Chaya Kurtz
Chaya is the former editor of Networx.com. Her work has also been published in the Sourcebooks anthology Jewish Daughter Diaries and on a bevy of websites. Chaya's goal is to help people to make greener, more efficient home & garden choices. She is based in NYC and enjoys urban gardening, DIY home design and healthy cooking.
Passionate about recycling and helping people go green, Chaya has written countless articles on Networx.com about simple tips and tricks for recycling things we would normally toss in the trash without a thought. She also gives valuable advice for cleaning your home without using harmful chemicals.
In her article “Eight Ways to Reuse and Upcycle Milk Jugs” (https://www.networx.com/article/reuse-and-upcycle-milk-jugs) she gives many ideas about alternative uses for milk jugs, such making colorful lanterns, creating a slow-drip irrigation system for your plants for while you’re away from your home, and even making jewelry boxes and halloween decorations! She also provides equally creative ideas for ways to recycle plastic bread tags in her article, “Six Clever Re-Uses for Plastic Bread Tags” (https://www.networx.com/article/clever-re-uses-for-plastic-bread-tags). She suggests reusing bread tags for labeling cords, scraping hard-to-reach cracks (like the corners of a baking pan), labeling plants, marking the end of a tape roll, and using it as a makeshift guitar pick.
Chaya details several non-toxic cleaning solutions in her article “Bathroom Cleaning Ideas Without Air Contaminants” (https://www.networx.com/article/bathroom-cleaning-ideas-without-air-cont). In her article, she explains that you can restore your toilet to it’s pure, unscented glory simply by pouring one cup of vinegar into the toilet bowl, squirting castile soap under the rim, followed by scrubbing and flushing the toilet. Similarly, she writes that tubs can also be cleaned with vinegar and baking soda. She also reveals in this article that a mirror can be cleaned just using water and a black and white newspaper, of all things.
Check out more of her articles below for more green tips for your home!
Posted by Chaya Kurtz
| May 22, 2013
1. DIY Embellished Garden Lamp
2. DIY Patio Bottle Star
3. DIY Junk Mirror
4. Planting Doorknobs
5. Marbles Embedded in Fencing
6. DIY Glowing Garden Gazing Ball
7....
Posted by Chaya Kurtz
| May 21, 2013
Q. Paint peels off of my wood siding. It seems like I have to paint it every few years. Is this normal?
A. Yes, it is normal for paint to peel off of wood siding. Painted wood siding...
Posted by Chaya Kurtz
| May 20, 2013
I'm all for being a considerate summertime neighbor. Being mindful of how much noise one produces and inviting the neighbors to an occasional barbecue at your place are nice ways to...
Posted by Chaya Kurtz
| May 20, 2013
White picket pallet fence: Hometalk member Allison House turned ordinary pallets into fence pickets (white, natch). It's a down-home DIY take on a classic style.
An arbor elevates...
Posted by Chaya Kurtz
| May 20, 2013
Hello, Midwesterners, and anyone else who is looking at the prospect of rebuilding a flooded home. I will outline the process of rebuilding a flooded home in this article, and I will...
Posted by Chaya Kurtz
| May 14, 2013
Roommates are hard to find. Let me rephrase that. Good roommates are hard to find. It is very easy to find people who are renting out rooms in apartments. It is tempting to just take...
Posted by Chaya Kurtz
| May 13, 2013
1. Dishwasher Detergent: You will never have to buy commercial dishwasher detergent if you make this recipe, shared on Hometalk.com by The Seasoned Homemaker. Mix together:
2 c. Borax
2...
Posted by Chaya Kurtz
| May 13, 2013
Remodeling a small kitchen is a challenge that quite a few of us face. Visions of wide open kitchens with multiple islands dance in our heads, but in reality we are remodeling our own...
Posted by Chaya Kurtz
| May 13, 2013
Is your bathtub looking tired and worn? If it's made of porcelain, cast iron, or fiberglass, you might have the option to refinish rather than replace it. The cost-effectiveness of...
Posted by Chaya Kurtz
| May 10, 2013
I woke up this morning at my sister's house in San Francisco, after flying here yesterday for a family reunion. I'm used to my bathroom in Brooklyn, and I wasn't really mindful of what...