I’m all about using products that both clean my house and are green. With little kids and a puppy, it is essential for me (at least) to use products that I know will not make them sick. I’m also allergic to life itself (I test positive for everything they test me for when allergy tested, so I’m allergic to everything). I have found that “green” products don’t make me break out. I’m not sure why that is (or if it’s just in my case), but green products are fantastic in my book. Soooo here’s my top ten tips of things you can do for your house for a clean green home.
1. Clean+Green
If you have pets, I recommend Clean+Green because it’s an odor neutralizer. We have Daisy, our puppy, and it’s what we use to get rid of the smell when she uses my floor for her bathroom. 🙂 It’s awesome, and they make it for carpet and wood floors. I even think they have it for upholstery. It is environmentally responsible, formulated, non-toxic, non-flammable, non-corrosive, non-carcinogenic, and 100% biodegradable.
2. BioBags
This next one is more for the yard, but we use BioBags for Daisy’s bathroom trips outside. They are fully certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute to be 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable. The bag itself will decompose in 10 – 40 days in a municipal composting environment. That’s one less plastic bag headed to the landfill!
3. Check Your Labels For “Green”
Look for products that say “green” on the label. The EPA is going after companies that are just greenwashing their products, so most of the time, if you see “green”, it is. The best thing is that they are usually pretty comparable in price to your non-green products, so there is no reason NOT to use them!
4. Check Out Vintage Store
You can even “green” your wardrobe. Shop at vintage stores! If you have clothes you no longer wear, consider donating them to Goodwill or other charitable organizations. You can even organize a swap with your friends.
5. Clothesline
Install a clothesline. This is an easy tip that almost everyone can follow. You wash your clothes with cold water and hang them out to dry on the line. This also limits the energy impact of your wardrobe.
6. Button Jar
Start a button jar. You know the buttons you get when you buy clothes, instead of throwing them away, put them in a jar. Then, instead of replacing a shirt or pants because you lost a button, you can sew a new one on!
7. Buy “green” clothes
We also buy bamboo clothes. They wick away moisture, are thermal regulating, and are super soft. I also love that I’m helping the environment when wearing them.
8. Avoid HDF and MDF
We look for furniture that isn’t made with HDF or MDF. These kinds of fiberboards can offgas and we don’t want that in my house! Instead, we look for solid wood or bamboo.
9. LEDS
We’ve also replace all of our light bulbs to LED. That has helped our electric bill out some. It is also a quick easy fix.
10. Energy-efficient Products
Buy only energy-efficient products. When we have had to replace our appliances, that is a sticker we look for. (And we have had to replace everything since we’ve moved here except the fridge!) You save money and you help the environment. What more can you ask for?
These are just ten tips of mine and/or what we do in my house. Small steps are better than no steps at all. You can slowly and easily green your home one step at a time or even one room at a time. It’ll keep your costs down, and hopefully, everyone healthier (since you won’t have chemical after chemical being sprayed around!). How do you keep your house both clean and green?
wow great info ……..
Really interested with your tips, but green cleaning products here can be so expensive. Anyway, I can try some of your tips right away.