From Guest Blogger Brooke Chaplan: How Homeowners Can Make Their Household Greener and Cleaner

Homeowners do not have to set up their own wind turbines or add solar panels to their homes to make their homes greener. Instead, simple changes can equal huge savings, especially to the ecosystem, and can make the home cleaner. Check out these four options for greening up the average American home.

Switch to CFL Bulbs

The savings that a homeowner can find by changing just one incandescent bulb to a CFL bulb is equal to 400 pounds of greenhouse gases over the life of the bulb plus a savings of $57 on the electric bill for the same length of time. While CFLs once produced glaring, white light, today’s numerous choices ensure that homeowners can find all shades, shapes and levels of brightness of CFLs.

Use Organic Cleansers

While many homeowners associate cleanliness with the lemon or ocean-fresh scent of typical household cleansers, the ammonia and other toxic chemicals in them can certainly do a number on the environment and even on one’s own health. Organic cleansers can be found in almost all big box stores, or homeowners can clean many surfaces with baking soda, vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. On the same note, homeowners should consider switching to microfiber cloths instead of paper towels for everyday cleanups in the kitchen and bathroom.

Save Water Outside

Instead of waiting until the lawn is brown to flood it with water through a hose and sprinkler, homeowners can save money by installing an integrated sprinkler system that runs several times a week. Some companies, such as Hydrotech Irrigation Co., realize that a regular watering schedule can he;p save water. Keeping the lawn well-hydrated will also help eliminate the need for toxic fertilizers throughout the growing season.

Take Off Shoes Inside

While carpet cleanliness may not seem like a big move for the environment, it can keep families safe and healthy. Shoes come from the outdoors covered in chemicals, germs, pesticides, insecticides and exhaust fumes. Homeowners can make a designated space for shoes right at the door that they use most often.

Green changes can be made both inside and outside the home that will spell energy savings for the homeowner and chemical and gas emissions savings for the environment. Homeowners would be wise to go through every room of their homes to determine where they can cut costs in water and electricity usage and where they can rid of dangerous chemicals that put toxins into the air and the water. While it may be difficult to get used to these changes initially, they will quickly become second nature.