apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Has anyone ever tried the no-water car wash spray? I would give it a try except that I'm afraid it might scratch the finish on the paint.

So I have a question about those light bulbs. I don't mean to sound totally lame, but I get really depressed when there's not enough light around, especially in the winter. I've heard that certain energy-saving light bulbs don't show the full spectrum of light that others do, i.e., making it easier to become depressed. I know it sounds like complete hogwash, but does anyone know anything about the validity of that?

i haven't tried the spray, but when i wash my car i just put about 1/2 to 1 gallon of water in a bucket (perfect use for shower warm-up water), grab two microfiber car towels (a wet and a dry), and as i wash the dirt off one area, i follow with the dry towel to get the last bits of dirt. my car gets really, really clean and i don't need to hose it down, so it saves water and there is no runoff. i just use the dirty water on my lawn because there isn't even any soap in it. no scratches, either. not sure what benefit the spray would add?

@mariec In Southern California, you're not getting enough light? Winter here isn't the same as say, Seattle or London. Go outside.

It struck me as quite surprising that recycling for multi-unit dwellings is only recently offered. And that its not compulsory.

For CFL's, I've got some and I don't notice the lack of light, they, once fully warmed up and are creating the equivalent of a 60W or greater incandescent bulb, give off plenty of light. However, I need more of them where I can use them.

I do have one that's not the most powerful, but then again, it's also behind a shade that deminishes the light output to some degree. I can't recall what wattage it is though and I've had it at least 4 years now and it still works.

Ack, CFL's? CFL is?

No apostrophe!

@Palmetto

Uh, actually Northern California . . . it gets foggy here! And as a former student in London and NYC, I know what "real" winters are like, but that doesn't mean I need light any less!

mariec,
Incandescent light bulbs also don't put out all wavelengths of light, which is why "therapeutic" full-spectrum lights exist for people suffering from SAD (seasonal affective disorder). You're supposed to sit under (or facing) one for an hour or so a day, which simulates being outside in the sun.

mariec: I seem to recall that, you're right, not all CFLs provide full-spectrum light, but if you google it, there are those that do. So, if you're up to make the switch and use less electricity, stock up on those. Good luck with the SAD, it's an MF-er.

So many car washes recycle their water these days, that it's more water conscious to go to a professional wash than to wash a car at home.

Wow, I agree that it's better to go outside for good light, but that comment was a bit snarky. I am a Seattleite, and I agree with mariec that the energy-saving light bulbs put off a soul-sucking light that puts ME off. We have them in our bedroom and I find that I save energy with them only because I hate to turn them on at all. I have always wondered if there are bulbs with a warmer light, that resembles a soft incandescent, to help chase the gray days away.

the grammar police strike again!

Personally I am still awaiting the completion of the sentence, "You’ve heard it before and here it is again about CFL’s..." What belonging to CFL is being discussed? CFL's what? I need to know!

-grammar police

I appreciate the lure of grammar nazi nitpicking, but in this case, there simply isn't a set precedent. The extremely common use of non-punctuated acronyms is too recent a language development.

"The traditional style of pluralizing single letters with the addition of ’s (for example, B’s come after A’s) was extended to some of the earliest initialisms, which tended to be written with periods to indicate the omission of letters; some writers still pluralize initialisms in this way. Some style guides continue to require such apostrophes—perhaps partly to make it clear that the lower case s is only for pluralization and would not appear in the singular form of the word, for some acronyms and abbreviations do include lowercase letters."

In other words, either way is correct, because the set style hasn't been determined yet.

If it helps, think of the apostrophe in this case a form of shortening to show missing letters (can't) instead of a possessive (Steve's).

In CFL's, the ' simply stands in for all the letters that are not shown until we get to the pluralized s.

Oops, for some reason my formating mixed up: that is supposed to read "The traditional style of pluralizing single letters with the addition of 's (for example, B's come after A's) "

Having gone to UCBerkeley from So Cal, I know that fog almost made me go back south. The Reveal Bulb from GE or ChromaLux can help, just use it in the AM. I got a lamp from GAIAM http://www.gaiam.com/product/eco-home-outdoor/lighting/lamps/rise and shine--174- lamp.do
that simulates the sunrise for when I was living in NYC and was getting SAD again. Then, post 9/11, "I said why am I living like this when I know better?" and moved back to So Cal. I still have the lamp, but thankfully don't need it here.

http://www.gaiam.com/product/eco-home-outdoor/lighting/lamps/rise and shine--174- lamp.do

is the link, hope it doesn't break this time.