Congrats on the plantings I hope they pop beautifully for you. As far as the gloves go... make sure your clean them off well (using water is fine) let them dry the get some neatsfoot oil. That is the best thing for leather. It softens, hydrates, keeipng them soft and supple but also prevents dust & dirt from getting in the cracks ect in the future. Will definately extend the life of your gloves. Repaet as frequently as needed throughout the year to preserve them... saddle soap is just that a soap and will dry them out. melatonian is a good leather "polish" that has hydrateing features.. and I have never used coconut oil so I have no idea there. I have always used neatsfoot oil on my gloves both gardening and baseball gloves ect....

To me, seagrass is an exceptional material, far superior to sisal and yes, there is a big difference between the two. Seagrass is made from sea grass of course " mostly found in China where the majority of the rugs originate. Since it is grown in water, the product is basically non-absorbent and is a strong, sturdy fiber. The absorbency aspect is very important: seagrass is not easily stained. If something is spilled on it " coffee or coke " it can easily be cleaned with a damp towel - and it will eventually dry without leaving a spot or watermark. Sisal on the other hand is made from the agave plant. Spill something on light colored sisal and you might as well throw it out. If you try to get a coffee or coke spill out with a damp towel, you will get a lasting watermark stain. The only way to prevent the watermark on sisal is to wet the entire rug " not a viable solution. I found the better material at http://www.perfectlyhomerugs.com/servlet/Categories?keyword=seagrass Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.perfectlyhomerugs.com This post was edited by Chennapawankumar on Wed, Dec 17, 14 at 10:18

If you see a backing on the rug (as opposed to seeing the weave and pattern on the underside) then it has adhesive. The back of the rug is coated with adhesive and the backing is glued to it. That is what you smell. The latex adhesive deteriorates over time (avoid sunlight, this makes it worse). I read one comment about using an iron for creases - if the rug has an adhesive this will melt the adhesive and cause staining and smells. The first 3 days are worst for new rigs with an adhesive, but VOCs can off-gas for years. Recently, PB has started using a manufacturer that uses "synthetic latex" adhesive to combat this deterioration, and latex allergies. They claim it doesn't break down but I don't have long-term experience to know how it performs. It theoretically should have low VOCs and minimize smell issues. I'm curious if anyone has experience with their rigs made of recycled water bottles. They are more affordable and are surprisingly soft.

plllog- Interesting.... Most thread used for sewing is made with some nylon in the blend -- I wonder if that is enough to generate static in your dryer even with cotton fabrics? Besides the water spritz/tumble treatment, you can also toss a damp washcloth into the dryer at the end of the cycle and that's also supposed to discharge the static. I found another "interesting" method in my laundry file, and that was to pin two large safety pins to something (an old washcloth or small piece of fabric) - add it to each load and it's also supposed to discharge the static. Editing to add for chisue: You spritz the water at the END of the drying cycle (OOOOOHHHHH!), not the beginning, because the water will discharge the static. Personally, I haven't used toxic chemicals from softener sheets or liquid softeners for decades. I can't even be outside when the neighbor's second-hand softener scent fills the air - it's dangerous for me to breath the toxic stuff. The particular type of laundry soap I use, Charlie's Soap, it's suggest you not use softeners because it will affect the cleaning ability of the soap. I line-dry my clothes and they are as soft as any that has been treated with softener or dried in a dryer. And I never have to contend with static - plus all the money I've saved over the years, as well as the total waste from the sheets, boxes they come in, and plastic containers from the liquids. Not to mention how using softeners will increase the flammability of fabrics. -Grainlady