Archive for the 'Lifestyle' Category

October 23, 2007 | Health, Lifestyle, News

And this is precisely why we went all-natural. Some tests revealed remarkably high levels of PBDEs (flame retardants) and phthalates (plasticizers - softening agents to make plastic pliable) in a couple children tested with a ‘body burden’ test. It tests the level of industrial chemicals that have permeated the human body.

Tests like those have been done on adults for years, but this is the first report on a body burden test done on children. And the results are frightening. The children’s results were up to seven times the amount of chemicals found in their parents’ bodies.  It makes sense - children breathe more air, drink more water, eat more food than adults do. Their little bodies process it faster.

With rising rates of childhood cancers, asthma, birth defects, and developmental disorders, and no clear reason why,  test results like these are worrisome. PBDEs and phthalates have been linked to neurological and reproductive defects, obesity, and early puberty in lab animals. We’re not entirely clear on what they do to humans. You can read the full article here.

To protect your kids from phthalates, pay close attention to the type of plastics in use in your home.  The PBDEs are a little tougher. They use them all over the place - in fabrics, upholstery, computers and TVs, and all sorts of plastics. You can learn more about them here, but unfortunately they don’t have any clues about how to stay away from them.

October 18, 2007 | Cleaning products, Lifestyle

Before going all-natural in my own home, I was a connoisseur of scented cleaning products. I had all sorts of products that I used (especially before guests came) and I’d take pride in the ‘clean smell’ my house had when they arrived. I didn’t realize then that the smell I was so proud of was created by a concoction of chemicals made to trick the senses.

A lot of people falsely equate chemically-created lemon or pine scents with clean. I don’t know if it’s the idea that a specific smell gives the illusion of clean, or if we’ve really deceived ourselves to believe that the true test of clean is not being dirt-free, but having a nice smell to distract us. Sometimes it seems like we’re putting on aftershave without actually shaving off the stubble. You get the nice fresh scent, but it doesn’t cover up the 5:00 shadow.

The thing is, household cleaners serve a purpose - to make homes healthy and clean. Your house doesn’t need perfume, and clean isn’t equivalent to pine or lemon (especially when artificially lab created). Believe it or not, our clients really like the fact that when they come home after we’ve cleaned, there’s no smell that knocks them over as they walk through the door. Perfume is for you, not your home. And if you desire something to enhance the ’sensory experience’ at home, boil some cloves, bake an apple, get an oil infuser - there are plenty of ways to do it without spreading all those chemicals around your family and pets.

October 5, 2007 | Allergies, asthma, Health, Lifestyle

Halloween is around the corner. Then Thanksgiving. Hanukka. Christmas. And that means autumn and winter holiday decorations. Does anyone in your family have allergies or asthma? Those dusty, musty decorations from the attic or basement could be triggers. When you get them down, take them out to the garage or the deck first. Remove them from their boxes there and dust them off before bringing them inside. Let the allergens stay outside so that you’re bringing the family memorabilia inside, free of triggers.

September 27, 2007 | Being Green, Health, Lifestyle

Never before have natural products been so close to my heart. I haven’t posted much lately, and that’s because of what’s happening at home. We’ve spent a good bit of the week at the neurologist’s office.

It turns out that my toddler has a benign brain tumor. They aren’t sure if it’s what’s causing the seizures or not, so we’ve had to do 2 EEGs and a battery of other tests.

With all that going on, other things have fallen by the way-side. Cabinets aren’t always being locked, spray bottles get left out when I do find the time to clean… But knowing that there are no chemicals that (a) could be causing the seizures and (b) could harm my kids when my mind is elsewhere - is awfully reassuring. If you haven’t made the switch to natural yet, I highly recommend it. It’s most definitely worth it.

September 17, 2007 | Being Green, Health, Lifestyle

… that I love going all-natural:

My son’s been having seizures lately, and it’s pretty scary. The doctors have all sorts of questions they ask, and I can’t answer them all. They ask things that I’d never have thought to pay attention to. But one of their questions after a seizure is if my child could have been exposed to chemicals. And on that one, I can give a resounding no. At least it rules out one thing.

