You may not be aware of it, but more and more people around the world suffer from respiratory diseases, allergies, and other intolerances. What is scary is that the numbers of asthma-related cases have been increasing gradually over the past five decades. In all likelihood, the polluted air, indoors and outdoors, is to blame. Additionally, you can’t watch your favorite show on TV without coming across advertising campaigns about the endangered wildlife. Admittedly, in most cases, these campaigns rely on donations, which may not be very efficient as most viewers don’t pay attention to the advertising break. Nevertheless, there’s a common denominator to the planet’s suffering, and it’s us. The human presence has put at risk the survival of several plants and animals, without mentioning our own. Will the children or your children still be able to walk in the woods or smell wildflowers? Will they hear the songs of the birds in the morning? Or will they need to wear a breathing mask to go outside? While this might sound like a pessimistic perspective, there’s no need to deny it anymore: People need to embrace a green lifestyle to protect the future of the planet. Here’s how you can transform your household into an environmentally friendly home without breaking the bank.

Go green for less

Know your way around waste

In 2013, the American population generated about 254 million tons of waste. In fact, 99% of what you buy become trash within 6 months’ time. In other words, we live in a world of waste. If we don’t manage what we buy and what we throw away, the planet will suffocate under trash before your children’s children are born. Consequently, it’s important to start a waste management plan in your home. If you have a garden, you can repurpose organic waste such as vegetable peels or food leftovers with a compost bin. This will provide your soil with the nutrients and minerals it needs. For all large items, such as a broken washing machine or anything that isn’t organic and doesn’t fit in a recycling bin, you can rent a dumpster from Shamrock Environmental. By the way, if you haven’t planned anything already, January is a good month to clear out your home from damaged and unwanted items, especially as you take your Christmas ornaments down. Finally, remember that items that can be recycled such as food wrappings and bottles need to be cleaned. Recycling centers are forced to reject dirty items, which defeat the purpose.

Clean home the green way

Keeping your home clean is important. Most households have a weekly cleaning program that targets dust, mold and the dirty laundry. However, have you ever stopped to consider the impact of your cleaning products on the environment? Chemical products are often evacuated through the plumbing systems and require additional treatment in water management centers to be fully removed. Not only are they costly to filter out of the water, but they can also put your health at risk. Instead, you could use non-toxic products that are safe for children and pets, and for the planet. Using lemon, for example, is a great way to remove most household bacteria. White vinegar is useful to remove some odors and stains. Regular ventilation and effective insulation can get rid of mold safely. What about a bug or rodent infestation? More often than not, keeping a clean home can prevent the presence of unwanted guests. As a preventive approach, you might want to adopt a friendly cat!

Organic cleaning

Save the planet, one bulb at the time

An energy-efficient home is a win-win, for the planet and your budget. Contrary to the common belief, you don’t need to add a solar panel to your roof to cut down your energy bills. In fact, all you need to do is to change your consumption habits. Keep the appliances you don’t need unplug, as more often than not they continue to consume energy even when left on standby. Always use LED light bulbs, which can save up to 50% energy.

Shop and eat local

How you shop can save the planet. Indeed, reducing the food miles by buying local products gets rid of the carbon footprints generated during the transportation of imported products. Additionally, you get fresher products that have not been frozen for transport. Finally, you can help to protect the local wildlife as you support your community farms. Farmers manage the local environment without causing the damages that large producers and businesses would create.

Going green is, as you can see, extremely easy. It’s accessible to all, and every little step can make a great deal of difference. So what are you waiting for to save the planet from you

Buying a home is simply one of the biggest decisions we make in our lifetime. It certainly is the most expensive one anyway. So it is understandable that once you get those keys in your hand, you move in and make the house your home, you want to protect it in every which way possible. However, while you can have precautions in place for natural disasters, keep your home protected with state of the art security systems, and even secure the perimeter of your home with fences and shrubbery, what about those unwanted visitors that you have no control over?

I am not talking about long lost friends turning up or your parents unexpectedly, the unwanted visitors no home wants is big, rodent or insect infestation, that is for sure. Rustling in your walls, finding dropping littered all around the home. Everywhere you turn you might see something out of the corner of your eye whizz past. It is disturbing. So I thought I would share with you some of the ways you can ensure you keep your home safe from infestation in the future.

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At the first sign of trouble seek out professional advice

One of the first things you should do if you have an inkling that there is an infestation already present in your home is seek some professional advice straight away. Hearing strange sounds is not a sign you are going crazy. Discovering nests and homes in loft spaces or in the cavity of walls is more common than people think, especially when you first move into a property that might have been empty for some time. Websites like pests.org are full of advice for helping you avoid or get rid of problems such as mice and rodents, insects and bugs. So seek out the professionals and even get someone into your home to try and rid the problem for good=

Be hygienic with food waste and rubbish in your home

It is all well and good trying to avoid the problem, but sometimes the obvious actions in doing this can come from you. A great tip is to be very aware of your hygiene in the kitchen areas. Rodents, mice and bugs look for the main principles of staying alive, which often means a place to sleep, food and water, much like us humans. So leaving out food overnight, not getting rid of food waste correctly, or even not being responsible for rubbish in your home and recycling accordingly, could cause more problems than you would like. Websites like myzerowaste.com have some great tips.  Also, consider Skip Bin Hire in Sunshine Coast.

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Seal any possible entrances

There are many ways in which mice, rats and bugs can get into your home. Some might be obvious while others may need you to hunt and think about a little more. First of all, your doors can be a big entrance for some of these pests, so ensure that you seal them up correctly. The main culprit is the gap between your door and the flooring inside your home, and some pest can really squeeze through this easily. Adding a door sweep is very easy, and can solve this problem without causing too much damage or upheaval to your home. You may also want to look around the exterior of your home looking for any cracks or holes in which something might be able to enter. Taking special attention to where pipes enter in your home as over time, gaps can form, and this is a direct entrance into the walls of your home. Sealing them up is a great way to also stop drafts. Finally, areas like chimneys and vents do need to stay open i admit, but there are mesh coverings you can use which stops things coming in, but allows air to ventilate.

Think about adding to your family

Finally, if you feel you have done everything you can to your home but would like some more protection, then you could consider adding to your family, and not of the bay kind. First of a all, a cat is a natural predator for things like mice and rats, and while you don’t want them chasing them around, having one in your home and garden could be enough to keep potential threats at bay. You could also encourage other natural predators into your garden like birds by adding a bid table or bath. Again, this could help you to avoid other things wanting to get closer to your home.

I hope that these tips and options help you to keep your home safe from infestation in the future.