With the amount of pollution pouring into our environment, more people are concerned about their carbon footprint and how they can decrease their contribution to the many problems our world is facing.

Being Bugged by Pests?

With the warmer weather coming you may be finding little creepy crawlers in your home. Neem oil has been used for natural pest control for ages, as it contains several natural insecticides. You can make your own neem oil spray by adding 1/2 ounce of organic neem oil to 1/2 teaspoon of organic peppermint liquid soap and two quarts of warm water. Simply pour into a spray bottle for immediate use. If flies, bees and wasps are your annoyance, simply put a few drops of Eucalyptus oil in the areas where you are seeing them and they will avoid that area immediately.

Bare Feet are Beautiful

In any season walking through your home with bare feet is comforting. If your floors are not clean it can be a major vexation, though. For basic floors (wood, tile, laminate or linoleum) simply mix equal parts white vinegar and hot water. There is no need to rinse the floors. The vinegar smell will go away as the floor dries. For bathrooms and kitchens where a good disinfectant is a must, a gallon of hot water to 3/4 cup of Borax works wonders and will clean and disinfect even the nastiest of messes. No rinsing is necessary with this combo either.

Curing Clogged Drains

Clogged drains can be a messy experience and freeing them up without the use of expensive chemicals sold in stores is quite possible. Everything you need you can get at the grocery store while doing your grocery shopping. You will want to have four cups of boiling water before beginning. To start, pour one cup of baking soda down the drain and be sure the mass majority of it goes directly into the drain. I have found making a funnel out of a piece of paper works great. Then pour two cups of the boiling water in. After five minutes and another cup of baking soda followed by one cup of white vinegar. You should plug the drain immediately. Once the bubbling has dissipated, you should add the remaining two cups of water. If the clog remains to be a problem use a plunger to loosen the clog that the baking soda and vinegar have already broken down and repeat the process one more time. Your pipes should be free flowing after that!

Heating and Cooling Hacks

If the heat or air conditioning is running constantly, you’re using up much more electricity than you should. This is where a programmable thermostat can come in handy. According to an expert from Lowry Services: Electric, Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, you can set the programmable thermostat to only heat or cool your home when you're there. This can reduce both your monthly bills and your carbon footprint.

Egg Shell Gardening

Looking for an all-natural fertilizer for your garden? Simply save your egg shells. Let them dry out and then put them in a blender and pulse them until they are powder. Simply spread the equivalent of five eggshells around each plant and work the powder into the dirt. The shells will fortify the plants roots with calcium organically.

Not only are there alternatives to using store bought chemicals for your home, you will find that you can save a lot of money as well. Once you're done, sit back and enjoy your cleaner, greener home--the earth will thank you!