Ideas within topic home: (click suns to rate or comment on ideas)

1		I can safely paint out of reach places without a ladder. I simply superglued a paint brush to the end of a light weight pole. Works like a charm!	E-mail
2		When you buy food (like nuts or berries) that comes in a ziploc bag, after using up the contents save the empty bag to dispose of food waste for a day or two, resealing it to prevent odor. This really reduces bad smells and bugs.	E-mail
3		Glow-in-the-dark window coverings: could come in cute, colorful designs to act as fun nightlights for kids; apply by heat transfer to blinds or curtains, or add the chemicals during plastic molding. View prototype.	E-mail
4		A separate household garbage bin, colour-coded for collection by the local garbage service, only for organic waste (eg. vegetable waste etc.) and without plastic bags, for conversion into organic manure at a central plant.	E-mail
5		Often, people print on only one side of a piece of paper, and then throw it out. However, a piece of paper can be used again on the other side for draft copies.	E-mail
6		In Japan they take off their shoes and put on special slippers before entering a home. This not only keeps your home cleaner, but it saves on the power required to clean it often.	E-mail
7		Am anxious for someone to invent a sweeper attachment that is long, thin piece of metal to fit in narrow spaces, such as air conditioner vents, etc.	E-mail
8		Transparent roof-top water tanks will allow easier checking of amount & cleanliness of stored water. With Sun-rays on water, much lesser chance of mosquito / insect larva growth in it.	E-mail
9		Ceiling fan blades are dirt catchers. A sleeve that slips over the blades (like a woman's stocking) could be slipped off and cleaned in the washing machine. Different colors would match blades for invisibility.	E-mail
10		Apply a traser or glow-in-dark sticker to flash lights. When the power fails, you can spot and head for the flash light in the dark.	E-mail
11		How many times have you gone into the basement with your hands full, fumbling for the light switch? Rig power outlet or light with a passive infrared (pir) sensor to turn on the light when it detects a person nearby, for security or convenience.	E-mail
12		A lawn mower that has a bottle that you can fill with fertilizer, pesticide, etc. While you mow the lawn, the fertilizer can be spread so that you can feed and mow at the same time!	E-mail
13		Design buildings to use dimensional lumber to reduce the measuring and cutting. So, if plywood and underlayment come in 1x3 m pieces, houses should be 9 m or 12 m long. (I think I should credit Rex Roberts for this advice).
14		Night coat for pets that has glow in the dark strips so they can be readily located at night around the house.	E-mail
15		Miniature Wall Refrigerator for bathroom to store medications, vitamins and other small products requiring storage under 25 degrees C.
16		To reduce your spending, look at an item's price and think how many hours you had to work to buy that item. If you make $10 an hour and are looking at a $60 item, was it worth six hours of your life to have it? If so, get it. But often you find it isn't.	E-mail
17		Sell special worms that make your compost work faster and better. Clean, helpful, and profitable.	E-mail
18		To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stovetop, or add soap and a little water to pan before it cools.	E-mail
19		With people living in dire poverty, there should be a plan implemented for them, to recycle the furniture, electronics, etc., that are routinely discarded as garbage or "junk" every day! Example	E-mail
20		To teach kids tiddiness, make cleaning fun. If my 2-year old opens a drawer and takes out a CD, I'll say, "Oh, a CD. Thank you. Please put it back in the drawer there." Surprisingly, she'll often happily comply, and I'll thank her again.	E-mail
21		On toilets, have two levers or two levers intergrated into one, so that you can choose the amount of water flow down the toilet. If there is a lot or heavy material, then choose high flow, or small flow for small amounts or liquids. This would save water.	E-mail
22		To declare his love to a girl, a boy can start growing a tree and present a flower/fruit/leaf from it when he proposes his love to that girl. This will show his patience/affection towards her.	E-mail
23		Think twice before you buy that newspaper or magazine. A small portion is usually read of each and then ends up in the garbage instead of re-cycled. Think, walk away, then think again--usually you won't buy and you won't miss it next week.	E-mail
24		Plants can help save energy. Deciduous trees let winter sun through bare branches and block summer sun with leaves. Ivy can trap a layer of air near the building (reducing convective air movement that steals heat).	E-mail
