My mom loves them…but thats another story.

We didn’t grow up with the habit of taking shoes off when entering a home but some how my sister has instilled that rule in her household. She has many other clever ideas but that one is on my mind today.

I read recently that removing shoes before entering a home is the public health equivalent of hand washing.

The truth is, the dirt we track in makes our homes more than simply “dirty”. We track in a cocktail of toxins from lawn pesticides (from your neighbors yard, of course not yours) and other outdoor pollutants (traces of animal waste, residues from the lead in car exhaust, etc.). Imagine the amount of pesticides and other toxins on shoes that are being dragged into the home and then being exposed to your family (especially children that are crawling, eating, playing on the floor).

By removing shoes not only can we improve the indoor air quality, we will spend less time cleaning it and less money paying for more cleaning products. In addition, it can lower noise pollution in your home by keeping it a bit quieter. Those rocks that get stuck in shoes can leave marks in wood floors, but not if you don’t have your shoes on!

Even if you don’t have a mud room, put a basket near the door(s) so folks can leave their shoes there. Some households even put out some socks to encourage visitors to be comfortable without shoes.

Tread Lighter without shoes inside,

-Phyllis, Green Expert

I have been hoping it would just go away. You know, that new car type plastic smell.

Our coffee maker broke a few months back and after trying many options trying to re-rig the old coffee maker or testing out a french press, we decided on another automatic drip as it works best for our household.

When it arrived, we could smell a plastic smell. We thought maybe it was just the packing it came in but it lingered. We were disappointed and hoped it would “air” out soon so we would be aroma-less.

However, two months later it is still there. I am surprised and concerned about the plastics used to create this coffee maker as well as the ramifications of drinking from it.

I don’t want to just throw it out and add to the landfills (plus the expense of another option to get that caffeine fix). I am going to try to “renew” it (by ridding of the plastic new smell). I am going to clean the coffee maker with good ole vinegar!

After filling the water reservoir of the coffee maker with white vinegar (without the filter) I turned it on and let it run. Once the cycle was complete I let the vinegar sit for 20 minutes or so before filling the water reservoir with water and running it again. Then I washed the pot with soap and water to get any residue off the top of the pot (rest is glass so that isn’t the culprit).

Tomorrow morning will be the test to see if the house smells like plastic or not when we plug it in and turn it on.

I sat back hoping the dilemma was over when the new air purifier was delivered. I opened it up and what do you know… strong plastic smell. In an air purifier that is suppose to rid of pollen, dust mites and other allergens. Really? Any suggestions? I am frustrated.

Tread Lighter WITHOUT the yucky plastic smell,

-Phyllis, Green Expert

Which one of these has the most impact on your energy bill?

A)   The green things you do around your home such as adding more insulation or driving a hybrid ?

B)   The actual type of house you live in?

C)  Where you live?

I read this question and thought I had the answer nailed on the head. What’s your guess?

A recent study done in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that family’s in homes near transit in compact neighborhoods actually save more energy than an energy-efficient family living in the suburbs.

Who would have thought that the old but true “location, location, location” slogan would work for lowering carbon footprints too?

The EPA says location is vital because buildings and transportation together account for about 70 percent of energy use in the United States and are responsible for about 62 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

For example, researchers say that a family living in a typical “detached” house in the suburbs can cut their energy bill by 33 percent by greening their buildings and cars annually. However, if they move to a similar house with better access to transit, but no green features or efficient cars, they can cut their energy use by an average of 39 percent annually. If the family also improves the energy efficiency of their home by 20 percent and gets a hybrid car their total energy savings jump to 54 percent.

The researchers got similar results for townhouses, “multi-family” homes (i.e. apartments or condos) too.

This shows that driving less is just such a big component to lowering costs and energy usage. So if you are in the market for a new house, consider one where you have access to public transportation (or can walk or bike) to get to work, school, and where you have to go.

Tread Lighter when house hunting,

-Phyllis, Green Expert