The Caladiumalso known as variegated leaf or variegated root, is not just any houseplant – it’s a real eye-catcher! The colorful, heart- or arrow-shaped leaves in pink, white, green or red turn your home into a tropical jungle. But to keep your variegated leaf healthy for a long time, it needs some attention. Here you can find out everything you need to know about caladium care – from location to overwintering.

The right location for your Caladium

Do you want vibrant colors and beautiful patterns? Then it depends on the right location. The brighter the leaf coloration, the more light your Caladium needs – but please avoid direct sunlight! This will damage the leaves and cause them to fade. Temperatures between 18 and 25 degrees and high humidity are ideal. Use a saucer full of expanded clay and water to create a moist microclimate. Ventilate regularly to prevent mold from forming.

How to plant your caladium correctly

Regardless of whether you buy a tuber or a plant that has already sprouted, make sure it is well drained. A layer of expanded clay or clay shards in the pot prevents waterlogging. Use nutrient-poor, slightly acidic soil that retains moisture well. Place the bulb smooth side down in the soil and cover it lightly. Then water well and set up at around 25 degrees – the first leaves will soon appear.

Proper care for Caladium: Watering, fertilizing, pruning

During the growth phase from spring to fall, the variegated leaf loves regular watering. Always keep the substrate slightly moist, but avoid wet feet. Water with rainwater or decalcified tap water. Too much lime damages the plant! Every two weeks, your caladium will be happy to receive some liquid fertilizer for green plants – but please don’t give it too much nitrogen, otherwise it will lose its beautiful colors. Withered or dried leaves are best cut off immediately.

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How to overwinter your variegated foliage properly

In the fall, your Caladium slowly begins to go dormant. Now it is watered less and no longer fertilized – until the leaves wither. Then dig out the tuber, clean it and store it dry at around 20 degrees, for example in sand or expanded clay. Alternatively, you can leave the bulb in the pot, but make sure you keep it very dry! In March, wake it up again with a water bath and replant it.

A blaze of color with small demands

If you look after your Caladium properly, it will reward you with a blaze of color that will attract everyone’s attention. With the right location, regular watering and a little patience in winter, you can bring a little tropical vacation into your living room year after year. Just follow the basic rules – then your Caladium will become a colorful permanent companion.

Source: Plantura

Set the heating to level 5 in summer? What initially sounds like an expensive and completely paradoxical idea has turned out to be a clever money-saving tip. Here we explain the circumstances in which you can use this “trick” to reduce costs.

Before you turn your heating up all the way, you should first clarify what kind of heating you have. There is a small but subtle difference here. And not every heating system should be set to level 5 in summer.

Turn up the heating in summer?

In principle, this ingenious money-saving tip is self-explanatory. At the start of the warm season, the heating system is switched to summer mode so that it only produces hot water and no more heating. But this doesn’t always work.

A self-controlling heating system, for example, also starts up in summer mode when it is a little cooler. This could happen on a particularly cool night or during a summer thunderstorm. This ultimately results in energy consumption that usually goes unnoticed.

Many heating systems have outdoor temperature sensors that register every change in the weather and then turn up the heating. However, the residents are completely unaware of this. Even a smart heating system consumes energy unnecessarily. The German Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association (DVFG) therefore advises you to change the setting yourself for all systems with smart control that automatically go into summer mode. This way, you can ensure that your heating really only produces hot water for the bathroom and kitchen in summer.

And why directly at level 5?

The DVFG advises turning the thermostats on the radiators up fully – even if this may seem irritating at first given the high outside temperatures. If you set your heating to level 5 in summer, you ensure that the mechanism that regulates the flow of water into the radiators relaxes.

Tip: This also prevents the valves from blocking in summer and getting stuck at the start of the next heating season, explains Markus Lau from the DVFG. In the worst case, the valves then have to be replaced – you can save yourself these costs!

