Archive for January, 2008

January 13, 2008 | Outdoors, Health, Lifestyle

Of all the places to come across a fascinating, well-thought out argument, I was surprised to see one in “Drive” - the Subaru magazine. It talks about how the way children see and experience nature has changed drastically within the space of a few decades.

“Well-meaning public school systems, media, and parents are effectively scaring children straight out of the woods and fields.”

(more…)

Shopping

Want an alternative to all of those plastic grocery bags we use on our countless trips to the grocery store? Check out Targets new line of Green Bag products! When I walked by these they caught my eye because of the cool design, bright color and display price tag.

Check it out…

This handy little bag is made from 100% Non Woven Polypropylene. It is 100% recyclable, water repellent, non toxic, non corrosive, non allergenic and has the carrying capacity of 2 - 3 plastic bags!

But wait, it gets better… (more…)

January 12, 2008 | Lifestyle

In our society’s quest to go “green” I think we need to take a deeper look at what might be causing our Earth’s steady environmental decline. If we can find a cause then we won’t have to keep coming up with band-aid solutions! After some in-depth research, hours spent in front of the computer, several trips to the library and a few phone calls, I think I have finally made headway in this ever-so-daunting question. The answer… (more…)

January 10, 2008 | Laundry, Being Green, Cleaning tips

We posted a little over a week ago about the wonders of dryer balls, but more research led us to different conclusions. As it turns out, these ingenious little things are made of PVC. TreeHugger did a post about them a while back, and you’ll see there why PVC is so important to avoid. For a quick rundown, it’s one of the most poisonous plastics ever made. It’s toxic in its production, product life, and disposal. There’s not much good about it. (more…)

Bleach alternatives, Being Green, Cleaning products

A question we get pretty frequently asks if natural cleaning methods will really get rid of the bacterias we don’t want in our homes. Sure, vinegar, baking soda, and lemon are great old wives’ tales, but do they really work? (more…)

January 9, 2008 | Kids clean

There’s just something about what happens in a bathroom that screams Please Clean Me! And when there are kids around, the scream gets even louder. And rightly so - the thought of what kinds of germs my toddler and preschooler could encounter in that place sends me reeling!

Well, we found a great post over at Honey, I Fed the Kids! - the post is actually a plea for advice (this week’s Works For Me Wednesday is a backwards edition - asking for rather than giving advice), so what’s great is the comments. If you have kids under the age of, say, college, you may find this helpful.

See now, this is what we love about the bloggy world. It’s a mega-ginormous virtual library of tried and true tips and tricks. I love that the parents commenting there keep their kids - even the little ones - involved in the cleaning. Start from a young enough age, and it’ll be hard-wired into them.

January 8, 2008 | Shopping, Lifestyle

Are you tired of all the lead, date rape drugs, and other unknowns in your kids’ toys? Check out Cool Mom Picks for safer toys! They’ve got everything from organic to fair trade, to just plain safe. And don’t forget to scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find discount codes for some of the things they recommend! Our favorite? The Choo choo train from Camden Rose. My kiddos would go nuts over the doors that really open!

January 6, 2008 | Bathroom, Cleaning tips, Cleaning products

Here at Broomhuggers we have a love-hate relationship with glass shower doors. They keep all the steamy-dreamy shower air in when needs to stay (for the optimum shower experience) and they look better than a vinyl curtain, but man! they can be hard to clean! In fact, we’ve posted countless times on how to clean them. Like this post about hard water deposits, this one about the wonders of squeegees, and this one about soap scum.  The long and short of it is that in most of our homes (especially anyone with hard water), shower doors are pesky, troublesome things to clean.

But just this week I tried something new. Have you heard of Shaklee?  They started out as one of the first natural cleaning product producers, and they’ve since expanded into personal care products and nutritional supplements. They’ve even been featured on Oprah - more than once - and their corporate responsibility sets a high standard for other businesses to emulate.

Well, they have this great product called Scour Off.  It’s a pink paste that smells amazing (and without harsh chemicals or fake scents - it’s all natural). It does lots of things well - from the oven to sinks, tubs, tiles… But it does wonders for my shower door. A little bit on the scouring side of the sponge, and scum be gone!

I’ve been a fan of salt and lemon juice for the shower door for a while, and those still do a great job. But Shaklee’s Scour Off does it with less elbow grease, and in less time. And for this preggo mama chasing a toddler and a preschooler, that makes a big difference.  It’s settled - I’m in love. A relatively small container is $8.35, but the cleaning power it packs is amazing. And it’ll last you ages since it’s so concentrated. Anyone else have great shower door stories? Or Shaklee stories? I love this stuff. Really. I do.

January 5, 2008 | Kitchen, Cleaning tips

Does your freezer ever get to smelling like a science project gone wrong? There’s a simple solution! Dab some pure vanilla extract on a cotton pad (you know, like you get in the supermarket make-up aisle) and wipe down the walls and base of your freezer. Of course, it helps to remove any food that might be contributing to the odor, and clean any leftover spills first. But vanilla does the trick! Quick and easy.

For your fridge, white vinegar works best, and of course we all know the benefits of an open container of baking soda to keep odors at bay.

January 2, 2008 | Reviews, Laundry, Cleaning tips

It’s been a month or two since I’ve participated in this, but I’m back to doing the weekly Works For Me Wednesday bloggy tip of the week, hosted at Rocks in My Dryer. If you’re not familiar with this, I encourage you to go over and check out the Mr. Linky posted there - you’ll find some awesome tips from the bloggy world!

Are you sick of those darn dryer sheets? The chemicals, the unnecessary scents (aren’t even the unscented ones slightly scented? Or maybe I’m buying the wrong brand…), the continuous expense of replacing box after box… And they all end up in the landfill anyway.

Well, dryer sheets begone! I got some of these for Christmas, and I love them! Goodbye dryer sheets! Forever!

They’re reusable. They soften my clothes. They get rid of static cling. They reduce drying time, making your dryer more efficient. The reduce wrinkles so your clothes are easier to iron. They’re chemical free! They’re hypoallergenic! What could be better?

You can get a pair here for $19.99 (plus S&H) - think, no more dryer sheets to buy - ever! Better yet, search for “dryer balls” at Amazon. You’ll get several varieties, all with reviews, and priced considerably lower than Nellie’s. I’m all for frugal, but even more for Christmas gifting!

I don’t know why anyone would want to stick with dryer sheets when these are out there! I’ll never go back to dryer sheets. That’s what works for me. Head over to Shannon’s place for more helpful tips.