A Unique Bathroom Product for Pampering

Whether it be Christmas, St. Valentines, Mother's or Father's Day, a birthday, or anniversary, what better than to give a loved one (which includes you!) something that reminds them how special they are? Have you found something that communicates your thoughtfulness of how to make their life better, that they are loved?

Its no fun to go to the mall and wander around hoping to find something that will be a unique and useful gift that will be greatly appreciated. After milling about with crowds, it doesn't take long for some motives to deteriorate to finding anything that may do.

I have spent time researching to find unique, innovative eco-friendly products that will transform the bathroom into a spa-like experience. They will not require remodeling, but installation by a licensed electriction is recommended. Here is a fabulous idea that will conserve energy and may conserve water--and how do they do that?

I love taking a shower, it is so relaxing, yet I am aware that every moment that I linger after I am rinsed, water is being wasted. Why do I delay? Because the water is so warm, and I know when I shut it off, I will be chilled and my muscles will tense back up. At the same time, I really don't want to add excess moisture to the air, which germs and mold love, nor hassle with fogged mirrors.

Pictured above is a product new to the United States, in fact, there isn't another one like it, a body dryer! You might be the first person in your city to have one! Over 15,000 have sold in Europe. It is a perfect gift for that someone who has everything. The unit has precision cut holes to provide a vortex of warm air surrounding the body to dry a person from top to bottom in a matter of minutes. It is an easy transition from being enveloped by warm water, to warm air. 


There are many green advantages: 

It reduces or eliminates the need for body towels, using about 70% less energy as compared to the laundering of towels. 
In the winter it can easily prewarm the shower area.
In the summer it helps eliminate the moisture in the air so the air conditioner doesn't have to work as hard.  
If you like long hot showers, by using the body dryer, you will take the excess moisture out of the air to reduce opportunities of mold and mildew growth. 
What I like best is it is truly a convenience and time saver. No longer does one have the additional step to fumble with a hair dryer--you have both hands free to shape and style your hair, so you are ready to get dressed and go when you step out of the shower! 
If you have strength or mobility issues, it could be the answer for safety and independence.


The retail price is $2590 for a custom color; $2350 for metallic, bronze, or pearl colors.  Shipping is additional.  Ask us how you can save up to $695!  Fill out a request for more information at Cook Remodeling.

Do you know of any other eco-friendly products for that spa experience?

The Best Products from the 2009 International Green Building Conference

Part 5 of 5

There were two products that were very exciting for me at the International Green Building Conference. The first uses 100% recycled materials, and the second provides a great environmental solution; both concepts that are important to Cook Remodeling.

Rubbersidewalks, Inc uses a patented, low energy technology to transform a vehicle tire into a square foot of paver. California alone discards 34 million car tires a year, nationally we dispose of 300 million tires, which have a long life in a landfill! The woman-owned business is doing so well, they are lowering their prices 5-10% in 2010! Terrewalks has many advantages over concrete. It provides more friction when wet, is 5% cooler (good patio and poolside surface), never cracks or chips, reduces heat island effect, and has no off gassing (concrete puts out 6% of CO2 emissions). It is tree friendly in that it accommodates root growth since water can travel through the seams into the ground, the material does not leach into soil, performs in all climates, and can be used for driveways. The material offers so many benefits over concrete--like being easier to clean, quieter, more comfortable to walk/jog on, provides easy access to utilities to name a few.

If you have ever driven to Los Angeles on Hiway 10, you have seen the large propeller wind turbines –80 of them in 8000 acres of land. There has been a lot of controversy over the number of birds they kill and the amount of space it uses. Mariah Power has invented a superior alternative, a vertical axis wind turbine (in photo above). It is a pole-mounted column with 2 feet long slender horizontal stabilizers for three 20-30 feet high vertical blades that catch the wind and turn to generate electricity called, Windspire. I can’t even imagine how many of those 4 ft wide turbines you can fit in that 8000 acres! Barring any building code restrictions, one could place it in your backyard, for it is ultra quiet. It costs about $10,000 supplying an average of 2000 kWh of energy per year (depending on how windy it is your city). One homeowner interviewed said he recovered half the cost in rebates and tax credits, and it generates 25-50% of their home's electricity, which they can monitor via computer. You can see in that video link how easily they spin. That’s good news!

The Windspire offers the lowest price renewable energy product in a one-kilowatt range. It does depend on wind to move it, but unlike solar panels, it can work at night as well. So I asked, is it bird friendly? One of the representative said he saw a dove perched on a stabilizer while it slowly turned around and around. I also queried, What if you knew there was an impending high winds? They told me it is hinge mounted so you can lower it to the ground. It is very intelligently designed and is grid ready.

Good News on Conserving Water from the International Green Building Conference

Part 2 of 5

WaterSense is the new Energy Star!

It would be more accurate to say: electricity is to Energy Star as water is to WaterSense (remember those statements from SATs and ACTs?)

Most people are aware that “Energy Star” rated appliances have met strict guidelines to be energy efficient. Now be on the lookout for the “WaterSense” conservation rating for toilets, shower and bath faucets, and irrigation systems. According to Kohler's research, WaterSense faucet can reduce water use by 30%, saving a typical family 11,800 gallons of water a year.

I had the opportunity to interview representatives from Delta and Moen at the International Green Building Conference (IGBC), and they told me that within a year, ALL of their bathroom faucets will be WaterSense certified. I had the opportunity to tour Delta's headquarters in Indianapolis in 2008, and I was very impressed with the company culture. They have what I call a drop-in synergy center for facilitate getting in the creative zone for design. They have developed Diamond Seal technology so faucets are built to last, which is also very green, keeping things out of the landfill!

There has been a great challenge for determine the rating guidelines for efficient showerheads—what good would it do to lower gallons per minute if it took twice as long to rinse out shampoo? Or if the aeration cools the water so much that you end up using more hot water? If you have a bath shower combination, a good way to test your shower head is if the water running out of the tub spigot feels to be the right temperature, and when you channel the water to the shower and you have to turn up the hot water, the aeration is significantly cooling the water. Delta has solved this by developing a technology to make the water droplets larger, so they retain their temperature, and you still get a drenched feeling with the lower gallons per minute flow. Moen put a toggle switch in their rain shower, so the user can get a concentrated stream to rinse out shampoo. Their showerhead has a spoke design with stream channels so there is better coverage over the body. A WaterSense showerhead will save a typical family an equivalent of 385 bottles of water in a week! Kohler was also present in the exhibit hall, and have earned the recognition of being WaterSense Manufacturing Partner of the Year for 2008 and 2009.

Do you use a water softener? It typically uses salt, electricity, and a lot of water to backwash—typically 120-150 gallons a week to take out the minerals of calcium and magnesium to avoid scaling and deposits. Because of the significant waste of water, and that it dumps a lot of sodium into the water system, California is banning salt-based water softeners. How can one protect pipes, hardware, appliances, and surfaces from hard water damage? You can get a water conditioner that does not use electricity or salt. One type of water conditioner uses magnets to change the surface structure so they do not deposit, and can help descale buildup. I learned this interviewing a representative of Superior Water Conditioners at IGBC. A salt free water conditioner uses nanotechnology filtering to change the ion structure so the minerals will not cling to surfaces, but will not descale deposits. Know that one will not get that slick feel that salt “softened” water gives.

Product offerings are always changing. Ask your remodeling professional what products they’ve researched and recommend that are eco-friendly or "green." You can see a list of some companies we use and are very happy with their product and customer service here (at the bottom of the page).