Along the same lines, when I walk into the kitchen and see the child lock on the kitchen sink unlocked, there’s no need to panic. I know that there’s nothing in there to hurt my kids. And that’s some pretty important peace of mind.

July 26, 2007 | Broom Hugged, Being Green, Lifestyle

I’m a Google fan. In fact, I’ve incorporated Google into my vocabulary as a verb. (”I’ll google it”) But Blackle has found a way to harness the power of Google while saving energy.

Here’s how it works. A white screen (like the one Google uses) uses about 74 watts of power, and a predominately black screen uses only 59 watts. A saving of 15 watts may not sound like much, but think of how many people use Google. Multiply 15 watts to the number of users and frequency of use, and it adds up to roughly 3,000 megawatt hours per year.

So check out Blackle. Try using it for your searches. And if you’re into website design, take the idea of dark-colored screens and run with it. Save a little energy - it’s good for you and for your website readers!

July 23, 2007 | Water, Food & drink, Lifestyle

Over here at Broom Huggers we’re pretty excited this week. We’ve got a lot going on, not the least of which is our Dog Days of Summer Giveaway, hosted by Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer.

And we’re giving away - not one, but - two SIGG reusable aluminum water bottles! These were featured on Oprah’s Green Show, they’ve been featured in tons of magazines, like Backpacker, Time (as one of the most amazing inventions of 2005), Women’s Health, the USA Today, the list goes on and on.

We’ve chosen this specifically as our giveaway because we’re firm believers that bottled water is a waste of money for you, and a terrible thing for the environment. So in an effort to encourage you all to ditch your bottled water, we’re giving away 2 reusable bottles (that are much more functional and hip and pretty than your typical plastic bottle). Did you know that a large percentage of bottled water (we’re talking about the big brands here) are just tap water? It’s true. Check out Fast Company’s recent article - it’s one of the best we’ve seen on the matter. The Green Guide (published by National Geographic) also has a good article on the true cost of bottled water - to your pocket and the environment. (more…)

July 18, 2007 | Broom Hugged, Water, Food & drink, Being Green, Lifestyle, News

Next week will be a big week here at Broom Huggers - thanks to all the negative attention bottled water has been given (see here and here), we’ll be giving away TWO SIGG reusable bottles. As featured on Oprah, Time, Elle, and over a dozen other magazines, these bottles are cool and highly durable.Broom Huggers will be giving away one adult bottle and one child’s sippy-cup SIGG. So don’t forget to come back next week and enter the drawing!

July 11, 2007 | Outdoors, Lifestyle

When you have kids around, or just when you’re concerned about things like, oh, the balance of the ecosystem, there’s a little thing inside you that gets irked by the thought of pesticides. Did you know that you can spray or drop some pure vinegar on your weeds and it’ll kill most of them? You can buy the regular vinegar or the organic - I’ve found them to be virtually indistinguishable (except that the organic is, oh, about 3 times the price).

It works really well for those annoying little shoots that come up in the seams of your sidewalk or driveway. Regular household vinegar is 5% strength, and some of the heartier weeds may need a stronger vinegar. But until you’re ready to distill your own, go ahead and try the white vinegar in your pantry on those pesky weeds. Remember, in a drought you want to do all you can to pamper your plants - and that means zapping weeds before they can zap your plants!

Note: I’m far from being a green thumb, but this is one thing that works for me in my garden.� For more Works for Me tips, head over to Rocks in My Dryer!

July 5, 2007 | Lifestyle

Here at Broom Huggers we’re all about recycling, reusing, and repurposing. And we’re pretty darn supportive of all those men and women in uniform who make sacrifices for our safety. So when we found out about Cell Phones for Soldiers, we were pretty excited!

Americans will replace an estimated 130 million cell phones this year - so what happens to the old ones? Well, you decide! See, when you turn in your old cell phone to Cell Phones for Soldiers at an authorized drop-off location or send it in using their pre-paid postage, your cell phone is sent to ReCellular, which donates minutes to soldiers to call home. On average, each cell phone is turned into 60 minutes! Do you know what that means to a soldier? A full hour of talk! For something that probably would have been tossed in the trash.

So, support your troops and protect the environment all at once.