Every 2 years or less most of us get a new cell phone. How many of us recycle our old cell phones or do we just throw them in a drawer? Recycling our old cell phones help keep toxins out of our water and soil supply. Our old cell phones usually end up in our landfills. They contain toxic materials such as mercury in the crystal displays and lead, nickel and cadmium in the circuit boards and batteries. The EPA has found that only 10% are recycled. Do your part today and recycle your old cell phone at your local phone dealership, or donate to a charity.
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When you make the decision to put a plastic or glass container or bottle in the recycle bin please rinse it out first. One of our Austinites has made recycling a part of their art life. Check out this Decorative tree in their front yard made of blue Reisling Wine bottles. At night it lights up as the lights are strung through the tree. A free piece of art that also helped save the planet. Austin eco friendly maid service Round Rock eco friendly maid service

It’d be great if we could all just toss our clothes into the washing machine (with the cold/cold setting, of course), but lots of wintertime wear, like wool sweaters and jackets, have the “dry clean only” label attached.

Unfortunately, conventional dry cleaning is a decidedly un-green process-most dry cleaners use the chemical perchloroethylene (also called perc)-as research studies have shown that perchloroethylene exposure may be dangerous to your health, having been linked to increased risks of bladder, esophageal, and cervical cancer, eye, nose, throat and skin irritation, and reduced fertility, among other effects. (Learn more about perc’s nastiness from TreeHugger.) What’s a person who needs clean clothing to do?Many such garments, like cashmere and lambswool, can be safely handwashed, in cold water, with a gentle detergent, and then carefully laid flat to dry. If that’s not an option, though, there are greener dry cleaning options out there.

Since perc is to be avoided, look for dry cleaners that use liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) instead; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a list (PDF) of where to find CO2 cleaners. “Wet cleaning” is another alternative that uses water, along with computer-controlled washers and dryers, specialized detergents that are milder than home laundry products, and professional pressing and finishing equipment.

The EPA considers it one of the safest professional cleaning methods, though it didn’t stack up quite as well as CO2 cleaning in a Consumer Reports showdown.

Still another alternative is silicone solvent-based cleaning; though it fared well in the Consumer Reports test, there are some questions about the potential health risks involved in its use, so we can’t give it a thumbs up just yet. Your best bet: Clean by hand, at home, if you can. If you have to have the professionals handle it, CO2 dry cleaning is your best bet. 

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Have you ever heard the term “less is more”? Well this saying is very true when it comes to washing our clothes, sheets, towels and everything else that requires soap. As you can see in the below picture every one of these products contains a fabric softener. If your laundry detergent has a fabric softener you don’t need to use dryer sheets. With the new appliances out today the amount of laundry detergent needed to run a cycle has changed. It really should not have taken new appliances for us to reduce the amount of detergent we use. Try washing a load with your normal amount of detergent, then rewash the load without adding detergent. Check for signs of soap in the second wash. If you see soap bubbles then it’s time to reduce the amount your using unless you want to wear soap. I recommend changing not only the amount of detergent used but also the brand. Try and Eco friendly washing detergent. They contain less scent and soap. If you are washing items with a mildew smell or any odor instead of adding more soap add a few drops of tea tree oil to the cycle. The tea tree oil is a natural disinfectant Less is more!
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If you want to save the environment and money at the same time buy a box of Baking soda instead of these carpet odor masking bottles that cost at the most $5. These popular carpet fresheners are dangerous! They harm your pets, clog your vacuum and change the air quality in your home. When we have indoor pets we tend to sprinkle this on the carpets to freshen them, however they tend to just mask the odor built into the carpet fibers. If you are experiencing odors in your carpet first steam clean them at least once a year to pull the odors out without using any chemicals. For regular maintenance sprinkle Baking soda on the carpet and let sit as long as possible, usually overnight, then vacuum. The baking soda is not harmful to pets or humans. Baking soda does not mask the odor it rids the odors from the carpets and the air. It will not clog your vacuum either. Save the environment, your pets and breathe easier today by buying a box of baking soda. Austin eco friendly maid service Round Rock eco friendly maid service

It’s a great idea to have plants in and around the house. They clean our inside quality of air. Tropical plants excrete substances that protect their leaves from airborne molds and mildews. When these plants are brought to live inside of our homes they continue this process by also cleaning the air around them in the same way. However we have to remember to clear the dead leaves from the plants an prune them so they can continue to do this job. Turn the plants in their positions so they can grow all around rather than on one side only. They need to breathe all around in order to clean the air all around us. Austin Eco friendly maid service. Round rock Eco friendly maid service

While at a clients house recently My ladies noticed it was very hot in her living room and every other part of the house was cold. It was as if a heater was on in the room. After doing a thorough inspection of the room with the client we noticed the hot air and smoke smell was coming from the fireplace. It smelled as if the fireplace was actually burning. After checking to see If the gas knob had been turned on the client discovered that her chimney chute was actually open. It was now the middle of summer and she had been throwing money up the chimney by letting the hot air in and the cool air she was paying for out. Grab a flashlight and look into your fireplace. Double check that the chute is closed. I also recommend having a chimney sweep company come in and professionally clean the chimney so that your home Is ready for a safe clean wood or gas burning fire in the winter. Don’t wait until it’s too late! Austin Eco friendly maid service Round rock Eco friendly maid service

Some ovens have an opening on the rangetop where the burners are that gets forgotten about easily. The bugs however love this dark area of your oven, especially when you leave food for them behind. Take the time to check and see if your rangetop lifts and if so you might find the grime of food particles that we found on this one. Be careful when cleaning this area as this is where the gas connects to the burners. Do not spray anything directly on the area. Use your vacuum attachment to rid of most of the food and then wipe or scrub with a soapy rag to get rid of the build up. Check this area often so the bugs can stay away from dinner. Austin Eco friendly maid service Round rock Eco friendly maid service

Many garages harbor hidden dangers. Chemical clutter is among the biggest one. We often store gasoline, pesticides, paint, automotive fluids,antifreeze, paint thinner…… And the list goes on and on. These harsh chemicals could erode over the years of being stored in such a hot environment or even explode. If you must keep gasoline for your lawn mower keep it in an approved tightly sealed plastic or metal container. Keep no more than 4 gallons. Do not keep gasoline in a garage that has an appliance that contains a pilot light. Regarding all of the other chemicals. Go through them yearly and properly discard old ones. Every city has a center that accepts chemicals and they dispose of them the Eco friendly way. Austin maid service Round Rock maid service