TheGoGreenBlog.com

For some reason I always have extra socks and can’t find the matching pair. Instead of just tossing those extra socks out, I reuse them.

Here are my top 5 ways to reuse socks:
1- Pet Toy: Get creative & make new toys for your dog by turning your old socks into tugging toys.

2- Dusting: Put one sock over your hand, add some eco-friendly cleaner and dust furniture or window blinds.

3- Cold Compress: Cover a bag of ice to make it more comfortable.

4- Hot Compress: Fill sock with rice, heat in microwave & applied to the body to help relieve pain.

5- Sock Monkey: This is a really fun activity for those rainy days.

If you have a puppy dog or are thinking about getting one, here are a few tips on greening your pooch.

Top 10 Tips On Raising A Green Puppy Dog:
1- Adopt a dog from a shelter or rescue group
2- Spay or neuter your dog to help control the population
3- Feed your pup foods & treats that have organic all natural ingredients
4- Use natural non-toxic pet-care & cleaning products to help with any mess your pooch makes
5- Scoop up your doggy doo in biodegradable poop bags
6- Buy products for your pup that are sustainable and made out of all natural materials, like hemp dog collars
7- Curb your doggy to protect native wildlife
8- Use a child- and pet-safe deicer such as Safe Paw’s environmentally friendly ice melter
9- Get creative & make new toys for your dog by turning your old socks into tugging toys
10- Re-use your old blankets to create a comfy bed for your puppy

In these cold winter months it is very common for sidewalks and roads to get icy, instead of using salt based ice melting products consider using a non-hazardous alternative like Safe Paw’s environmentally friendly ice melter.

Safe Paw is 100 percent safe for children, pets, all surfaces and the environment! This is unlike all the salt based products that most consumers use, which contain calcium chloride that can heat up to 175 degrees when exposed to water and ice. Salt based products often sit on ice and snow surfaces for a long time before melting & penetrating into the ice. If children & pets are exposed or digest these salt compounds it can cause health problems. Plus, the salt residue left over from these products cause permanent damage to pavers, asphalt, concrete, wood decks, floors and rugs and can harm the environment, including burnt lawns and plants along with possible contamination of wells and drinking water supplies.

Safe Paw is like no other ice & snow melter on the market. It has a unique patented dual-effect compound, made up of crystalline amide core infused with special glycols. This non-corrosive composition gives Safe Paw a two-way timed-release action. The liquid component starts melting ice instantly while breaking its surface tension. This allows the crystal-core to quickly penetrate and destabilize the ice and speed up the melting process. Safe Paw actually attracts heat to make it even more effective but does not give off heat. This “endothermic” reaction takes advantage of solar effect and provides extra melting power during daylight hours. As an added feature, Safe Paw leaves an invisible protective shield that prevents ice from sticking to the surface for up to three days making shoveling easier.

If you’re a cat owner, I’m sure you think clumping kitty litters are great because they are so convenient & easy to use. Well, what you may not realize is that two ingredients found in most clumping litters have been implicated in many diseases and even the deaths of animals & humans.

Sodium bentonite is added as a clumping agent to traditional cat litters to create the “scoopable” clay litters. Sodium bentonite acts like an expandable cement and can swell up to fifteen to eighteen times it’s dry size. Cats often lick themselves after using the litter box, ingesting pieces of the litter. The litter then expands inside of them, causing your kitty great pain. Also, the dust from such litters can coat our cats’ lungs, leading to respiratory problems. The other major ingredient used is Quartz silica, which is known to cause cancer for both humans and pets when inhaled.

I recommend switching your kitty litter to one that is more eco-friendly and better for your pet. There are many products available using renewable and biodegradable ingredients, some include compacted pine shavings, cedar, newspaper, or corn cobs, all of which contain no toxic chemicals for felines or humans.

Do you buy your food or cleaning supplies, or pet food in bulk? If so, thumbs up to you! If not, you should consider doing so, because buying in bulk is one of the easiest ways to go green & save money at the same time.

When you buy in bulk the manufacturers use less packaging materials and in turn you produce less waste. Plus, because you buy more product at once you then make less trips to the store in the future which can save you time, money and fuel.

So, why wouldn’t you buy bulk? It’s easy!

Even your cuddle pooches can go green and sport eco friendly fashion. The crew over at EarthDog manufactures hemp collars, leashes, harnesses, beds and chew toys for dogs. Their dog products are all handmade in the USA, and are inspired by their own dogs - 14 in all.

EarthDog uses asian-grown 100% hemp canvas & webbing and hemp rope from Romania. They dye their hemp with low impact, non-toxic procion dyes.

EarthDog is also a carbon neutral company. They have offset their carbon emissions for the year by purchasing a business Terrapass, which reduces carbon dioxide emissions by funding clean energy and efficiency projects.

Wouldn’t you rather have your home truly clean, rather than covered in toxic chemicals?

Try making your own non-toxic cleaners at home. It’s easy! The crew over at ecocycle have compiled recipes for all your cleaning needs. From the basic household cleaners to metal polishes, and even a flea repellent for your pets. All recipes are created from basic ingredients found in your kitchen.