After months of planning, house hunting, and endless emails to your very patient realtor, you’ve finally found the house of your dreams — but the driveway is showing every crack and oil spill from the previous owners, and maybe even the owners before them. Your home’s exterior is the first thing your family, friends, (and
Search Results for: eco-home/natural-cleaning-natural-cleaning-products-natural-cleaners/green-brands/seventh-generation
13 Creative DIY Screen Door Ideas and Important Details to Consider
Installing a screen door allows a delightful cross breeze through the whole house without the worry of insects invading your living space. Screen doors keep bugs, birds, bats, and airborne debris from entering the home while allowing for light, air, and outdoor views. However, screen doors only perform that function if the screen is undamaged,
81 Awesome Documentaries for Homesteaders
From honey bees to tiny houses to TEDTalks on Capitalism and Humanity’s Future, we’ve assembled a complete list of documentaries and shows on Netflix & Hulu that would interest our fellow homesteaders. Leave a comment below and let us know which ones are your favorite, and which programs we missed! Topics Food & Agriculture Documentaries
How To Dye Fabric Naturally
If you are a homesteader or just a do-it-yourselfer you are going to love this. Natural dyes! I once dyed my curtains using turmeric. They turned out a beautiful golden yellow that complimented the room beautifully. Natural dyes, dyes, or ants, as they are called, are derived from plants, invertebrates or minerals. Most natural dyes
Glass Bottle Walls
glass bottle buildings, glass bottle building inspiration
Kitchen Of The Future
“Energy-saving light bulbs will only take us so far. We need to push ourselves to rethink domestic appliances entirely, to rethink how homes consume energy, and how entire communities can pool resourcesโ says Clive van Heerden, Senior Director of Design-led Innovation at Philips Design. Philips believes the solution is likely to come from biological processes,
The Best Amazon Prime Day Deals For Homesteaders
Amazon’s massive Prime Day promotion started Monday, July 15th at 12 am PT. They’ll be announcing deals throughout the day. This year’s Prime Day will last for 48 hours. Each deal will be one of four types: Prime Day Deals: Deep discounts on top products that last until Amazon runs out of stock (in some cases,
Portable Solar Power Systems
Did you know that the amount of energy produced by all of the world’s nations is still less than the amount of energy provided to Earth by the sun in a single hour? The sun is, without a doubt, the biggest power plant on the planet, and for that reason, everyone who leads a self-sufficient
High Fat, High Protein Vegan Snacks
High fat is a term that often scares people away, I know. We’ve been told for decades that fat is bad for us, and because of ad campaigns and flawed science, there is a fundamental misunderstanding that leads us to believe fatty foods means fat on the body โ but this is just not true.
Homestead Stories: Growing Vegetables Indoors
The growing season is too short and I long for fresh vegetables year-round. Whilst most supermarkets have fresh produce (at a price depending on where it came from), thereโs nothing quite like growing oneโs own food, indoors or out, and enjoying the benefits of the harvest. I have had considerable success growing lettuce and herbs
13 Beneficial Chicken-Friendly Plants To Grow Next To Coops
If you’ve had chickens for long, you probably have noticed that they eat all day long. They peck and scratch at the soil and eat every last bit of our kitchen scraps and leftovers. Letting your chickens free-range, or giving them access to plenty of natural vegetation and/or rotating their grazing parameters, is the key
Canning
For several years after I started cooking and farming, I avoided canning. It intimidated me. I was afraid of making someone sick. I was overwhelmed by recipes. I didnโt have any of the special equipment or know-how. Canning seemed complicated, technical, and elite. Best to leave it to the experts, I figured. I couldnโt have been
10 Amazing School Bus Conversions
Converting a school bus into a permanent residence is a bit like a coming-of-age story. You take a school bus, probably one very similar to the one you rode in elementary school, gut it entirely, and build a tiny home out of it. To me, the whole school bus conversion process feels very charming, sustainable,
Introduction To Integrated Pest Management
There’s one major challenge that applies to all levels of agriculture, from starting a garden to running an orchard, and everything that falls between. It’s a shared challenge that growers face regardless of location, climate, or economic resources. It’s pests – whether it’s weeds, ants, beetles, caterpillars, goats, sheep, cats, or even other humans (the last
Can I Compost Egg Cartons?
We discuss how to compost egg cartons, the optimal conditions, and other composting alternatives to sustainably handle egg carton wastes. If you’ve been wondering whether you can compost your egg cartons, this richly detailed guide provides the answers.
13 DIY Candle Ideas
Candles bring warmth to any space. DIY candles are a fantastic way to customize ambient sight and scent and save money while doing it. They are a fantastic gift and there are a lot of options when it comes to the materials and style of candle you make. We are going to go over the
Growing Tomatoes
Delicious, versatile, juicy, nothing says summer to me like fresh tomatoes still warm from the sun. As the song goes, “thereโs two things money canโt buy: thatโs true love and homegrown tomatoes.” One of the home gardenerโs favorite staples is the tomato, but it can be a finicky plant, especially in cooler climates. Iโve grown
How to Ferment Safely: Sanitize Those Jars!
