How Do You Make Your Home Smell Fresh Without Using Air Fresheners?
Aug 12, 2010 Budget Environmentalism, Cleaning Products
If there’s one home care product that falls consistently on my least favorite list, it has to be air fresheners. Most do nothing more than add a scent to the air, usually created by some chemicals that if you really thought about it, you wouldn’t be spraying in the air you breathe.
They’re usually unhealthy, minimally to poorly effective, and frankly there are better ways to handle the smells that build up inside a home. For people with conditions such as asthma, it can be vital to avoid many of the usual commercial air fresheners.
Remove the Source
You won’t always be able to do this, but if you can get the source of the smell out of your home, that’s the best way to get the smell to dissipate. That could be taking out the trash, cleaning the cat litter, and so forth.
Open the Windows
Weather permitting, opening the windows is the simplest way to make a home smell fresh. It lets the air circulate. The smells floating in the air in your home have a way to get out rather than continuing to build up.
It’s important to open your windows in your home when you can. Indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air, especially if you use a lot of conventional cleaning supplies.
Use Natural Air Fresheners
Natural air fresheners may not work as quickly as the ones you buy at the store and spray around, but they’re better for you and I think they smell better.
Baking soda is a classic odor absorber. Place bowls of it out where smells are an issue. Sprinkle it on carpets that are having odor problems and let it sit for a little or even overnight before vacuuming it up. It doesn’t have a pretty scent, but that’s not the point of using baking soda.
Vinegar isn’t a favorite scent for most people, but it does help to control odors. Put a bowl of it out or spray it into the air. As it dissipates, the vinegar smell and the problem smell will go away. Add in a drop or two of a favorite essential oil if you want to cover the vinegar smell right from the start.
Different herbs can help make a room smell nice too. Sprigs of rosemary or lavender are good choices, especially if you grow them fresh yourself. If not, dried versions smell good as well.
Boiling herbs and spices works also. Many people like the scent of cinnamon boiled in water. Boiling a sliced lemon or lemon juice is another good smell. Vanilla, orange, peppermint, cloves and nutmeg also smell good when boiled.
Your favorite essential oils
Growing plants indoors
Is There Ever a Good Reason to Shop at the Dollar Store?
Jul 13, 2010 Budget Environmentalism
When you think of your local dollar store, you probably think of all the plastic and cheaply made crap they sell. Dollar stores aren’t exactly known for their high quality merchandise, and they certainly don’t aim at the environmentally friendly market. With that in mind, is there ever a good reason to shop at one?
I’ve found a few. They’re strictly limited, and I believe that if you can afford better options, do so. But sometimes even when you’re green you do what you have to do.
Budget
While much of what the typical dollar store carries is low quality, there are some reasonable things to buy there. Just what depends on which one you shop at.
I’ve found coloring books and workbooks for my kids at the one by me. These are things I can’t get at the library since the kids need to color or write in them. We don’t use a lot of coloring books as my kids would mostly rather draw their own pictures, but sometimes they want a coloring book.
The one by me also carries a lot of canned food. While I prefer to avoid canned foods, preferring fresh or frozen, for those things that I do buy in cans the price is often – not always- better than for the same thing at the grocery store. That means a lot when you’re on a tight budget.
The dollar store by me also carries fresh produce. Well, barely fresh produce. Sometimes it’s even organic. On a budget, buying produce that you know you need to use right away isn’t a bad thing, so long as you do use it. You have to be extremely picky to find the packages that have food in good condition, as too often the fruits and vegetables have already started to go bad.
That may sound gross, but there’s usually plenty of produce that is just fine.
What Shouldn’t You Buy at the Dollar Store?
If your goal is to be eco friendly, then the answer is “most of what they offer.”
Dollar stores serve a purpose, certainly. They sell a lot of stuff that didn’t sell at other stores. Most of it is things you really don’t need. Most of it is not remotely eco friendly.
The one by me sells tons of plastic containers. They have a lot of conventional cleaning supplies. They sell a lot of little party favors for gift bags. They sell a lot of cheap personal care items.
If you have a need, that’s one thing. But make sure it’s a need before you start buying even the highly discounted stuff at these stores.
