Easy Green Living Tips

If you take the time to read the labels on household cleaners and detergents you may be surprised at just how many harmful chemicals are present in these everyday products. Continual use of strong cleaners can not only cause problems such as skin rashes and allergies but it is also very bad for the environment, as all those chemicals you are washing down the drain can find their way into the water table and affect all kinds of fragile ecosystems. There are a number of effective cleaning products available that are much more friendly to the environment and contain virtually no harmful chemicals and some of these can even be made quickly and easily at home.

Everyday Eco Friendly Cleaner Spray
Vinegar has been used for centuries for cleaning and disinfecting, and a good cleaner for everyday task around the kitchen and living areas can be made up of a simple combination of 1 part white wine vinegar and 3 parts water. Make some of this cleaner up and pour it into a small spray bottle, and this can be used to quickly and easily wipe down kitchen surfaces, tables and outdoor furniture (always do a test patch first to ensure no staining). If you don’t like the smell of vinegar you can add a few drops of an essential oil such as lemongrass, or for an extra disinfectant effect you could also add a few drops of the powerful anti-fungal and anti-bacterial plant extract Tea Tree Oil.

Environmentally Friendly Dishwashing Liquid
We pour galleons and galleons of dishwashing liquid down the sink every day, and this can contain a number of unpleasant chemicals that can damage the environment, so it is a good idea to look out for one of the environmentally friendly dishwashing detergents that are available now from most supermarkets and grocery stores, and these are affordable, effective and much better for the environment.

A lot of heat can be lost from your home via the windows, so it is important that you make sure you close windows and draw curtains to help keep as much generated heat in your home during the colder months as possible, and also to help keep heat out during the warmer months when you may have home cooling systems operating. To help you save on your heating and cooling bills it can be a good idea to look into getting energy saving replacement windows, as although this may be a significant outlay to start with it will benefit you in years to come by saving you at lot of wasted energy.

Custom Windows
These days windows can be custom designed to suit any shape or specification you require, and this is ideal for homes that have awkward window spaces that need glazing, as well fitted windows can prevent energy sapping drafts. You can also get double and triple glazing which will not only keep out noise but are specifically designed to keep heat in or out.

Window Frames
Window frames can be made from a number of different materials and these too can have a major effect on the energy saving rating of the overall window:
· Aluminum – this is one of the most affordable types of window framing but is also the least efficient when it comes to energy saving, and in the winter the cold from outside is conducted through the metal, causing condensation to form on the inside when it comes into contact with interior heating, causing problems with dampness, mold and dry rot.
· Wood – this is one of the most expensive forms of window framing and is a requirement for many historic buildings to ensure replacement windows are in keeping with the period and style of the property. Wood has a good level of energy efficiency but this can be increased even further with the additional coating of vinyl, which offers optimum durability and efficiency.
· Fiberglass – this is similar to wood in terms of efficiency, and has a fresh, clean look which suits modern buildings. Fiberglass is also reasonably cheap and is light and easy to handle.

Coated Windows
Windows that are triple or double glazed offer superior energy savings, and you can also get window glass coated in a thin layer of metal or polyester, which makes it slightly reflective and this helps to keep heat in during the colder months, and also heat out during the warmer months.

Glue is an essential part of everyday life and is used for many different applications from kid’s craft projects through to household decorating, but most glue available on the market is made from petrochemicals and is not very environmentally friendly. Because we use glue so much around the home it is important to find alternatives such as bioadhesives, which are not only much less hazardous substances than some of the strong, toxic types of conventional glue but they are also made from ingredients that are much better for the environment.