Well-sanitized jars are so important for safe fermentation. Here’s how to ferment safely with properly sanitized jars.
10 Steps To Attract Birds In The Winter
Do you want to attract birds in the winter to your homestead landscape? Do you enjoy their sweet sounds and would like to have more feathered friends come to visit? Birds make the garden magically come alive with beauty, color, music, and motion. Read on to learn more about foods that will attract specific birds
12 Garden Tools to Start Spring Right
Can you feel it? That shift in the wind? The faint whiff of waking soil resounding with the chorus of sprightly spring peepers in the forest? Winterโs losing its grip, and for those of us with gardens and itchy green thumbs, the final thaw canโt come soon enough. Itโs time to bust out the tools
How to Incorporate a Wildlife Habitat on Your Homestead
Many homesteaders are lovers of the beautiful, nonhuman, natural world and want to see this world thrive on their land. They put bird and squirrel feeders, birdbaths, and perhaps, salt licks on their property to encourage birds, squirrels, and deer (among others) to feel welcome. These are great ways to attract wildlife to your homestead.
Blast From the Past? Las Vegas Home Features Epic Bomb Shelter! (w/ video)
Remember “Blast from the Past“, that late-90s cold-war parody/rom-com that starred Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone and told the story of a family that built a lavish underground bomb shelter beneath their LA home to ride out the apocalypse in? It was pretty terrible, but the weird thing about that movie is that it could
Tiny House Living
As more people downsize and choose to โlive smallโ, you have to ask: Why are tiny houses so popular? People are joining the tiny house movement for many reasons. The increase in environmental concerns, financial constraints, and the overall burden of having so much โstuffโ are just a few reasons people downsize their homes. Why
15 Creative DIY Garage Plans And Ideas
Your garage can be one of the unique spaces in your home. Most commonly, a garage provides you a secure place to park your vehicle and acts as a catch-all for tools and yard equipment, but there is a wide range of possibilities to improve your garage and maximize use of this space. Why Build
Types of Tomatoes
Don’t get lost in the vast world of tomatoes with this comprehensive guide! Discover which varieties are suitable for canning, salads, or sauces. Learn about unique varieties and more to expand your tomato knowledge for home garden or kitchen.
Tire Art
Over 1 billion tires are manufactured annually, made of synthetic rubber, natural rubber, carbon black, polyester fabric, and steel wire. Tires stay in the environment a long time. Green-thinking artists are doing something with them. The Best Tire Art Tire Frame by Chakaia Booker Pic: newcambridgeobserver.com chakaiabooker.com Male Torso that left his path by Chakaia
How to Reduce Food Waste
Like many other college students (back in the day), I was a summer camp counselor. Though I loved the job, there was one specific task I absolutely hated. It wasnโt the cheesy skits, it wasnโt dealing with sleepwalking campers, and it wasnโt screaming those stupid camp songs for the 10 thousandth time. It was cleaning
Whole Tree Architecture
Whole Tree Architecture
Tiny Houses For Sale
Ready to live in a tiny house as soon as possible? You can buy a tiny home the same way you would buy any other home, already built and ready to move into. Many mobile tiny houses even qualify for RV financing if you donโt want to pay for it all at once. Tumbleweed RV
Tiny House Bathrooms
The most compact part of a tiny house, square footage to function, is the bathroom. So much utility is squeezed out of this small area, itโs vital to make every unit of space as efficient as possible. This guide will help maximize your bathroom design for your tiny house, as well as offer some money-saving
Outdoor Furniture Cushions
Our outdoor furniture takes a beatingโsun, rain, wind, and more. Before long, the cushions on our favorite chairs and lounges start to look older than they really are. If youโve tried cleaning them, and they still arenโt as inviting as youโd like them to be, it may be time to replace them. Related Post: Outdoor
