Ceiling Light and Fan

In my Manhattan apartment, there is a convenience I lack that I wish the builder had installed. I don’t have a ceiling light fixture in the center of my living room. The reason is unknown. Was the builder trying to lower expenses? Or was it thought unnecessary in apartments constructed in the 1970s with lower ceilings? Who knows in 2026. I lean towards saving costs.

To light my living room, I have 3 floor lamps, but I still wish I could turn on the overhead light right smack in the middle of my living room from my missing phantom ceiling light fixture! It also means I can’t benefit from installing a ceiling fan in the center of my living room, which I’d love to do to reduce the need of using my air conditioner. Outside of July and August when humdity can be oppressive, I like the feel of a fan’s gentle cool breeze over the artificial coldness of an air conditioner.

My ideal ceiling fan is a modern low-profile bladeless fan like the ceiling fan from Humold. That said, builders and electricians say older blade ceiling fans work better than the newer bladeless ones, which should be verified if you cool a big space.

Made flimsy now

Instead, I have 3 floor lamps and 4 fans. Two of my 4 fans look like space helmets and are bladeless. I reviewed them in a prior blog which I’ll link below. My 3rd fan is a tower fan, and the 4th is a floor box fan I nearly gave away until I discovered its usefulness in finishing drying garments that come out of the dryer damp. Plus, it blows air into the kitchen when I turn on the oven in August. So it stays. I  suggest you buy box fans in black as dust and dirt is visible. Hard to clean without a private backyard and garden hose. 

Hmm, this poses the question: Do ceiling fans need cleaning? Yes! Even though newer models feature sleek aerodynamics, DC motors, and sealed components, dust, pollen, pet dander, and household grease still accumulate on the blades and motor housing, and so need cleaning every 2 - 3 months. Oh!

Although I can compensate, I continue to pine for a ceiling fan.

Comment if you use ceiling fans, or if you have found alternatives to installing one.

You may also enjoy:

PureFlow Q17 Fan

The Best Mosquito Repellents

EDX Metal Utility Cart Storage

DIY Bookcase Using Narrow Wooden Crates

The Best Mosquito Repellents

Yes to fans!

Summer is approaching and unofficial summer is already here. Unfortunately so are bugs. The most hated bugs of all are arguably mosquitos. Researching how to keep them away and specifically how to stop mosquitos from biting us leads to good news and bad news.

citronella bracelets

First the bad news. Nearly all the natural mosquito repellents on the market are worthless. When tested in scientific labs they either don't work, or don't work well enough to be considered effective. Natural mosquito repellents come in the form of citronella candles, slow-burning citronella sticks, and citronella bracelets. Research shows people still get bitten despite wearing or burning citronella repellents. Perhaps a mosquito will avoid your wrist where the bracelet is, but you'll still get eaten alive because the blood-sucking pest will move up to your shoulder or down to your leg for a meal.

Likewise, essential oils such as lemongrass, rosemary, eucalyptus, and peppermint do not work. Moreover, electronic bug zappers do not work as mosquitos largely ignore the violet light. Ultrasonic mosquito repellent devices do not work either. Studies show they fail to irritate or scare mosquitos away. And lastly, newer portable devices that lure mosquitos away from people with carbon dioxide, then entrap them do not show much evidence of reducing bites to people nearby.

So what does work ... are you ready for the good news?

1) A good old fashion fan. Sitting in the wind of a fan works because mosquitos are not strong fliers. 

2) DEET - Chemical name, N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (or diethyltoluamide) was developed by the US Army in 1946 and sold on the market beginning in 1957 as an ingredient in lotions and sprays. This potent mosquito, chigger, and other bug repellent has been widely studied over the years. Despite peoples' fears, DEET has an excellent public safety record and lasts for hours.

3) Another effective way to reduce the number of mosquitos in your backyard is to eliminate water sources like puddles, ponds, or birdbaths. Water is where mosquitos like to lay their eggs so don't invite them into your space with basins of standing water.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a mosquito "is the most deadly creature on earth killing hundreds of thousands of people and making millions more sick each year." Therefore, it might be gratifying to consider some of the critters who eat mosquitos or their larvae. Our friends include fish, birds🦜, bats, dragonflies, frogs, spiders, and the red-eared slider turtle (a common pet in the USA).🐢 

As much as we hate to acknowledge it, mosquitos are important to the food chain in our ecosystem, which is not to say, we want to be an important food source for mosquitos. You're not a bad person if your motto is: Stay away or die today! Nothing should bite you with impunity. Squash the living daylights out of it!!👾 

You may also enjoy:

Cheap Wine ... And It's Devine

Do Adults Need Booster Vaccines?

Reduce Your Risk Of Lyme Disease

A Cautionary Tale: A Toe Nail Fungus