Earth Day 2014

Today is Earth Day! 

Celebrated every year on April 22, Earth Day is the largest environmental event in the world. More than 6 million Canadians participate in an Earth Day activity in their communities. Learn more about activities in your community at earthday.ca

5 Green Actions to reduce your impact on the environment

1. Simple Household Savers – Replace incandescent light bulbs with LEDs. Use aerators on faucets.
2. Washing and Drying – Only wash full loads of clothes and use cold water. Hang to air dry.
3. Clean Green – Choose natural, non-toxic cleaning products with ingredients such as vinegar or baking soda.
4. Food Choices – Choose local organic foods that are in season. What is in season in Ontario in the spring? Look for fresh local apples, cherries, strawberries, asparagus, cabbage, cucumbers, fiddleheads, radishes and spinach.
5. Donate and Recycle – Think carefully before throwing items in the trash. Consider donating or recycling. Harmful materials like chemicals, batteries and electronics should be taken to a local hazardous waste depot.

Home Spring Cleaning Checklist

It is spring-cleaning season! Read through our checklist for tips on areas to clean and maintain inside your home. Scroll to the bottom of the post for a free printable spring-cleaning checklist.

General Home Interior

• Use a duster or a vacuum to wipe down walls, and clean your trims and mouldings.
• Clean, vacuum and dust your curtains, rugs and upholstered furniture. Consider swapping out your heavy winter fabrics for lighter summer materials.
•  In the kitchen, use warm water and a mild detergent to wash down cabinets, back-splashes and appliances.
• In the bathroom, scrub off soap residue, mold and mildew from all surfaces with an antibacterial cleaner.

Windows

•  Clean your window treatments. Most curtains are machine washable and blinds can be wiped down with a damp cloth. 
• Take your window screens out of storage and wash before installing.
• Remove winter grime from your windows inside and out with a hot water and vinegar cleaning mix. 
• Don’t forget to wipe down the window frames as well for a sparkling clean view outside.  

Appliance Maintenance

• Change the batteries in your smoke detector, and make sure units are free from dust.
• Clean your refrigerator coils. Turn off the power to your refrigerator first and use your vacuum or a fridge coil brush to get rid of accumulated dust.
•  If you have a fireplace, clean out the flue and the base after the heating season is over.
• Change the filter on your HVAC system to keep the air flowing.

Download the image to print your own checklist!

           

Outdoor Spring Cleaning Checklist

Spring is a great time to start to clean up after this long cold winter.

As the weather begins to warm and the snow melts, your yard is revealed. Begin with clean-up projects to repair winter damage and to prepare for the new growing season. Go to the bottom of this post to find our printable checklist. 

Outdoor Spring Cleaning Checklist  

General Home Exterior

• Clean the exterior of the home, hard surfaces, and outdoor structures with a power washer or hose. 
• Check to see if your outdoor hose bib suffered any damage. 
• Check the garden hose to see if it there are cracks or holes. 
• Inspect the gutters around the house. Remove debris. 

Lawn and Garden

• If you added burlap to trees or shrubs in the fall, it is time to remove it. 
• Prune trees, shrubs, and flowers so the plants can take off with new growth. 
• Rake fallen leaves and dead foliage. 
• Clean out flowerbeds to prepare the soil. Remove existing mulch to set the stage for new mulch. 
• Remove lawn damaged from salt or plows, and reseed bare areas.

Heating and Cooling

• Have your HVAC equipment serviced before your air conditioner is needed. 
• Replace your air filter. 
• Hire a professional to clean the AC unit coils so that it can operate efficiently. 
• Turn on the AC to make sure it is working. If it is not, call a professional in early spring to have it repaired before the busy season. 
• Make the management of your home equipment easy with a No Worries Protection Plan. Have your equipment cleaned and serviced by a licensed professional! For more information go to www.nationalhs.ca

Download the image to print your own checklist!