Can you live greener? If you’re thinking, “Well, I recycle,” or, “I take my reusable bags to the grocery store,” you’re doing it right. But you can do more. If you’re living a life with ungreen habits, like using chemical cleaners or tossing your old clothing in the can, read on to find out how you can nix your bad habits and adopt new, green ones.
- Switch to Chemical-Free Cleaners
Would you use chemicals to clean your home, including surfaces like the kitchen counter and the toys in your children’s toy box? You may already be using harmful agents in your home cleaners that can be a danger to both your family and the environment. Today, there are thousands of chemical-rich cleaning products on the market that have not been safety tested and which have unknown effects. These everyday cleaners can pollute our streams and rivers — and can also take a long time to degrade. Instead of using these types of cleaning agents, switch to something safe and green. Learn more about safe and eco-friendly cleaning products by checking out the helpful guide provided by the Environmental Working Group.
For many people using natural basic ingredients to clean your whole house and even using herbs to keep your house clean, fresh and chemical free is an inexpensive and healthy choice. Check out how to clean your bathroom the green and natural way with DIY cleaners.
- Use Green Pest Control
There are many steps you can take to control pests before using a chemical pesticide. To help prevent most pests, you should start by keeping a clean and tidy home and yard. Make sure to clean up any spills or messes, wipe up an liquids, keep bushes trimmed and away from your home’s foundation, and eliminate any standing water in your yard, kitchen or bathroom. All of these small messes can attract pests to your home because you are providing them with food and water sources. Furthermore, be sure to fill in any cracks or small holes where pests could potentially enter your home.
For more green pest prevention tips, follow a pest control company like Orkin om social media or check out their website. Try getting rid of pests and bugs the natural organic way with non-toxic spray .
- Ditch the Switch
Have you ever left your home wondering if you forgot to turn off the lights? Leaving on the lights not only impacts the environment by wasting energy, but it can also increase your monthly energy bill. Home-automated lighting systems can save you energy and money. And they are simple to install, practical and good for the Earth. The lights can be programmed to turn on and off at specific times throughout the day, ensuring your lights are off when you’re not in the room. And automated lighting systems, like those sold by Lutron, can often be controlled by devices like smartphones and tablets, making it easy to control changes when your busy life calls for it.
- Recycle Your Used Clothing
According to The Atlantic, Americans throw away 10.5 million tons of clothing to landfills on an annual basis. In New York City alone, textiles account for 6 percent of all garbage. Instead of tossing your threads, donating your clothes to second-hand stores can help someone in need and the environment. Additionally, clothing recycling bins, like the pink bins found in Brooklyn, recycle clothing on a large-scale basis. These clothes are then sent along a pipeline for recycling in order to be ground down and reprocessed — the process is similar to that of plastic bottles — or cut down for industrial rags, in addition to being donated.
You can change many small habits to live green that can reduce your carbon footprint and to ensure that we have left a healthier and safer world for our children.
What do you do to make your home a greener and healthier haven for your family and a safer world that help save our planet and reduce your carbon footprint?
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I started doing some of these things this year and I feel so much better! I would also like to invite you to our Homesteader Hop we would love to have you!
Hi Tana,
Thank you so much for your invitation to your blog hop and will certainly check it out. Glad to hear that you are living green. Have a healthy happy & blessed day!