Make Greener Choices At Home

10 Tips to Go Green and Save Money

I have compiled a list of some simple things you can do around your home to not only help the planet, but to also save you a bit of money. If you just use a few of these ideas as part of your daily routine, you will have a greener home with a little more green in your pockets!

• Don’t leave the water running when you brush your teeth. You’ll not only save water, you will also save money on your utility bill.

 

• Don’t buy air-fresheners to lighten up the odours around the home. Try products like fresh herbs, kitty litter, coffee grounds, baking soda and lemon to freshen up unpleasant odours . You can also talk to your local greenhouse about the variety of household plants that take in pollutants and allergens, and also purify the air that we breathe.

 

• Do your best to purchase clothing that does not have to be dry-cleaned. Dry cleaning costs have increased over the past few years and the chemicals used to dry clean your clothes are typically toxic.

 

• Use natural cleaners around your home and avoid purchasing cleaning products from your supermarket. Baking soda is great for cleaning the fridge, microwave and to clean that coffee pot simply use a 1/4 cup baking soda in 1 quart of warm water, let it sit, scrub and rinse. We all have white vinegar around the house why not start using it to clean? It will help to remove corrosion and chemical buildup from the showerhead, remove soap buildup from faucets and help prevent mildew when sprayed on shower walls and shower curtains.

 

• Instead of running your tap until it gets cold enough to get a drink of water, or reaching for that bottled water, try keeping a pitcher of water in your fridge. Running the tap until it is ice cold costs pennies but those pennies add up. Bottled water costs money and recently we have all read about the chemicals that may not be good for our body or our planet.

 

• Wash your laundry using cold water whenever possible. Did you know that the largest percentage of energy used in your washing machine goes to heating the water? You can also reduce the costs associated with drying your clothes by using a clothesline or dryer rack. There might just be a few things that our parents and grandparents did get right!

 

• You have heard this before BUT it is worth repeating. Turn your household heat down in the winter a few degrees and turn it up a few degrees in the summer months. You will save money. If you are worried about being a little chilly during the cold months, just layer up.

 

• If you do not have a “low flush” toilet (which is designed to use less water each time you flush) then consider making your toilet more water efficient by placing a large plastic bottle filled with sand or rocks in the tank. Make sure labels and stickers are off the bottle and you should check it regularly. Bricks are no longer recommended because they can disintegrate and damage plumbing.

 

• Sign-up for paperless billing. Then make sure you are set-up to pay all of your bills electronically. This not only reduces the paper waste around your home, it also saves you on buying stamps and making a trip to a mailbox.

 

• Don’t forget those re-useable bags when you head out shopping. Most supermarkets are charging you now for their plastic bags. The good news is that some stores will reward you, by giving you a few cents off the purchase, when you bring your own bags in. Also, don’t grab a box at the supermarket to carry your goods. Boxes are just one more paper product to re-cycle.

 

I hope you try out just a few of these ideas to make your house and home just a little greener. If you have children at home, you will want to involve them in some of these activities and keep them on track for living a greener and cleaner life. After all, we owe it to them and theirs to “Green It Up”.

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