5 Simple Steps to “Green” Your House

One of the first places you should think about making eco-friendly is your home. It is the “front line” of your life and should be treated as such. Here is a quick guide to 5 simple things you can do to “green” your home.

1.) Pest Control: Why green pest control? When we spray for bugs, we release toxins into our environment that damage our health and the purity of our waters. Plus, the strongest bugs survive, and when they breed, we’ve got a smarter “enemy” with which to contend. Moreover, pesticides destroy natural predators and helpful microorganisms, creating a cycle of pesticide addiction. Alternatives? Many companies offer non toxic in-home pest control, and there are also a variety of do it yourself options. Environmentally friendly roach control, and pest repellents derived from oranges are just a couple examples.

2.) Cleaning Products: Many of us were raised with cleaning products that contain innumerable amounts of toxins. Growing up, questions regarding the toxicity and the hazards of chemicals within the environment were altogether overlooked. Today, however, evidence shows that what we put in our home – and what we use to clean our home – is just as important as what we put inside our body. In fact, the products that we use within our homes enter into our bodies via the air we breathe, through our skin, and through the water we drink. Now there are many options when it comes to environmentally friendly cleaning products and non toxic home cleaners. Green Cleaning Starter Kits are the perfect way to jump start your way into the non toxic home cleaner arena. These kits include a natural glass and surface cleaner, mild abrasive cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, green cleaner concentrate and natural laundry detergent pack

3.) Air Quality: Air Quality: There are many types and sizes of air cleaners on the market, ranging from relatively inexpensive table-top models to sophisticated and expensive whole-house systems. Some air cleaners are highly effective at particle removal, while others, including most table-top models, are much less so. Air cleaners are generally not designed to remove gaseous pollutants.

4.) Water Quality: Everyone knows about the importance of water filtration systems in your home, but another way to green your home is to look at what you use outside. Normally rainwater runs off your roof and through your gutters only to end up in the street or storm drains. What if you could capture this water to help nurture your plants and keep your yard from flooding? Well you can, rain barrels are an affordable way to collect this resource and use it for outdoor applications. A lower water bill is green in another way….consider it found cash.

5.) Food Choices: As many of you, I was skeptical about organic foods, they are more expensive, hard to find, and are not available in the foods I like. Well times have changed my friend, with the explosion of organic and natural foods, prices are competitive and much easier to find in your local grocer or even better, your local farmers market.  They are competitive in what you actually get (read the labels and compare) and you can help your local economy. With this popularity comes options, almost anything is available in an organic or natural form.