Keeping It Green At Home

Spring Cleaning Naturally!

2010-04-04T01:39:00.002-04:00

Let Spring Cleaning Come Naturally

Your home can sparkle this spring without using any chemicals! Instead, choose from a wide array of eco friendly cleaners on the market or simply make your own with household ingredients such as vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice. Here are a few tips to help you become a natural when it comes to spring cleaning:

The Bathroom

To bring a natural shine to you bathroom, create a gentle scouring paste by mixing 4 tbsp baking soda with 1 tbsp water. Generously sprinkle either table salt or baking soda into the sink or tub and use the cut end of half a fresh lemon as a scrubby-pad. Rinse with hot water and your ceramics will be gleaming! Undiluted lemon juice can also be used to dissolve soap scum and hard water deposits.

The Kitchen

Vinegar, a natural antibacterial, has a high acid content which makes it an effective alternative to caustic cleaners for the kitchen. Mix together 1 part water to 1 part vinegar in a new spray bottle and you have a natural solution that will clean stovetops, appliances, countertops (except marble), and floors. For troublesome stains, add a touch of baking soda to the mix.
To help remove finger marks from stainless steel appliances use a microfibre cloth or try a dab of baby oil on a clean cloth. For microwaves, put a few slices of fresh lemon in an uncovered bowl of water and cook on high for about three minutes. Grease and dirt should wipe away easily.

Windows

Let the sunshine in by washing away winter's grime. Fill a bucket with 25 per cent vinegar and 75 per cent warm water. Put on rubber gloves and soak an old cotton towel in the solution. Rub on windows, and then scrunch up some old newspaper to buff up a shine. If there are any streaks, simply finish off with a dry cloth.

Fabrics and Carpets

Have a stubborn fabric stain? Dab white vinegar onto the stain followed by a mild soap solution such as all natural dishwashing liquid and water. Rinse with a clean damp cloth and blot with a dry towel. Salt can also be used to soak up fresh carpet stains such as red wine, coffee or ink. Simply pour salt on the wet stain, let dry, and then vacuum. Natural ingredients can not only get rid of stains, they'll help eliminate odours from fabrics too!

Reduce JUNK MAIL to your home

2009-12-28T21:51:00.002-05:00

Tired of all the junk mail coming to your home everyday tempting you to spend more when you already have enough. Estimates are each home receives approximately 27 pieces of it each week! Times that by all the homes in Canada and well you get the picture.

Great news though... you can reduce the amount you receive by logging on to http://www.the-cma.org/?WCE=C=32K=s224196. It won't stop everything, but it will help. Rumour has it if we all cut out junk mail we could save the world 8 million trees a year!

If you don't mind getting them everyday remember to recycle them when you are done. It all adds up in the end!

Give it Away! And Think Twice Before you Buy!

2009-08-09T17:36:00.005-04:00

"One man's trash is another person's treasure"... or something like that!

Truth is we are all probably guilty of throwing out items that could easily have been sold, dontated, or given away to someone else who may have appreciated them!

If you have alot of items to sell, consider a yard sale, ebay, or Craigslist. Grab a drink and set up shop outside your house for the day... not only will you meet your neighbours, you'll make money doing it! Ebay (www.ebay.com) is another great place to sell your stuff. There are fees involved and you may wind up selling to someone across the country and have to ship it, but it's still better than landing in the dump. Craigslist (www.craigslist.ca) is easy to use, local, and free to post. Localized selling cuts down on shipping and packaging even further reducing our impact on the planet.

There are plenty of places you can donate to! Around the city, there are places like Value Village and a variety of bins that accept clothing and other items. Some even issue a tax receipt. It's a great way to help those less fortunate and ensure that we aren't filling our landfills with items that someone else would have been very happy to receive. I know many first time buyers who would be ecstatic to have some things for their home.... I'm sure you do too. Give away whenever you can - it feels good!

Lastly, think twice before you buy. Are you replacing something because it's broken or because there is a newer model that looks better? Do we really need to fall into the consumerism trap? Think about it.. companies are constantly changing things and sucking us in to buy more when we already have enough! It's how they stay in business and it's how many of us get in debt. Really think about each purchase... Believe me it's a hard one for me too!

In the end, it isn't things that make you happy. Well that's a lie.. they tend to make you happy temporarily, but the real things in life that give you long term happiness are the things you can't put a price tag on... like giving to others.

Clean Green!

2009-08-09T17:07:00.006-04:00

One of the easiest ways to keep it green at home is to start cleaning green! If you aren't already doing so. you may not realize that ironically many of the cleaners we use to keep our homes clean are toxic. Some contain poisonous chemicals that have been linked to cancer, asthma, and other lung problems.

Believe me, I understand the allure of quick and easy cleaning... just spray, rinse and your done. However, I've come to the realization that my health and the environment are much more important than the few minutes I will save with the scrub brush! The great news is that you have options.

Firstly, you can replace all your cleaning products with safer, non-toxic, biodegradable homemade versions like vinegar, salt, baking soda, and club soda. The link below will take you to a site that offers homemade solutions.

http://environmentalism.suite101.com/article.cfm/green_cleaning_recipes_and_homemade_solutions

If time is an issue, simply replace your toxic brands with green ones available at your local grocery or health food store. I recently tried the Green Works line and loved it! I have to admit that I used to believe if it wasn't made with bleach, then it wasn't as good. Not so. Add to that, the prices are comparable to other main stream brands. Other notable brands include Nature Clean, Citra, and Squeaky Clean.

Remember everything we use in our home eventually ends up in our water, our air, and in our soil which in turn comes back to us. It's worth making the switch now!

100 Ways to Conserve Energy

2009-07-13T16:12:00.005-04:00

I came across this fantastic site with 100 different ways you can start conserving energy. Some are so simple it doesn't make sense not to do it! Not only will you be helping conserve energy, you will also be saving money! And who doesn't want to do that???? Take a few minutes and check it out... you'll be surprised how easy it really is to make a difference....

http://www.countmeinontario.ca/The-100-Ways-To-Conserve/index.aspx

I've committed to implementing 20 suggestions to start and will adopt more over time. What small changes can you make? Challenge yourself, your friends, your co-workers, and your family to adopt some of these changes around your home/workplace/cottage and START NOW!

We all have a vested interest in our world so let's do our part... every kilowatt really does count!

Saving Money with a Green Mortgage and on your Mortgage Insurance Premiums

2009-05-18T21:37:00.007-04:00

Going green can save you money on your mortage and on your mortgage insurance!

Canadian banks and financial institutions are trying to help you build green too. For instance, TD Canada Trust offers a green mortgage that provides incentives to choose ENERGY STAR appliances, windows, or heating and cooling equipment for your new home. For more information, log onto http://www.tdcanadatrust.com/greenhome/index.jsp.

Ask your bank if they offer similar programs and check with a mortgage broker to find out all the products that are on the market that can support your goal to save money, and go green.

The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation has given homebuyers a 10% green refund on mortgage loan insurance premiums when they buy or build and energy efficient home or make energy -saving renovations to their existing home.

More information on this program is available at www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/
Click on CONSUMERS and then MORTGAGE LOAN INSURANCE.