Reach into your aquarium and slowly cut if your moss is getting too long. Shape the moss however you want it. For example, if you have made a tree, you may want to make the moss round and neat.  You can let moss grow freely, but it may restrict water flow or make it hard for fish to move around your aquarium. Disinfect the scissors with warm water before putting them in your tank. Any added chemicals could harm the health of your plants and fish. Move the siphon up and down in the water to create suction and start the water flow. Hold the siphon near your moss to suck any food or plant particles. Control the suction with your thumb at the end of the hose. Have a bucket ready to drain 20 percent of the water from the tank. Algae forms in water with poor circulation and under bright lights. Though your moss will help prevent algae, it may get into your aquarium. Once algae have grown on your moss, it’s very hard to get rid of and should be removed. If you are set on keeping the moss, gently use a soft toothbrush to scrub the moss. Be careful not to detach it from its base. Take any sized cutting from the moss with a pair of scissors and place it somewhere else in the tank. The cutting will form a new plant and continue to grow wherever it’s attached.

Summary: Trim the moss every week with a clean pair of scissors. Use a water siphon to change the water and vacuum the moss weekly. Replace the moss if algae start to grow on it. Cut off pieces from the moss if you want to propagate it.


Opening a window is not always the best idea if you’re trying to purify the air in your home. The air outdoors contains a lot of pollutants. Instead, install trickle vents. These vents are screens you place over your windows with extra filters to help remove pollutants from inside while letting fresh air in. Use a disposable HEPA filter with your air conditioner. You can also purchase standing HEPA filters for a single room or use them in air purifiers. Make sure to clean or change the HEPA filter often. Air conditioners can help improve the air quality in your home by removing water from the air, which can help since a lot of pollutants are water-soluble. ACs can also remove other impurities from the air. Exhaust fans in your bathroom help remove moisture from the air. This helps protect against mold. In the kitchen, exhaust fans help remove harmful pollutants from the air. Whenever you take a shower or cook, run the exhaust fans to help remove these things from the air in your home. Using the exhaust fan when cooking can help reduce the buildup of harmful gases if you have a gas stove. If you use chemicals, or engage in hobbies like painting, you need ventilate your house. Open windows, use fans, or open doors to remove any chemicals from the air. If possible, use chemicals outdoors to reduce the amount in the air in your home. Some cleaning products can put pollutants into the air. Look for cleaning products that are fragrance-free. Also look for products that say low VOC or no VOC, which means they contain few or no volatile organic compounds. Don’t leave your car in a garage while on for long periods of time. When a car idles, it emits exhaust that can come into your house. If you are cranking a car and letting it idle for any reason, move it to the driveway instead of leaving it in your home.

Summary: Improve ventilation in your home. Use a HEPA filter. Use your air conditioner. Use exhaust fans. Open windows when using chemicals. Choose your cleaning products carefully. Remove your car from the garage when cranked.


You'll need to lay out 5 reeds parallel to one another, with about 3/8ths of a space between them.  Weave a sixth reed perpendicularly through the other 5. Bring the sixth reed over the first reed, under the second, over the third, under the fourth and over the fifth reed. Weave 4 more reeds in this manner, making sure that they are parallel to the sixth reed. Ensure that the squares formed by the base weaving are no bigger than 3/8 inch (.9 cm). Bend the reeds that stick out from the square base into an upwards position. These bent reeds are called spokes. Bending them will make it easier to weave and these spokes will act as the supports for the basket. Split one end of either the third or eighth spoke, starting where it comes out from under the last spoke to cross it. You will now have eleven spokes. You'll be putting the weaver into the split. . Put the tapered end (the smaller end) of a weaver reed into the split spoke and hold it in place with a clothespin. Keep the weaver reed near the base of the basket and weave, by going over one spoke and under the next.  If you're going for a square shape, hold the base corners together with clothespins. This will help maintain the shape of the base. Continue to attach and weave new reeds through the spokes for 3 or 4 rows, depending on the desired height of the basket. Each new reed should be stacked above the reed woven before it. Do your best to make the weave snug and tight, but not too tight or you can screw up the base of the basket. You, also, want to make sure that the weave isn't too loose. This means closing up those square holes that are still in the base. Starting in the left corner of your basket, take the corner spoke and tug it gently. Tug more firmly on the second spoke. You want to tug quite firmly on the middle spoke because this will create an arch in the bottom of the basket. Move to the 4th spoke and tug gently again. Straighten your spokes and repeat on all 4 sides of the basket, until the holes in the base are closed. Keep attaching and weaving new reeds through the spokes. Make sure that you don't pull too hard on the corners, because that will make your spokes bend inward and you'll lose your basket's shape.  You also don't want your corners to be too loose, which can happen if you aren't keeping your spokes upright and parallel while you weave. Stop weaving once you've reached your desired height. Push or pull the woven rows down towards the base as you weave. Ensure that there is no space between the base and the rows. Start pressing or pulling from the base and move up to the newer reeds as you go. A properly packed basket should have a nicely arched base, straight, parallel spokes, properly spaced corners, and tight weaver rows. Stop weaving your last reed after you have woven 4 spokes past the split spoke. Taper the reed with scissors, moving from the fourth spoke to the end of the reed. Weave until all of the final reed has been woven into the spokes. Cut the spokes with scissors. The spokes should be 1/2 to 2 inches (1.3 to 5 cm) higher than the last woven reed. Fold the spokes towards the inside of the basket over the top row of reeds. Insert the end of each spoke into the third row from the top. Ensure that each spoke lies flat against the inside of the basket. You'll wrap a reed around the top row of the basket and pin it to the basket with a clothespin. Now, anchor the new reed by weaving its bottom end into the top few rows inside the basket. This reed is called the lacer.  Bring the lacer up and over the reed pinned to the basket and insert it through the front of the basket into the woven rows. Now pull the lacer inside the basket. Continue wrapping the lacer around the pinned reed, circling the circumference of the basket. Glue the end of the lacer inside the basket.
Summary: Make the base of the basket. Bend the reeds. Split a center spoke. Weave the basket Foot the base. Continue weaving. Pack the base. Finish the top of the basket. Trim the basket. Make the rim.