Archive for May, 2007

May 14, 2007 | Being Green

Alas. Bamboo sounded so great. Renewable resource. One of the harder of the hard woods. A variety of shades. Did I mention it’s a renewable resource?

The problem is, I don’t like it. I got my samples in the mail ages ago, and I’ve been trying to convince myself that it’s really gorgeous and would look beautiful in my living room. But the truth is, I don’t like it. I’m not a big fan of the colors they sent me, and I’m just not excited about the knots in it. Ho-hum.

So my next task is to go back to the flooring outlet and see if they have any other renewable woods that I can use. Hm. Maybe something hand-scraped?

May 12, 2007 | Cleaning tips

Are you one of those people that the day just gets away from? You have so many things on your to do list that you look over it at the end of the day and wonder how it is that you didn’t get to half of it? Cleaning your house may not rank as high on the list as it needs to - or at least doing some of those mundane tasks cleaning the venetian blinds…

So, on days where you can’t fit in a ‘cleaning session,’ reclaim the time you spend doing other things. Vacuum during commercials. Dust while you talk on the phone. Empty the dishwasher while you help your kids with their homework. Scrub a wall of your shower while you’re in there.

And when you do have a few minutes of peace and quiet, set a timer for 5 minutes. Use that time to do a quick cleaning task or two. When the timer beeps, stops cleaning and go back to your day.

May 11, 2007 | Reviews, Broom Hugged, Cleaning tips, Cleaning products

If you haven’t used them, they’re *fantastic*! There are different kinds of cloths - you can get them for all-purpose (kind of your go-to solution for most surfaces), for glass, for stainless steel, even for cars. You can use them with or without cleaning solutions. That is, you can spay on some vinegar and water (or your favorite cleaning product), and wipe-wipe; or just use it dry! When you’re done, throw it in the wash and use it again after it dries!� And ya know what else? You can find them in lots of yummy colors!

These cloths really bring out the power of your cleaning solution, or help you maintain a clean and healthy environment minus the chemicals (or vinegar or lemon juice - pick your weapon!). You can get them at Home Depot, the grocery store, Whole Foods, or even warehouse discount stores. If you haven’t tried them, make them your new addition to your cleaning regime this summer. They’ll cut down on your work tremendously, and once you start you’ll never go back to paper towels and t-shirt rags.

May 10, 2007 | Organizing, Cleaning tips

For a home to function well, it needs to have some sort of organization - macro organization, not just micro organization. That is, it isn’t just about having a place to store your pens and cookie cutters. Each room needs to have a purpose, and all the routine things that happen in your home need their very own space. In other words, if you have school age children and nowhere designated for them to do their homework (with appropriate lighting and comfortable seating), your home may not be functioning well. That’s just an example.

The way to fix it? Make a couple of lists. One list contains each room or useful space in your home (including closets and storage places). Write next to it everything that the room should do - function as a gathering place, store out of season clothes, provide a place to read, etc. The next list is the easier one - what actually happens in those spaces? Do the lists match up? Are there things that happen in your home that don’t have a space? And now things get tough… Once you’ve made and analyzed your lists, look at each space and determine how you can make it function better. Is the lighting right? What about seating? Is the space too cluttered? Does the furniture fit its purpose?

When I first did this, I went to work immediately on all the closets first, because they were the most out of sorts. I still haven’t finished organizing and planning my home - it’s constantly a work in progress. But… there is progress, and that makes it work for us.

May 9, 2007 | Water, Reviews, Broom Hugged, Food & drink, Being Green, Shopping

Here it is. Featured on Oprah. Called the toughest water bottle by Backpacker Magazine.

Sigg water bottles are a great looking, fully-functional way to tote your water and be kind to the earth. They keep your water tasting like water and don’t allow particles to seep into it.

They’re dishwasher safe. And the rest of the good news? After 10-15 uses, it pays for itself! Yes, your tap water is most likely perfectly safe and clean, and if you filter it well you can be sure it is. In fact, it’s probably cleaner than most bottled waters. And… no more putting plastic water bottles in the landfills. Check it out here!

asthma, Health, Cleaning products

I feel like I’ve been bombarded lately with moms whose kids have asthma. I know their fears well, and their stresses. Anything that effects the way your child breathes is infinitely scary. I never thought I would say this, but I am so blessed that I grew up with asthma. It’s put a bunch of tools in my toolkit so that I know how to manage my children’s asthma. And not just that. I know exactly what they’re feeling when they have an asthma attack. I know how to evaluate the triggers, and I can test out new products and new places - if something triggers me I can be pretty sure it will effect my kids in some way.