So it’s best to find out immediately whether you should also turn your heating up fully in summer. It’s so easy to avoid unnecessary costs. Do you know any other money-saving tips for everyday life?

Source: t-online

Most kitchens have ceramic hobs on the stove. Compared to conventional cast iron hobs, they have the advantage that they can be operated in a more controlled manner, which makes them much more energy-efficient. Ceramic hobs are also very easy to clean – provided you always clean them immediately after cooking. However, even if you use a cleaning cloth immediately after cooking, strange metallic stains can still form on the surface over time. The question is: where do they come from and how do you get rid of them?

Cleaning the ceramic hob: Helpful tips to remove annoying stains

Unfortunately, simple scrubbing is not enough here, other means are required. However, these do not always have to be expensive – on the contrary simple household remedies are often sufficient.

But first we would like to answer the question of where these iridescent stains actually come from. The answer is quite simple: pans and pots are often to blame for the annoying stains. The reason for this is the copper and aluminum-containing alloys in our cooking utensils, which fuse wonderfully with the ceramic surface through friction. Even if it seems that the stains have formed underneath the glass surface and are therefore impossible to remove, we can reassure you – this is rarely the case!

As a rule, it is always important to clean the hotplates, whether ceramic or cast iron, immediately after use. This can be easily done with conventional cleaning agents and a sponge or cloth. However, the hob should have cooled down sufficiently by this time, otherwise there is a risk of burns!

If, for whatever reason, you didn’t get around to cleaning the hob in time, we have listed a few household remedies here that can help you clean your ceramic hob.

Lemon juice

For light stains, such as water or limescale stains, simple lemon juice is sufficient. To do this, drip a little of the juice onto a cloth and wipe over the stains as usual. Leave the juice to soak in for about 10 minutes, wipe with a little fresh water and then dry with a dry cloth. If you don’t have any lemon juice to hand, glass cleaner is also ideal for the whole procedure.

Baking powder

Baking soda is an excellent cleaning agent for more stubborn stains, such as burnt-on food. All you need for cleaning is half a packet of baking soda and a tablespoon of water. Rub the mixture onto the dirty areas and leave to soak for around 60-90 minutes. You can now simply wipe off the dried, dirty stains with a dry cloth. Finally, wipe over again with a damp cloth and rub everything dry.

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Cleaning the ceramic hob with toothpaste

If scratches have already formed on the ceramic surface, toothpaste can be helpful. The microparticles in the toothpaste smooth the edges of the scratches and make them disappear. All you need to do is rub a small amount of the cream onto the scratched areas with a cloth and then wipe the surface dry with the back of the cloth.

Cleaning stone and vinegar or soda

Now we come to the aforementioned metal streaks. These can be easily removed using a cleaning stone and vinegar or washing soda. The acid contained in vinegar dissolves the metallic impurities after prolonged exposure, making it easier to remove the streaks. If you prefer to use washing soda instead, apply a small amount to the soiled areas and leave the soda to work for around 20 minutes. You can then wipe away the remaining dirt with a simple cloth. You should use so-called cleaning stones with care, as their use can lead to scratches. Suitable cleaning stones are mainly available in drugstores.

Effective prevention of stains

If all household remedies fail to clean your ceramic hob for some unknown reason, the only thing left to do is to reach for the chemical shelf. You can find suitable cleaning agents in any supermarket or drugstore. But before you get that far, here are a few helpful tips to prevent metallic streaks in advance:

• Never slide pots and pans over the hob. This not only saves you from stains, but also protects against scratches!
• Even if the temptation is too tempting – do not wash your pots and pans in the dishwasher! The dishwashing process encourages abrasion of the pots’ alloy, making it easier for it to get onto the hob during cooking.
• Avoid excessively hot, prolonged cooking temperatures. Instead, turn the temperature up once and then continue cooking at a lower temperature. Excessively high temperatures also promote the abrasion of the metallic alloys of the cooking utensils.

With these helpful tips, you now know how to clean your ceramic hob and remove unsightly metallic stains on the hob!

