Having a greener home is an amazing way to benefit the Earth at the family level, it can help save you money and let's not forget about the health benefits you experience by making a few simple changes. Now there isn't any question that by replacing you windows, upgrading your furnace and beefing up your insulation you are going to save money. Heck I'm not even talking about solar, wind or a geo-thermal heat system, all of which are great ways to green up your home but let's be honest. Those measures cost big bucks and I can't speak for you but I'm just a little fish with limited cash flow.
There are ways to do your part to that won't set your bank account into a tailspin. Start with shutting off lights, and limiting the ones you turn on, you don't need to light up the rooms you aren't in. Same goes for the TV. In the winter try a sweater and ease up on cranking the heat. In the summer, turn the AC down a few degrees, you'll still be as cool as ever and you will conserve electricity.
I think one of the best ways to green up your home is to remove the commercial cleaners from your house. They can be unhealthy to you and the environment. Let's face facts here; Most of the cleaners you own can be downright toxic. Great, now that you have SAFELY disposed of your home chemical cleaners are you to just accept the fact things are going to get filthy? Come on now, would I do that to you? Not a chance. You now need to stock up on white vinegar, borax, baking soda, salt, lemon juice and some non toxic liquid soap.
You will find that white vinegar and warm water is great for cleaning lots of things like glass, mirrors and add some lemon juice and it gets after mildew. Borax, baking soda and salt make great scouring powders and can tackle anything from porcelain, to a casserole dish.
Make your own all purpose green cleaner by combining liquid soap, borax some white vinegar and a bit of hot water. If you happen to have a spray bottle of some description that's even better! Hot water and some vinegar makes a great floor cleaner, baking soda, vinegar and hot water have the ability to clear drains, and on and on and on.
Experiment with these ingredients and see what you come up with. The idea here is you have removed the harmful toxins from your home, you no longer put chemicals into your drain aa well as the environment and all it will cost is a little bit more of your time in some cases.
That takes care of the inside but what about the outside? How about your lawn? Let's start by getting rid of all of your chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. In most places these days there is a real push to have this stuff banned so this plays right into your hands.
Corn gluten is a natural fertilizer that also helps keep weeds that like to spread seeds in check by drying out the seeds but you have to get them early. By leaving your grass a bit longer (3 inches) it is better able to resist weeds and drought. If you are concerned about critters like June bugs or Cinch bugs try bone meal or get real radical and seek out Nematodes or Roundworms. These guys feed on Cinch bugs.