New Jersey Home & Garden Show

"SUSTAINABILITY" A HALLMARK OF THE NEW JERSEY HOME & GARDEN SHOW AT THE N.J. CONVENTION CENTER, EDISON, FEBRUARY 24-26

A laundry guru who uses only natural products, a repurposing expert and manufacturer of natural flooring material join 100 remodeling, design & landscape experts who share info with visitors.

An early proponent and leader of the natural laundry cleaning material trend, flooring and lumber made of organically grown fiber hemp stocks, and tips from a repurposing expert are among the influencers and experts who will advise visitors to the 33rd annual New Jersey Home & Garden Show. Visitors to the show, at the New Jersey Convention Center in Edison February 24-26, will also see ideas and products from 100 remodelers, contractors, interior designers, landscapers and kitchen & bath designers -- most of them locally-owned businesses. Handcrafted work of artisans will be for sale in the Marketplace area.

The Laundry Evangelist, Patric Richardson, popular host on HGTV and the Discovery Channel, will teach how to treat clothes and the environment better. Just as he does on his live Thursday Q&A on Facebook and did as The Laundry Guy on Discovery +, he will answer questions such as how to remove liquid foundation from a white cotton shirt or odor from fabric to how to wash a down jacket--even how to clean rugs in the snow. Visitors will learn how to best use natural cleaning products such as oxygen bleach, vinegar and water, vodka, and ammonia. When asked if there are textiles to avoid if you're a sloppy eater, Richardson replied: "Learn to wash and enjoy the food." When should you dry clean clothes? "Never," he advises.

The slogan of first-time exhibitor Hempwood is "Anything wood can do, hemp can do better." Hempwood is a sustainable solution to deforestation. Hemp can replace hardwood lumber and takes only four months to grow. Hemp flooring is installed with a nontoxic, plant-based adhesive. "If we cut down our forests at the current rate," says founder Greg Wilson, "by 2030 only 10 percent will remain."

You-Tube star Doreen Stovenour will share repurposing and do-it-yourself tips. Her Facebook postings and YouTube videos attract a growing audience. "I never pass up anything promising that's free," she said. "Your trash is typically my treasure." She's turned an old piano into a desk, a grill into a potting station, a headboard into a bench and old shutters into a raised garden.

Exhibitors run the remodeling gamut specializing in windows and doors, gutter protection, closets, roofing, fencing, decking, heating and air conditioning, solar energy, power washing, siding, landscaping and excavation, deer control, bath fitters and basement systems. Special activities for children include make-and-take crafts, balloon animals and old-fashioned games like bean bag and ring tosses, tic-tac-toe, and a mini fishing pond.

Website: Visit https://www.newjerseyhomeshow.com

Where: New Jersey Convention Center, 97 Sunfield Avenue, Edison, NJ 08837

Hours: Fri. Feb. 24, 3 p.m. - 8 p.m.; Sat. Feb. 25 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Sun., Feb. 26, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Tickets: $10 for everyone 16 and older. Children 15 and under free. Follow us: Twitter: @njhomeshow Instagram: @njhomeshow Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NJHomeShow/