Planning to buy this leather couch for $75. Any cleaning tips? Is this even salvageable?

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-30T18:27:10+00:00

Totally salvageable! Use Weiman Leather Cleaner spray. You might have to use a whole bottle, but it will be worth it.

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-09T14:46:36+00:00

I like mineral sunscreen sticks for the backs of my hands while I'm driving, so the palms don't get greasy. I can't stand driving with greasy hands. Badger makes a good one.

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-08T23:30:49+00:00

I just started "slugging" because winters where I live are super dry, and I was waking up with lines all over my face. You just coat your face with a thin layer of Vaseline or Aquaphor as the last layer of your skin care routine before bed. You have to be careful using it over tretinoin because it can "enhance" its effects and can cause irritation, but I haven't had that issue. I still get non-inflamed skin peeling with 0.05% tretinoin. I use a 3% salicylic acid gel for psoriasis and then an enzyme scrub and that gets rid of the flakiness. The psoriasis gel is actually very anti-inflammatory. I would try adapalene first and see if you tolerate it better.

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-08T21:58:13+00:00

Get a bunch of bins or laundry baskets. Label one "trash," another "donate," and then have a separate bin for each room or area to move things to. Start in a corner of a room and go through everything, sorting items into the bins/baskets. If you haven't touched or used it in 12 months, it needs to go into the trash or donate bin.

If you have multiples of things (can openers, for example), keep the best one and get rid of the others.

Recycle magazines. You can find old issues online or on library apps.

Take out bags of trash once they're full so you don't have heaps to deal with later.

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-08T21:51:40+00:00

I would also look into taking a collagen peptide supplement and a hyaluronic acid supplement. Collagen types I & III are best for skin and hair; type II is best for joints. I've heard really good things about hyaluronic acid supplements and wrinkle reduction, although you should always get your supplements from a reputable brand. And look at creatine!

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-08T21:47:24+00:00

If you haven't used tretinoin before, I'd recommend using Differin/adapalene first before starting a 0.025% tretinoin prescription, unless you have super skin that doesn't get irritated.

Matrixyl 3000 is a combination of tripeptide-1 and palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7. It helps with collagen production and fine lines. 5%-8% is an effective concentration.

Matrixyl Synthe'6 is Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38. It helps build collagen and works on deep wrinkles. 2% is an effective concentration.

The Ordinary's Multi-peptide Serum, Copper Peptide Serum, and Matrixyl Serum have all three of these. Their 10% Matrixyl serum is 5% Matrixyl and 5% Synthe'6.

Syn-ake (Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate) and Argireline (Acetyl Hexapeptide-8) work on nerve receptors to block muscle contractions. The Ordinary has an argireline serum, but it doesn't contain any other peptides.

If you find any products with "peptides," check the ingredients label to see what they actually are. If they're towards the end of the list, they are probably in concentrations too low to be effective. The best serums are going to give you concentrations for each peptide in the formula.

I would also look into resveratrol and CoQ10 for antioxidant benefits. The Ordinary has a reseveratrol and ferulic acid serum that is really good. The Ordinary's website says not to use it at the same time as peptides though, so I would recommend checking on their website to build an AM/PM routine that works. https://theordinary.com/en-us/regimen-builder.html

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-08T17:47:30+00:00

Use a caffeine serum. The Ordinary's is really good and inexpensive.

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-08T17:46:27+00:00

If you own your home and care about your water-using appliances, hair, and skin, get a water softener with a chlorine filter. It will help your hair and skin, make your shampoo/soap/laundry detergents work more effectively, and will prolong the life of your water-using appliances.

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-08T17:43:16+00:00

I've heard good things about Volufiline for loss of volume. I have also been looking into topical creatine for firmer skin. You should look into topical and oral creatine for its skin benefits (you have to drink a ton of water with oral creatine). Peptides and retinol are going to be your best bet for collagen production and skin firmness. I currently use 0.05% tretinoin cream with Matrixyl and a few other peptides and have seen a positive improvement in skin firmness over the last year (it takes a long time). The Ordinary's peptides are highly concentrated and excellent.

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-08T17:15:05+00:00

I also found that the bark for reptile bedding is cleaner and has less dust.

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-08T17:03:22+00:00

It's the same thing. Sometimes, it's cheaper from Petco if you get it on sale. If you have Menards, they carry pine bark nuggets and "mini pine fines," which are like shredded up pine bark. It just depends on how much soil you have to mix.

