Going green (as well as thinking green and acting green) has been gaining growing popularity lately. That’s not only a fancy expression to mark a fashionble way to save money, it’s a way of thinking that can lead to a healthier lifestyle for you and your family.

In a society of enormous consumption, green phylosophy reminds us that we are only guests on this planet, and it’s up to us what will be left of it for our children.

Here are a few tips on how we can start small in going green:

• Buy less. Every time you feel tempted to buy something on the spur of the moment, ask yourself this, ‘Don’t I already have this at home, do I really need this?’. You may be surprised how many things you don’t actually need. It is a way of both saving money and space at home (just think of all the stuff you once bought but never really used, that’s been gathering dust in the closet). Once you decide you really need something, invest in high quality products, they will serve you better and last longer.
• Borrow more, buy less. Borrow from friends and neighbors items that you will not need on a regular basis.
• Save energy by using a clothesline or drying rack for your laundry; set your air conditioning two degrees lower in winter and two degrees higher in summer; unplug all electric appliances you’re not using at the moment, preventing ‘phantom energy’ leaks.
• Turn the water tap off more often. When you brush your teeth, turn the water tap of. When you’re taking a shower, turn the flow lower.
• Clean with home-made supplies, such as natural acids like vinegar and lemon, and natural bases like baking soda, making domestic cleaning both efficient and eco-friendly.

Feng Shui principles could be applied to every sphere of life – love, career and even cleaning the house. So, in case the latter is not of your favorite activities, Feng Shui will help you break the routine and will turn household chores into real philosophy. In the East, spring cleaning is considered to make our house ready for the more active season  (or yang), and the autumn one – for the difficult winter (or in – endurance, survival). Bulgarian housewife also cleans the whole house during these two seasons. Feng shui teaches that during these two season cleanings, we should spare time for those parts of your home we rarely pay attention to. Sometimes cleaning the closet, ceiling, shelves or built-in wardrobe, helps us solve our problems. These are usually problems we haven’t managed to solve for a long time, despite the time and energy we have invested.

According to the philosophy, it is very important to take care of your windows, as they are believed to be the eyes of your home .No matter what season is, windows must be shining with cleanliness. In this way they allow daylight to penetrate to every corner of the room and as a result the flow of positive energy is increased . There’s more – washing windows helps you clear your mind, especially if you are struggling with a serious dilemma.

The kitchen is believed to be the heart of the home, which means that the presence of positive chi energy there is of prime importance. Always keep the refrigerator and cupboards clean and neatly arranged, throw jagged craft and polish utensils.

When the bedroom is full of too much things or inappropriate arranged, sleep becomes restless. The reason is that the positive chi energy mixes with the static and thus loses its power. To avoid this, you should place the furniture according to Feng Shui rules. Try to keep your wardrobe neat and tidy, floor and smooth surfaces – shiny and technology – away.

The clean home takes away  the emotional baggage, makes you more resistant to stress and helps you find solutions to serious problems.

The removal of stains, dirt, sand and allergens can be achieved by several methods, both traditional and modern. One of these methods is Hot Water Extraction. It is well known to be one of the most effective ways for resolving all kind of girt and grime. When it comes to cleaning carpets, steam cleaning is a very useful method because it helps to dislodge dirt that has accumulated into the fibres of the carpet. Of course, the process can be used not only for carpets, but can also be employed if you want to clean upholstery, jewellery, bathroom tile and brick.

One of the main advantages of steam cleaning is the efficiency of the method. It is thought about to be gentle with carpet material while simultaneously being destructive to all the mites and bacteria. Heat and sprayed under a high pressure hot water would remove even the toughest grime from the carpets. High temperature also removes the odours that it may contain. We should consider that the power of the hot water gives great results not only on cleaning, but also on sanitizing the fabrics and gives remarkable results on extending the life of your beloved carpets.

Another advantage is that steam cleaning is environmental friendly. It uses a few chemicals (if there are any at all). In addition, high temperature kills most microbes and other bacterial organisms that are often inhabiting the carpet. Steam cleaning is extremely helpful for people with allergies because harmful organisms are killed. The only thing that is used is hot water. So the method causes no harm to the environment.

There is one main disadvantage of the method. And this is the drying period. Due to the equipment used to extract the moisture form the fabrics, the time duration needed for the carpets to be complete;y dry may vary between couple of hours and a full day. If not properly dried the carpets may turn into a hosting environment for must and unpleasant odours.

      

Read some of the easiest rules for cleaning the house. They are very simple and fast and by using the tips you will make your home shine with cleanliness:

1. The best way to clean blinds: Close them down, then wipe with a dry cloth up and down. This will create an antistatic barrier that will prevent dust again fall on the blinds. At least for a while.
2. To clean glass vases, glasses and mirrors, use coffee filters, not paper. This way is cheaper, does not leave any marks, streaks or annoying lint cleaning.
3. By using a wet pumice stone you will clean faster and easier dirty stove / oven, than with any detergent and cloth.
4. In order to easily clean dirty microwave, put in a glass of water and a little baking soda until it boils. Soda kills bad odors and then it will be much easier to wash the remaining dirt on the walls of the oven.

5. Cleaning with lemon. It is a very powerful tool for cleaning. Its high acid content allows the fruit to work as a powerful disinfectant and “killer” of most common bacteria among households. Lemon could be used for cleaning the bathroom – instead of rubbing the tiles, grout, bath and everything else in the bathroom with irritating chemicals, better try this homemade recipe with a guaranteed result: squeeze six lemons and pour the liquid into a bottle and spray soiled areas. Citric acid will dissolve the accumulated dirt and moisture will form a “foggy” drunk. Antiseptic and antibacterial properties will clean and disinfect your bathroom perfectly.

When the time to change addresses comes, many people think their nightmare is coming to life before their eyes. Moving out is stressful enough in itself, with all the packing and transporting issues, but end of tenancy cleaning only adds up to the pile of tasks at hand.

Here are some tips on how to handle moving out and end of tenancy cleaning easier:

• Always plan. Make task lists. Have everything organized in your head and then it will be a lot easier to follow a plan when you have it built up in your mind.
• Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help. You will be surprised how much help people may offer, if even by only giving you some useful advice from their own experience. You don’t have to find out everything for yourself, the people you know can also be of great help.
• Don’t underestimate the web. Anything you don’t fully understand, look it up.
• Keep in mind that change is inevitable, so every other change in your life is just a step in the right direction. Don’t be afraid of change, without it your life is never gonna get better.
• There are some certain jobs for which you may need to use qualified help, e.g. a removals agency to carry your packed stuff to your new address, or a cleaning company to perform professional cleaning service when it comes to the carpet and upholstery cleaning. Some agencies specialize in delivering both kind of services, so you can look for a favorable offer and save time and money.