24 Truly Unique Bird Baths (Starting At Less Than $25!)
Enjoying the beauty and birdsong of avian visitors can be a delightful and relaxing way to spend time in your backyard. Thereโs something special about slowing time down to watch birds look for food or call to one another. Many bird enthusiasts look for ways to attract more feathered friends to their outdoor spaces, and
Marking The Way Naturally – Rustic Garden Edging
It really began with the secret garden. No, Iโm not referring to Frances Hodgson Burnettโs novel by that name, though it is a favorite, and Iโve always wanted my own secret garden. Perhaps now I do. My secret garden really was a secret. At least initially. And hence its name which it holds to this
A Beginnerโs Guide To Restoring Cast Iron
Letโs say youโre walking down the aisle of an antique store, mildly browsing the booths, hunting for treasure. All of a sudden, there! You see it. A cast iron skillet. Sure, there are rust spots, and it looks like it hasnโt seen service for a few decades, but youโre smart enough to know this thing
10 Ways to Upcycle Old Clothes
We can upcycle just about any type of clothing as long as weโve got a vision, a bit of imagination, and some crafting skills. Clothing is one of the simplest things to upcycle. Old jeans can be transformed into shorts, household items, and tote bags. T-shirts can be made into reusable produce bags, hanging planters,
The Hosta Plant
โOh my! That hosta is huge!โ I was standing in my front drive, surveying what I called the circle garden. It was encased in a rock wall that outlined a circle around a gracious, old willow tree. And the hosta was huge. Not just the expanse of the plant itself, but the leaves rivaled those
Tiny House Plans
When looking for blueprints and designs for building your tiny house, the search can be arduous and overwhelming. With all the options on the internet and in books it can be hard to know which ones are worth using. Look for tiny house plans that come with detailed instructions explaining how to construct the house,
5 Things To Consider Before Buying A Used Tiny House
Buying a house, tiny or large, is a complicated affair. Most of us arenโt builders or work in construction, so itโs a challenge to make sure we are buying a quality house when we’re searching for our future home. This is especially the case when it comes to buying a used tiny house because there
35 Awesome Pallet Projects
Whether it’s because they’re an affordable option or they provide a rustic feel, pallets have become increasingly popular as a source of material for DIY projects. They can be adapted in the most simple or complicated ways, making them a great option for DIY newbies and veterans alike. With pallet chairs to pallet wall art
7 Indoor Trees To Add Some Greenery To Your Home
When one thinks of trees, visions of vast swaths of forested mountains, steamy jungles, or frosty taigas may come to mind. But not every tree needs a scenic backdrop to flourishโsome can be content to live in your home with you. And you have to admit, few things can enliven a bitty apartment or a
Homestead Fire Prevention
Many people fail to realize that they face serious wildfire danger. However, if you live in the rural prairies, foothills, or mountainous regions of North America, you are at risk. Fire is frightening, unpredictable, and life-threatening. Weakness in your homesteadโs fire protection scheme can create opportunities for a fire to take control, often because of
Traditional Lawns: Their Environmental Harm & Practical Replacements
Lawns, as we know them, have held their landscaping tyranny over our yards for far too long. Backed by out-of-touch homeowners associations (HOAs), zoning requirements, cultural expectations, and longstanding history of conformity, lawns have kept too many of us out spraying, mowing, reseeding, and weeding for no good reason. Itโs time for a change. Watch
Raising Muscovy Ducks And Why You Probably Want Them
With their clawed feet, bizarre-looking caruncles, mohawk-like crest, and lack of quack, Muscovy ducks donโt quite fit the โbillโ (if you pardon the pun) for what you might consider a โnormal” duck. But on our homestead, these are the only ducks we want to keep because they have won our hearts with both their utility
๐งฑ Natural Building
Modern day building utilizes man-made materials that can be harmful to the environment. Even natural materials, like wood, utilize fossil fuels in order to be milled into the final product. Everything from steel to plastic is used in modern building, and the resources needed to create those materials are not renewable. Alternatively, traditional building methods
Natural Anti-Fungal
A few weeks ago we noticed a rash on my little nephewโs foot. One look at his foot and I knew it was ringworm. Ringworm can be recognized by the round, worm-shaped rash. The area is usually red and the worm-like fungi are somewhat raised and bumpy. Sometimes it can be dry and scaly. I
30 Kitchen Shelves To Declutter Your Space
Your kitchen serves many purposes. It’s the place where you make your morning cup of coffee and pack the kids’ lunches. It’s also where you cook your famous macaroni, and above all, spend time with the ones that you love. There’s a reason that the party always ends up moving to the kitchen. There’s something
Coke – Not Pepsi – Removes Carcinogenic Caramel Coloring
According to CEH, last year both Coke and Pepsi agreed to remove 4-MEI, a known carcinogen, from its caramel coloring, but only Coke has fully followed through.
About The Insteading Marketplace
We built the Insteading Marketplace to curate products from across the web that our readers will love. We manually select every product on the site from vendors on Amazon, Etsy, and other top tier online retailers. We specifically look for products that meet the following criteria: High quality non-disposable products:ย We advocate for paying more for
Environmental Impact of Eating Meat
New United Nation Food and Agriculture report tells us again that eating meat has perhaps the largest negative environmental impact of any human action. And more than half of the world’s crops are fed to animals. I’ve written on the relationship between eating meat (or being vegetarian) and the environment extensively before. However, there is
Insteading Giveaway – December 2019
Regardless of whether you had a large harvest of food from the garden this year, or simply found a lot of cucumbers on sale at the grocery store, preserving food is an excellent way to provide yourself with a little more self-sufficiency in the winter months. While canning and dehydrating are common methods of food