If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. You can subscribe via RSS reader or email (right). Thanks for visiting!

Okay..here we go….the first project in my Big Green Spring Clean. Well, actually it is my second. It was such a nice day yesterday I started cleaning up sticks and leaves from the yard but that will be ongoing.

Anyway…I decided to start with the first room in my basement. It will serve as a playroom and homeschool room for the kids but as you can see from the BEFORE pictures below it was in a sad state. On the left side of the room I had a bounce house that the kids would almost never play on. So that got moved to another room in the basement and I “hope” the kids will let me sell it at a garage sale.

The right side of the room was full of miscellaneous junk and tubs with toys which were scattered everywhere. Much of the stuff was my brothers as he moved in with a 2 bedroom apartment’s worth of stuff and his bachelor pad (also in the basement) is only 20×30. I moved all that stuff out into the next room over and he and I will figure out what to do with it.

We also have a problem keeping the stairs and landing clean as whenever someone (including me) is too lazy to take something downstairs we just er…uhm… throw it down there. I vow to put a stop to that.

So here is what I did in the room:

1. Scrubbed the wood stairs and banister with BabyGanics floor cleaner.

2. Scrubbed the epoxy floor (also with BabyGanics) and realized that it needs a new coat of paint but I am thinking I may wait on that until I can tile it.

3. Set up a couple of my old fabric cutting tables to use for arts and crafts and homeschool projects. On them I put bins for supplies. I also put up some educational posters and charts from a rockin education supply store I just discovered.

4. I put all the toys in plastic tubs I already had on hand and we will get one out at a time.

5. Set up a music area with an electric keyboard we haven’t touched in years and daddy’s old acoustic guitar. Now we can jam down there together.

6. Put an unused futon down there for seating, as well as a couple chairs.

7. Put a TV and DVD player in one corner for videos. If my son ever develops am interest in video games this would be a good place to keep them.

8. I took my daughter’s wood play kitchen from her room and put it down there. Since she never spends time in her room she might get to play with it more now.

9. Moved most of the kids books and games to the playroom on bookshelves. We also have a special basket for library books so we don’t loose any.

10. Cleaned out the small windows in the basement…cobweb city. I used BabyGanics Window and Surface Cleaner.

11.  Cleaned some rugs and put them down on the floor including my favorite pink rag rug I got a garage sale last year.

12. Put up baby gates to keep my youngest away from the stairs and from wandering the rest of the basement…at least until it gets spring cleaned too.

I also made a really cool discovery. I have a laundry shoot underneath the carpet in my closet! I saw it from the basement side of the floor. So someday when I finally rip up that carpet to see if the hardwood underneath is salvageable I will have a laundry shoot.

I also put together my yard sale wish list for this room: homeschool supplies, a desk (preferably an old fashioned school desk), a sewing desk, and art supplies. I also started my “to be sold at our yard sale” pile.

Still to do: Get a desk or table for my laptop and for sewing. Also the stairs have a banister but are otherwise open (an accident waiting to happen) so that needs to be addressed pronto.

Here are the AFTER pictures:

The kids and I LOVE it. Spring Cleaning is going good so far. How is yours going?

Technorati Tags: spring cleaning, playroom, homeschool

Like this Post? Help Me Spread the News:

Well, it is that time. Time for spring cleaning. This week I did a lot of thinking about what exactly I need to do and I will have my hands full for sure. This is that once a year time when my house gets scrubbed until it looks like brand new inside and out. I’m talking about being on my hands and knees with a toothbrush in hand. I also use this time to get organized (or try), fill up Freecycle donation boxes, gather stuff to host a yard sale, and make my own yard sale wish list. This year I need to spring clean especially bad. This spring marks one year in my house and we were in such a rush to move in after more than a month in a hotel that we didn’t clean much upon moving in and the house had been empty for well over a year.

I have boxes of stuff in my basement that I never opened and went through. I have an unorganized laundry room (read: clothes all over floor), my bed linen closet is a horror, I have many walls that need a coat of zero VOC paint, a light on a vaulted ceiling has been burnt out since we moved in, my kitchen cupboards are so stuffed they won’t close, and dagnabbit I can’t find my darn sewing machine and I want to sew some stuff! This is the tip of the iceberg.

