Green Your Home, Room-by-Room

IN THE BEDROOM: Recycle an old mattress to make room in our landfills.

Why? Our country's landfills are literally running out of space. In fact, it's estimated that San Francisco alone has only five years until it exceeds its capacity. One average queen-size mattress takes up a whopping 23 cubic feet in a landfill. Multiply that by 20 million (the number of used mattresses that make it into landfills every year) and the figure is frightening. In addition to taking up precious space, once there, mattresses don't biodegrade and can even create flammable air pockets.

How it works: Polyurethane foam, which accounts for around 6 pounds of a mattress's 63-pound total weight, can be reused in its original state, incinerated and converted into electricity, or recycled into other materials via modification of its chemical makeup. A good facility is able to recoup up to 90 percent of a mattress's components; the cotton goes into clothing, steel springs are reused, and the wood frames are broken down into chips that can be used for furniture. Although the benefits of mattress recycling are gaining exposure, not every city does it. Use Earth911.com's Recycling Locator to find a facility near you. In the market for a new one? Consider buying from a company such as Emattress.com, which takes back its used mattresses and recycles them at no cost.

Cost: $0

Estimated savings: Freed up landfill space doesn't currently translate to dollars and cents saved. At the very least though, mattress recycling reduces consumption of raw materials, energy usage, and greenhouse gas emissions. In the Kitchen: Save water by scraping-not rinsing-dishes before washing.

Why? It's a big, fat waste of -- you guessed it -- water and time. Just five minutes of pre-rinsing wastes 20 gallons of water per dishwasher load. Maybe your mom got you in the habit of pre-rinsing, but it's not necessary anymore. Today's dishwashers are more capable than the one you had growing up: They'll competently scour crusty glasses, dishes, and silverware with ease. Consumer Reports' testing on newer dishwasher models even revealed that prerinsing doesn't improve cleaning.

How? Remove stuck-on bits of food with a quick scrape, then load up.

Cost: $0

Estimated savings: The average household washes 27 loads of dishes per month (or 325 loads per year). Washing a full load of dishes costs about $1 per full load, so you'll potentially save some big money-upwards of $300 annually via inaction alone.
IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM: Wash clothes in cold water.

Why? This no-cost solution instantaneously reduces the amount of energy required to run a washing machine.

How does it work? Hot-water heating uses about 90 percent of the energy utilized by a typical washer; its motor uses only 10 percent. Turning the dial (or pressing the button) to begin washing in cold water means you'll instantly see savings. And you'll also eliminate 1,600 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions that are generated annually by your household.

Cost: $0

Estimated savings: Between $52 and $145 each year.