Source: ruhr24.de

Do you have moths in your kitchen or closet? You don’t have to resort to chemicals straight away. There are tiny insects that offer you a natural, effective and sustainable solution against moths. These little helpers eliminate the problem at the root – without any poison or sticky traps.

This is what your uninvited guests look like

You can easily recognize the differences between clothes moths 🛒 and food moths 🛒. Clothes moths wear a straw-yellow, smooth dress, while their relatives from the pantry have reddish-brown wings with a pattern. Some destroy your favorite clothes, others infest flour, muesli or chocolate. In both cases, you should act quickly – because moths multiply at breakneck speed.

Why parasitic wasps work so well

Ichneumon wasps start exactly where it counts: with the moths’ eggs. The tiny insects (about 0.4 mm in size) lay their own eggs directly in the moth eggs, preventing the larvae from hatching in the first place. Once the work is done, they disintegrate without leaving any residue. They are absolutely harmless to you, your children and pets. They do not sting, fly or leave their surroundings – they do their job quietly and silently.

How to use ichneumon wasps against moths correctly

First it’s time to clean up! In the kitchen: Check all supplies, dispose of suspicious items, clean shelves with vinegar water. In the closet: Shake out clothes, air, empty the wardrobe and clean thoroughly.

Only then place the cards with parasitic wasps – as close as possible to the infested areas. Make sure you place enough cards: on every shelf, in dark corners or between piles of clothes. This is because parasitic wasps crawl, not fly. Their range is about one meter.

How long do you need to be patient?

For food moths, 10 to 12 weeks is usually enough. Clothes moths can be controlled over 12 to 15 weeks. The cards are often delivered to your home at intervals and replaced every two to three weeks. In the case of heavy infestations, a second round may be worthwhile. Maintain a room temperature of at least 20 degrees – otherwise the little helpers will become sluggish.

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Effectively prevent moths – what you can do

To prevent future infestations, you should store food in glass or metal containers and air and clean them regularly. The scent of lavender or cedar wood repels moths, as does consistent stock control. For clothes, airtight boxes or laundry bags help – especially for wool and silk.

Ichneumon wasps against moths – small but incredibly effective

If you want to get rid of moths naturally, you can hardly avoid ichneumon wasps. They attack the pest in a targeted manner, do not use toxins and disappear without a trace. With a little preparation and patience, you can get rid of your uninvited roommates in the long term and sustainably – without any chemicals.

Source: Ökotest

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They glow red, pink, yellow or orange – bromeliads are definitely among the most exotic of houseplants. Despite their spectacular appearance, these tropical plants are quite uncomplicated. Here you can find out the 3 things you need to consider when caring for bromeliads to ensure they flower reliably and don’t die.

Caring for bromeliads properly

Among the best-known bromeliads are the “Guzmania” with its intensely bright bracts and the “Vriesea” with its sword-shaped bracts. Strictly speaking, the strikingly colorful flowers are actually the bracts of the houseplant. The actual flowers of the bromeliad are hidden between the bracts. However, this does not detract from the joy of this colorful houseplant. If you also want to enjoy the plant’s colorful bracts, you should keep these 3 things in mind when caring for bromeliads.

1. the right location

Bromeliads originally come from the tropics and subtropics – they therefore prefer a room temperature of over 18 °C and a certain humidity all year round. A bright spot in a bathroom with a window would be ideal, for example. If the air is too dry, however, the houseplants are susceptible to pests and spider mites.

A bright location is also necessary for the houseplant to develop its colorful bracts. However, make absolutely sure that bromeliads are not exposed to direct sunlight. This would cause the edges of the leaves to turn brown. In summer, these eye-catching plants can also be kept on the balcony between June and September – just make sure that it is no colder than 15 degrees at night.

