Environmentally friendly products and processes can be categorized in different ways. There are detergents and sprays that are considered environmentally friendly because they do not release harsh chemicals into the environment. There are environmentally products that are made from recycled materials and help reduce the amount of natural resources used to produce these items. You can even dispose of your computer components and used batteries in a more environmentally friendly way. Knowing what kinds of products to buy and how to dispose of your items properly can help you be a better friend to the environment on a daily basis.
Substitute Environmentally Friendly Detergents for Harsh Chemical Detergents
Your clothing detergent may do a great job cleaning your clothes, but it can also contain some harsh chemicals that are damaging to the environment. If you are making an effort to be more aware of how you affect the environment with the products you use, you can substitute a more environmentally friendly detergent for the one you’re currently using. These detergents are just as effective as their harsher counterparts but don’t include the chemicals that most detergents have. An added bonus is that you may find that red, itchy skin goes away once you eliminate these harsh chemical detergents from your life.
Substitute Environmentally Friendly Cleaners for Harsh Chemical Cleaners
The cleaners you use may be effective at cutting grease and grime, but they can also be releasing harmful chemicals into the air. In addition to being harmful to the environment, these chemicals are not good for your health. Many environmentally friendly substitutes are now on the market. These alternatives are often made with plant products and other natural materials so that they have the same cleaning power as harsher cleaners without the nasty chemicals. These cleaning products may even give off a fresher scent and help you control your allergies because of the reduced level of chemicals being used in your home.
Dispose of Batteries in an Environmentally Friendly Way
Used batteries still have acid in them even when they are no longer working. This acid can leak into the ground and harm the environment. You can help protect the environment by taking your batteries to a return center so they can be properly disposed of by professionals.
Dispose of Used Electronics in an Environmentally Friendly Way
Used electronics such as computers and cell phones can also leak harmful chemicals into the earth, harming the surrounding environment. You can help to minimize these effects by disposing of your used electronics safely. There are some drop-off locations for used electronics and there are also organizations that will collect them and dispose of them safely. If they are still in working order, you can even donate them to a nonprofit organization so that someone else can use them.
Making the choice to use safer products and dispose of your used items in safer ways can help you protect the environment around you so it is a safer place for your family and loved ones to live.
John Elephant
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/environmentally-friendly-products-670727.html
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
What are some environmentally friendly products that aren’t more expensive than regular products?
I’m all for being environmentally friendly, but I noticed that most of the "Green" products cost a lot for no apparent reason.
I’m college student barely getting by >.< so I really can’t spend a dime more than I already am.
If you are talking about cleaning products you can use vinegar, salt, baking soda and lemons in various ways. All of them are eco-friendly and inexpensive.
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http://www.aboutmyplanet.com/daily-green-tips/cleaning-products/
sc johnson products
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Good luck in finding prepackaged "green" products that are cheaper than the comparable regular product. The reason for this is that it’s more expensive to make the environmentally-friendly product in the first place.
Your only option is to – like has been suggested – use ordinary household products (such as vinegar and lemon juice). Click the link below for some ideas that will help you.
P.S. While SC Johnson does make a variety of environmentally-friendly products, and even has its own "green" manufacturing plant, those products are usually NOT cheaper than regular ones.
References :
http://www.essortment.com/home/howmakehomemad_smdf.htm
As far as cleaning products, you have a couple good answers. But I’d like to add club soda to the list. It’s great for cleaning glass. Also, Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap. It’s expensive up front, but you use such tiny amounts that it lasts forever. You can also use it as shampoo, body wash, hand soap and even to clean your teeth.
As far as personal care, Whole Foods 365 brand products are cheap and pretty safe.
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Both white and apple cider vinegar have hundreds of uses. And, they are 100% natural and cheap!
Just Google "Uses for Vinegar" or something like that, and you’ll be amazed at what you find.
Also, as already suggested … baking soda is a natural air-freshener and a mild abrasive that can be used in place of harsh products like scouring powder or cleanser. It’s also useful in the laundry to deodorize and brighten clothing (white vinegar works for that, too).
One very easy "green" tip is to replace your light bulbs (as they burn out) with compact flourescent bulbs (CFLs). They ARE more expensive to buy initially, but the investment pays off because they give off the same amount of light as a regular (incandescent) bulb but use far less electricity to do so … and they can last YEARS so you won’t need to replace them anytime soon.
There are so many ways to work environmentally friendly products (and practices!) into your daily life, and they don’t have to be prepackaged. Surprisingly, the "greener" option is often the LESS expensive if you get creative with what you already have on hand, do a little research into ways to use natural products, and factor in long-term savings by using less of everything, reusing items when you can, and replacing harmful products with "green", natural products over time.
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They do have those cleaning products called green or something like that. From what I hear they are about the amount as windex. greencupboards.com and they have cheap cleaning green products.
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Google.
Vinegar, bakings soda, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol
Vinegar-cleans anything, good for spot removal and disinfectant. Good for hair conditioner. Keep eyes closed, pour over hair, message in, then rinse out before opening eyes. Rinse real good before opening eyes.
Baking soda in place of comet cleansers. Also for cleaning battery post on cars. Mix with a bit of water for that. Good for a tooth paste, gets the teeth real white.
H.P good for cleaning mirrors and is streak free. Good for cuts and disinfecting the shower, counters. Spray on hair to keep roots blonde without the chemicals of bleach. Use every day on hair. Mouth full and swish around for one minute a couple times a week to keep teeth white. Spit out do not swallow.
Cooking oil for furniture polish. Also wipe on glass shower doors and shower walls after cleaning the shower. Do not place on shower floor. Place on rag and wipe down walls of shower. Wipe counter tops in kitchen after disinfecting with vinegar or H.P.
These are the only products you will need and they are environmental friendly.
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Shawnee shaman
Here are a few ways to be green and save money. Cleaning supplies are a great place to start, most of the conventional cleaning products have harmuful chemicals that do damage to humans and the envirnonment. Use baking soda, vinegar and liquid soap. I mix a few squirts of liquid soap about 1 cup vinegar and water in an old spray bottle and that is my general cleaner. I use another bottle for just vinegar which is my disinfectant, that is sprayed on and left to air dry, in places like the shower. I use baking soda as an mild abrasive, it’s great on soap scum and other stuck on things. You can make a paste with water and baking soda paint it on the inside of the oven let is set for a few hours and wipe it off. You can buy vinegar by the gallon for less than $2, and baking soda in a 5# bag for a few dollars.
Shop at farmers markets, shop late in the day and ask for discounts, or their seconds, apples and other fruit that may have a few marks are often sold for less, at the end of the day the farmer would rather sell things for cheap then take them home. Reduce the amount of meat you use, learn to make soups that need just a few ounces for a full pot, freeze leftovers in reusable containers.
Buy less, buy what you need and avoid disposable items. Buy recycled or biodegradable when you can. If you buy reusable grocery bags most stores will give you 5 cents back each time you use them, so if you shop at least twice a week you will make your money back in 2 months, then you will be making money.
Conserve energy. many things use energy when you aren’t using them. I plug my tv, vcr, stereo and game system into a power strip with a switch, then flip the switch when I’m not using them, no more stand by energy. Chargers are another thing that often uses energy when not in use, that includes Ipod docking stations, they use as much energy to play music as when nothing is on it.
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those products do actually save you money because they are designed ot help a person use less. and the more people buy them the less they will cost. I bought the greenworks cleaning products and a tablespoon of the cleaner with cold water like it says on the bottle actually works great , other cleaners you have to use more. If we knew shich products you were referring to it would help more.
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