Tips for a Green Diwali - Black & Decker

The festival of lights has been celebrated in a traditional manner for years, and we are all aware of how this has increased smog and allergen levels in our cities. Along with the dip in temperatures, there is a lot of concern about how this might aggravate allergies, as mentioned in this article. One way of doing our little bit towards reducing the pollution is to make an effort to celebrate a green, eco-friendly Diwali. Here are some simple things you can do to make it happen:

More lights, less crackers: While most families find it difficult to move away from the traditional cracker bursting, many have also adopted this rule with gusto. Remember that there are eco-friendly crackers available as an option, though more expensive than the traditional ones. Use these as a step towards a cracker-less Diwali if you feel that a complete ban would be difficult. Where lights are concerned, avoid excessive electric lighting, and use traditional lamps.

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Greener gifts: From healthy gifting options to gifting a plant in a lovely small terracotta pot, you have a lot of ideas to choose from for a gift for diwali. Rather than gifting crackers or unhealthy fried snacks, do encourage your family and friends to try the eco-friendly route. Setting up your own kitchen garden and gifting seedlings from your own plants is also a great way to do this.

Spread the message of giving: New clothes are an expected part of Diwali, but it is also a good time to introduce a sense of generosity in children by setting an example ourselves. Not just giving away old clothing, but making a gift of new clothing and toys to the less fortunate is a good way to do this.

Clean in the complete sense: Cleaning our homes is something that has always been done over the years at the time of this festival. This can be extended to include other green tips such as waste segregation, composting, avoiding plastics and other environment friendly activities, which will be our legacy to future generations of our family.

Even with us doing our bit, it will take a lot longer for this message to spread, and therefore cleaning after Diwali is a sure aftermath of this festival too. At such a time, check out our effective cleaning options at Black & Decker, to help keep your home dust, cracker residue and allergen free. Please visit our website for more details:

http://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com 

5 Great Eco-friendly Cleaning Options for your Home - Black & Decker

A recent article in the Times of India paints a scary picture of the chemicals around our home. Are you one of those people who are tired of all the strong smelling chemical formulations available in the market for cleaning your homes? Here are some simple cleaning solutions that can help keep our home and environment chemical-free:

Baking soda: This is one of the most versatile and simple home cleaning products you can find, and can be used for a variety of things from cleaning your stove-top to removing smells from your refrigerator. Try it with a combination of other eco friendly ingredients like vinegar to remove stains from literally anything.

Vinegar: Did you know that keeping your vegetables and fruits soaked for a few minutes in a water and vinegar solution is a good way to rid them of pesticide residues, and can even help remove the waxy coating that has become a standard feature of today’s apples? Used in combination with baking soda, it is a very effective household cleaner that can even be used to clean your toilet bowls.

Lime/Lemon: It’s acidic content makes it a good cleaning agent, as well as a good disinfectant. A combination of olive oil and lemon juice can even be used as a homemade wood polish. See this simple recipe here and give it a try.

Plants: Keeping houseplants is a great way to clean up the atmosphere of the room as they help by providing oxygen as well as to reduce bad odours. Here’s a great list of plants that you can try growing indoors.

Hot water: From cleaning your pans to swabbing your floor, hot water can replace a lot of chemical home cleaners very effectively, with just a little help from vinegar and baking soda for stains. You can add a drop of natural oils like citronella to help with the mosquito menace as well as for that little bit of fragrance if you like it.

 In the quest for eco friendly cleaning, Black and Decker has come out with this product, that uses just tap water and does a great job of cleaning your floors. Check out the steam mop and other great products at our website: http://india.stanleyblackanddecker.com/