A Beginner’s Guide to Living Green

Walking down the aisles of the local grocery store, you can find hundreds of chemicals available for many uses. Most people use these chemicals daily without thinking about the effect on health or environment, but many of these compounds are harmful and take generations to dissolve in landfills.

There are green alternatives to the chemicals used in businesses and homes. Natural cleaners also cost less and smell better than chemicals.

For easy shower and tile cleaning, mix 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water and spray on moldy spots, followed by a brisk scrub with a stiff scrub brush. For especially hard to clean areas, mix 1 part water and 1 part vinegar, mix and add 2 parts baking soda. This will form a powerful oxidative paste.

To control odors around the house, dry out orange peels and place in a mesh bag. Hang them around closets, under kitchen sinks, and in restrooms for a fresh orange smell.

When grilling or firing up the fireplace, use dried orange peels instead of a flammable accelerant.

Dried rosemary sprigs also make a nice deodorizer. Rosemary is very easy to grow and once established, you can trim it back once a week to keep it from running wild.

Cut a few sprigs about 6 to 8 inches in length, bind them together and hang them in one of the aforementioned areas of your home. Throw them out and replace them when they become too brittle and start falling apart.

For toilet cleaning, use 1/4 cup of borax instead of harsh bleach-based products to deodorize and disinfect. Cleaning pots and pans without scratching can also be done with Borax. It is a safe alternative to S.O. S. pads.

Recycling is an assumed part of green living, but there are more ways to recycle than throwing something into the recycling bin.

Recycling includes re-using items creatively. Instead of throwing away old t-shirts and socks, re-use them as dusting cloths or rags. Instead of buying new books, go to your library and save paper by just checking out books with your library card.

You can also take part in your city’s recycling program to ensure your household actively recycles everything that it possibly can. Though we all know that aluminum cans are recyclable, paper, glass, cardboard and plastic bottles can also be recycled.

Your household will produce much less waste once you start recycling regularly. Most homes reduce the amount of trash they produce by 50%.

Do not throw out yard clippings. Clippings can be used to make excellent compost if you have a flower or vegetable garden, but can produce gasses that cause problems for landfills.

Compost your clippings or use your yard waste can if your municipality provides one. These are just a few ideas of how you can get started helping the environment. Use your creativity throughout your day and see how many more you can discover!

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