2. water and fertilize bromeliads

In their native habitat, bromeliads grow on trees and therefore have few roots. So that they can absorb sufficient water and nutrients, they collect them in their funnel-shaped leaf rosettes. When caring for bromeliads in a pot, you should always pour water onto the leaf rosette from above. This is the only way the water can flow into the funnels. In summer, the leaf funnels should always be filled with water; in winter, the exotic houseplants require significantly less water. However, drooping leaves are always a sign that the bromeliad has not been watered enough.

Irrespective of this, you should always keep the substrate for bromeliads moderately moist so that the root ball does not dry out. Use low-lime water at room temperature or, ideally, rainwater for watering. As tropical houseplants like high humidity, you can mist or spray them with soft water from time to time. Also fertilize bromeliads at regular intervals – but don’t put the fertilizer in the funnel, but in the substrate.

3. propagate bromeliads and make them bloom

You can enjoy the colorful bracts of the bromeliad for months. However, the actual flowers of the houseplant wilt very quickly. You need to know that bromeliads only flower once, if at all. With a bit of luck, however, several daughter rosettes will form during the flowering period – known as spikelets.

Unfortunately, the mother plant itself dies after flowering – you can tell by the fact that its colored bracts gradually fade. When the bromeliad’s offspring are about half the size of the mother plant, you can cut them off and plant them in their own pot of soil. However, it will take around three years for the offspring of your bromeliad to flower. So patience is required here.

Tip: To get your bromeliad to bloom, you can help it along with a piece of apple and a plastic bag. Place small pieces of apple or apple peel in the leaf funnels for 3 weeks and cover the bromeliad with a bin liner. This produces the gas ethylene, which promotes flower formation. Then leave the bin liner on the houseplant for a further 7 to 17 weeks.

Bromeliads may have a limited lifespan, but they are very decorative and easy to care for. With these tips, nothing can go wrong when caring for your houseplant. Good luck!

Source: mein-schoener-garten
Thumbnail images: ©Nico De Pasquale Photography via Getty Images, Daniela Duncan via Getty Images

If you have a lot of laundry to do, the washing machine often runs continuously. But is this actually good for the appliance? Or is it better to give it a break in between? Here you can find out whether and when it makes sense to take breaks between washes – and when you can wash through without worrying.

Modern machines: Endurance run usually no problem

First of all, the all-clear: With newer washing machines, you generally don’t need to worry if you start several wash cycles in quick succession. Most models built from around 2015 onwards are designed to withstand a certain amount of continuous load. They have sensors that monitor the motor and electronics and, in case of doubt, reduce or switch off in good time if it gets too hot. This means that if your machine is in good condition and is not overloaded, you can usually run it several times in a row without any problems – without taking a break.

Even normal household use with two or three wash cycles in a row is usually not a problem for modern appliances. Provided you observe the load limits – i.e. do not overload your washing machine – and select suitable programs.

When a break can be useful

The situation is a little different with older washing machines or particularly intensive washing cycles. If your machine has been around for many years – especially models without modern protective functions – there is a risk of the motor or electronics overheating during continuous operation. Programs with high temperatures or heavy spinning also put additional strain on the appliance.

In such cases, a break of around 20 minutes between washing cycles can be useful. This gives the motor, bearings and electronic components time to cool down a little. Especially if you several hot programs in succession or always load the drum to capacity, it’s worth giving your washing machine a little breather.

If you still have it: It may be worth taking a look at the operating instructions. Some manufacturers expressly recommend taking breaks – in which case you should also follow this recommendation.

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Breaks are not a must, but sometimes they make sense

So: If you have a modern, well-functioning washing machine, you don’t need to take breaks between washes. The appliances are designed to run several programs in a row. The situation is different with old machines, heavy loads or particularly hot programs – here, a break can help to extend the service life.

As a rule of thumb, the older the machine, the more worthwhile a 20-minute break is. If you want to be on the safe side, especially with frequent use, you can give your washing machine a little rest every now and then. It won’t do any harm in any case.

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Source: Federal Environment Agency