Times are hard so it is best to find alternative solutions towards the normal daily spendings we have to satisfy that includes our laundry. We may be advised to save on water cost but the real problem is also the detergents and cleaning materials which can be health hazards other than being additional burdens to our daily expenses.

So what can we do to avoid it? Well, we have seen some solutions such as the laundry balls and this one seems to be interesting. The GreenWash Balls are being wooed as great alternatives towards washing our clothes and doing away with the usual laundry detergents.

If no soap or detergent powder is used, how does it work? Here is what the Greenwash Balls have that make it a better alternative:

The OH- ions have “strong sterilization capability” and the O2- ions have the “capability of decomposing organizing matters and deodorizing scents by being attached to oxidation reacting intermediates.” Both ions “destroy cell membranes of bacteria.”

It is a wise alternative to help live better and wash greener. So if you come across this along the supermarket, do not hesitate to get it. It can be a big help and guide to living eco-friendly.

Source

The holidays are coming and in some parts of the world, the climate change may be colder so it is best to be ready the heating systems like electric blankets. Dressing up with the usual heavy clothing is one solution but you cannot really wear that much especially when you are at home.

When bedtime comes, Land’s End HeatComfort Bedding is a good bed aid to have. It uses lesser electricity and the blankets and throws are made from microfleece and the wires are almost undetectable as they are smaller and cushioned better than in competitors’ blankets. A waterproof mattress pad is water and stain resistant.

Source

Technorati Tags: waterproof_mattress_pad, electric_blankets, climate_change, heating_systems, bedtime, electricity, bedding, holidays

Consumers will always be looking at the eco-friendly products available in the market. While they solicit proper direction and advice from friends and word of mouth, actually buying them is another problem. Today, most companies are attaching the eco-friendly or green tag to their products to get attention, but as far as actually being green is something else.

For its part, WalMart has placed 29 items in its “Eco” in the “For The Home” section. Ranging from pillows up to towels, these are bound to get much attention and checking out their materials up to the manner of packaging are sure to be the initial thoughts on whether they are really eco-friendly.

(Source) Interior Design

Technorati Tags: eco_friendly_products, proper_direction, initial_thoughts, walmart, word_of_mouth, pillows, interior_design, towels, consumers

If you happen to go in to the nearest McDonald’s store and order your favorite sandwich or meal, don’t be surprised if you no longer see the traditional boxes or styros holding your meal. McDonalds has reportedly shifted its packaging in its nine largest markets is now made from renewable materials.

Seven of its nine largest markets have introduced the “Environmental Scorecard” to their suppliers. And, 92 percent of its food, packaging and tier-1 equipment suppliers have affirmed its code of conduct, which focuses on reducing water, energy, air and waste impact.

Source

Technorati Tags: environmental_scorecard, traditional_boxes, energy_air, renewable_materials, water_energy, food_packaging, equipment_suppliers, mcdonalds, code_of_conduct, mcdonald, sandwich

DIY Kyoto has developed a good gadget to aid people in monitoring their energy consumption. One thing about saving as much as you can is knowing how much you are consuming and perhaps identifying which among your appliances are eating up your electric usage.

These days, if you want to live better it would be best to start by controlling utilities expenses like electrical consumption. You may be surprised at how much you can save if you really know how to gauge it. It costs around 100 pounds and is a good one time investment if you want to save for a worthy cause which is for yourself!

“The whole idea is to save money and to save the environment,” Jason Goldman, of DIY Kyoto, told Reuters at the Stuff Live! show. “You find people try to get the reading down as low as possible.”

(Source) Reuters

Technorati Tags: electrical_consumption, energy_consumption, worthy_cause, kyoto, goldman, gadget, appliances, money

Jessica Alba has no reason to save on furnishings. In fact, one would expect her to burn her money as she can so that she can get the best furniture in the world today. Apparently for her, the cost of any furniture is really in the design and length of time they have been around. So she is scouring around for quality stuff that she can place in her green home, a complement towards really going eco-friendly.

Interior decorator Kari Whitman scours antiques store, flea markets and a client’s existing inventory before even thinking about new furniture. “The craftsmanship is often better in older pieces,” says Whitman. “For Jessica Alba’s house we bought almost every piece used.”

