Most people like you and me don’t understand issues like “cap and trade” – a big-picture concept that gives economic incentives to companies that reduce their pollution output.

But everybody gets recycling. And that’s the kind of “local” topic I’ll discuss in this article: Tips and guidance on the many small things you can do every day to make cleaning your home more eco-friendly.

 

Start at the Store

Follow these four basic shopping tips:

1. Avoid products in wasteful packages. Packaging is designed to catch your eye on the store shelves and make the product look bigger. Some packaging uses non-recyclable material that just gets trashed, adding to the millions of tons of of garbage that go into landfills and trash-burners.

2. Don’t use disposable cleaning products. Convenient, yeah. Green, no. Paper towels, wipes, dusters, mop-heads, toilet scrubbers, soap-infused dish sponges are the biggest offenders. I use 100 percent reusable supplies like sponges, mops, or plain old cotton rags – absorbent, washable, and the best tools in my arsenal.

3. Buy the largest quantity you can. Purchase a gallon of cleaning solution instead of four quarts – which means four trips to the store, four bottles, and a bigger total price tag.

4. Check labels for non-toxic, natural formulas. Brands include Clorox Green Works, Halo, Seventh Generation and Restore, to name a few.5. Read Labels. Look for products with:

• Concentrated formulas
• Natural ingredients
• Efficient packaging (smaller, lighter)
• Recyclable and recycled packages
• Refillable bottles
• Pump sprays, not aerosols.