Sunday 14 April 2013

Tips On How To Make Your Home Eco Friendly For Little Or No Cost

By Adele Madden


Most suggestions on how a household can reduce consumption of natural resources and become more environmentally friendly take a lot of money or time. Replacing appliances, air filtering systems, or other such things is just is not financially possible for the majority of people. However, if you are looking for Ideas on how to make your home eco friendly without any cost here are some suggestions you will be pleased with.

The Environmental Protection Agency established a program in 1992, called ENERGY STAR. It is a voluntary program that helps businesses and individuals save money while cutting back on green house gases and consumption of natural resources. According to ENERGY STAR, 20% of a home's entire energy usage comes from light bulbs. Using anyone of a number of new energy efficient bulbs will save 75% over a regular bulb. However, better than the new bulbs is to turn the light off when leaving a room.

Reuse grocery bags or better yet, make one from the fabric of an old pair of jeans and use it when going to the store. Also, have a water bottle that is reusable and fill it from the tap instead of purchasing a new drink. Even with recycling programs in place, approximately 80% of the 50 billion bottles of water purchased each year, ends up in the landfill.

Recycling has become a common practice, but take it a step farther by recycling items in the home. One suggestion is to use glass containers over and over again. They are perfect for storing food staples and liquids in. Glass is made of natural materials and is safe to microwave.

Another idea that will save money while making the home eco friendly is to reuse paper products. Scrap paper can be used for grocery lists, menus, messages, and anything else that needs to be jotted down. Use the back side of the scrap computer paper to print coupons or recipes on. Newspaper makes excellent mulch for plants and gardens. Any brown paper, newsprint, or junk mail can be shredded and used for lining the cage of a pet or use it for packing material when shipping gifts and other items.

Cleaning with environmentally friendly cleaning products is a growing business. Many of the items cost more than the standard cleaners but you can save your money by making it yourself with items you already have around the house. Recipes using ingredients such as orange peels, vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, vinegar, and water are easy to find on the internet. They results are safe for you, the environment, home, and budget. The homemade green cleaners will cut through grease, get rid of mildew, and slim, while smelling fresh.

Another way to clean green is to turn the temperature on the clothes washer to the cold setting. Most laundry detergents clean just as well in cold water as they do in hot. By using cold water, you will save natural resources, reduce green house gas emissions and save money on your energy bill.

These Ideas on how to make your home eco friendly without any cost are simple and easy to implement. You might want to also talk with friends and check the internet for more ideas. Becoming more environmentally aware and reducing pollution does not have to mean drastic life style changes or lots of money.




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