I just replaced the Badger 5 that was installed in the 10-year-old home that I just bought. It was leaking out the bottom of the motor. The replacement I chose was the Waste King 9940, which has a lifetime in-home warranty. Works fine. I was surprised that it is louder than the Badger was, unless there is water covering the drain. Not a big deal, though. The one thing I wanted to point out for DIYers is that I was surprised to find that the particular 9940 I bought plugs in rather than being direct wired like my Badger was. I elected to keep the unit and convert my wiring to an outlet to make it easier to service in the future. Based upon the instruction manual, I'm guessing that it is available in a direct wired format, too. I would think there would be a model number difference, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. As for the EZ-mount vs 3-prong, it seems much ado about nothing to me. The 3-prong is very simple to install. The most difficult part of the process was disassembling the mount from the motor before installation. The directions failed to mention loosening the ring clamp around the rubber mount before attempting to pull it off the motor. It only mentioned lining up the 3 tabs.

It’s always good to refresh your bedroom with brand new sheets from time to time, but what do you do with the old ones? When brainstorming eco-friendly ways to re-use and recycle old ones, a better way to think about bed sheets might just be “large, all-purpose cloths.” Once the linens have been worn out a little too much for a comfortable sleep, it can easily turn them into several other useful things. From picnic blankets to planting heaters to make bags, here are 10 brilliant ways to reuse and re-use bed sheets and keep the waste out of our landfills. Take your bed sheets for a picnic. There’s certainly no reason to fork out a fancy picnic blanket when you’ve got perfectly good bed sheets in your wardrobe. Bring them along as a sit-upon for your next outdoor meal, fold the sheet twice for extra coverage if the ground is a little damp. Make a draft stoppers Drafty doors and windows make not only your house uncomfortable in the winter—they make your heating system work harder than it needs to. You can put bits of old bed sheets in drafty corners to block out cold air, or you can craft easy-to-make draft catchers: Cut the sheets into squares or rectangles, sew them on three sides, fill them with rice or dried beans, then sew them on the last side. Don’t want to make them? No issue at all. Check amazon for cheap ones or check this one. When microwaved for 30 seconds, mini catchers often make perfect hand warmers you can stick in your coat pockets or heat packs for sore muscles. Just be sure to test the warmers with a finger before you catch them with your entire hand, in case they’re too hot. check this article for more ideas.

I have the Kitchenaid 1 hp batch feed disposal. I put almost everything down it. I use it constantly, and am particularly grateful for it in the summer when otherwise my garbage would smell really bad. I am surprised that people are saying they don't put banana peels down their disposers. I do, including that hard thing on the end of the banana peel. I've never had a problem (I have a 1960's house with 1960's plumbing). Also, in my house growing up, we had a Kitchenaid batch feed disposal. That thing lasted about 17 years or so, until my parents remodeled and replaced it with a new KA batch feed, and there was never one clog or one problem. About once a month I grind up a bunch of ice cubes in the disposer which is supposed to clean off any gunk on the grinders.

BTW, I'm not sure if you can still get these now that I think Target owns the Smith & Hawken name, but we have big plastic compost bins from Smith & Hawken (which actually came from our city through a discount program) that do a great job of protecting the compost pile so it's not out in the open but is still getting air. They're very low-tech---literally just a piece that goes on the bottom of the pile, then three stacked side pieces and a lid that can all be taken apart and hosed off---but they sit in the back corner of our yard and are very unobtrusive, and have yet to be bothered by anyone (including our overly-inquisitive dog, who is well aware that food scraps go in, but still leaves the bins be once the lids are closed). We haven't had fly issues, though we do occasionally get ants---when that happens, we shift the balance to a little more "brown" (leaves, yard waste, plus coffee grounds) and a little less "green" (food waste) for a week or two and it generally tapers off. (I also occasionally spray the edge of the bins with limonene oil, which we also use in our garden on occasion for ants.) However, we also live in a very moderate climate, so it rarely gets above 80 or below 40---I'm sure this helps with bugs and smells, too.