Sierra Club Green Home

You aren’t supposed to fill those laundry detergent caps. There are lines inside showing the amount the manufacturer recommends, and that is often still more than you need. More is not better. Too much detergent reduces cleaning power and is leaves residue in your clothes. Try throwing a few of your towels into the wash without soap and see how much suds form. (Photo by Emily, Flickr)

Businesses that are completely conscious of the earth, creator, and consumer are not as hard to find as many think. A host of Web sites and boutiques offer vegan, organic, and fair-trade products. Where you spend your money can speak about what you support. (Photo courtesy of 31 Bits.com)

Leading health and parents’ groups have been asking Johnson & Johnson to reformulate its baby shampoo to remove a chemical that releases formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. The company launched a “natural” baby shampoo but still sells the original baby shampoo with the formaldehyde-releasing ingredient in the United States, while making formaldehyde-free versions of the shampoo in several other countries, according to Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. (Photo: Wikicommons)

Online retailers generally are not known for great customer service. Instead, they build their reputation on offering quality products and prompt delivery, and many carry a variety of eco-friendly or sustainable products.

One online retailer has figured out how to put all this together. Bucking the norm, Greenfeet strives to offer online shopping that is easy, fun, and steeped in customer service. (Photo courtesy of Greenfeet)

Let’s talk toilets. They use more water than anything else in our homes, accounting for as much as 40% of indoor water consumption. Since 1994, federal law has mandated that new toilets use no more than 1.6 gallons per flush. All toilets sold in the U.S. are low-flow toilets, although in the toilet trade they’re actually called “ultra low flush toilets” or ULFTs.

Keep them humming for home health When your bathroom mirror fogs up after a shower, it’s more than a personal grooming challenge. It’s a reminder to turn on the fan. You say it’s already on, and there’s still fog? Then it probably isn’t big enough to protect your bathroom from the ravages of moisture. In [...]

Shower curtains are all about bathroom preservation. Without them, water can wreak havoc. The area around the edges of the shower stall–where the tile meets the wall–needs particular attention.

Here’s how to care for your towels while still caring for the environment. Unless you are air-drying your body out in the sun after a shower under a waterfall, your basic bath towel and bath mat are pretty much essential to any household. Top Tips At home Wash carefully. To keep your towels looking nice longer, [...]