Household Clean & Green

Keep your household running clean & green with these environmentally friendly tips.

Top Ten Green Home Tips:
Many of these tips will save you money and the environment at the same time!

1.  Reduce “Vampire Energy” consumption.
Unplug electronics when they’re not in use.  Phone chargers continue to draw energy when they’re left plugged in, and electronics can use 40% of their regular running energy when plugged in on standby. If you see a red power light, unplug it!  
2. Turn down the heat, turn up the air.
Turning down your thermostat one degree in the winter, and up a degree in the summer could save you 3% in home energy costs. And when you’re expecting a crowd, turn it down even further. Each person is like having a 100-watt heater on board.
3. Switch out your lights.
If everyone would switch out just one conventional bulb for a compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL), it would be like pulling a million cars off the roads.  Plus, because the bulbs last 10 times as long and are 25% more energy efficient, they’ll save you some green.
4.  Just say “No” to paper or plastic.  
Take your own reusable shopping bags to the grocery store or mall.  
5. Save more water.
Take quick showers, fix leaky faucets and shut off the water while you brush your teeth.  That alone can save almost 2000 gallons a year.
6. Wash Your Laundry in Cold Water.
An easy way to clean green is to turn the dial on your washing machine to cold. Most loads don't need hot water, and 90% of the energy used by washing machines goes into heating. The higher the water temperature, the higher the cost to you and the planet.
7.  Drink from the tap.
Choosing a reusable bottle and drinking from your tap will save you money and the environment too.  Most municipal tap water tastes just as good and is actually safer than bottled! www.refillnotlandfill.org
8. Compost
Organic waste (leaves, grass clippings and kitchen scraps) accounts for almost one-third of our cities’ landfill space. These are exactly the same materials needed to create rich and healthy compost. Used as mulch, fertilizer, and as one of nature’s best soil amendments, compost is an inexpensive but invaluable resource for the home gardener.
9.  Stop the Junk Mail Menace.
Each year, the junk mail industry destroys about 100 million trees to market their credit card offers, catalog specials, and more! The production and disposal of junk mail consumes more energy than 3 million cars.
Contacting the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and registering with their Mail Preference Service provides an effective way for you to fight the junk mail glut. To add your name to the do-not-mail list, send a letter, along with $1, with your name(s) and address to the DMA asking to be removed from their mailing list. Be sure to include all names at your address that you wish to be removed, including misspellings. Note that mail addressed to “resident” or “occupant” cannot be stopped through the DMA.
Direct Marketing Association
Mail Preference Service
P.O. Box 282
Carmel, NY 10512

For many more tips on reducing junk mail delivered to your home, visit Eco•cycle
http://www.ecocycle.org/junkmail/index.cfm

10. Go Paperless.
 Save natural resources - as well as late fees - by enrolling in online bill-paying options. Paperless billing not only saves trees; it also eliminates the fossil fuel needed to get all those billing envelopes from them to you and back again. Plus, you'll save money on stamps.

Bonus: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
Reduce by buying and using less. “Precycle” by purchasing products in packaging that can be easily recycled.
Reuse containers and products, repair or pass items on to others who could use them too.
Recycle as much as possible — which includes buying products with recycled content.
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Green Cleaning
There is no need to use costly and potentially dangerous chemicals to clean your house because there are a number cleaning products already in your pantry!  And the best part is that they're natural and non-toxic.

Five basic ingredients serve as the building blocks for many safe home cleaning needs:
1. Baking Soda - Cleans and deodorizes. Softens water to increase sudsing and cleaning power of soap. Good scouring powder.
2. Borax - Cleans and deodorizes. Excellent disinfectant. Softens water. Available in laundry section of grocery store.
3. Soap - Biodegrades safely and completely and is non-toxic. Available in grocery stores and health food stores. Sold as liquid, flakes, powder or in bars. Bars can be grated to dissolve more easily in hot water. Insist on soap without synthetic scents, colors or other additives.
4. Washing Soda - Cuts grease and removes stains. Disinfects. Softens water. Available in laundry section of grocery store or in pure form from chemical supply houses as "sodium carbonate."
5. White Vinegar or Lemon Juice - Cuts grease and freshens.

General Cleaner Recipes:
Household Cleaner
    Mix together:
    1 tsp. liquid soap (castile, peppermint)
    1 tsp. borax
    Squeeze of lemon
    1 qt. warm water
    OR
    ¼ c. baking soda
    ½ c. borax
    ½ c. vinegar
    1 gal. water
    For surfaces that need scouring, try moist salt or baking soda and a green scouring pad.

Window Cleaner
    Mix together:
    2 tsp. vinegar
    1 qt. warm water
    OR
    2 tbsp. borax
    3 c. water
    Rub dry with newspaper to avoid streaking.

Disinfectant
    Mix together:
    ¼ c. borax
    ½ gal. hot water

For many more recipes for household cleaners, visit Eco•cycle http://www.ecocycle.org/hazwaste/recipes.cfm
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Ways to Reduce:
Consume and throw away less by:
    * Purchasing durable, long-lasting goods.
    * Seeking products that have less packaging and are healthy, safe and environmentally friendly.
    * Making small but impactful changes like replacing incandescent lights with compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) and using reusable shopping bags instead of choosing “paper or plastic”. (www.chicobag.com)
    * Asking to be removed from junk mail lists. (www.greendimes.com)
    * Buying in bulk.  More is less.  Avoid single-serving containers when possible.

Ways to Reuse:
    * Using durable coffee/travel mugs instead of Styrofoam
    * Using cloth napkins or towels.
    * Using refillable water bottles (like Sigg or Nalgene www.refillnotlandfill.org)
    * Donating old magazines or surplus equipment.
    * Reusing boxes.
    * Turning empty jars into containers for leftover food or to organize small items
    * Purchasing refillable pens and pencils.
    * Participating in a paint collection and reuse program.
    * Donating items to charitable organizations like Goodwill, Salvation Army or Habitat for Humanity.
    * Have a garage/yard sale or resale items online at places like eBay.com.  Shop these places for items you need as well!

Benefits of Recycling
    * Conserves resources for our children's future.
    * Prevents emissions of many greenhouse gases and water pollutants.
    * Saves energy.
    * Supplies valuable raw materials to industry.
    * Creates jobs.
    * Stimulates the development of greener technologies.
    * Reduces the need for new landfills and incinerators.

Don't throw away anything that can be recycled!
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Composting
Organic waste (leaves, grass clippings and kitchen scraps) accounts for almost one-third of our cities’ landfill space. These are exactly the same materials needed to create rich and healthy compost. Used as mulch, fertilizer, and as one of nature’s best soil amendments, compost is an inexpensive but invaluable resource for the home gardener.

By composting, you help provide a solution to the communities’ problems while enriching the
condition of the soil in your yard and garden. It’s a small investment of time that yields big returns.

The neighbors will be green with envy!

Composting:
• eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers
• improves soil fertility
• suppresses plant diseases

These items are GOOD to include in your compost:
• Fruits & vegetables
• Coffee grounds and filters
• Tea bags
• Leaves
• Hay and straw
• Unsalted nut shells
• Eggshells
• Grass clippings
• Sawdust
• Shredded newspaper
• Yard trimmings
• Wood chips
• Clean paper

These items should NOT be placed in your compost.
• Dairy products
• Fats, grease, or oils
• Meat or fish bones and scraps
• Pet wastes
• Yard trimmings that have been treated with chemical

Learn More about Composting:

http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/composting/index.htm