So…I am putting my feet to the flame here. I am starting a big green spring clean and I will chronicle the journey here and yes I will be posting BEFORE pictures so you can know my shame.

What I plan to accomplish:

1. A clean home using green and natural cleaning products.

2. An organized home with less clutter.

3. A more simplistic home with less stuff I don’t need.

4. A clear idea and list of stuff I DO need. Then I plan to shop at yard sales, estate sales, and thrift stores as much as I possibly can and not buy new.

5. More organized play/fun/crafting/art areas set up for myself and the kids so we won’t be constantly running out of supplies or making such a mess. And of course more fun is good too. We also need areas for homeschool projects.

Want to join me? Blog along with me and document your own “Big Green Spring Clean!”. Feel free to grab the banner at the top of this post if you want to. I have a smaller one too. Let’s see what we can accomplish together…

Sign Mr. Linky below if you are blogging about spring cleaning:

Technorati Tags: spring cleaning, organized, laundry, green cleaning

Like this Post? Help Me Spread the News:

I am generally not a fan of the conventional, waterless hand sanitizers and anti-bacterial soaps that are so popular right now. They are full of chemicals and IMO they go overboard. Frequent hand washing with soap and water will do the trick usually but hospitals, doctor’s offices, and schools all seem to be taking the lazy path and utilizing waterless hand sanitizers instead. Also, these hand santizers have the equivalent of 124 proof alcohol. That is more alcohol than vodka and 3 ingested squirts could be enough to cause alcohol poisoning. Yikes!

My son had to have two bottles of hand sanitizer to go to school. I had to buy or they would and then charge me. Luckily they accepted Clean Well hand sanitizers which use essential oils from plants to kill bacteria.

There will be times when soap and water isn’t at hand though so I even can see the benefit of hand sanitizers…at least the safe and more natural ones. When I take my kids to the play center at the mall for instance I bring some, also I take some to Chuckie E. Cheeses. This past week with my illness we all used them to see if I could spare my kids getting strep throat…so far so good. We tried a few new products actually from an online store called For My Kids. The On-the-Go Hand Sanitizeris an all natural germ fighter. You just spray, rub, and go. It smells heavenly with a blend of witch hazel, lavender, eucalyptus, and sweet orange essential oils.  The spray has antiseptic, antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. They make my hands feel energized and refreshed.

I have also been using their Vinegar of the Four Thieves, which is a centuries old formula that has been used to prevent contagious disease. I had heard of it before but I had never used any or made any of my own. You can use it everywhere you would use disinfectants, like those horrible smelling ones from Clorox.

The For My Kids formula contains a blend of organic ingredients: lavender, peppermint, rosemary, rue, sage, wormwood, camphor, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves,  garlic, and calamus cold-infused for six weeks in white distilled vinegar. All this week I have been using it to spray doorknobs, the telephone mouthpiece, cutting boards, my son’s highchair, and even our bedroom linens. I think it smells pretty awesome too. My mom picked up my phone to use and asked why it smelled like steak sauce. It does kind of remind me of A1 steak sauce, LOL.

What I liked the most about these products though was that they came in a nice cobalt blue glass bottle. I can use these bottles for a long time to come around the house and no plastic and no waste is a HUGE bonus. They last a long time and they are very affordable in price too.

Safe, natural, and eco friendly…what more could I want?

Like this Post? Help Me Spread the News:

Many readers have been asking my opinion of the new Clorox Green Works cleaners. I hesitated to try them because what I am already using to clean my home is natural and working just fine. I also hesitated to enter the debate. It seems many environmentalists are up in arms about Clorox (synonymous with bleach and chemicals) coming out with a “green” product.

Trust me I get it. I always like to spend my dollars with the most reputable and ethical companies. As more huge corporations buy up our beloved products though this will become increasingly hard to do (remember Clorox just bought Burt’s Bees too)…but not impossible. Buying a green cleaner from a company that primarily produces chemical cleaners might be likened to buying a hybrid from GM, whose VP just went on record as saying that global warming is a crock of sh*t.

