Go Green to Save Green

It isn’t as difficult as you may think to go green and save money on household appliances and products. From showerheads and toilets to cookware, flooring and even paint, Deputy Editor of ShopSmart (from the publishers of Consumer Reports) Sue Perry makes it even easier for consumers and tests out the best eco-friendly items that really work and won’t cost you extra.
 

“High prices and poor performances are two main reasons buyers stopped using green products,” says Sue Perry on WOR’s The Joan Hamburg Show. But according to ShopSmart’s newest issue, “Prices are dropping and the products are getting better!” 
 

Cleaning products for bathrooms and kitchens, dishwashing liquids and detergents have all scored high on the SmartShop list of eco-friendly, money saving products. These are products worth switching to based on price, scent, quality and accountability. “If you are trying to reduce chemical exposure from cleaning, it’s best to look for gentler products,” says Sue Perry from ShopSmart.
 

Eco-friendly appliances and paints also scored high on the ShopSmart list. Both toilets and shower heads can save over 2 gallons of water per flush and shower!   The low COV paints, which can found in Home Depot, have improved vastly and cost significantly less than other brands.
 

On the down side of the list were paper towels. “This is one area you might not want to go green,” says Sue Perry. Americans are obsessed with using paper towels, and unfortunately, eco-friendly companies haven’t yet developed a quality brand of paper towels that will absorb as much as main stream brands. It’s quite possible this will change but for now you might want to stick with your current brand of paper towels. 
 

We all know that the choice to buy is always up to the consumer, but when you take into consideration the amount of money you will save, the quality of the product and the responsibility every citizen has to saving the planet, it shouldn’t be such a hard choice after all.
 

For the complete list of eco-friendly products, brands and prices check out the newest issue of ShopSmart!   Check out the website for more shopping tips: www.shopsmartmag.org