Time to waltz with the broom and mazurka with the mop, put in the window screens and clean out the basement. If this long, cold winter has left your house with a bit of a dejected air, join the club.
Yes, it's time to spring clean -- but not time to put all of your green resolutions away. In fact, it may be time to amp them up. Here are some ideas on how to do just that.
- In the yard, start that compost pile you've been putting off season after season. After one full year of composting, it is amazing how much garbage reduction it has meant for my home. Plus, when I get around to preparing my garden for planting, it will be getting some great homegrown nutrients. For easy tips on how to get one started, read this.
- When cleaning out closets and the basement, think of how extras can be reused and, if that is not possible, recycled. Obviously clothes and furniture should go to the Salvation Army or Purple Heart. But think further. Magazines and books can go to schools or nursing homes. Who just moved? Help out a transient bud with their new digs.
Whatever remains should avoid the landfill at all cost. Old computers and TVs should go to drop-off centers like Detroit's
Recycle Here (free) or
Recycle Ann Arbor (for a fee). Same thing with old paint, cleaners, light bulbs and batteries. Call your local reycling program to find out where the closest hazardous waste collection is.
- Change over your regular lightbulbs to CFLs. And remember to dispose of your mercury-containing CFLs responsibly -- check this out for info on that.
- Use green cleaning products. There are tons of options on the shelves at pretty much every store -- or fall back on old-fashioned remedies like vinegar and newspaper to clean windows and mirrors. It really works.
- Let the weather help in other ways, like by buying local food from farmers markets and driving less. OK, so that has nothing to do with spring cleaning, but some things bear repeating.
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.