So what is my verdict? I like Clorox Green Works.

I have been using several Green Works products for the last few weeks and they do a great job cleaning. And while they seem to be only 99% natural (Clorox claims that they are listing all ingredients on the labels of the Green Works products, something they do not do with their conventional cleaning products) I think this is an awesome accomplishment for mainstream, highly affordable, and highly available cleaner. According to the San Francisco Chronicle the remaining non-natural 1% contains the preservative Kathon (derived from petrochemicals) and a couple dyes to tint the cleaners those lovely shades of green.

My opinion? Not bad. You see when I go to my local Kroger store I don’t see any Dr. Bronners, or Seventh Generation, or Method, etc. If they did have them I am guessing that most mainstream people would scoff at the price tag compared to a bottle of 409. But along comes Clorox Green Works…a MUCH safer cleaner in comparison and priced just as affordably as other cleaners. Now all the consumer has to do is decide between the regular cleaner they always get or this new cleaner from a company they recognize as being efficient, and it says “natural”. How many people might now be motivated to buy the safer product? How many mainstream people will be converted and end up ditching the majority of the chemicals they were using? The potential to convert is a powerful one and one big reason I support this product. I live in a VERY economically depressed area and I think moms here deserve safer products too and they won’t care a lick about greenwashing or supporting the most ethical companies. They will care about feeding their families and if they can now afford to buy safer, conventional cleaners….they are happy and I am happy for them. You won’t see me slapping that Green Works out of their hand to lecture them about not supporting Clorox and their other “toxic” products. A safer home is a safer home…anyway you slice it.

Green Works products worked extremely well for me and did not cause me to break out in hives…which I will certainly do if I pick up a bottle of Windex or 409. I also adore the scrumptious smell and that surprised me because I am very sensitive to fragrance. Green Works smells very lightly of limes…yum.

These products are made from renewable resources, they are biodegradeable, sustainable, and 99% petrochecmical free. They are also not tested on animals. It is not the “perfect” natural cleaner but hey that’s okay…baby steps. I hope that more moms will make the switch to a more natural cleaner thanks to Green Works.

As for me, I will probably stick with what I already use. Why fix what isn’t broken? But I will enjoy using up what I have left of my GW products.

Technorati Tags: Clorox, green works, natural, cleaners, greenwashing

Like this Post? Help Me Spread the News:

When I announced a giveaway for BabyGanics I had many commenters ask that I share some of my own personal cleaning recipes and methods. Well, I would be happy to do so. I actually LOVE cleaning. That sounds kind of strange but I really do enjoy it and I can’t use harsh cleaners and chemicals because I will break out in hives. Give me a bottle of Windex and I will be puffy, itchy, and gasping for air in a few minutes. It is NOT pretty.

So here is a run down of what I generally use to clean:

Furniture Polish - 1 cup olive oil, 1/2 lemon juice. Mix in a spray bottle and shake before every use. Spray on rag and then rub furniture.

Window Cleaner - Put 1/4 cup vinegar in a spray bottle along with several lemon peels and then fill to the top with water. Spray all surfaces and use a lint free rag to wipe off. Crumpled newspaper works well to wipe up after too.

Scented Soda Scrub - Mix several cups of baking soda with several drops of peppermint or Candy Cane blend essential oils. It smells heavenly and can be used as a deodorizer too. Often times I sprinkle it on carpet and then vacuum to make the whole house smell yummy. I use this along with my window cleaner to clean tubs and sinks.

Floor Cleaner- For floors I use a small amount of Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap diluted in water and a 1/2 cup vinegar. Plain vinegar and water works too. I use a broom and dustpan to sweep them first (no vacuum) and I wash them by putting two cloth rags on the floor and sliding around on them with my feet…no mops. It is a good workout. Just put on some music…The Hustle…and away we go.

Natural Dishwasher Soap Recipes - Follow that link to 2 homemade recipes I use.

Natural Carpet Cleaner Recipe- I also use soap nuts on occasion but I am using BabyGanics now. I have white carpet…these natural cleaners DO work.