If you need containers, for example, visit your local thrift shop, swap meet or garage sales first. You might luck into some cheap glass storage containers and get to avoid the plastic.
Much of your cleaning can be done with baking soda and vinegar, which are much cheaper when you buy them in bulk than what you’re likely to find at any dollar store.
If you’re throwing a party for one of your kids, skip the plastic party favors. If you really need to give the guests something, have it be a craft they can do at the party. We had a blast one year with the kids planting seeds in little pots they could take home. They loved it.
Think about where you’re spending your money. For a lot of reasons, the dollar store isn’t my first choice for shopping. But if you keep it sensible and really need the assist on your budget, do what you have to do. Just avoid the junk.
Tags: dollar store, green shopping
Should You Worry About Dirty Reusable Bags?
Jun 29, 2010 Budget Environmentalism
There was a report in the news the other day about the bacteria that are found in most reusable shopping bags. It seems that 97% of users never wash their reusable bags, and so coliform bacteria are found in most of them.
Sounds bad, right? You don’t want dangerous bacteria growing on your food. The solution, at least, is simple.
Wash your reusable bags!
That’s it. Problem solved.
If you aren’t certain that your reusable bags will be safe in the dryer, just line dry them. Inside out in the sunlight is probably a good choice.
It’s a small addition to your laundry routine, and worth the trouble to ensure that you don’t get a problematic level of bacteria growing in your bags or contaminating your food.
Once they’re clean, put them back in your car, your purse, by the door or wherever helps you to remember to bring your own bags.
And don’t worry too much about the germs. The presence of bacteria doesn’t mean that there are enough to make you sick. The main time you should think about it is if you carry raw meat or poultry in your bag. Wash it after, and you should be fine.
Tags: laundry, reusable bags
Simple Energy Savings Infographic
Jun 17, 2010 Budget Environmentalism, Eco Friendly Home
A reader (thanks Brittany!) pointed me toward the infographic below. It’s long, but gives some pretty interesting information. Some food for thought if you haven’t yet done some of the basic things to save energy around your home, such as buying a programmable thermostat or putting in CFLs where you can.
Tags: energy savings, infographic
How to Limit Your Use of the Air Conditioner During the Summer
Jun 3, 2010 Budget Environmentalism, Eco Friendly Home
Summer’s coming. It’s not too warm where I live yet, just mid-80s at the hottest part of the day, but I’m hearing my neighbor’s air conditioner running in the evenings already. That kind of amazes me. Our own home hasn’t gotten over the mid-70s yet, so I know they can’t be that hot, and opening the windows to let the air flow through is still really effective.
I know that’s not how many people think. But it’s a good idea to really think about how much you use your air conditioner. You can save a lot off your energy bill, and it’s better for the environment as well.
1. Set the thermostat high and program it.
I know a lot of people like a really cool house. They always make me wonder how warm they try to keep their homes in winter, since a lot of people try to keep their homes cooler in the summer than they tried to heat their homes to in winter. It makes little sense.
Most people can easily stand keeping their homes at around 80 F. It’s not that bad. You will get used to it if you give yourself the chance.
Put in a programmable thermostat
2. Use fans.
You’ll feel cooler while still using less electricity than the air conditioner uses if you use fans in your home. Ceiling fans
3. Use a damp cloth.
A damp cloth or shirt feels wonderful if you’re feeling too hot. The water evaporation helps to cool your body.
4. Open windows as the day cools.
This doesn’t work in all areas or all the time, but if your evenings are pleasant enough, open up your windows and let the breeze flow through. It’s a wonderful natural cooling that only costs you a little bit of time.
5. Plant shade trees.
I like these to be fruit trees also when possible, for a touch of hyperlocal produce. But even if your tree doesn’t grow food, it can shade your home, helping to keep it from heating up so much during the day.
6. Cover windows.
It’s not attractive, but a flattened cardboard box in the window keeps out an amazing amount of heat. You can also drape blankets over curtain rods if you want something that looks a little better. Mylar film is another good alternative. The kind used for emergency blankets
Tags: air conditioner, summer
