Archive for June, 2007

June 13, 2007 | Health, Shopping

Thanks to the Healthy Child Healthy World Blog for keying us in to the bill passed by the California Assembly! The legislature in California passed a bill that requires toys sold in California to phase out phthalates. Why is this a good thing?

Phthalates are known to leech into the body from products we use - from shampoos and lotions (where they’re used to bind fragrances and enhance textures), to any PVC or plastic item (where they improve elasticity and flexibility) . And they do some pretty bad stuff to your body:

1. They are hormone disruptors
2. Phthalates cause reproductive disorders and genital defects
3. Exposure is linked to premature birth and early onset of puberty
4. Phthalates may lower sperm count and are associated with risk factors for testicular cancer

Knowing that, I’d say phasing out phthalates is a pretty good thing. If you’re a parent looking for phthalate-free toys, I’d recommend Discovery Toys (which generally have to be purchased through independent consultants, much the way you’d buy Avon), or wooden toys (such as those made by Haba or Melissa & Doug).  Smart mom Jewelry also has Teething Bling, which is phthalate free and pretty cool.

June 12, 2007 | Water, Reviews, Broom Hugged, Food & drink, Being Green, Shopping

Did you know that in most cities the municipal water supply goes through much greater scrutiny than bottled waters? That means your tap water may be healthier than bottled water. And frankly, the plastic used in bottled waters is atrocious for the environment. Really, if you’re drinking bottled water - especially from those little throw-away single use bottles - consider switching to something a little more earth friendly. Either get yourself a water cooler if you’re too cool for tap water, or if you just don’t like the taste, get a decent filter for your tap. And spend the money you would have used on bottled water to get yourself a nice reusable bottle to keep with you on the go. It wouldn’t hurt if it was pretty too, right?

Klean Kanteen has sippy adapters now for use with toddlers and preschoolers. Turn your stainless steel Klean Kanteen into your child’s spill-proof sippy, and you won’t have to worry about the carcinogenic hazards of poor quality plastics leeching into little Johnny’s juice. They’re on sale now at Reusable Bags. And while you’re there, pick up a tote bag for your groceries. Save us from plastic-bag-dependency!

June 9, 2007 | Reviews, Broom Hugged, Kitchen, Being Green, Cleaning products

I’ve never been a huge fan of Simple Green, even though it was my first foray into healthier cleaning products. In fact, I learned about it and got my first sample and coupon at a Baby Fair (no, it wasn’t a fair selling babies, silly! It was a product fair for people with babies!). I liked it, it did an okay job for me, and through it I learned about the health hazards to me and my baby from regular household cleaners.

That said, Simple Green always seemed to me like it did everything half way. It was half-way environmentally-friendly, and half-way healthy. It did a decent job cleaning, but nothing I’d write a blog about. Now, before I move on to tell you why I’m a convert, let me elaborate for a moment on the chemical composition of Simple Green. It’s made from a solvent called 2-butoxyethanol, which is a known environmental hazard, and it causes a whole range of health problems. But, according to the MSDS sheet, upon completion of the manufacturing process, Simple Green� does not possess the occupational health risks associated with exposure to undiluted 2-butoxyethanol, it is non-carcinogenic and non-mutagenic. Simple Green’s Clean Building products (lemon scent is not included) have also received the Green Seal, which is pretty trustworthy for making steps toward environmental accountability. The good: it’s safe, concentrated, and healthy. The bad: it has a pretty big footprint in the grand scheme of things.

Now, on to cleaning capabilities. I wasn’t impressed - at first. I found that it cleaned most surfaces just as well as other cleaners, with no difference in effort or time spent cleaning. So if I’m not going to save myself time or effort, I might as well go with something that has less of an environmental footprint. Right? Until I cleaned my stove top and oven with it tonight! Oh. my. goodness. I breezed through my stove top. The stove backsplash didn’t clean as easily - it’s a softer vinly-ish surface so I had to use a scraper (my scraper from Pampered Chef is perfect) to get off some of the grease spots there. But I’ve never cleaned my stove top faster than I did today. And I was so impressed, I decided to give it a real test and try it on my oven then and there! Now, this never happens. I have 2 toddlers. In other words, I only have time for one cleaning task at any given moment. But, I was actually so excited about cleaning that I couldn’t stop myself! I cleaned my oven. And it was easy!

So, as a degreaser (which is basically what you need for stovetop and oven), Simple Green is amazing. I’ve compared it to most of the other oven cleaners out there, and there isn’t an oven cleaner on the market that equals (much less beats) Simple Green when it comes to health and environmental concerns.

June 7, 2007 | Reviews, Broom Hugged, Bathroom, Cleaning tips

Wanna know the best way to clean your shower? Don’t let it get dirty! How do you do that? Squeegee it every day! Really, it doesn’t take long. Just a few flicks of the wrist and you’re done. It’ll keep mold and mildew from growing, it’ll keep the soap scum and lime deposits from building up… There’s not much it won’t do! (Except your shower head… you’ll still have to use other means to clean that.)

This is an especially helpful tip if your house is on the market. Save yourself hours of scrubbing the tile and shower doors by taking a couple minutes after each shower to squeegee. It’ll keep that shower bright and shiny - and buyer-friendly! Get a cute squeegee like this one, and it even looks kind of decorative!

June 3, 2007 | Kitchen, Cleaning tips

I just read that your kitchen sponge - the one you use to wash your dishes - has more bacteria in it that your toilet seat. Eww! The good news? There are 2 simple ways to clean it!

1. Throw it in the dishwasher when you’re ready to run it.
2. When you’re done washing dishes, rinse it, wring it, and zap it in the microwave for 30 seconds.

Really! It’s that simple. Use either method and get rid of that bacteria! We also use 2 different sponges in the kitchen - one for dishes and countertops, and one for floor spills. That way we never get the gunk from the floor spread around our counters and dishes.� And make sure you clean your sponge after you’ve used it to clean up raw meat spills or raw eggs. No sense putting your family at risk via sponge!

And consider replacing it now and then - if you’re still using the same sponge you had when Reagan was president, it’s probably past its prime.� We’d recommend replacing your sponge every 2 months actually.