I also use lemons to clean my garbage disposal, bleach cloth diapers in the sun, and boiled in enamel pots to remove stains. Also, because I have white Corian sinks (and counters) I will throw some cut up lemons in the sink and them seep in boiling water to remove stains…which I find that Corian is prone to get. They come right out.

For rags I use old towels cut into squares and I have some microfiber towels as well.

So…as you see my cleaning regimen is pretty simple and no fuss. I hope you enjoy trying some of these recipes in your home!

For additional info I really like the book Clean House, Clean Planet.

Technorati Tags: green cleaning, cleaning recipes, babyganics, soda scrub, window cleaner, natural

Like this Post? Help Me Spread the News:

It is important to me that I only clean my home with products that are safe, natural, and green. Conventional cleaners might be effective in cutting through dirt and grime but they do so at the expense of our health and the environment. While many might use cleaning products like Windex or 409 with very little prior thought or concern….I actually like to know what I am spraying all over my home. These cleaners contain many chemicals that can be toxic, reactive, corrosive, or flammable. There is also the potential that they can cause serious health issues and environmental damage. Technological advances allow us to do things faster, easier and more efficient than ever before but those advances and products have to be safe!

Remember my story awhile back about how my son reacted to chemicals in toilet cleaner? All he did was sit down at a toilet that had toilet cleaning chemicals in it and I ended up calling 911. I don’t want my children to be exposed to harmful chemicals day in day out and I get hives at the drop of a hat so I avoid conventional cleaners all together.

Usually this means I make my own with simple and natural ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, pure castile soap, vegetable oil, lemons. etc. They work so well and they are so easy to make I usually won’t bother with buying any of the green cleaners on the market. I have tried many of them and they just don’t live up to the hype or they won’t disclose their ingredients like a certain company that Oprah endorses…ahem.

That said though, I was REALLY impressed with the BabyGanics line of cleaners. So much so that a few of these products are going to have a permanent home in my cleaning cabinet. These products are specifically formulated for the safety of children, pets and growing families, and they are environmentally safe. The BabyGanics line of cleaners is:

And a big plus for mommy…they work! Below I have given my thoughts on each of the BabyGanics products. I tried the unscented and the lavender scent versions alike.

BabyGanics All Purpose Household Cleaner - You just can’t beat and all purpose cleaner that cleans a multitude of surfaces through out the house. Instead of petroleum-based ingredients, or added dyes that are common triggers for respiratory and skin irritation, BabyGanics created an all-natural cleaning blend that is based upon natural soybean and palm kernel oils. I used it on kitchen and bathroom counters, on my stove and range, on my hardwood dining table, on walls decorated with crayon, and probably dozens of other places. I LOVE this cleaner and the lavender scented version is scrumptious. I am not big on fragrance so my kids noticed the yummy scent immediately and they liked it.

BabyGanics Tub & Tile Cleaner - Normally I use baking soda and vinegar to clean my tubs and showers. It works well but it I have to admit that the BabyGanics tub and tile cleaner is more more simple and just as effective. And of course it has none of the harsh chemicals and harsh acids in conventional tub cleaners that can be corrosive and toxic. The BabyGanics version is a special formula that is based upon a naturally derived urea salt which provides tremendously effective cleaning without the negative corrosive aspects many other products can leave behind. I used it extensively in my home recently and it works pretty darn good. I have been keeping a bottle in the shower to do a quick clean-up every week…otherwise it might be a once a month job in my house.

BabyGanics Glass and Surface Cleaner - This product contains a unique, naturally derived biodegradable surfactant system that eliminates the need for solvents, glycol ethers and ammonia. I usually use a vinegar and water solution but I have to admit the BabyGanic glass cleaner is less streaky. It did a good job getting my car windows clean too and they were pretty grimy from all the salt spray on the roads this winter. I will likely just stick to plain old vinegar and water for indoor jobs but if you don’t like to make your cleaners or you hate the smell of vinegar this could be what you are looking for. I might keep some of this on hand for outdoor windows on my home and car.

