Simple & easy ways to go green in your home

Hello!  I hope this post finds you well :)

It's a snowy morning here in Connecticut after topping the thermometer here at nearly 60 yesterday - crazy!

As it's been a fairly mild Winter here in the Northeast, we typically spend quite a lot of time indoors.  Like most people, you consider your home to be one of the safest places for you and your family, right?  You keep things tidy and as dust free as possible - but did you know that indoor air can be more "polluted" than outdoor air?

I came across a company's web site called GreenGuard with some information that was a bit shocking to me.  After reading it, it made sense, but like a lot of things in life - you really don't view things or realize things that seem like common sense until you read it!

For example (straight from GreenGuard's web site):

Facts You Should Know

Children breathe in a greater volume of air than adults relative to their body size.

Children's organs and respiratory, immune and neurological systems are still developing.

Children are much closer to the ground, and as a result, breathe in more of the heavier airborne chemicals than do adults.

Infants and young children breathe through their mouths, more so than do adults, which increases their risk of pulmonary exposure to particulates and fibers, that would otherwise be filtered out in the nose.

So of course, I wanted to share and write about this (in case you're just like me and have an A-Ha! moment or a OMG I should have known that!).

There are some incredibly simple and easy ways to keep your home as green as possible by doing just a few things differently in your home - which thankfully we already do, but it's never too late to start!

1. Take off your shoes - we have a no shoe policy in the house.  Think of ALL the places you walk during the day - public places, public bathrooms (blech), sidewalks, shopping centers, etc.  Do you really want those traces of these places tracked throughout your home?  Methinks not.  Not only does it keep toxins and grossness out of your home, it keeps your floors cleaner, also.
2. Get some green - Add some green houseplants to your home. Plants are amazing at removing toxins in the air and replacing it with cleaner air.  Here's a post from TreeHugger that I found on the best air filtering plants.  I personally love Gerber Daisy, Bamboo and the Peace Lily plants.
3. Don't be smelly - Steer clear of scented air fresheners, candles, harsh perfumes and other "smelly" products that you may use in your home.  They can inject harmful toxins into the air.  Try using things that are fragrance-free. 
4. Use non-toxic cleaning products - I am quite the clutter-bug, but I do love having a clean home.  Foreverrrrr, I thought clean meant brands like Clorox, Lysol, Windex, etc.  But harsher chemicals does not equal cleaner things.  I still use the "strong stuff" for certain places such as disinfecting the kitchen sink and the toilet where the germiest things may be - but everywhere else I use "green" products or natural products wherever possible.  A few products I love are Bona Floor Cleaners, ActiveIon, Shark Steam Mop and Seventh Generation.  You can also go to The Smart Mama for more information on making your own cleaners from Vinegar, Baking Soda, Lemon and more. 
5. Just be more aware - Read the ingredients and just increase your awareness.  Simply opt for bringing products into your home that are as natural as possible - use safe laundry detergents, soaps, shampoos and other products that you put on, in or near your body.  

One last resource I love is the Environmental Working Group and their Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.  You can search thousands and thousands of products in tons of categories for harmful ingredients and they rate them on their safety scale.

Thanks for reading and stopping by and please feel free to share this with your friends and family!
~Carly