Clean, Organized, and Safe: Decluttering Your Home the Eco-Friendly Way
America has often been described as a “throw-away” society, a culture of convenience with little thought for the long-term ramifications of environmentally irresponsible behavior. Today, there’s a renewed sense of environmental responsibility, an emphasis on recycling and a concern for the residual impact of landfills on the environment. If you’re thinking about decluttering a home that’s just too difficult to keep clean, consider the following tips for doing it the eco-friendly way.
Textiles
The Environmental Protection Agency reports that textiles account for 5 percent of all landfill waste. In fact, the average American throws away 70 pounds of clothing every year, with 85 percent of it winding up in landfills. Fortunately, there are plenty of environmentally conscious ways to get rid of things like clothing, old towels, blankets, and stuffed toys. Rather than tossing them in the garbage, donate your old, unwanted textile items to charitable organizations or thrift stores. Hospitals and homeless shelters are always looking for clothing donations. If you’d rather make a few bucks, consider taking your old clothing to a local consignment store.
Garage Clutter
Nobody likes decluttering the garage; it’s one of those things you just want to get out of the way. Toxic and flammable materials are among the most difficult things to declutter. You can’t just dump them out in the backyard or the storm drain, and you certainly don’t want them around kids or pets. Old lawn mower gasoline, oil-based paint, motor oil, and other potentially hazardous substances should be discarded safely at your local community hazardous waste drop-off facility. Anything made of hard plastic, rubber, or synthetic material, like toys or garden hoses, can be donated if still usable or taken to a recycling facility.
Appliances
Many appliances contain environmentally dangerous fluids and components that can pollute groundwater if dumped into landfills. Check with your local retailer and organizations that have buyback programs for appliances that have outlived their usefulness. Your local electric utility may also have an appliance-disposal program, in some cases offering money for old appliances to encourage people to dispose of appliances safely. City or county governments usually have drop-off facilities where your old appliances and electronics can be dropped off. In some cases, you can make arrangements to have bulky items picked up.
Use The Cloud
Everyone has old documents and photos that take up space unnecessarily. Instead of shoving them into drawers that quickly get clogged, get them scanned and uploaded to the cloud where you’ll never lose them and where they can easily be retrieved. This is a good opportunity to get rid of those faded old photos from Memorial Day 1972 or your daughter’s first marriage, which take up a lot of desk and drawer space.
Eco-Friendly Cleaning
Many commercial cleaning fluids used in the average American household contain toxic components that are damaging to the environment and potentially dangerous to you and your family. Avoid using air fresheners, commercial drain and toilet bowl cleaners, antibacterial products, and anything with bleach or ammonia. Instead, try natural and healthy substances such as baking soda, vinegar, or lemon juice for your cleaning needs. You might even find they will be cheaper.
It’s always a good idea to give the house a good cleaning after decluttering. Don’t underestimate the value of a high-powered commercial vacuum cleaner with plenty of attachments, one capable of picking up all the dirt, hair, and loose ends that accumulate in your house.
Taking steps to protect the environment is about more than keeping the earth green. It’s an investment to your family’s health and future. Eco-friendly decluttering, disposal, and cleaning are easy to do. They are also a part of an overall responsible behavioral pattern.
Guest post by Alice Robertson