More than ever, our planet is in trouble due to climate change. It is tragic that companies and legislators continually refuse to accept what science and all the increasingly severe weather is doing to our lives. Instead, many of them only believe in profit despite the impact of global warming can do for future generations of their own families. Together, we are powerful voicing our concerns and voting to let our voices be heard. If you’re like many that are trying to do your part to keep a healthy home and planet, then here is how to make your home greener.
Some people panic at the thought of change. However, you can start small to improve how you clean to protect the planet. The important thing is beginning and gradually incorporating other ways through the type of products you buy, examining materials more closely, how we use energy to composting just to name a few.
An easy first step to make your home greener is avoiding disposable paper towels for cleaning. Of course, they are convenient. Besides being expensive when you frequently buy them, they cause deforestation that effect our ecosystems and climate to contribute to global warming. They also amount to tons of waste in landfills when there is a better solution called cloth.
Cloth can be laundered unlike throwing away paper towels. Though you can buy special cleaning cloths, you can also be economical using materials from old clothes. You don’t want to use cotton/polyester blends because they make horrible rags and don’t absorb water as well as cotton and other materials.
If you can’t get over the handy disposal you get using paper towels, then you can have a special cloth container for pieces of old cloth, cut in small pieces to be thrown out. This is not ideal, but it can ease the transition away from paper towels until ready to commit to recycling cloth for cleaning more responsibly.
Another thing that is hard to judge is how green the cleaning products that you buy are since companies have a lot of freedom in the wording for advertising. Look for words on labels such as EcoLogo, Green Seal, PETA, Made Safe, and Safer Choice can help. In addition, you can always go to EPA’s Safer Choice site and research any ingredients that you’re not sure about on their safer chemicals ingredient list. You can make you own diy healthy cleaning sprays, homemade nontoxic bleach, etc.
Many people use sponges, but not all of them are created equally. A majority of them are bad for the environment since they are composed of oil-based microfibers that can later bit by bit gradually disintegrate down the drain, only to end up polluting the water. A preferable choice is turning to a wool sponge. They may cost a bit more, but they are natural, antimicrobial and have the sort of rougher texture perfect for cleaning.
A sweet-smelling home is wonderful, but you need to be careful about what you may be releasing into the air with some scented candles or room sprays. Unfortunately, many have phthalates that can interfere with your hormones and cause problems from birth defects, developmental disorders to cancerous tumors. Phthalates don’t just pass through. Their tacky consistency enables them to adhere on items in your home, which only compounds the risk for a healthy home. If you are not sure about the safety of chemicals that you’re now using, check out that EPA Safer Choice link.
How you store your food is another way to make your home greener. Instead of keep on using plastic containers that often can leak back into food, especially through the microwave, try substituting glass for storage or microwaving.
This is hardly all the ways to make your home greener, but it will give you some useful ideas that could benefit your family and our planet.
