Best Tips for a Greener You!
- Use “Over the Counter” ready to use eco-friendly cleaners – such as, Bon Ami, Bar keeper’s friend, Murphy’s Oil soap or Mrs. Stewards Liquid Bluing
- Utilize your bike – Riding a bike vs. driving is more than just better for your health; the transportation industry is the second largest contributor to greenhouse gas production.
- Grab a mug, cup or bottle and take it out with you – Rather than buying a coffee with a cup, bring a mug. It saves a “one time use” cup from being thrown out.
- Use reusable bags – FYI California alone distributes over 180 million plastic grocery bags annually.
- Look towards buying less packaging – Most foods come in a box, in plastic, then in a wrapper, and so on. Look for foods without all the packaging that normally gets tossed away
- Buy in bulk – Buying in bulk obviously means more food and less packaging. This also tends to save you quite a bit on your grocery bill.
- Donate all your old clothes – think about how much space all of you old clothes would take up in landfills, not to mention how long it would take for most of it to decompose. By donating your old clothes, you not only are you reducing your waste and impact on the earth, but you are also helping out someone in need.
- Read labels – Look for clothes made out of organic materials. Organic fibers break down and decompose easier than other fibers that most clothes are typically made out of. Look for clothes that are local, buying locally reduces how much energy it takes to transport the clothes from where they are produced.
- Dress up or down for the season – If its winter and your house is cold dress warmer so you can keep the thermostat down. By not raising the thermostat you are using a lot less heat.
- Reduce laundry – Only do laundry when you have to and be sure that you wait until you have a full load of clothes. Rather than wasting a whole load of water and electricity on a few pieces of clothes, try and save by waiting until you have more washing to do. Also re-wear (some of) your clothes, wearing a t-shirt out and back doesn’t mean it’s dirty. Try to wear your clothes a few times before you throw them in the laundry if they aren’t really in need of a wash.
- Wash your clothes with cold water – It takes a lot of energy to heat water for the washing machine. Try and conserve a little by using the cold water setting on your washer.
- Grow a garden – How much more local can you get than your own yard? You can’t imagine the pleasure you get from putting work into your own food, gardens are a perfect for living sustainably.
- Fix all your leaks – A faucet leaking a slow steady drip – 100 drops per minute – wastes 350 gallons per month. A faucet leaking a small stream wastes 2,000 to 2,700 gallons of water per month
Organizational Facts to Consider
- For every minute you spend organizing, you gain 5 minutes later on.
- The Wall Street Journal reports that the average worker wastes six weeks per year searching for missing information in messy desks or files.
- Children with organized parents tend to perform a lot better not only in school but in life.
- Research shows 80% of the paper we keep we never use. The more we keep, the less we use.
- Most wasted time results from becoming sidetracked.
- Cleaning is easier if you organize a detailed cleaning plan and use effective techniques. Assigning household chores to family members helps get the work done faster and teaches responsibility.
- Involve your family members. Don’t delay it . . . get started somehow little by little.
- Make a convenient place for everything that you don’t need immediately accessible.
- Utilize a junk drawer for miscellaneous items.
- Do the hardest chores first.
- Play upbeat music while you clean.
- Don’t be distracted by the phone. Clean while talking – use the cordless.
- Clean everything from top to bottom.
- Clean one room at a time.
- Clean as you go – wipe out sinks last; and squeegee shower stalls after each use.
- Do the same for each room in same order – windows, dusting, floors.
- Eliminate running back and forth by putting the cleaning supplies in a bucket or carry all.
- Work on a particular area at a time.
- Create convenient areas to store kitchen equipment (i.e. pie plates, cake pans, etc.).
- Serve dinner buffet style to eliminate cleaning serving dishes.
- Use paper plates more often.
- Use odd moments to do odd jobs.
- Put things in order before going to bed. Less clutter gives you more time, money and energy
Help Yourself and the Earth:
Are you one of the millions of consumers who tend to think anything and everything that is sold must be safe? Since the 1950s more than 80,000 synthetic chemicals have been invented. The sad part is that hardly any of these substances have been tested for safety, but have been added to our food, water and cleaning products without our consent and most often without informing us of any dangers. According to the NRC (National Research Council) the state, “no toxic information is available for more than 80% of the chemicals in every day-use products” What can you do to protect you and your loved ones?
- Educate yourself, and find safer alternatives in every aspect of your life.
- Minimize use of harsh chemicals. Clean Often and immediately, remove food waste promptly, keep home moisture/humidity down to 30-50%, and use entry way mats at all entrance’s.
- Store all cleaners in their original containers and most importantly out of the reach of children. Follow all of the directions on the label and use only the amount of product recommended.
- Read labels, follow safety precautions and contact the right people if you have questions.
Some products around your home may be volatile if mixed, beware that these should never be combined:
These facts will quickly describe some overlooked hazards of mixing products and a few of the possible health effects.
- Mixing common household cleaning products can be serious, Be sure to read the product labels before using any products.
- Don’t mix different cleaners together such as Lye, Rust removers or oven cleaners. They may react violently, produce toxins, or become ineffective.
- Bleach and Ammonia Is Toxic, and potentially lethal vapors can be produced.
- When bleach is mixed with ammonia, toxic gases called chloramines are produced. Exposure to chloramine gases can cause:
- Shortness of breath
- Coughing
- Chest pain
- Nausea
- Watery eyes
- Irritation to the throat, nose and eyes
- Pneumonia and fluid in the lungs
- Bleach and Acid Toilet Bowl Cleaner
- This mixture is toxic, and can produce potentially deadly fumes. Bleach and Vinegar -Vinegar is an acid. Toxic chlorine vapor can be produced. Chlorine bleach can sometimes called hypochlorite or sodium hypochlorite. You can encounter it in bleach, dishwashing detergents, disinfectants and cleaners, scouring powder, mildew removers, and toilet bowl cleaners.
- Where can Ammonia and Acids found in my home?
- Ammonia can be found in the following: Glass and window cleaners • Urine • Some interior and exterior paints.
- Products that can contain acids may include:
- Vinegar
- Glass and window cleaners
- Auto dishwasher detergents and rinses
- Toilet bowl cleaners
- Drain cleaners
- Lime, calcium and rust removal Products
- Brick and concrete cleaners
- Do not use two drain cleaners together or one right after the other.
- Pool chemicals frequently contain calcium or sodium hypochlorite, and should not be mixed with any household cleaners.