As a kid, I would get presents during the holiday season, revel in their shininess for a little while, and then, by early February, I would get bored and toss them aside. New stuff gets old fast. That doesn’t just apply to a child’s low attention span–it’s a phenomenon that a lot of us can attest to. As I was watching the superbowl today, I found myself mesmerized by all the commercials telling me to buy stuff I don’t need. I understand that we can’t all be Buddhist monks and denounce materialism, but I do think that the planet would be a lot better off if we consumed less and used what we already have more. The video below, called The Story of Stuff extrapolates on that concept in a clear and simple way. Make some time to watch this, I promise it’s worth it!

On the topic of reusing and buying less, I found a great website called www.altuse.com which provides hundreds of ways to put stuff you probably already have lying around to good use. Here are a few good ideas that were submitted by users (it’s an open forum so anyone can contribute) about how to solve your little day-to-day problems without buying a single-use product that could be potentially toxic or simply unnecessary:

Rub toothpaste or a banana peel on a mosquito bite to stop the itch.

Clean the sink or bath tub with baking soda and vinegar.

Use coffee grounds to cure car sickness, fertilize your garden, or neutralize odors in the fridge or the trash can.

Remove stains with hydrogen peroxide.

Instead of cluttering the cabinet with expensive cleaning supplies, try using vinegar. It’s cheap, ubiquitous, and can be used a zillion different ways.

Using natural ingredients will reduce the toxicity of the waste in our landfills. Another good way of doing that is to wash out ziploc bags and reuse them two or three times. Or, save plastic take-out containers as an alternative to tupperware. It turns out that living conscientiously is pretty cheap– I recommend it.

Being environmentally friendly on a daily basis starts at home. Here are some tips on how to clean your house/apartment/tent/igloo/whatever in a green way.

Why green matters when you’re doing chores:
The EPA says that indoor air pollution is 100 times worse than outdoor air pollution and a lot of that has to do with the chemicals we use to clean dishes, clothes, showers, counter tops etc. The pollution not only affects you but your children as well. In fact, children are much more susceptible to environmental harm than adults, so use safe and simple products in order to avoid contact with body- and earth-harming chemicals.

Green cleaning products:
Both Seventh Generation and Planet are trustworthy organizations because they avoid harsh chemical ingredients and use environmentally friendly business practices. For a list of environmentally friendly cleaning products from Seventh Generation, click here: product list

Save money. Make cleaning supplies at home
Here are some easy recipes that are toxin-free and easy to make from things you probably already have. This is a great way to save money too because homemade cleaning formulas can cost about one-tenth the price of their commercial counterparts.

For dishwashing:
Use half a lemon and a little bit of baking soda as a detergent. Then you can put the lemon rind in the garbage disposal to get rid of odors.

Also, you can use dishwashing liquid to wash produce as a way of removing waxes, dirt and pesticides. Just put several drops of detergent and mix it in a big bowl of cold water, then submerge your fruits and vegetables in the water and let them soak for about a minute. I recommend Planet Ultra Dishwashing Liquid because it’s low on chemicals.

For cleaning windows:
1/4-1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups water
Spray bottle
Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand.

For laundry:
Mixing baking soda and water into a paste gets stains out of most fabrics.

It’s also important to remember that washing your clothes with cold water uses less energy. To dry, use a clothes line or a drying wrack.

For almost anything else:
Plain old white vinegar reportedly kills 82% of mold. You can put some on an old toothbrush and scrub away. Vinegar is remarkably versatile because its natural acidity kills germs and bacteria without affecting indoor air quality. If you put it in a spray bottle, spritz the liquid on cloth instead of directly onto surfaces. That way you’ll use less and save money. Oh, and if you’re worried about the smell, that goes away as soon as it dries.

Environmentally friendly cleaning products are safer and can be cheaper

Some general tips:

Disinfectant cleaners might seem like the best way to eliminate germs, but they actually can’t sterilize all the surfaces in your home or sterilize the air. According to Planet Inc, disinfectants can only temporarily ‘reduce germ populations in specific areas for a limited time.’

A lot of cleaning products claim to be biodegradable, which is technically true only because everything has to degrade at some point (duh.) But don’t be a sucker to greenwashing. We have to think about how FAST something degrades because these products often accumulate faster than they can break down, leaving a build up that potentially harms aquatic life.

More ways to get involved in greening your cleaning
Seventh Generation is doing their part to get the government to be more stringent about the products that are allowed on the market. Too many environmentally unsafe cleaning products are widely available in stores even though they contain chemicals that have not been tested. As a result children everywhere are being exposed to environmental hazards which could harm their health. Seventh Generation calls their campaign the Million baby crawl. For more info click here: Million Baby Crawl