eHow.com Video: Separating The Area In A Studio Apartment By Using A Curtain

Anjie Cho March 5, 2014

This is for you urbanites living in studio apartments. I know how it is!! I lived in one for many years. Learn how to separate your space with a curtain

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Video transcript:

Hello, I'm Anjie Cho, and today I will share with you some tips to separate an area in a studio apartment by using a curtain.

The most challenging aspect of living in a studio apartment is separating your public active space such as your living, dining, kitchen and work areas from your private passive sleeping area. It's very important to visually and physically separate your sleep and public areas when designing the layout of your studio apartment.

One way you can achieve this is with curtains. In this example I've used a ceiling mounted curtain track. There are also curtain wires that will work but in my experience, depending on how long the span is, the wire will begin to droop with the weight of the curtain and this doesn't look good. The ceiling mounted curtain tracks and rails are rigid and end up looking the cleanest. Regular curtain rods will also work well if you can mount the supports on the ceiling.

Make sure you get the correct types of screws and anchors for the ceiling you have. I have concrete slab ceilings here so I used a hammering drill and concrete anchors. Be sure to measure out the space you have so the holes are located correctly. In this application I used a semi opaque fabric so there is visual for that privacy but you still see some light pass through. If sound is an issue, it might be better to use a heavier fabric. The other advantage of drapes is flexibility. When you need more space you can open it up like this because after all a studio is a small living space.

I'm Anjie Cho, and this is how to separate areas in a studio apartment by using a curtain.

by Anjie Cho

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eHow.com Video: How to Make Home Products More Sustainable

Anjie Cho February 26, 2014

This video gives some easy Do It Yourself solutions to keep your home cleaning products eco-friendly, non-toxic and sustainable. Please share with us some of your favorite non-toxic cleaning recipes!

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Video Transcript:

Hi, I'm Anjie Cho, and I would like to share with you some tips on how to make home products more sustainable. I will be specifically talking about home cleaning products, an easy place to start to make the green shift in your home. I will also create a do-it-yourself recipe for an effective, non-toxic all purpose cleaning solution.

Unfortunately many of the conventional cleaning products found in stores are made up of toxic chemicals. Not only do we breathe in the toxins but they get absorbed directly into our bloodstream through our skin. One of the easiest ways to make your home products more sustainable is to make some simple substitutions.

Instead of paper towels use reusable towels, microfiber towels are excellent and don't leave any lint. They are great for windows. Baking soda is another great one. It can deodorize, neutralize acids, it has an abrasive scrubbing action so it can shine and polish. It's very good for cutting the grease on stoves or on pots and pans, especially when using in conjunction with steel wool. Steel wool and baking soda together are great so you can toss the chemical abrasive powder. White vinegar can dissolve mineral deposits, grease and remove traces of soap, mildew or wax buildup. It also polishes metals and deodorizes. It can be used for glass, stone, mirror, etc. I encourage you to substitute sustainable solutions in your home.

So I'll leave you with my favorite recipes for an all-purpose cleaner. You need white vinegar, water and your favorite essential oil. Eucalyptus or tea tree oil are both very good because they are naturally antibacterial and antimicrobial or for a bright clean scent try orange or lemon essential oils. Citrus oils are very brightening and they smell so good, very clean. You take one part vinegar to three parts water, put in the essential oil and mix them in an empty spray bottle. Shake it up and you are ready to go. This all purpose solution is great for wiping down counters, windows, glass, bathroom surfaces, floors, etc.

I am Anjie Cho, green interior architect with Anjie Cho Architect and founder of Holistic Spaces and this has been how to make home products more sustainable.

by Anjie Cho

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eHow.com Video: Five Best Ways To Preserve Water In A Home

Anjie Cho February 19, 2014

Water is one of Earth's natural resources --- and we need to conserve it! What are some ways you save water in your home??

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Video Transcript:

Hello, my name is Anjie Cho. And I'm sharing with you five ways to preserve water in a home. These are simple tips that you can easily and inexpensively implement, so you could start saving water, saving money and saving the earth.

Number one, fix leaks. Dripping sounds are very annoying, but besides that they waste water. The EPA reports that fixing easily corrected household water leaks can save homeowners more than 10 percent on their water bills. Common and easily correctable types of leaks found in the home include, dripping faucets or valves, as well as leaking toilet flappers. Toilet flappers are found inside the tank of the toilet and keep water from being released into the bowl until you flush. For leaky faucets, get one of these, a wrench and tighten it. To check for a leaky toilet, you can add some food coloring to a toilet tank to see if there's a leak in the flapper. If the color shows up within a 15 minutes, it's time to replace that toilet flapper.

The second way to preserve water in a home, is to add a low flow aerator to your bathroom faucet. This is a one point five GPM faucet aerator. An aerator restricts the amount of water that goes through the faucet. And also mixes tiny bubbles of air. Hence the word, aerate, so you don't notice the difference in water pressure. This just screws on the mouth of the faucet. GPM stands for Gallons Per Minute. Most faucets are three GPM. Newer faucets are sometimes better, like two point two GPM. You can check on the side of your faucet to see, sometimes it's stamped on the metal. So, if you had a three GPM faucet, you could save half the amount of water by switching out to a one point five GPM aerator.

The third way to preserve water in a home is to turn off the water when brushing your teeth. I know this seems like a no brainer, but not a lot of people do this. So, I've got to say it, turn off the water when you're brushing your teeth, there's no reason to have it on. If you have a three GPM faucet, we just learned that three to six gallons go down the drain in a couple minutes.

Tip number four, to preserve water in a home, is to make your own low-flow toilet. This only works for toilets with a tank in the back. Typically toilets flush up to six gallons per flush. If you're curious, sometimes this information is listed at the base of the toilet behind the seat. Take an old water bottle, fill it with water and place in the tank. Then you've made your own low-flow toilet. The amount of water that is displaced by the water in this water bottle is saved with each flush. Be careful not to add too many water bottles. Because displacing too much water may affect the flushing quality and mechanism. Start with one bottle, test it out and see if you want to add more to save more water.

The fifth and final way to preserve water in a home, and everyone likes this one, is to use a dishwasher. Most dishwashers now actually use less water than washing by hand. The typical ones use approximately 15 gallons per load, the newer ones use less. And I know it takes longer than five minutes to wash a load of dishes. You can save the most water by running full loads only.

I'm Anjie Cho, green architect and interior designer with Anjie Cho Architect and founder of Holistic Spaces. And this has been the five best ways to preserve water in a home. Saving water can be easy.

by Anjie Cho