Home made Glue
There are a number of different recipes for glues that can be made easily at home, and these can be used to bond together paper, fabrics, ceramics, glass and wood. You may have to try quite a few times before you get a glue that is long lasting and reliable so be prepared to do a little experimenting, and if you want to bond plastic or metal, or you need your glue to stand up to more vigorous use you may need to use one of the commercial bioadhesives that are available instead as these have been more thoroughly tested and will be much more reliable. Most home made glue recipes involve gelatin, which is a product derived from animals so this may not be suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Commercial Bioadhesives
These are widely available online, but you will need to check the product ingredients very carefully as some glues state they are environmentally friendly, but still contain some toxins and petrochemicals. You should be looking out for glue which has a full ingredients list included on the website (or you could email the provider for more details), and it should ideally have all of the following labels:
· VOC free (or at least low VOC)
· Petrol chemical free
· Water based
· Recyclable or recycled packaging.
Some bioadhesives are even safe enough to eat (although these are not food and should not be ingested), and these can be ideal for kid’s craft projects as they are much safer than some of the conventional craft glues that are currently on the market.

If you have an open log fire or wood burner then the ash and charcoal produced from these cozy heaters actually has a number of beneficial uses, and instead of just throwing this away you can recycle it in many different ways in your home.

Charcoal
The intense heat and lack of oxygen at the very heart of a big roaring log fire can often create good quality charcoal, so don’t throw this away when you are cleaning out the grate but put it to one side instead, as it can be recycled for the next time you light a fire, or used for summer barbeques when the weather is nice again. You can even use this charcoal as a filter medium and all you need to do is take the black charcoal (making sure you brush off any white/grey ash) and then pound it loosely with a hammer and use an old pestle and mortar to grind it into a fine powder. Although this isn’t as effective as the activated charcoal filter compounds you can buy commercially as long as you are not using it for drinking water or other essential processes it should provide you with a cost effective and environmentally friendly alternative.

Deter Pests
Slugs and snails do not like crawling over ash as it can dry out the essential mucus coating on their delicate bodies, so by sprinkling ash around your plants and vegetables you can deter these pests without using any chemicals that could affect other creatures. You will need to reapply ash regularly and also after rainfall for the maximum effects.

Prevent Icy Paths
Wood ash can be used to prevent ice from forming on garden paths and patio areas, and is much more environmentally friendly than spreading salt or other anti-icing chemicals that are on the market.

Boost Compost
Ash has a number of beneficial nutrients (including potassium carbonate, phosphate, iron and zinc), which are released from the tough wood fibers by the burning process. Spreading wood ash between each layer of your compost can be an excellent way to boost its growing power when it comes time to add it to your top soil and garden pots.

Office equipment and supplies are essential to help you run your business from home, but generally they are not very eco-friendly and so if you are interested in helping the environment you will need to have a look at your home office and identify areas where you can make positive changes.

Paper
You may need paper for photocopying, faxing and printing but there are ways you can cut down on how harmful this is to the environment. You can buy 100% recycled paper these days, which is very good quality and in most cases you will not be able to tell the difference between that and non-recycled paper. Also try and reuse paper when you can, so instead of scribbling phone notes in a brand new notepad use the backs of documents, envelopes and any scrap paper you no longer need, and then you can always write those notes up you want to keep in a notepad later on. Also think very carefully about whether you actually need to keep hard copies of everything, as computers can provide you with plenty of storage space to save documents electronically, and you can also buy additional back up storage online or use remote storage devices such as memory sticks and external hard drives. Also consider whether you could email documents and correspondence to your contacts instead of sending them in the post, as not only will this save you paper and ink but you will also save on postage.

Equipment
These days you can run virtual offices from your computer, and so there is no need for all the additional equipment cluttering up your office and using up valuable resources. You can fax and telephone online now through your modem/router and this will save you a lot of money in the long run, and online faxing can also save you wasting costly ink and paper supplies, as when you receive a fax through a conventional fax machine it will automatically be printed out, whether you actually need it in hard copy or not. With online faxing you receive messages in a format very similar to email, and this means you choose whether you want to save them electronically, print them out or just delete them straight away.

Meetings
If you work from home and you need to attend meetings with suppliers or customers think about whether this meeting could take place over the phone or through online video conferencing facilities, as this could save you traveling costs, and is much better for the environment than jumping in your car and driving out to meet up face-to-face.