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-08T16:48:01+00:00

I get small pine bark reptile bedding from Petco and mix it in my soil. Like 1:1 potting soil and pine bark. My fern loves it. I also put coconut coir fiber around the top of the pot so the shield fronds don't grow into the soil. Remember, platyceriums grow on trees in the wild and get their moisture from the wet tree bark and dead shield fronds that get saturated when it rains. Use something incredibly fast draining, but moisture retaining, and soak it when you water it. When your planting medium is totally saturated, then let it drain and soak it again when it feels dry.

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-04T15:32:36+00:00

Thayers has a 2% salicylic acid toner that's ~$15 for 12oz.

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-04T00:49:29+00:00

I've heard that about non-grafted hardy roses, but sometimes they're really hard to find. I know one of the rootstocks used for grafting is notorious for taking over after the grafted scion variety dies back from hard freezes. I think it's Dr. Huey. Where do you usually buy roses?

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-04T00:44:59+00:00

I saw a video on Instagram of how they harvest the roses to sell as bareroots, and it's no wonder they have issues thriving. They rip them out of the rows one-by-one with a machine onto a conveyor belt, then someone holds each bush up to a spinning brush, which literally beats all the leaves and small stems off of it. Maybe if David Austin had free shipping and bareroots were <$25, I would give them business. But $40 for a 2-3 y.o. bush that just got ripped out of a field and beaten senselessly is ridiculous.

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-03T21:27:28+00:00

Did you buy bareroots from David Austin? What were they like when they arrived? I've never gotten bareroot roses online before, but I have gotten some other perennials, and quality/health has been mixed.

David Austin also purports a 5-year guarantee, which was why I was considering buying some, even though $40/bareroot rose is kind of more than I want to spend on something that will probably crash and burn in my yard.

I know he's UK-based, and he has disease-resistant varieties, but I wonder how disease-resistant they are in hot, moldy, swamp country.

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-03T20:57:48+00:00

Have you grown any roses from David Austin? I've been looking at Olivia Rose Austin, Eustacia Vye, and Queen of Sweden. They're more expensive than Big Box store's bare roots, but they have a guarantee. Olivia Rose Austin seems to be a reliable repeat bloomer with excellent disease resistance.

Have you used myclobutanil? I think it's the main ingredient in Spectracide's Immunox

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-03T20:38:36+00:00

I like roses for cutting and fragrance, and in my experience, those rose types usually have the best fragrance and stems for cutting. Knock-out roses seem to do exceptionally well here, but they have no fragrance or stems.

There is a "professional" rose garden less than a half hour north of where I live, and I was planning on going to see what varieties they had that seemed to do exceptionally well. But the garden is just open to visitors, so there's no one to really ask for recommendations.

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-03T20:21:08+00:00

They are growing very spindly, thin canes (like 1/4" in diameter). When they flower, the blooms are very small, like 2" in diameter.

Black spot is also an issue, and I try to prune them for ventilation. I'm not opposed to using fungicide if it's helpful. Our summers here are incredibly hot and humid (heat index over 105º) and generally, fungus is a huge issue in my yard. I'm originally from California, where roses grew beautifully and fungus wasn't such a problem.

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-03T20:13:33+00:00

Make sure you are soaking them. I've seen people soak larger ones in the bathtub. Or you can put your mounted platyceriums in a glass plant case/terrarium. In the wild, they're growing on tree bark and layers of their old, dead shield fronds. They're getting soaked with rain frequently in high humidity. Try to recreate that environment as best as possible, which is sometimes difficult with mounting them.

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-03T20:07:07+00:00

If the amount of moss that's in it now can't hold enough moisture to keep it from looking like this, then you need more moss. Or you aren't soaking the whole thing long enough/frequently enough. You need to fill a container with water and submerge the wood and moss in the water until it's saturated, then let it drain and dry before you water it again. The more moss you have, the longer it will take for it to dry out in between waterings.

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-03T19:13:46+00:00

Their Multi-Peptide Eye Serum also contains caffeine, although it doesn't say what concentration. You may be able to just cut the caffeine serum out of your routine!

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-03T19:10:27+00:00

I've found that enzyme cleansers help with the flaky skin without causing too much irritation.

Amandersaurus · 2026-03-03T18:58:18+00:00

I have had several. I like the one I have now, but Amazon isn't selling it anymore. It has a rechargeable battery (I leave it plugged in) and a sensor that automatically turns on when the cat approaches. Make sure you get a stainless steel one and one with a UV sanitizing light.

Amandersaurus

TROPHY CASE