Household Hints
Keep Your Home Clean and Green
By
Feb 19, 2006, 01:53

(ARA) – While “going green” may seem like a marketing fad or a throwback to the ‘60s, it really is nothing more nor less than living mindfully and giving careful thought to what we consume and how it affects our environment.

If that still sounds too new-agey for you, think about it in these concrete terms: going green can save you money while at the same time providing cleaner, healthier alternatives to the products you use on a daily basis.

“Even though it may seem like the things one individual can do don’t have a big impact, those little efforts can really add up,” says Glenda Lehman Ervin of Lehman’s, a company specializing in old-fashioned, high-quality merchandise.

The company’s catalog has everything from canning supplies to a solar-powered attic fan. But going green doesn’t mean you have to dramatically change your lifestyle. “The more you think in terms of going green, the more ways you’ll find to incorporate it into your day-to-day life,” says Lehman Ervin. She also stresses that going green can make your life simpler in the long run. Lehman Ervin offers the following examples of how going green can easily fit into your busy life.

* Switch to nontoxic cleaning products. “Many people assume that because these products are sold in grocery stores without any warning labels that they’re safe,” says Lehman Ervin. “If they were safe, your eyes wouldn’t water from the fumes and you wouldn’t have to wear gloves to protect your hands while you use them.” You can buy nontoxic products or make your own. Lehman’s sells “The Naturally Clean Home,” a great reference book for cleaning your home safely. You’ll also find a selection of natural cleaning products.

* Recycle your trash. In many communities, recycling is as simple as putting your newspaper, glass and metal into the appropriate container and leaving it out with the weekly garbage pickup.

* Compost your food waste. “Nothing is better for your garden than compost,” says Lehman Ervin. You can build your own bin for composting; after that, just add kitchen scraps layered with grass clippings, leaves and other organic materials and let nature take its course.

* Minimize the use of appliances with a heating element. For example, hang clothes to dry and let your dishes air dry instead of using the dry cycle on your dishwasher. Lehman Ervin uses the accordion wall rack from the catalog to dry some of her family’s clothes. The rack mounts flush against the wall, but extends 34 inches, for plenty of drying space when you need it.

* If you are considering replacing your washing machine, look at buying a front loading machine instead of a top loading one. “Front loading machines use less detergent, less water and do less damage to clothes,” says Lehman Ervin. An added benefit is that clothes come out of the washing machine drier, requiring less time (and less energy) in the dryer.

“Some of these solutions take a little forethought, but don’t really require much work,” says Lehman Ervin. “After a while, habits like these just become second nature and you won’t even think about it before you turn the water off while you’re brushing your teeth or use both sides of a piece of paper for your to-do list.”

For products that can help you go green, visit www.lehmans.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content

Use Your Imagination to Go Green with Plastic Bags

Just to prove that going green doesn’t require special equipment (but does require a sense of humor), here are some out-of-the-ordinary uses for ordinary plastic bags that have already served their original purpose.

Kneepads – to protect your clothes when kneeling in the garden or on a dirty floor, tie a plastic bag around each knee.

Gloves – we love our pets, but there are some things no one wants to touch. Use a plastic bag on each hand during clean-ups.

Umbrella cover – a wet umbrella can make a mess of your floor, your car or your purse. Cover it with a plastic bag until you have time to set it out to dry.

Counter cover – protect your counter from meat juice by spreading a plastic bag under the package, or peel your vegetables directly into a plastic bag for easy disposal.

Slipper covers – the paper is at the end of the driveway, you’re in your robe and slippers and it’s raining. No problem; put a plastic bag on each foot and your slippers will stay dry while you retrieve the paper.

Pot filler – large planters full of dirt can be too heavy to lift. Try putting some crumpled plastic bags at the bottom of the pot for lightweight filler.

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