July 26, 2008 | Dusting, Cleaning tips, Cleaning products

As much as I love making a nice dusting solution out of lemon juice and olive oil, I’ve found something easier - and cheaper too. Find a trusty spray bottle and add 2-3 teaspoons liquid fabric softener (we like this one), then fill with water (we used a 16-oz bottle).

If you’re a rag-duster, use a cotton rag or microfiber cloth, spray the cloth to dampen, and dust away. If you prefer a feather duster, spray directly on your feather duster. You can also spray it directly onto a Swiffer duster (we like the hardware so to speak, but not the sprays and liquids they use).

The good news? The liquid grabs and holds the dust so it isn’t being kicked up into the air. The fabric softener keeps dust from coming back too soon because a) it isn’t a chemical base like most furniture polishes (and chemicals trap and hold dust), and b) it neutralizes static so that the furniture doesn’t attract dust.

And you can also use the very same spray bottle with diluted fabric softener, spray it inside your dryer 3-4 times just before you put in a load of wet laundry. It’ll eliminate the need for a dryer sheet.  We love that.

July 25, 2008 | Shopping, Lifestyle

There’s a new banner on my left sidebar, down towards the bottom. It looks like this. Click on it and you’ll find yourself at a website with a really supercool video. Sure, it’s about 20 minutes long, but it’s well worth the time. Think about it. What else would you have done with those 20 minutes? Read a few more blogs? Watched 2/3 of a sitcom? (or the whole thing if you’ve Tivo’ed it and can skip commercials) Cleaned something?

Well, this is better than all that. You’ll laugh. You’ll learn something you didn’t know. And you just might be challenged to change the way you think about some things. It’s good viewing. I promise. In fact, I’ll guarantee it. If you watch it and you walk away not having laughed or learned something, I’ll give you 20 minutes back. (Wait! You’re not taking me seriously on that are you?)

But seriously. It’s good.  It touches on dioxins (which are present in an alarming number of cleaning products), goes into where our stuff comes from, where it ends up, and - more importantly - why we’re so attached to it.

July 21, 2008 | Being Green, Lifestyle

It seems like most of the big cleaning services out there are going ‘green,’ and that’s great news - we want to see fewer chemicals used in our community and less of an environmental footprint. But how many of them are really going green and how many are ‘greenwashing,’ or trying to fool their clientele? Here are some things to ask your local ‘green’ maid service:

• Are green services available at all your locations? If not, are they available at the location that would serve me?
• Do you use paper products or reusable cloths? (Even windows and mirrors can be cleaned well with reusable cloths)
• What percentage of your products are Green Seal certified?
• If you have other certifications is there a third-party doing the certification, or did you define your own criteria and slap a label on it?
• Do your products contain petrochemicals?
• Are your products hypoallergenic?
• What percentage of your products are biodegradable within 28 days?  (Everything will biodegrade eventually - even if it takes eons. Find out what they mean by biodegradable)
• Are the products water soluble, and are they harmful to animal and marine life?
• Do your products contain neurotoxins or endocrine disruptors?
• Does your business take other steps to reduce their eco-footprint? (Examples might be reducing paper waste, reusing and repurposing, using ‘green’ vehicles, etc.)

We’re willing to make the claim that we’re one of Atlanta’s greenest maid services. Broom Huggers was founded on the basis of being green and being healthy. We’re all-natural, non-toxic, hypoallergenic. We’re biodegradable within 28 days, harmless to marine life, animal life, and people too. So if you’re in North East Atlanta, give us a try. If you’re looking for all-natural housekeeping services, you’ve come to the right place.

July 19, 2008 | Bathroom, Health, Cleaning tips, News

 

As if the orangey-pinkish mildew growing on your shower curtain weren’t enough reason to chuck it and get a new one, there’s a new report out about vinyl shower curtains that may give you pause. Apparently that new shower curtain smell is caused by an onslaught of chemicals.

According to the study, over 28 days the vinyl shower curtains tested released 108 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a single new vinyl shower curtain will release total VOCs that exceed the typical total VOCs residential level for four days. In fact, the total VOCs from a WalMart vinyl shower curtain were so high that testing had to be stopped so as not to destroy the testing equipment. And, the testing did not match the temperature and humidity of a typical household shower, which would likely raise the amount of VOCs released.

Now, having told you all about the nasty VOCs found in vinyl (specifically PVC) shower curtains, what’s the problem with VOCs? After all, they are volatile organic compounds, and we like organic things, right? In this case, not so much. The organic part refers to the fact that the compounds contain carbon, but the worrisome part is that we call them volatile. VOCs include hazardous chemicals like benzene, formaldehyde, and chlorine to name a few. They can cause acute (immediate) symptoms like headache, nausea, dizziness, irritation, and asthma, but they’re also to blame for long-term health damage like cancer, liver and kidney damage, and central nervous system damage.

Basically, if your shower curtain has that new vinyl-y smell to it when you take it out of the bag, you might want to hang it outside on a clothes line to let the chemicals seep from it and be blown into the neighbor’s yard (just kidding!). Or, consider buying a shower curtain that isn’t made of PVC and doesn’t have the smell to begin with.

As for the one you’ve had hanging for years now in the guest bath, it’s probably ok by now. The chemical release happens most actively in the shower curtain’s first few weeks of life. But if it’s covered in salmon-colored sliminess, you might want to think about replacing it anyhow. Let’s face it, shower curtains are no fun to clean. By nature they’re hard to scrub, and if you’re going to get it clean and keep it that way, it’ll need a good scrub. If you’re too attached to get rid of it, or you don’t want to risk a new PVC curtain in your shower, remove it from the curtain rod, take it outside and spray it down well with lemon juice on a sunny day. Leave it in the sun and let the combination of sunlight and lemon juice get rid of the mildew. Give it a good pelting spray with your carwash hose attachment before you bring it back in (the agitation and friction will loosen any leftover mildew spores).

