Start Living Greener Today! Simple Steps to a Greener Home

Making your home more environmentally friendly isn't just good for the Earth, it could also save you money!

Drafty Windows and Doors: Keep the blustery cold air outdoors by stopping drafts at windows and doors. Also, before you leave your house for the day, close the drapes over the windows. As the blustery, chilly air blows outside, the drapes will help minimize the amount of cold air that seeps inside.

Fireplaces: Make sure the damper on your fireplace is completely closed. Keeping a damper open all winter is like having a small window open. Burrrr!

Refrigerator: Keep in mind that refrigerators run 24-7, and account for about 25 percent of a household’s energy use. To ensure your fridge is working efficiently, do the “dollar test.” Close the fridge’s door onto a dollar bill and check to see how much effort it takes for you to pull it out. If it comes out easily, the seal isn’t tight enough: It’s leaking cold air and needs to be fixed

Dishwashers: Believe it or not, using your dishwasher is a greener choice than washing by hand because you use less water.

Cleaning: Germs be gone! When you need to disinfect a kitchen or bathroom countertop of germs and bacteria, don’t reach for toxic, chlorine bleach. Instead, consider rubbing alcohol. It kills germs and evaporates quickly.

Home Offices: Your computer is a real energy hog, so be sure to remove the screen saver. When the flying toasters are running across the screen, your machine is still working at full power. Instead, put your PC on sleep mode. Just hit a key to “wake up” the computer.

Read more Green Home tips.

This post was originally posted on Access Philly.