A lot of us look for personal-care products and cosmetics that are made with natural ingredients or are cruelty-free. But what about cutting back on unnecessary packaging when your favorite products are used up? If you search the word “refill” on your favorite ecommerce site, many refills for things like plastic compacts and cases come up. Instead of tossing away your old compact, you can just pop in a new cosmetic. It’s less expensive and less wasteful.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

We all know the most energy-efficient choice for treating clothing in a washing machine is to choose cold water. It’s also the most gentle and will prevent clothing from bleeding dye, fading or shrinking. But cold isn’t the “one solution for all fabrics” option. For towels and bedding, opt for warm water, which is hot enough to kill odor-causing germs and to properly disinfect them. Also choose this setting for things like kitchen towels and clothes used for cleaning. When it comes to true sanitizing, go with hot, which is important for things like baby clothing, reusable cloth diapers and gym clothing.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

You see a dry-cleaning establishment with a sign outside that says they are “organic,” so you assume that’s a “green” thing, right? Not so fast. The term is actually used to describe organic chemicals -- petroleum, for example, is considered “organic”; it’s not about healthy things like fruits and vegetables grown without pesticides. If you want a truly eco-friendly “dry cleaning” method, look for those who do “wet” cleaning; it’s gentle on most fabrics and it’s free of harsh chemicals. Whenever possible, clean and treat your garments with handwashing at home.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION