Choosing Eco-friendly Home Products Wisely

As we all know, “going green” is a hot trend now.

Of course, eco-friendly products are important. Many of us are looking for products that do not harm the environment, help conserve energy, minimize emission of greenhouse gases, and do not lead to toxicity or pollution to the environment. We want products that are biodegradable, recyclable, non-toxic, organic, or compostable.

But the problem is, everyone is jumping on the bandwagon and claiming their products are eco-friendly and safe to the environment. How do you know if these products really live up to their claims? Do these products really complement your values or are they just jumping in on the latest marketing craze?

The responsibility lies with the consumer to evaluate the product. Although a label says “biocompatible” there are no official standards or organization to certify this claim. It’s up to you to be sure that products live up to their claims.

Here’s a few tips to help you:

Look for reputable certifications, like Energy Star, Green Seal, Water Sense, Forest Stewardship Council, and EPEAT.
Check labels. Eco friendly products tend to use natural ingredients. For example, eco friendly furniture polish will use ingredients like olive oil and orange oils. Or the best natural ingredients to use on windows include vinegar, ethanol (derived from corn) and natural coconut based soaps. Keep away from products that do not include a complete list of ingredients.
Stay away from products with labels such as warning, caution, poison, and danger. Also look out for words like corrosive, chlorine bleach, ammonia, phosphates and petroleum products. These chemicals are harmful to your family as well as the environment.
Research. If you see an ingredient you don’t recognize and you’re not sure if it’s toxic, look up the names on the Internet. Or call the company and ask specific questions. If a company won’t answer your questions, perhaps you should shop for another product.
Also look for words telling you about ingredients NOT in the product, such as “no phosphates” or “chlorine-free.”
Pick products that don’t use artificial colors and strong fragrances.
If you want something that will be gentle on the environment, look for the term “plant-based.”
Steer away from a supposedly eco-friendly product with huge, wasteful packaging. Manufacturers with such packaging are probably not sincere about their mission to save the environment. Instead go for products with simple and recycled packaging.
Consider using household ingredients to make your own cleaning solutions. For example, use baking soda, white vinegar or essential oils. The Internet has plenty of recipes to create your own cleaning products.

These tips will help you reduce the impact you have on the environment, as well as reducing the chemicals in your home. If you look carefully, there are many eco-friendly products that truly live up to their claim.

Post provided by APB Pole Barns. APB offers a large selection of pole building kits and provides designs, plans, and building packages for post frame structures.