wilkes

For many people, warmer weather signifies the return of swimming, hiking, vacations—and spring cleaning. However, most folks don't consider the damage that day-to-day life can wreak on the environment, and spring cleaning is the perfect time to reduce your carbon footprint.

Recycle, re-use, donate!

No doubt in the course of spring cleaning, you'll come across lots of things that you just don't need any more. However, think twice before tossing trash and other unwanted items into the garbage bin.

Each year, millions of pounds of paper and plastic products end up in landfills, even though much of this could be recycled into useful, sustainable products. The obvious solution to this problem is to take a trip to your local recycling facility. Some towns even offer a weekly recycling pick-up service, and some retail locations have free industrial-sized recycling bins in which you can drop off your recyclables.

Things that can't be recycled—like old clothes, accessories, shoes, gadgets, decorations and books— can often find new life in the hands of someone else; so consider holding a garage sale, trading at a thrift store, or donating to charity.

Go paperless!

Rather than using disposable paper towels that last a few seconds and then quickly pile up into a mound of paper waste, invest in a quality eco-friendly fiber sponge or rag that, with a quick wash, can serve you over and over again.

While on the subject, now might be the time to go paperless to save space, save costs, and save trees. If you haven't done so already, switch from paper bank and credit statements to the online versions, which are more convenient because you can access them anytime, anywhere. Pay bills online rather than wasting money and paper on mailings. Finally, scan piled-up receipts and other documents to your computer, then recycle them.
Use green cleaners!

The EPA reports that air inside the average home contains 2-5 times more pollution than the air outdoors, just because of household cleaners and pesticides—and one out of every three chemical cleaners contains ingredients known to harm human and environmental health. Beyond the home, these chemicals can make their way into water sources; in fact, sixty-six percent of American streams sampled in a federal study contained detergents and disinfectants.

For small jobs, you can make safe cleaning solutions out of household ingredients. One classic recipe instructs one cup water to every cup of vinegar, while another adds a tablespoon each of baking soda and lemon juice to the mix. However, when homemade products just won't cut it, you can rely on natural commercial solutions to get the job done. However, not all products that claim to be "green" really are—so you'll need to research its certifications and ingredients.

One product line that passes the green test with flying colors is E-clean—which includes floor, carpet and general surface formulations. E-clean products are carefully designed to give superior performance while being certified safer for the user and the environment. Thanks to E-clean, you don't have to sacrifice affordability, strength or convenience to get clean—green!

Deep Reflection
215 Elkin Highway
North Wilkesboro, NC 28659
336-667-3034
www.deep-reflection.com