I have this amazing benefit that I’ve been managing asthma for over 25 years (I won’t say how much over 25) and I’m so glad I’ve had that experience before having to manage my kids’ asthma, and teach them the tools to handle it themselves. The good news is that I’ve found a huge difference in my breathing ease since switching from regular cleaning products to natural cleaning products. The difference it has is mind-boggling. Honestly, when I pour Mr. Clean or Fabuloso into my mop bucket, the effect on my lungs is almost immediate. And sure, that dissipates while my kids are napping, and by the time they wake up the fumes are less severe. But they’re still in my house. So I appreciate it so much when I pour a natural cleaner into my mop bucket and breathe free. But just in general, I really do breathe easier now - I haven’t used regular cleaning products in years, and my house is a much nicer place for me to be. So if you haven’t tried making the switch, give it a shot. You’ll be pleased. And so will your kids.

May 8, 2007 | Bathroom, Cleaning tips, Cleaning products

Guests coming tonight, and as I run around the house in cleaning mania, I realize that I forgot to buy more toilet bowl cleaner. Well, forgot is a relative term. It wasn’t high on my list of priorities. Did you know that toilet bowl cleaner is just a gimmick? Yeah, it ‘clings’ to the porcelain. And it has that nice curved neck in the bottle. And it’s blue so you can see the coverage and thickness.

But none of that really matters. You can use all-purpose cleaner and it’ll work just as well. As long as you have some sort of disinfectant (which something as simple as vinegar is), your toilet bowl can sparkle minus that $4.50 bottle of toilet bowl cleaner. And you definitely don’t need those disposable wands. A nice little bowl brush complete with a tidy brush-keeper is all you need for an easy clean toilet.

The kicker though - you probably have more germs around the exterior of the toilet than you do inside the bowl. It’s the floor and the base of the bowl that you really need to focus on - especially if there are men, boys, or toddlers using the throne. Grab a sponge, get your favorite all-purpose cleaner, put on some gloves, and wipe the entire exterior of your toilet, and around it. Don’t forget the wall or any furniture or sinks that are in striking range - I’m afraid that water has a tendency to splash!

May 6, 2007 | Being Green

Want an easy way to protect your kids - and yourself and your kids - from those pesky spring bees and flies and mosquitoes? Without those nasty sprays? Or the lotions your kids hate? Use a dryer sheet! I don’t know what it is exactly, but there’s something in those dryer sheets that makes pests stay away (well, maybe not all pests - they won’t do anything about the playground bully). Put one in your kids pocket - just keep a corner of it hanging out for best effect.

You can also slip one into the dog’s collar, under your horse’s bridle… or tie one to the umbrella of your picnic table.

May 3, 2007 | Bathroom, Cleaning tips, Cleaning products

That pesky shower door! It seems like nothing will clean it sometimes. I read somewhere that you can put some Murphy’s oil on it when it’s clean and it’ll stay clean longer - don’t do it! It doesn’t work AND Murphy’s oil is Horrible to clean off! So here’s a better solution.

The filmy stuff on the shower door is soap scum. And soap scum doesn’t get along well with lemon juice or salt. So, pour some lemon juice on the scouring side of a damp sponge, and then sprinkle generously with salt. Scrub your shower door with that, adding more salt as necessary. You’ll be able to feel as the soap scum disappears - it likes to ‘cling’ to the sponge, so when the sponge glides smoothly over the door, you’re done! Now, there could be some leftover mildew or mold spores after that process - even if you don’t see them, so finish off with an all-purpose cleaner. Vinegar diluted with water works just fine. Voila!

Cut back on soap scum on the door by switching to liquid soaps as opposed to bar soap - the bar soap has talc added to it, and that’s what creates most of your soap scum. Until you’re ready to switch though, keep it under control with lemon juice and salt. A little scrub-scrub periodically will keep it from building up.

May 1, 2007 | Health

At home we’ve been coping with toxic mold since January. That means almost 5 months! We’ve dealt with multiple contractors, paid over a thousand dollars to the inspector for multiple inspections (we’ve had the area inspected at least 4 times), we’ve met with lawyers to help us deal with unlicensed contractors, we’ve had about a kajillion estimates, talked to the labs they send the tests off to… I know more about toxic mold than half of the professionals I’ve talked to.

So, for any of you who are dealing with this, here are few helpful hints. First, use only licensed, insured contractors who are certified through the IAQA (Indoor Air Quality Association) - get physical copies all these documents. Second, get multiple estimates. Third, your inspector should be independent of your contractor. If a company does both, you have a good reason to be skeptical of their integrity and ethics.

Some of the key points when you’re dealing with mold are: keep humidity low. If the humidity levels are high your contractor should be able to use a dehumidifier. Your contractor should also use a negative air machine or air scrubber. Any time they’re actively working on the area that machine should tunnel its exhaust outside of your home or building. The EPA has some helpful guidelines for dealing with mold.

Check on your state’s legislation about mold remediation. In most states it’s still entirely unregulated.