Green Tips

Quick and Easy Recommendations for a Healthier Home

Verify “Eco-friendliness”

When you’re shopping for sustainable products for your home and you want to verify the “eco-friendliness” of the products you have seen, use the REGreen Product Checklist from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

Or read the article at the following link:

Choose non-toxic paints, detergents, and sealers …

Such as AFM Safecoat and Ivy Coatings. According to the EPA indoor air is three times more polluted than outdoor air, and is considered to be one of the top 5 hazards to human health. Paints and finishes are among the leading causes.

Arrange an energy audit.

Before spending money on “energy efficient products” to improve your home’s heating and cooling efficiency, arrange an energy audit. A good energy audit will identify your home's weaknesses and provide a specific plan of action so you can prioritize your budget along with your needs. A good audit will always make up for the small upfront cost.

Not all bamboo flooring is the same.

Many of the major flooring manufacturers harvest their bamboo too early, which leads to softer, nondurable floors. These same manufacturers also tend to use unnecessary pesticides on the plantations and manufacture the wood using known carcinogens such as Urea Formaldehyde. Make sure your bamboo floor was harvested at 5 1/2 – 7 years of age, and without toxins, such as bamboo flooring by Eco Timber, Plyboo, and Foundations.

Use natural cleaners.

Dispose of your chemically based house cleaners. All you need to clean your home and give it back a natural smell is water, baking powder, white vinegar and essential oils for a nice aroma.

Choose click-loc flooring systems.

Keep toxins out of your home by choosing click-loc flooring systems. No nails, nor glue are required.

Use cold water whenever possible.

Home laundering accounts for up to 36 percent of total household hot water use. You can save 90 percent of the energy you use to wash clothes when you switch to a cold wash.

Avoid single serving drinks.

Approximately 200 Billion plastic bottles per year are produced for bottled water alone. Buy a reusable drink container and use it.

Buy locally.

New Hampshire and Maine have some of the best opportunities for local-centric shopping today.

 

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