July 14, 2008 | Cleaning tips

…from a long walk on a beach as the sun sets is really nothing like yogurt between my toes from my toddler dumping it on the table, painting a masterpiece with it, covering himself with it, and throwing it by handfuls on the floor. (But at least I know how to clean it up!)

The first time that I got yogurt between my toes, shame on him. When I gave him more yogurt for lunch that day and I stepped in it again, shame on me. I should have learned my lesson.

In case anyone’s wondering, the easiest way to clean yogurt off the table, floor, walls, and chandelier is with a dry paper towel. Follow up with an all-purpose or gentle window cleaner to get the sticky residue off. I’ve had lots of practice.

July 12, 2008 | Floors, Food & drink, Cleaning tips

Anytime you spill a large amount of liquid on your carpet or rug, the immediate instinct is to run for the paper towels or kitchen towels. We’re going to challenge that notion. If you keep cornmeal in your pantry (and who wouldn’t?), pour a healthy amount of corn meal directly onto the spilled liquid. After 15 minutes vacuum it up. The cornmeal is more absorbent than any towel or paper towel, so it’ll remove much more of the liquid than your careful blotting would. It also won’t harm the carpet fibers by agitating the spill into the carpet. It works for pretty much any liquid, though with dark liquids like red wine, coffee, etc., you’ll probably need to follow up with a stain treatment. And since both those things are acidic, club soda should do the trick for you if you after the cornmeal has removed the standing liquid.

July 11, 2008 | Cleaning products

The power of orange cleaning comes from the d-Limonene inherent in the citrus’ peel. It’s an acidic cleaner, making it great for hard water stains, to cut grease, on toilets and such. Several manufacturers have caught on to the ‘natural’ power of orange and use it to ‘boost’ their products - but unfortunately often by name only. We checked on some of the top selling orange cleaners, and here’s what we found.First off, there’s no regulation on the name of “orange” and cleaners on the market that are labeled orange may not actually have any orange oil or d-Limonene in them.  There’s also no way of telling, as companies are not required to disclose thier list of ingredients, and d-Limonene is not registered as hazardous (and therefore not required to disclose on MSDS). Every “orange” cleaner we checked was highly alkaline. That’s odd when orange oil and everything part and parcel to oranges is acidic. In other words, the power of these cleaners does not come from the orange or d-Limonene additives - it comes from other caustic solvents and surfectants. Orange is an afterthought, added to make you think it’s natural, and to boost sales. Just another example of greenwashing.

We did find plenty of other things in ‘orange’ cleaners - petroleum distillates, chlorine, and other chemicals that break down into  highly destructive chemicals over time.  A true orange oil cleaner that’s powered by nature, as many of these claim to be, would be harmless unless swallowed in large quantities or used as eyedrops (and come on people…). But in flipping through the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets, as required by OSHA), you’ll find that most of the orange cleaners you find on your supermarket shelves are harmful when inhaled, can cause chemical skin burns, or can be absorbed into the skin and make it into the bloodstream. Further, many of them use manufactured d-Limonene as opposed to naturally-ocurring orange oil. When using conventional chemical-laden products, please be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions - if it says to use protective gloves or ventilate the room when you’re cleaning, do it. They don’t say that because they want you to enjoy the fresh air when you clean or because they’re partial to cleaning with rubber gloves. There are true health concerns associated with these products.

So what can you do if you want the power of orange without the chemicals? Opt for products that list all ingredients on the label. They are few and far between, but the companies committed to healthy products will often list their ingredients. Or, purchase your own orange essential oil and learn how to use it. A few drops on a microfiber cloth will clean and shine stainless steel better than just about anything else.  If you have non-caustic cleaners around (that is, stable cleaners that won’t react - examples would be Murphy’s, castille soap, Mrs. Meyer’s, etc.) you can add a few drops of orange oil to them. If you don’t know if what you have is caustic, don’t mix it with anything!!! If you have bleach or ammonia, never, ever, in all eternity mix them with anything else, other than water.

July 8, 2008 | Water, Cleaning products

Is it just an old wives’ tale or is there really something about club soda that cleans well? As it turns out, grandma knew something. Club soda is great on acidic spots - coffee, wine, juice, bodily fluids, things of that nature. From carpet to laundry, countertops to stainless steel. Club soda really does offer a boost of cleaning power. It comes from the minerals in it - sodium bicarbonate (also known as baking soda, and also known for its cleaning power), sodium citrate (a sodium salt of citric acid), and others. The carbonation helps too - it gently agitates, though even flat club soda will usually do the trick for you.

What to do with it? Pour some on your stain (it works best on fresh stains, not dried), and blot away.

July 7, 2008 | Outdoors, Being Green, Organics

 

Well, natural fertilizer doesn’t have to be the butt of potty jokes. You can actually use kitchen waste to make your own fertilizer for your yard and garden. Why? You’ll save money and send less to the landfill, reduce your climate footprint, and you’ll be creating your very own concoction - and who doesn’t like to create something new? (more…)

June 29, 2008 | Laundry, Cleaning tips

 

Whether it’s your upholstered chairs or your favorite shirt, grease and oil stains can be a pain to remove. But we’ve got some solutions for you, and they’re simple! (more…)