(Source) InStyle

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The term is something that many people would look at as being something of an oxymoron. For a very long time the political discourse in the country has said that the choice is between eco-friendly living and consumption. In other words, the consumer culture upon which the largest economies of the world are built would not be possible if we all lived eco-friendly lifestyles. However, recent evidence seems to suggest that such a thing is untrue and is a false choice that really does not have to be a real way of doing things in the first place.

Consider, for example, the fact that there are a number of companies out there now that are selling products that are 100% natural and in many cases are also 100% recycled. Green Works is known for doing this on a regular basis, as is President’s Choice. If you were to purchase those products, would you be a different consumer than you were before? If you restrict your purchases to things you would buy anyway, the answer is no. However, you are using eco-friendly materials and eco-friendly techniques in your consumption and that means that you have just combined eco-friendly lifestyles with the consumer culture that you love.

While serious conservation does involve sacrifice, at the moment our lives are so wasteful that there are a number of things we can do to be more eco-friendly that really involve no real sacrifice on our part. Let’s start by doing those things and worry about the others as a whole when the time comes.

Technorati Tags: political_discourse, false_choice, largest_economies, consumer_culture, oxymoron, lifestyles, sacrifice, consumption, long_time

Of all of the different areas of eco-friendly living, it can be argued that promoting an eco-friendly way of looking at things is most important in the areas that are directly impacted by the price of oil. This means that areas with petrochemical products are very important to change to an eco-friendly way of looking at things and when it comes to cleaning, the war against petrochemical products is one that needs to be waged. Many excellent articles have been written on ways that you can clean your house without the use of expensive and non eco-friendly cleaning formulas, one of which made it to wish.ca. That article can be accessed through this link.

In addition to reiterating the truth about tried and true eco-friendly cleaning methods like the use of dilute vinegar, there is also information presented about natural fibres that are reusable and for that reason can save you money in the long term as well as keep the landfills of the country emptier. This has to do with cleaning cloths, but it also applies to non-cleaning items as well which was a good way to bridge the gap across different aspects of the eco-friendly lifestyles we all aspire to have. It’s a very interesting article and one that is definitely worth a closer look.

Technorati Tags: petrochemical_products, natural_fibres, cleaning_cloths, price_of_oil, landfills, closer_look, vinegar, lifestyles, gap, truth_about, money

Toilet paper has known to be one of the products that contribute towards the dilapidating number of trees due to the need to reproduce them. But while many are looking for other resources to manufacture toilet paper, technology has offered us with a new alternative.

The new gadget is called the Swash Toilet Seat which can be easily installed over the traditional toilet bowl in homes. The Swash toilet seat is made for both genders and is equipped with controls specifically made for each.

It is available at Moniques Bath Showroom for $459.

The Swash toilet seat is equipped with a small keypad that automates and controls two retractable wands that spray warm filtered water on all your most private places. Following that act with a toasty air dryer, the Swash attempts to thoroughly clean up down there without the use of toilet paper.

(Source) Weekly Dig

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When it comes to eco-friendly living, the blogosphere has really done more to advance the idea in my opinion than most other sources of information. The magazines of the conventional world have been working on eco-friendly issues for decades, but it is only when the internet boomed and people were able to read about eco-friendly lifestyles on a daily basis that things actually began to change. For this reason, I personally believe that highlighting the struggles of eco-friendly activists online is a very good thing to do. To that end, homemakers.com has come up with their list of eco-friendly living for homemakers with 30 different ways they can be eco-friendly. The list can be accessed here.

There are many noteworthy things on the list, such as creating energy efficiency by replacing burned out light bulbs with efficient ones as well as making sure that you maintain your vehicle on a regular basis. Walking to your errands once a week instead of driving is another interesting suggestion. What I like about a lot of the suggestions is that they allow the promotion of eco-friendly ideals while at the same time not causing a lot of damage to the actual lifestyle of the person. Changing light bulbs with more efficient models when they burn out changes nothing about one’s lifestyle, the same being true for vehicular maintenance. The walking suggestion is a minimal change and one that can be implemented when all of the no impact situations have been used up.

Technorati Tags: homemakers, daily_basis, sources_of_information, blogosphere, different_ways, activists, lifestyles, decades, magazines