Besides helping the environment, an obvious reason for harvesting rainwater is to save money. Depending on the size of your house and the amount of rainfall in your area, you can collect a substantial amount of rainwater with a simple system. This extra water can have a significant impact on your water bill. Rainwater stored in rain barrels can be used for watering landscapes and gardens. Others find uses within the house as well. You can use it directly from your rain barrel on your garden. If you’re harvesting rainwater with rain barrels to use for watering your landscaping, the rainwater can help to improve the health of your gardens, lawns, and trees. Rain is a naturally soft water and devoid of minerals, chlorine, fluoride, and other chemicals. The chemicals and hard water from many of our municipal water systems can produce an imbalance in the soil of your garden. Chemical fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides, and drought can also disrupt the balance and harmony of the soil. This imbalance causes trees and plants to weaken and makes them more susceptible to disease. For this reason, plants respond very well to rainwater. After all, it’s what plants in the wild thrive on!

LowCountry Rain Barrel is a conservation business located in Bluffton. We work with municipalities, conservation agencies and organizations interested in water conservation to make rain barrels available to the public at affordable prices. As LowCountry residents, we understand the importance of reducing storm water runoff in protecting our rivers.

There are silent killers lurking somewhere in your kitchen cabinets, maybe underneath the sink or in some spot designated for storing all those chemical cleaners we routinely use in our homes. “Better living through chemistry”, was the advertising adage that framed consumer thinking for generations, and the result has added greatly to the toxicity of our planet and our personal lives. How unhealthy is it to breathe the vapor of anyone of those random chemical cocktails in a plastic spray bottle?

Enter the notion of green cleaning, effective, safe, and inexpensive. Hilton Head Islander Judith Wine, a professional house cleaner, is committed to green cleaning. “I love what I do, but I didn’t want to compromise my health, so I researched non-toxic approaches and came up with simple alternatives that get the job done really well.”

Wine suggests using baking soda, vinegar and borax as cleaning staples. Baking soda removes dirt and grease without scratching surfaces; it is an abrasive and a disinfectant. A touch of lemon adds a little extra cleaning zest, apply directly and scrub. Vinegar cuts through dirt and grease and discourages mold. Use it straight or dilute it with water in a spray bottle. Borax is useful in the bathroom, it whitens, and disinfects. It’s a mold and mildew remover; throw a handful in your laundry for brighter, cleaner results.

Consider green cleaning as a way to enhance the quality of your life, save you money, and most importantly assist in saving the environment from more toxic chemicals.

Green Clean by Shanti North