Go Green, Green Living

Whether you choose to clean your home yourself or hire house cleaning services to help out, selecting the wrong cleaning products can negatively impact the environment. Everyone is aware of what is eco-friendly and what isn't, most people choose to turn the blind eye. We justify our own actions by either thinking someone else will pick up our slack or that our individuals actions do not cause much impact. I urge you to steer away from that kind of thinking; it only takes one person to start making a difference and creating a trend. To give you more incentive to use green house cleaning supplies, here are some top reasons:

1. Good for Environment:
There is a growing list of environmental issues that are a reflection of our own individual actions. Problems with climate change, air and water pollution, toxins, energy, and ozone depletion are just the tip of the iceberg. 10 years ago people were less educated about the impact of our own carbon footprint. Nowadays most of us are aware of the negative consequences resulting from daily activities such as driving, watching TV, and using certain chemical base cleaning products. The fact of the matter is most non-eco-friendly cleaning products are loaded with chemicals that fuel the fire of air pollution, water pollution, and ozone depletion. Green cleaning products are biodegradable and do not emit harmful chemicals in your home or into the atmosphere.

2. Good for Your Health:
So maybe the overall well -being of the earth is not strong enough of a reason for you to go green. But what about your overall well-being or your family's overall well-being? Did you know that many common household cleaning supplies are main causes for asthma, skin irritation, respiratory problems, and allergic reactions? What people are not aware of is that constant exposure to these harmful chemicals can lead to neurological issues, cancer, and other long term health problems. Some chemicals frequently found in common cleaning supplies were scientifically proven to be linked to as a leading cause for infertility problems. The chemicals are even stronger for people who have more exposure to it. If you are working for a house cleaning service, it is advisable to discuss the option of going green for your business. Usually these chemical toxins impact our bodies through inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact.

3. Good for Your Wallet:
What is better than helping out our earth AND keeping our body's toxin free? The affordable price tag. With the knowledge of how harmful regular cleaning products are to our bodies, companies have caught on and jumped on the "go-green" bandwagon. This is great news for us-it means the price of eco-friendly supplies cost about the same as regular cleaning supplies so there really is no excuse for you to not go green. Many companies, businesses, house cleaning services have also started shifting to using green products. The initial cost maybe slightly higher than using regular products, but these businesses usually end up saving more money by switching to green products. This is because less employees file workers compensation for exposure to harmful chemicals and less sick days due to improved health.

It's the 21st Century and I am sure most of us know about and practice recycling plastics, paper, and glass. All we have to do is drop the piece of trash into the respective recycling bins. But what about other common household items...what on earth do we do with them? Some items are toxic and should be disposed of properly. To help you get rid of common "unrecyclable" items in your household, here is a list of household items and how they can be recycled and reused.

1. Batteries:
Batteries are carelessly thrown into the trash on a daily basis. What ends up happening to batteries disposed of with the rest of your trash is that it ends up in landfills. The composition of batteries includes very toxic chemicals. Batteries that are thrown into a landfill end up contaminating the soil and polluting our water with mercury, lead, acid, and nickel. The best action to take is to sort out dead batteries from the rest of your trash. There are center recycling centers in each city that take dead batteries. If you don't live close to a place that takes dead batteries, save up your dead batteries and make a yearly trip.
2. Denim:
Denim is most likely the most worm piece of clothing among Americans. We go through them very quickly to keep up with new fashions and so forth. Instead of throwing away your denim, consider donating them to various venues such as Salvation Army, Bonded Logic, Greenfield Paper, and other companies that take unwanted denim.
3. Smoke alarms:
It is advised to switch out your old smoke detector every once in a while, but what do you do with the old one? Most smoke alarms come with a pamphlet explaining what to do with a smoke alarm expires in 10 years, but no one keeps/read the instruction booklet. Because smoke alarms carry a tiny amount of radioactive material it is highly advised to send the old one back to the company. Never send it via air, send it via ground.
4. Mercury Thermometers:
Most of us have converted to electronic thermometers, but some of us still have the old school mercury thermometers that we had to stick in our mouths, armpits, etc. As the name suggests, there is a tiny amount of mercury in these old fashioned thermometers. Mercury is extremely hazardous to the human body so it is imperative that you call up your disposal service and ask them about hazardous waste removal. Never just throw your mercury thermometer into regular trash.
5. Christmas cards:
Some of us are sentimental and keep cards that people have sent us over the years, some of us aren't. For those of us who are less sentimental or those who never ended up sending the blank cards, consider donating your old used/unused cards to the Saint Jude's Ranch. It is a program that reuses holiday cards for the youth home.
6. Eyeglasses:
Our eyes are very susceptible to change. Combine that with the fact that eyewear has become fashionable, people change their glasses out frequently. Usually our old pair is sitting somewhere around the house collecting dust. If you aren't using your old glasses, give them to The Lions Club. They are an organization that distributes unused glasses to those less fortunate in other countries. Participating vendors such as Lens Crafter will provide you with that option.