Easy Ways To Make Your Home Green!

Four Tips To A Green Home

Lightbulbs

There are two types of lightbulbs that you can consider replacing the lights in your house with. They are called CFL and LED bulbs, and you've probably at least heard of LED. CFL stands for compact fluorescent lamps, which you may recognize as the swirly version of a standard light bulb. CFLs are the same type of incandescent bulb as the familiar rounded bulbs, but are estimated to last 6,000 to 15,000 more hours of use. They are usually a bit pricier, but with the length of time they will last, you will get your money's worth. They also use only 25% to 35% of the energy a regular light bulb would to work, making them cost effective in life span and at purchase. LED bulbs might sound familiar as the type of lights you'd put up for Christmas on your tree or house. LED stands for light emitting diode, and are more energy efficient than the CFLs. They use less than 80% of the energy a standard light bulb would use, and are less expensive than CFLs. On top of that they last even longer than CFLs, averaging around 25,000 hours of use. If you're looking for a cost effective way to save the planet, and your electricity bill, definitely look into new light bulbs.

Reusable Containers

This gets it's own section of how to stay green friendly since there are just several reusable containers you should be using if at all possible. There are circumstances in which it may not be convenient or the right time for purchasing a permanent container. Here are just a few items you can look into purchasing to help reduce your carbon footprint: 

Water Bottles

• If you're saving up for a nice one or aren't in a place to purchase one, don't let those plastic water bottles you purchase go straight to waste. Reuse those as a temporary solution, but be careful to recycle them afterwards.

Coffee Thermos

• Maybe you have a favorite coffee place you like to stop at every morning. Next time you go there, see if they are selling a reusable travel mug. Several businesses have special travel mugs that allow you to save pennies when you use their brand travel mug.

Tote Bags

• Aldi is a store which requires that you bring your own bag for groceries, but are kind enough that if you did not bring one, they allow you to purchase paper bags or a permanent tote. This shouldn't just be done at Aldi, find an insulated bag for frozen purchases and as many bags as you find necessary for standard grocery shopping. Reusing tote bags rather than using plastic bags every time can make a significant difference.
• A temporary solution for plastic bags is to save them rather than immediately throw them away. You collect several after a trip to the grocery store, so use them! They are great for lining mini trash cans, packing lunches, or emergency clean up containers.

Water Filter

• We understand this isn't exactly reusable, but it falls into the same category of saving yourself from purchasing more by using what you already have. Rather than buying water bottles at the store, get that water bottle we suggested and use a water filter. You can get filters that work directly from the tap or you can get pitchers you leave in your fridge. If at all possible, stop buying water when you already pay for it!

Adopt A Plant

One of the best ways to make your home green is to actually get greenery into your home. You'll find that the air quality in your home will improve, and can double as decoration. A few plants that focus most on improving the air in your surroundings are Palms, Orchids, or Ferns. Keeping the air quality in your home clean and fresh can be important if you or your guests have weaker lungs. Since they're reducing all the carbon you put out, you can breathe easy knowing your home is reducing bad air quality. You may be concerned about trying to keep the plants alive; however, there are several low maintenance plants to invest in, mini cactus, aloe, or spider plants can be easy to take care of even if you forget to water them for a week straight. In the case of Aloe, it can also serve to sooth you skin when you get a sunburn. Just break off one of the leaves and rub the gel insides onto your burn. It's a natural alternative to store bought products that attempt to serve the same purpose. In my experience, those pale in comparison to using Aloe on burns.   

Make Your Own Cleaning Solution

You may like the smell of lemon in Lysol, or just the smell of Lysol in general, but the truth is that most cleaners you buy are full of toxic chemicals. Most of them are meant for you to feel like the home smells clean, which is worse since they are not actually contributing to cleaning your home. Instead of buying a different product every time you run out of cleaner, find or purchase a reusable spray bottle. If you mix it half water and half vinegar, this is the safest and most effective all purpose cleaner you can find. If vinegar is already a common place product in your home, you only need to get a hold of a reusable spray bottle. There is one downside, and that's your home will start to smell like vinegar; however, there's a simple solution for this: Essential Oils. If you use an oil such as lavender or peppermint, you'll not just be cleaning but deterring insects! Peppermint and lavender are both serious bug repellents to several different types of bugs. Oils can be very strong, so it's recommended anywhere between 12 to 24 drops are all you need to eliminate that vinegar smell. You're free to use more or less as you please, and that peppermint smell might give you that fix for a clean smelling home.