BabyGanics Floor Cleaner Concentrate - This was my favorite BabyGanics product and I think it deserves a permanent place in my home cleaning repertoire. Its unique formula includes a combination of all-natural soybean and palm kernel oils and it is designed for use on tiles, laminates, and hard floors. I used it on the tile in my bathrooms, the linoleum in my kitchen and hall, the stone in my dining and foyer areas, the wood laminate in my family room, and get this…my carpet! When I was reading the back of the bottle I was super surprised to see a mention that it could also be used on carpet in addition to hard floor surfaces. So I diluted it according to the instructions and put it in my carpet cleaner and I cleaned some carpet in the bedrooms and in my kids play room. In the playroom the white carpet was starting to look gray and it had some stains from strawberry smoothie. The BabyGanics floor cleaner worked wonders. In fact I think it is one of the best carpet cleaners I have ever used. I have always tried to use soap nuts for my carpet but I find that harsh chemical cleaners are the only ones that can usually lift stains. Well not anymore…I will be using BabyGanics exclusively. Woot! I was very pleased.

So overall I REALLY like these cleaning products. They are safe and natural and they work good…a winning combo. I know I will definitely be keeping some of the All Purpose Cleaner and the Floor Cleaner on hand in my own home.

Technorati Tags: BabyGanics, organic, natural cleaning, green cleaning

Like this Post? Help Me Spread the News:

Recently I had the great pleasure of receiving a package of Earth Choice cleaning products from OdoBan. Thanks Tamara for sending me these!

The Earth Choice product line is the first and only complete line of environmentally preferable household cleaners created in partnership with the Evironmental Protection Agency (EPA). This group of products debuted in January of this year and it includes products for cleaning glass, showers, grease, toilets, carpets, and toilet bowls. The OdoBan company wanted to create a group of cleaners that were effective yet better environmentally then any other cleaners on the market. They are low VOC, Alkylphenol-free, Phthalate-free cleaning formulas.

So do they actually work? Well, my husband and I had the opportunity to use them quite a bit this past week as we moved out of our house (yes, don’t ask…we are moving again….more on that later). Anyway…the All Purpose Cleaner worked VERY well. We used it in the kitchen, in the bathroom, on the floors, countertops, laundry room, etc. I was very pleased with its performance and the smell was pleasing too and not over powering in the least like most conventional cleaning products.

We also used the Shower Control and it was also very effective at removing soap scum and grime. When I was all done I couldn’t really smell anything but it certainly did have an air of freshness and maybe a faint lemony scent.

Overall both products were effective and next time you swing by Home Depot you might to pick up a few of the Earth Choice products. The planet thanks you.

Like this Post? Help Me Spread the News:

Although it may not seem like it, soon it will be time for your annual spring cleaning. With this deep freeze covering most of our country, spring may be more than a welcome respite from the ice and freezing temperatures we’ve had to endure. Well then, let’s get to it: It’s Time to Spring clean!

By now, your windows are probably frozen shut. Think of how wonderful you will feel to be able to open the windows and let in the fresh air! Ah, but before you do, you will need to wash your windows. But first you have to get in the mood, right? Okay, then. Grab your favorite 50’s CD, or how about a Barry White CD? Do you feel the beat? You will be surprised how the music will put you in the cleaning mode.

After you’ve washed the windows, it’s time to take down the drapes and dust those blinds. Are you in the groove? Okay, now take out your spring curtains; iron and put them up. You’re doing great! Now head on in to the kitchen and clean those shelves. If you’re really moving to the beat, you can wash and re-line them. Well done!

Now the exercise portion of this task is about to begin. Take out your vacuum. Put on the CD from Saturday Night Fever and walk the walk as you vacuum your home. Tony Manero has nothing on you! After lunch, the bathroom is next. Oh, you are half way home. Dusting and polishing is next on the agenda. Do some knee bends as you clean and polish the coffee table.

The big finish is next! With the Hustle playing in the background, your kids rooms need tidying up. As you exercise your way through their rooms, picking up toys; you are done!
Dance your way back to the kitchen and have a cup of iced tea. You deserve it. Spring cleaning never felt so good!

Technorati Tags: spring cleaning, music, kids, kitchen, exercise

Like this Post? Help Me Spread the News: