Archive for August, 2007

August 29, 2007 | Reviews, Broom Hugged, Cleaning tips, Cleaning products

Some dusters create static energy. They take away the dust for a moment, but the static attracts it back even quicker than before. Other dusters just kick it up into the air. Sure, your furniture looks nice afterwards, but ::achoo:: your air quality suffers. Those microfiber cloths are nice, but more appropriate for flat surfaces. When you’ve got picture frames and decorative items around, a lambs wool duster will save ages of time for you! They trap the dust, they’re gentle enough for your most precious heirlooms, and a lambswool duster on a nicely contoured wooden handle just makes you want to clean. It’s true.
That’s what works for me. For more tips, head over to Shannon’s place.

August 27, 2007 | Kids clean, Reviews, asthma, Health, Cleaning products, Pregnancy

We’ve talked about the dangers of alcohol-based hand sanitizers for children. But we’ve also talked recently about back-to-school germs. In the midst of all this, Germ-X sent me a new product to try that’s just showing up on shelves at Wal Mart. It’s an alcohol-free sanitizer with moisturizer, and it’s so new I can’t even find pictures of it online. It’s called Germ-X Advanced Protection, and I did find plenty of reviews and a few news stories toting its benefits though.

I tried it. It’s a foaming sanitizer, feels all nice and silky on the skin. And it has a nice fresh scent. But unfortunately, I can’t give it any more kudos. (more…)

August 24, 2007 | Reviews, Broom Hugged, Cleaning products

What is this borax stuff we keep mentioning here at Broom Huggers? Borax is hard to figure out if you’re a traditional bleach/formula 409/amonia (etc., etc.) user. But once you get it, you’ll never stop using it!

What is it? Borax is a mineral, derived from sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, and/or disodium tetraborate. It is a completely stable additive for cleaning solutions, and is not flammable. It is found in nature and it’s completely bio-degradable and eco-friendly. (more…)

August 21, 2007 | Essential oils

Along with back-to-school sales and the start of football season, it’s also back to the grindstone with fighting colds and viruses. Fall is on its way, and with it, the flu season, bronchitis, and all those extra fun illnesses heralded by a cold snap (though right now in Atlanta, a cold snap seems far, far away).

So we’ve been looking around to see what we can do this winter to protect ourselves and our kids from the run of the mill back to school viruses and colds, and I have some information you might find helpful.

Tea tree oil fights bacteria, viruses, and fungi (molds & mildews).  So you can use it to kill the mold in your shower grout, or spray it (diluted, of course) on light switch plates, the phone, door handles, all those things around the house to inhibit the spread of germs from person to person.

White tea has been found to have similar properties - at least in fighting bacteria and viruses. Drink that during cold season to help your immune system do its job.  Several toothpastes have white tea added to them, so those may be of help too.

Of course the most important thing you can do is wash hands properly at least 5 times a day. Warm water, scrub for at least 20 seconds. And then dry hands with a paper towel to wipe off any stubborn germs. Use hand sanitizers for those tricky times that proper hand washing isn’t an option.

Need to teach your kids to wash their hands? Lysol has some helpful resources for families here.  (Not that we sanction the use of Lysol - it’s chemical-laden, but why throw out the baby with the bath water?)

August 16, 2007 | Reviews, Cleaning products

Clorox Hard Surface anywhere spray has been advertising all over the children’s networks lately. Their main marketing point is that it’s ’safe enough for anywhere’ with a baby eating in a high chair or crawling all over the floor.

So I wondered, what’s it all about? Could something made by Clorox be safe enough for my babies? (I mean, after all, they are the most precious kids in the universe - and I’m not biased at all.) After some research I found this review, written by someone who actually knows a thing or two about chemistry.

But for those who don’t want to read all the many details of it, let me sum it up for you. It is in fact a bleach based spray. Highly diluted, but still, it’s bleach. Second, after an experiment involving comode-based bacteria and a petri dish, the spray didn’t kill all the bacteria. In comparison, a glass & mirror cleaner did kill it all.

This product is labeled as a ’sanitizer’ - which is not as effective as a ‘disinfectant’ or ’sterilizer.’

So, in terms of effectiveness, its claims are weak. In terms of safety, I wouldn’t trust it. You can be sure I’ll leave it on the shelf in the grocery store. No need to waste my money on this one.

August 15, 2007 | Floors, Cleaning tips

They’re gorgeous. They add value to your home. They’re delicate. But they get dirty just like anything else in your home, and they need to be cleaned.

There are different schools of thought when it comes to cleaning hardwoods. Some people prefer expensive specialty products, some prefer to do it all on hands and knees with a gentle microfiber cloth. But pretty much everyone agrees that you should use as little water as possible. Our recommendation?

Sweep first. Having those dust and dirt particles on the floor when you start to mop could scratch your floors. Once you’ve swept, put a small amount of water in your mop bucket, and add a couple sprays of a gentle all-purpose cleaner (like Seventh Generation, Method, or Barefoot Home Essentials). A dollop of vinegar or lemon juice would do just as well - they both disinfect and clean well. Dampen your mop, wringing out as much water as possible. Then mop along the grain of your floors. Ventilate if possible, not because of the chemicals - we recommend using safe products that don’t require ventilation. But the ventilation will help your floors dry more quickly, and that’s good for the hardwoods.

That’s what works for us. Head over to Rocks in My Dryer for more helpful tips.

August 12, 2007 | Company news

Co-op America is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to harnessing the economic power of consumers, investors and businesses to promote social justice and environmental sustainability. It’s good stuff. Social justice. Environmental sustainability. Gives us all kinds of warm fuzzies.

Prior to our inclusion in Co-op’s Green Pages, there were only 18 cleaning services approved. We’re number 19. That’s pretty special. The application and screening process is pretty intense, and that’s why there are so few cleaning services represented. Honestly, I’m hoping to see more of our competitors seek approval. It’s good for the community. It’s quite an honor for Broom Huggers to be recognized by Co-op America as a truly green maid service - the only one here in the Atlanta area. But it would be so good for Atlanta if some of our competing housekeeping services came over to the green side. All-natural is good for the community. But until they do, we’re happy to meet the needs of local clients with high expectations for health and sustainability!

August 8, 2007 | Kitchen, Cleaning tips

Tried and true. A little citrus peel in the garbage disposal does wonders. Pick your scent - lemon, orange, lime, and grapefruit all work well, though the grapefruit peel is usually a bit thinner, so you’ll need to use a little more of it.

The citric acid actually cleans the blades and innards of the pipes and what-not, and it leaves a wonderful scent (to replace that stale food odor that no one likes).

That’s what works for me. Head over to Rocks in My Dryer for more Works for Me Wednesday tips.

August 6, 2007 | Company news

Broomhuggers.com is actually the website for my housekeeping healthy homekeeping business here in North East Atlanta. We love what we do, and now we know that our clients love it too - at least one of them!

When the time came to interview potential employees, it was harder than I thought to find good people. But at long last I did. And a client called me today when her team - Sandra and Soledad - finished cleaning her house to gush about how wonderful they are - polite, friendly, hardworking, and excellent at what they do.

Of course I knew it all along, but it sure is nice to hear it from someone else. Now I’m done bragging. Just wanted to give kudos to my fantastic employees! And thanks to our awesome clients for keeping us all employed! Man, how I love my job…

Cleaning tips

A good friend just asked advice on cleaning out her trash cans and recycling bins. Those outdoor trash cans can get pretty gummy and nasty - you know, the ones you empty your household trash into and then take down to the street for pickup? So without climbing inside, how can you get them fresh and cleaned?

Well, we definitely don’t recommend climbing inside one. I’m afraid it might just swallow you whole and leave no evidence behind… So my recommendation is to spray the heck out of it with Simple Green. Cover as much surface area as possible with the Simple Green (which is a pretty heavy duty cleaner but still safe for people, pets, and planet). Let it sit for a while with the Simple Green eating away at the gunk - about 10 minutes should do it. Then use your garden hose with the car wash sprayer attachment and do the best ‘pressure wash’ you can. Once it’s sprayed sufficiently leave it out in the sun for a couple hours (best to do all this on a sunny day), with the top open and let the sunlight kill any leftover germy-germs.