Ian Bennett Morrison

Lawn mowers are arguably the most common gardening tools found in the shed of every house with a garden. Professional landscapers use also use them, even if they prefer high-performance models and their units are therefore more powerful. Many different types of mowing machines exist, but we all know the major ones: push, rotary, riding mowers. Although you probably use and store them the right way, you should still perform a few additional tasks regularly. Some of them may be annoying - but in turn, your equipment will be in top working condition throughout the year. Sharpen The Blades First of all, how to tell if blades are dull? The easiest way is to look at the grass after trimming and see if you're getting a clean cut. If the area top looks whiter then usual – it's a sure sign that blades need to be sharpened. If you don't do so on time you will end up with a bad-looking lawn and eventually a lack of balance that slowly damages the whole engine because of the strong vibrations. So, these are the steps for the most common (rotary) type: Make sure there is almost no fuel in the tank, so that nothing will be spilled when you tip the machine to the side.Take out/disconnect the spark plug for security reasons.Use a wrench to unscrew the nut and take the blade off the mower.Set the blade firmly in the vise and sharpen it as you go from the outer edge towards the center. Keep the existing angle while working or, if it's really damaged badly, try to go around 30 degrees.Once you're finished, check the blade for balance. Remove some more metal where/if necessary – you need to make sure that no side is heavier than the other.Keep in mind that reel blades are not recommended to be sharpened at home. Engine Care Not much to do here, fortunately. It's best to follow manufacturer's instructions if you have them handy. If not, just be sure to change the oil after every 20-25 hours of mowing. Also, clean up air filter/s together with the oil refill. Cleaning If you have a push-type mower, grab a putty knife and scrape off parched grass clippings and other dirt. Wash down the whole unit with the garden hose. Experts in residential landscaping from Sydney remind that you should always lubricate visible metal parts (including the blades) right after the rinsing, once the surface is completely dry. For electrical models – clean up all areas surrounding the openings and get rid of grass and other particles found on the cooling fans to prevent excessive heating of the engine. You are allowed to apply a mix of hot water and household dish-washing liquid on the external surface if it's very dirty, then let it dry naturally. Tip your landscaping tool to one side in order to remove the grass stuck to the bottom – use a power nozzle if you need to.

All grown people sooner or later come to the conclusion that life is a game. Depending on your mindset, you can consider this as a positive or a negative assumption. But let's try to see things from the bright side now. When you're playing a game – outdoors or on your computer, you don't take things too seriously. Thus, the importance of your activity is dramatically reduced and the chance to get the job done increases. This principle is the foundation of what experts today call 'gamification' or making a particular job more fun. See how recycling and waste management can be successfully gamified as well. Gamification: Theory & Practice First, let's examine the concept of gamification a little bit more in-depth. The trick is to achieve a game-like experience in a non-game, real-life environment or situation. Of course, this is done using techniques and ideas directly taken from the science of playing: be it electronic games or classic sports played outside. Gamification is proven to be a working yet not aggressive method to make people more engaged with a given activity and make them behave in a desired, predicted way. Turning tasks into game is quite useful in the fields of problem-solving and chores management. Jobs that are generally considered boring are transformed to something more enjoyable or even attractive – cleaning chores, rubbish disposal, filling out surveys and documents/forms and many others. Gamification is also used in teaching with impressive results and that's completely understandable as young people today not always have a high motivation to learn at schools. How Volkswagen's Fun Theory Treats Junk Now it's time to see an interesting experiment - a rubbish recycling gamification. It comes from the world-renowned automotive brand Volkswagen. Their project is called The Fun Theory and has its own dedicated website. There, visitors can see videos that show various practical implementations of real-life games. Also, an award is going to be given to one of the selected ten finalists. Voting has already ended but the entries are still available to view on the site. Back on the actual glass junk experiment. The concept behind this example of gamification is that people rarely recycle the glass bottles collected at their homes. To encourage street passengers to return them, the guys at Volkswagen mixed a regular rubbish container and an arcade machine into one device that they called The Bottle Bank Arcade. For added authenticity, the machine even featured chiptune sounds typical to the vintage game consoles. Weird flashing lights were present, too. So, was the experiment a success? Simply put, yes. The results were more than satisfying and the figures - probably better than what the creators expected. Rubbish removal workers from Sydney suggest that the wide use of such gamifications can be very useful for every highly urbanised city around the world. It's also worth mentioning that not only young people were attracted by the colourful bank. All of this was just the effect of making it fun to return empty old bottles. People earned points for every bottle they threw in, which made them come back and actually recycle more. Do you think that gamification can be also used to solve other 'green' issues? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

A lot of people are confused about the green trend that is now spreading faster than ever. They think going green involves radical change of their everyday life, more money spent on organic food, installation of expensive solar panels and so on. While in fact, it only takes small changes and very little time to develop habits that are more friendly to the environment. Here are a few simple ways to enjoy healthy lifestyle without much effort. Leave Scented Products Alone. When you give up on items stuffed with fragrances, you also say 'no' to all dangerous chemicals that come along. There is a wide range of toxic ingredients that may be harmful both for your body and for the nature. after disposal. Instead, choose products that incorporate essential oils rather than fragrances. Keep Shoes Away From The Rooms. When you or other family members enter your home, make sure everybody takes off their shoes and leaves them at the front door. There is a plethora of harmful pesticides and other toxins everywhere outside, so don't let them get any deeper – hallways, stairs or premises. In hospitals, staff members use special plastic protectors, but at home you can just keep shoes far away from the actual living space. Make Your Home Cleaning Green. This is one of the most popular green living trends lately and it's welcomed worldwide. You can now find many special stores that offer environmentally-friendly cleaning solutions or you can make your own cleaners. If you take some time and make an online search, you will find recipes to clean up anything at home using natural ingredients only. Specialist from a local one off cleaning company in Sydney admit that more and more professionals use non-toxic cleaners for their everyday work, especially when there are children and pets around. You Are What You Eat. You have probably heard this sentence many times before and now it's the right time to realise its meaning. There are a few reasons why including more fruits and vegetables in your daily diet is essential to green living. First of all, the most natural option available is to consume something that has been produced by Mother Nature versus a product that is man-made, packed and sold across supermarkets. Additionally, growing plants is much more eco-friendly in comparison to dairy and meat, which require a lot more water, energy and other resources.