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| Green Living Tips |
Green Living Tips
Green living tips will help you and your family maintain a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Here are some green living tips:
- Contaminants are tracked into homes on the soles of shoes. Consider becoming a shoe-free household. Clever designs for shoe storage near the front door can keep entries clutter-free and indoor air cleaner at the same time.
- Generating enough electricity to cook for an hour in a standard electric oven creates 2.7 pounds of carbon dioxide. Here’s a list of what can do it for less: toaster oven, 1.3 pounds over 50 minutes; slow cooker, 0.9 pounds over seven hours; and microwave, 0.5 pounds over 15 minutes.
- If a vehicle’s tires have less than recommended air pressure, gas mileage will suffer. Determine the correct pressure level from the small plaque likely found just inside the driver’s-side door, but possibly on a rear doorpost, in the trunk/latch area, the glove box, or even on the sun visor.
- Some commercial air fresheners use chemicals that can be harmful to a baby’s development. Instead, lightly spritz the place with vinegar.
- A cup of vinegar will clean a washing machine. Run it through a regular cycle — but not with clothes.
- Refrigerators and freezer units account for one-sixth of a home’s energy use, so select energy-efficient models when buying a replacements.
- Have a plugged or slow-draining sink? Search a hardware store’s plumbing shelves for a bacteria-based product. Its goal is to establish colonies of goop-eating, human-friendly bacteria that are supposed to keep drainpipes clear. To allow the critters time to establish themselves, pour in a little just before bedtime, after everyone has quit using the sinks.
- Pipe insulation tubes will help prevent frozen pipes in winter. And properly installed, they will hold a hot-water pipe’s heat for up to an hour after the tap was last used, thus stretching your energy dollar and saving water.
- When evaluating a home for purchase, look for green features, such as Built Green and Energy Star certification. Or ask to see the last year’s utility bills to get a sense of the home’s current efficiency.
- Formaldehyde, an irritant and cancer-causing agent, is a common additive in interior-grade plywood and particleboard. It also can be present in drapery and upholstery materials. So look for products with few or no warnings about use and exposure.
- If it’s time to replumb, consider using PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) pipe rather than copper. PEX pipe has a smaller interior diameter, meaning hot water gets to the point of use faster.
- Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, but can kill. Gas stoves, furnaces and water heaters, kerosene space heaters and barbecues, as well as automobiles, produce carbon monoxide as a byproduct of combustion. Protect a household with a carbon monoxide detector.
- Laundry activities are the second-biggest water user in a home. New water- and energy-efficient machines can save big on utility bills, and the technologies employed in those machines also can be gentler to your clothes, help you use less detergent and reduce drying time. Look for a WashWise qualified model.