25		Paper products could be shredded and used for bedding for small pets or stuffed into old t-shirts to use for outside pet bedding (dogs, etc.).	E-mail
26		To poison cockroaches and other insects, put some boric powder in kitchen in corners and other places. It is less toxic to mammals. (borate)	E-mail
27		When washing dishes in your dishwasher, use white vinegar in the rinse compartment instead of those expensive rinse solutions. The dishes would never be more clean and they would actually squeak.	E-mail
28		Used pantyhose make an excellent disposable collector bag for grass clippings from your power mower. They can be held in place on the mower with a short bungee cord. They are very amusing to see standing up.	E-mail
29		On a clear empty wall, put peacock feathers like X (with 2) or \|/ (with 3). It looks so nice, especially if the wall is on the opposite side of a fluorescent light. Very cheap but nice room decoration.	E-mail
30		To keep your refrigerator smelling fresh, put a cut piece of lemon inside the fridge. This reduces the bad odors.	E-mail
31		Rain water can be collected from building roofs to store in underground tanks. Washing clothes, watering plants in the garden or washing our cars can be done with that water. It may even be fit for drinking if it were purified.	E-mail
32		A tarp or tent that covers your air conditioning unit to protect it against weathering, kind of like a carport to protect your car.	E-mail
33		The hot-cold water taps should have scale marking on the knob for quick setting. This will save water and time in adjusting mixed water temp.	E-mail
34		A revolvable polygonal prism-shaped multiple photo frame to display a couple of photos at a time on a centre table. On corner table change the facing photo just by rotating. Many sweet memories to display in a small place.	E-mail
35		Save money by reducing impulse buying and shopping for fun. Before buying an item, imagine that you could touch any item in your home and turn it back into the money you spent to buy it. Most of us would have a VERY nice pile of cash after doing that.	E-mail
36		KidSmart Vocal Smoke Detector: able to play a message you record to direct your child what to do, instead of panicking your child with an alarm. Recently invented by Brent Routman.	E-mail
37		Have glow-in-the-dark stickers pasted near bulbs that will glow in dark once light goes off. At least it will be of some help before one finds an emergency light or a candle.	E-mail
38		Catch gray water (from washing dishes) and use for outdoor plants, vehicles. (I've seen plans for simple filtering through sand in an old barrel).
39		Bathroom safety: TubSafe is an inexpensive chemical treatment that slightly roughens the bathtub surface so that you won't slip and fall.	E-mail
40		To reduce road sound inside the room put two (outer & inner) thick curtains on the road side wall with 4-6 inch gap in between. If there are two similar glass / wooden shutters in the window then it will be better.	E-mail
41		Often, people throw away recyclable material just because they are too lazy. To prevent this, small recycling baskets should be kept near each garbage bin in houses so that it is easy to recycle.	E-mail
42		Infra Red reflective architectural coatings that I have developed reduce energy use by 20-40%. Almost any color available. $2000 tax credit for use of energy barrier system per house in US. 1-800-224-2344 (energy conservation)	E-mail
43		Organize and find papers fast: Fold a throw-away sheet in half, title it on the folded edge, and slip in over the papers. It's much faster to finger your way through the titles than with file folders, because they have some depth.	E-mail
44		For washing your car: a water hose that has a soap dispenser and a brush attached to it. The hose has a button so you can shut off the soap when you want to spray water only.	E-mail
45		Spring arrangement in electric plug and socket may avoid loose contacts, thus improving the efficiency of electricity consumption.	E-mail
46		Vacuum cleaners use water to filter the air and hold the dirt instead of bags. It's cheaper, and you can dump the water in your garden when you are done! Some vacuums employ this technology now, but not nearly enough.	E-mail
47		Toothpaste is a very good cleaning agent for silverware and ornaments.	E-mail
48		A Christmas tree skirt with a slit in it. This would make it easier to wrap around your tree. Make slit and add velcro to close.	E-mail
49		To save space and energy, use a tankless water heater. (Example.) They last 30+ years and are safer. They are common in crowded places such as Hong Kong.	E-mail
50		A way to store and process animal waste (dogs and cats) into a type of fertilizer to sprinkle onto your yard flower beds, etc.	E-mail