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Earth Friendly Household Efficiency
Simplify Your Life : Episode FLSYL-319

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Organization Expert Gigi Scandinaro making the home green friendly.

Tips from organization expert Gigi Scandinaro on making your household healthier and more environmentally efficient:

  • Paper products and fabric furniture are especially prone to mold growth. The mold can get into the air ducts and become a problem for air quality.
  • Check out cleaning products that are stored in the bathroom. Many of them are toxic, bad to breathe and also bad for the environment. Better to switch to "green friendly" products available in many grocery stores.
  • Choose items with little or no packaging and write to companies who over-package to tell them you're not buying their products because of this.
  • Switch to unscented, un-dyed toiletries and hair products. The additives do nothing for your hair but do contaminate water systems.
  • Replace your shower head with an energy saving filtration model. It will save water, help control bacteria and mold growth and reduce chlorine in water.
  • Replace paper towels with cloth. One-use items like paper towels and paper cups are terrible for the environment
  • If you have to use paper, use recycled.
  • Your freezer will operate more efficiently if it's at least two-thirds full. If you don't have enough groceries, fill a plastic milk jug about three-quarters full of water and use as many as you need to temporarily fill the space.
  • Mold requires moisture to live. Reduce the indoor humidity to 30-60 percent to decrease mold growth.
  • Switch to showers, which use about 10 gallons of water compared to 20-30 gallons for the average bath.
  • Consider motion sensor bulbs now on the market that automatically turn on and off when you enter or leave the room.


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