Dirt Devil

When it comes to the environment, being a good global citizen starts at your doorstep. From recycling to using alternative cleaning materials, minor changes at home can add up to real benefits for the planet, not to mention your own health and happiness.

It may be a cliché, but the best way to be Earth-friendly is to cut down on what you consume and recycle whenever you can.

Here are some of the ways my husband and I have used to make home a greener, cleaner place.

We made our appliances green. No, we didn’t spray paint them (of course not, spray paint cans only make things worse by releasing so much CFC in the air). Even though it’s a bit of a stretch to keep on buying new appliances, we have resolved to save up and make things easier on the environment and our pockets int he long run by investing on some energy-saving alternatives. Refrigerators are one such Jabba-da-Huts in the house, and we’ve shopped around for other refs that have an energy rating of 1 (being the highest). Not only will it contribute to a better environment, it will also save us bundles of money on electricity.

We clean green. We have stopped buying those nasty household sprays and cleaners that pose to be dangerous and potentially toxic to both us and the environment. We try to go back tot he basics by using some simple ingredients such as plain soap, water, baking soda (amazing stuff), lemon juice and other things in the house. They save us money and save us from harmful chemicals that may be hazards to health. Apart from this, we’ve made a more conscious effort to pull our weight around when it comes to cleaning, opting to wash dishes manually as opposed to wrestling with an energy-hungry dishwasher.

And of course, there’s the new vac that is the only product available in the market that has earned Energy Star approval – the new Dirt Devil AccuCharge. That’s definitely going in our list of things to buy this 2008.