Green Options

[Creative Commons photo by sarae]

Your dishwasher is spic and span, and it’s starting to make your cluttered refrigerator look a little bit…well…gross. Don’t despair! We’ve got you covered with some Earth-friendly fridge-cleaning tips. Not only does cleaning out the fridge keep things sanitary, you can do your part to make it more energy efficient!

Vinegar can clean windows, kill weeds, and even cure the common cold.  Now a team of scientists at the University of Leeds is studying how vinegar could clean up sites contaminated by chromium compounds discharged from old textile factories, smelters, and tanneries.  As a source of chromium contamination, coal mining could also benefit from a dose of vinegar - or would that really make a difference?

We know to only run the dishwasher when we have a full load. We also know that there are lots of great options for Earth-friendly dishwashing detergents. What we don’t always think about though, is good old maintenance. Nothing wastes water like unloading your dishwasher to find you have to wash half or all of the load over by hand. Giving your dishwasher a good Spring cleaning will help your dishes come out free of debris by removing gunk and buildup from all the innards.

Clean as Clean Should Be: Yes, this is the household bottleIt is difficult to find an all-purpose cleaner these days that doesn’t fill your kitchen with the fresh scent of artificial toxins. Whether the cleaning agents are safe or not, oftentimes the most harmful chemicals in cleaning products are the fragrances.

Currently, there are no regulations on the fragrance industry resulting in a lot of unnecessary airborne

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There are many natural window cleaners available at coops and natural food stores; however, these products can be expensive, and in my experience, their performance leaves much to be desired. It is very simple to make your own window cleaning solution with vinegar and water. This homemade window solution is very effective and inexpensive.

To make homemade window cleaner, combine 3 teaspoons of vinegar to one quart of warm water. Pour the solution

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