Cleaning House?
Cleaning house can be really hard on the environment, often resulting in toxic chemicals in our sewer lines and piles of unwanted items destined for the landfill. Fortunately, there are better ways of tackling clean ups. With a little planning and some of the ideas on this website, you can avoid the last minute panic that often leads to poor choices.
See our Natural Yard Care section for more ideas, but for starters leaves can be composted in your backyard or through a community composting program; grass clippings can be left on the lawn or composted. You can also use alternative ground covers that don't require cutting. If you are using a lawnmower, use a mulcher that leaves the clippings on the lawn and make sure your mower is non-polluting (electric and push mowers are best).
There are many new environmentally safe cleaning products in stores these days, and it's easy and inexpensive to make up your own cleaning solutions at home too.
Check these sites for recipes and ideas:
http://housekeeping.about.com/cs/environment/
