One of the satisfying ways I live green is by picking up dirty, used electric fans being thrown away on garbage day before they reach their demise in the landfill.  After making sure that the fans still works, I open them up with a screwdriver, thoroughly clean the inside using a damp, clean rag and some baking soda. To remove the rust embedded on some of the fan blades, I rub a piece of onion on the rust until it disappears.

It gives me great pleasure to see these fans given a new lease on life, clean and looking like new again! The pleasure continues after I donate them to charities, that help the poor and homeless, knowing that the electric fans I've rescued will make somebody cool once again, especially during the hot and sticky days of summer, instead of going to waste in a land-fill.

Thanks to Josie Dey for this submission in March '08.

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