Did you know you can make almost any cleaning product you may need yourself, with only a couple of ingredients?  You can use these earth-friendly cleaning products at home or in the office to save money.

All Purpose Cleaner:
Version 1-Place 4 tablespoons baking soda in 1 quart warm water and shake well.  
Version 2-1 part vinegar to 4 parts water in a spray bottle.  
Version 3- 1/2 teaspoon washing soda, a dab of liquid soap, 2 cups water

Disinfectant:  
Mix 1/2 cup borax into 1 gallon of hot water.

Drain Cleaner:
Pour 1/2 cup baking soda down drain, add 1/2 cup white vinegar, and cover the drain. Wait 15 minutes and then pour 1 gallon of hot water down the drain.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner:  
Mix 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar, pour into toilet, let set for 5 minutes, then scrub with brush.

Furniture Polish:
Mix 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and 1/4 cup vinegar in a glass jar.  Dip a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surface.  Cover the glass jar and store indefinitely.  

Creamy Soft Scrubber:
Mix 1/2 cup baking soda with enough liquid detergent to make a texture like frosting.  Scoop the mixture ont o a sponge, and wash the surface.  This is perfect for the bathtub.  Make as needed fo each use.

Window Cleaner:
Mix 1/4-1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent, 3 tablespoons vinegar, and 2 cups of water in a spray bottle.Laundry

Detergent:
Mix 1 bar of Fels Naptha Soap, grated, 1 cup borax and 1 cup washing soda.  Use a couple of tablespoons per load.

Dishwasher detergent:
Mix equal parts borax and washing powder.  

10 Green Ways to Save Money

In today's hard economic times, every opportunity to save money is invaluable.  Conserving resources and cutting down on waste saves money as well as helps to preserve our greatest resource, the environment.  Here are just a few easy to implement practices that will help your business run "greener" and more cost efficient:

1 - Turn off equipment when it’s not being used. This can reduce energy use up to 25%; turning off computers at the end of each workday can save an additional 50%.

2 - Buy everyone a mug! This can save your business a fortune by not purchasing Styrofoam cups (that are not biodegradable); did you know the average office worker uses up to 500 disposable cups per year? (A great idea would be to give out coffee mugs with your logo on it to your customers to encourage repeat sales!)

3 - Choose suppliers who take back packaging for reuse.

4 - Produce double-sided documents whenever possible.

5 - Encourage communications by email, and read email messages on screen to determine whether it is necessary to print it out.

6 - Do not leave taps dripping. Did you know that one drop of water wasted per second wastes 10,000 per year?

7 - Replace bottled water with a water filter. Americans spend over $8 billion a year on bottled water, and generate 1.5 million tons of plastic.

8 - Consider laptops instead of desktops for employees. A laptop’s LCD screen uses 1/3 the amount of energy.

9 - Purchase paper with the maximum available recycled content.

10 - Join Kopco and instigate an ongoing search for “greener” products and services in your community!