up and get rid of odor of cat urine, especially when it is on the carpet or sprayed on soft furnishings.

I know people who have ended up replacing their carpets to get rid of the cat urine odor, but I am here today to tell you – you don’t need to take such drastic measures. Just get hold of the ingredients below and follow the simple steps and you’ll be free from the smell of cat urine in no time.

Items Required To Clean Cat Urine

  • Baking Soda
  • White Vinegar
  • Dishwashing Detergent
  • Hydrogen Peroxide 3 %
  • Paper towel or an old towel
  • A soft brush/latex gloves

Instructions For Cleaning Cat Urine

  • If the cat urine is fresh and wet, firstly use the paper towel to mop up and absorb as much of the urine as possible. Get as much of the urine out as you can. Obviously skip this step if the area is already dry.
  • Mix a solution of 50% water, 50% white vinegar. You want enough of this solution to cover the urine so it can soak through. Pour this solution over the affected carpet, making sure to cover/soak the whole area affected by the urine. Leave the solution to soak in for a few minutes and then mop and absorb as much of the solution as possible.  Again, you want to get as much out as possible.
  • Now get a generous handful of baking soda and sprinkle it over the affected area.
  • Mix a third of a cup of hydrogen peroxide with two teaspoons of dish soap and then pour it over the baking soda on the carpet.
  • Use the brush, or your fingers (put the gloves on!) to work this mixture into the carpet.  Really work this mixture into the carpet.
  • Now just leave to dry.  You can use a fan/heater to speed up the drying process if necessary.
  • Once completely dry, vacuum up all the remaining dry baking soda, and that’s it, you are done!
(Photo from:  recubejim)

15 Secrets to Dutch Oven Cooking

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There is something special about Dutch ovens, I can’t put my finger one what it is but there is just something very satisfying about cooking in a large, heavy cast iron pot with a lid, especially when that cooking is done outdoors on a campfire or over hot coals. Many people think Dutch ovens cost $100, this doesn’t have to be the case, the Lodge Pro Logic Cast Iron Dutch Oven costs $63 on Amazon and it is a nice Dutch oven that will likely outlast you…

For something so basic, there are some tips and techniques to learn, to get the most out of your Dutch oven and this is especially the case if you are cooking outdoors with your Dutch Oven… Below is a great post by ‘Design Mom’, which lists 15 secrets to Dutch oven cooking.  It’s a great read for newbies and seasoned Dutch oven cooks.

15 Secrets to Dutch Oven Cooking

(Photo from: Design With Mom)

Awesome Auto-Filling Water Bowl For Dogs & Cats

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We actually purchased an auto-filling bowl for our cat, which was very similar to this. Funny, it never occurred to me just how easy it would be to make one myself.

Anyway if there is anyone else out there who wants to make sure the water bowl stays topped up during the hot weather etc, save yourself $30 a make one of these dog/cat water bowls yourself.  To my mind the one in the photo looks more suitable for a cat, but that’s the beauty of DIY – you can make things to your own specification.

Awesome Auto-Filling Water Bowl For Dogs & Cats

(Photo from: JimTiffinJr via Instructables)

List Of 150 Herbs, Together With Their Uses & Benefits

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You’re either a person who embraces the use of plants and herbs, or you a person who would rather purchase the chemical/pharmaceutical alternative. Either way there is no disputing that certain herbs have very clear and proven medicinal uses and other wide ranging properties.

For example, St John’s Wort is a herb/plant, but it is also one of the most common prescription anti-depressants in many countries, with trials showing it can be as effective as low dose pharmaceutical alternatives, for treating mild to moderate depression. Cacao has many medicinal benefits, with its most popular benefit being that it can dramatically lower high blood pressure when consumed daily, which is an excellent reason to have a daily cup of high cacao chocolate (at least 80% cocoa)… There are 150+ herbs listed below, have a look and find out about the uses of benefits of each.

List Of 150 Herbs, Together With Their Uses & Benefits

 

(Photo from:  Herbs Info)

Awesome Campfire Swings (Includes Build Photos & Materials List)

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Firstly, before we get onto anything to do with building the campfire swing set-up, I have to say, this is beautiful and awesome in equal measures. It must be great, sitting out there together with friends, with the fire roaring and a cold beer in the hand.

Now I have finished drooling, let’s get on to building… Whilst this set-up looks amazing, it is actually surprisingly simple and straightforward to build and it should last for years. There isn’t a full build tutorial, but there are build photos and materials list, so it shouldn’t be too hard to fill in the blanks.

Awesome Campfire Swings (Includes Build Photos & Materials List)

(Photo from: Chenango Dave)

Top 16 Natural Ways To Get Rid Of Ants

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I think it is fairly safe to say that if you have a problem with ants, this post has you covered, especially if you want to get rid of the ants naturally and avoid having to use nasty insecticides, which can be dangerous to use if you have kids or pets…

This post includes tips and advice on preventing and deterring ants in the first place, and there’s advice on getting rid of ants if it is already too late.

Top 16 Natural Ways To Get Rid Of Ants

(Photo from: Wikipedia)

Reuse Dead Car Batteries & Laptop Batteries For Other Purposes

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Here’s the thing – just because a battery can no longer power a high drain device, it doesn’t mean the battery is good for nothing. Car batteries for example have to provide 100s of amps to get that huge engine started. An old/dead car battery might not have the power left to start a high drain engine, but it will likely still be capable of  providing a couple of 100 watts of power, which can be used to power things around the home.

Additionally you can use old/dead car batteries with solar panels to provide back-up emergency power on a budget.

As well as reusing car batteries, you can also reuse old sealed lead batteries such as those found in laptops. These might not be able to power the laptop any more, but they can still provide more than enough power to run smaller devices.  If you still have the old laptop, you can use it to charge the battery!

Reuse Dead Car Batteries & Laptop Batteries

(Photo from: luxstar via Instructables)

Make An Automatic Plant Watering System With A Plastic Bag Some Thread

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I think the title pretty much sums this one up… If you either go away a lot, or you simply forget to water your plants, below is a simple tutorial showing how to make a very effective automatic plant watering system, using just a resealable plastic bag and some cotton thread.

This is such a simple thing to do and for most houseplants it works really well. The string acts as a wick and as the soil dries out, the wick pulls more water from the plastic bag.  Seriously, check out the tutorial, it couldn’t be easier.

Make An Automatic Plant Watering System With A Plastic Bag Some Thread

(Photo from: jjdebenedictis)

28 Alternative Uses For Toothpaste

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I think it is probably fair to say that everyone reading this has some toothpaste in the bathroom (unless you have just run out!). I think it is also fair to say that you only use toothpaste for brushing your teeth. The thing is, toothpaste isn’t just great for oral hygiene, clean teeth and fresh breathe. Toothpaste also has many other household, medical and DIY uses…

Toothpaste works well as a treatment for minor burns and insect stings, it can be used to repair scratched CDs/DVDs, it removes stains and it’s great for cleaning vehicle headlights. Apparently many toothpastes contain  diatomaceous earth as the abrasive ingredient. This should also mean that toothpaste can be utilized in some way to control insects.

28 Alternative Uses For Toothpaste

(Photo from:  neilsonspencer)