Whether you’re purchasing a new home or have lived in the same house for years, chances are there is old paint and other household items that require special disposal in your crawlspace or garage.
Batteries: The average American household goes through over a dozen standard batteries a year. There are several types of batteries. Alkaline batteries come in sizes like AA, AAA, C, D and 9V and can simply be disposed of in your standard garbage can. Alkaline batteries no longer contain dangerous substances like mercury (eliminated around 1993). However, it’s important not to throw away a large number of alkaline batteries together. Also, if you use rechargeable batteries like AAs or AAAs, you should recycle them.
Car batteries and small tractor batteries contain lead and sulfuric acid. These batteries should be taken to a recycling center. Many auto parts stores will actually pay you to recycle the battery at their location. Auto Zone is one of these many stores currently offering a $5 store credit for recycling your battery there.
Paint: Latex paint is considered non-hazardous by all states except California. If you have a home in California, visit this site for recommended disposal. For all other states, it is recommended to dry out the leftover paint with cat litter or a latex paint hardener specifically made for drying out leftover paint such as this product from Home Depot. You can then dispose of the paint in your curb-side garbage collection.
CFL and Fluorescent Light bulbs: These energy efficient bulbs contain mercury. They should be recycled at a local recycler. Many states including California, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Washington require the bulbs be recycled and not disposed of in your common household trash. Some major home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowes have recycling centers available. Look towards their returns desk for a drop-off.
Keep your eye out for local recycling programs in your community. These are often sponsored by the city you live in and makes disposing of household waste simple.
If you have questions about insurance, call the insurance agents at Trucordia. They have locations throughout Washington State in Olympia, Centralia, Vancouver, Tacoma and Marysville. They have years of insurance experience and can help you insure everything from your home to your auto or business Insurance. They live where you do and are an independent insurance agent, so they can help you find the right company to fit your needs. You can also check out their website, 24/7.

Imagine if we could buy just one insurance policy and be set for life. That’s a nice thought, isn’t it? Like the good things that happen in life, your insurance policy should change and adapt to your situations. The beauty of having a local, independent insurance agent is that they represent multiple insurance companies. One that surely will fit your current and future needs. Some things to consider when reviewing your current insurance:
If you’re like most people, you really don’t like getting junk mail delivered to your home. Not only is it wasteful to you, but the companies paying for the marketing don’t want the wasted funds for print and distribution either. If you’d like to be removed from mailings to your home or business, follow these easy steps!
Halloween can be some people’s favorite holiday. Whether it’s fun sized candy, making your own costume, setting up spooky decorations inside or outside your home or carving pumpkins, Halloween brings many of us joy. However, this holiday can increase your risk for an expensive liability claim if you’re not careful. Follow these five tips to ensure your holiday is fun and safe.
It’s now time to enjoy some amazing fall camping excursions, calm boating on the lake or a motorcycle road trip. Each year we’re asked by many of our customers about the possibility to cancel your insurance policies on your summer toys like motorcycles, RVs, boats and ATVs. While you may not be using these alternative vehicles during the fall and winter months, your vehicles may be damaged and insurance claim would need to be opened. If you cancelled your insurance policy, you may be forced to pay for repairs or replacements out-of-pocket. During the cooler months while your toys are parked events can occur that could get expensive without a valid insurance policy.
There are many coverage options to select from when shopping for your homeowner’s insurance. You need to decide on your level of coverage, whether you want a larger monthly payment and smaller deductible or vice versa. You also can decide to add flood or earthquake coverages if you live in an area prone to these events. Your standard homeowner policy is called an open perils policy and includes many types of events. But did you know that you can choose to have a “named perils” policy also known as a Broad Form insurance policy?
Do you use your personal vehicle to deliver papers, pizzas, sandwiches, flowers or other deliverables in exchange for money? Do you, from time to time, help your son or daughter with delivering their newspaper route? If you answered yes to this question, you may need a
Being in a hit and run accident can be a very frightening event. Being prepared to know how to handle the situation when it occurs will help you deal with the shock of it, as well as ensure you are covered for the loss when it does happen. While hit and run accidents will happen to almost every driver, whether their car is parked and unattended, or while they’re driving, knowing these things will help you deal with the unfortunate situation.
There are many scenarios that would warrant the need for an umbrella insurance policy. We outline a few of them here.
Wildfires occur every year and summer season is also known as fire season. Each year millions of acres across the country are scorched by both nature as well as human caused fire. By knowing how to minimize losses, human caused fires can drastically decrease with the proper education. Use these simple steps.