Green Household
| Why is it important to have a green household? Our society spends 90-95% of our day inside. In some situations our indoor air quality can be much worse for us to breathe than the outdoor air quality. Many of products we have and use in our home can outgas different chemicals. For example, carpet can outgas formaldehyde for up to five years. Luckily there are many steps we can take to make sure our home is properly ventilated and that the products we do have in our homes are safe for our families. |
Living Clean & Green
We cover many helpful tips in our "Living Clean and Green" Creating a Green Household workshop.
Topics Covered:
●What are the basic indoor air quality concerns (ex: ventilation, radon, what products should I look out for and tips for a Home Indoor Air Quality Checklist)
●What is household hazardous waste and how do I identify it?
●How to conduct a Household Hazardous Waste Audit to help us figure out just what we have in our homes and how to dispose of what we do not need.
●Suggestions of good products you can by that are safer for your family.
●Demonstration of some easy recipes for cleaning products that you can make and use in your home.
●Safe ways to control pests in the home without using chemicals.
●Safety tips for the use of plastic in your home.
Some steps you can begin to take in your home today to make it a safer environment for your family.
●Make sure your home is properly ventilated and do not forget to change filters in home heating and air appliances.
●Make sure there is no mold growing in damp areas of your home.
●Do home repair (painting, installing new floors, etc.) when the weather is good enough to open windows and ventilate your home.
●Buy a CO detector for your home.
●Have furnace, gas water heaters and dryer inspected regularly.
●Have your home inspected for radon, especially if it is an older home.
●Get rid of any chemicals, paints, cleaners, pesticides, etc. that is in your home and that you are not using.
●Buy products that are made to be more environmentally safe. Some suggested brands are Seventh Generation, Method, GreenWorks, Kiss My Face, Burts Bees. They are many different brands, get on the internet and see which ones you would like to try
●Make your own products at home from safer, easy to find ingredients. There are thousands of recipes on the internet for anything you need to keep your home clean. Look under the search of green household cleaner recipes and find what works best for you.
Suggested readings:
●Better Basics for the Home by Annie Berthold-Bond
●30 Days to a Simpler Life by Connie Cox and Cris Evatt
●Non-Toxic, Natural and Earthwise by Debra Lyn Dadd
Countertop Cleaner!
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This cleaner is great for cleaning countertops, tabletops, laminate surfaces, sinks and dry erase boards. Do not use this cleaner on windows, wood surfaces or polished stones surfaces.
-1/2 teaspoon of baking soda or washing soda
(washing soda is a stronger than baking soda, but can scratch or de-wax some surfaces, baking soda can be substituted. It is milder and not abrasive.)
-2 teaspoons borax
-½ teaspoon liquid soap (make sure soap is vegetable based)
-2 cups hot water
Combine all ingredients except water into spray bottle, then pour in the water, screw on the lid and shake to dissolve all the minerals. Clean as usual; let sit on tough stains and dirt for a minute or two before wiping. Indefinite shelf life. *Be sure to clearly label bottle.
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This resource page is part of Living Clean & Green - a series of environmental education programs and workshops. Programs are held regularly at the nature center or can be scheduled for FREE for your neighborhood association, civic group, or business. Contact Kara Remington at 865-577 4717 ext. 15 or email keast@ijams.org for further information.
