The sun in shining, the birds are chirping (at least here at Care2), yet my sense of organization remains in hibernation mode. So, in honor of today, the official first day of spring, I will dedicate myself to a weekend of cleaning–a fresh start for a new season. If you care to join, here are some great tips to help you get started.
Getting Rid of Clutter
Why Clutter Happens
Feng Shui Your Clutter
Clear Your Clutter in 6 Steps
Recipes for DIY Natural Cleaners
Make a Non-Toxic Cleaning Kit
Porcelain Stain-Be-Gone Soft Scrub
Non-Toxic Oven Cleaner
Counter Cleaners
Detoxing Your Home
Simple Ways to Detox Your Home
Top 10 Swaps for Detoxing Your Kitchen
Clean Your Upholstery the Non-toxic Way
Organizing Your Closet
7 Ways to Organize Your Closet, the Eco-Way
Healthy Green Closet
How do your favorite mainstream cleaning brands stack up?
Women’s Voices for the Earth, aka WVE, has put out the results of a study of five of the leading cleaning product companies regarding the use and labeling of toxic ingredients in products. I am a big fan of WVE, a national organization that engages women to advocate for the right to live in a healthy environment. They also helped to launch the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. They “seek to reduce and ultimately eliminate environmental pollutants that cause health problems for women, their families and communities. To this end, WVE creates opportunities for women to influence environmental decision-making.”
Knowing WVE’s mission statement, I sat up and took notice of their announcement about their
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By Annie B. Bond, Executive Editor
People who enter a naturally cleaned home tend to love the way they feel. I hear this over and over again. I think it is because natural cleaning ingredients infuse the space with their subtle scents and natural, non-toxic presence. On some level, our bodies must brace themselves for a chemical onslaught when faced with mainstream cleaners. What better time of year to make your kitchen feel great and welcoming than when preparing for all the festive holiday cooking? Here are my best eight kitchen cleaning formulas:
Most people can't believe how incredibly well this Oven Cleaner works until they try it.
Although I never recommend that people use their cutting boards to cut meat, bacteria does grow on them nonetheless and keeping them clean using this
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By Annie B. Bond, Care2 Executive Editor
Once on a plane I sat next to one of the world's experts on vinegar. Talk about synchronicity! Who better to sit next to me, the author of Clean & Green? What I learned from him expanded my appreciation of vinegar from a good grease cutter and window cleaner to oh so many more things!
Vinegar is now right up there with baking soda as indispensable, and here's why:
1. Killer of Bacteria, Mold & Germs
4. For Windows
6. Remover of Mineral (scale) Buildup
10. Brass Cleaner
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By Annie B. Bond, Care2 Executive Editor
The one item that I can't do without when I clean is baking soda. I use it for so many things, if I don't have a box of it around I'll make a special trip to the store 5 miles away just as I would if I were out of a mainstay like milk.
What do I use so much baking soda for? Here are my top 10 uses of baking soda for cleaning in the home:
A commonly available mineral full of many cleaning attributes, baking soda is made from soda ash, and is slightly alkaline (it's pH is around 8.1; 7 is neutral). It neutralizes acid-based odors in water, and absorbs odors from the air.
1. Drain cleaner: Pour one cup down the drain followed by three cups of boiling water.
2. Chemical smells out of clothes: Soak clothes for two to three hours or overnight,...
By Annie B. Bond, Care2 Executive Editor
Take this simple quiz to dispel any myths you may have about where germs are found in the bathroom. Then follow these easy directions for making your own green bathroom sanitizing kit using ingredients most of us have in our cupboards. With this kit you will effectively clean away the germs where they really are, without contributing to the creation of drug-resistant superbugs that can be caused by the overuse of disinfectants.
The truth is that even if you wanted to, you can not sterilize your bathroom. If you want to reduce the germ population to keep things more sanitary, it helps to know where to put your efforts.
Where are the highest concentration of germs in the bathroom'--Doorknob
--Bathtub
--Drains
--Toilet
--Toilet seat
--Floor...
By Annie B. Bond, Care2 Executive Editor
Who is sorry to say goodbye to those avocado colored refrigerators in favor of shiny stainless steel ones that instantly give your kitchen a gourmet makeover? A rare retro fanatic might be. But the old ones were sure easy to clean! Not so with stainless steel. Learn how to be contemporary and clean, too.
Like marble counter tops and no-wax floors, cleaning stainless steel appliances isn't as simple as you'd think. An all-purpose cleaner doesn't do the trick for any surface like it did in the 'old? days. So, while I'm envious of my friends who have stainless steel appliances in their kitchens because there is such a gourmet look to the space, I also notice that those same friends compare notes about what appears to be the bane of stainless steel
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By Annie B. Bond, Care2 Executive Editor
One of the first questions out of reporters' mouths when they call me is how a consumer can tell what is a truly green product and what isn't? Not easily, especially now that mainstream companies such as Clorox are jumping into the fray with their Green Works line. Why not play it safe with these four best basic formulas that always work?
When it comes down to it, do-it-yourself non-toxic cleaning using tried-and-true kitchen cupboard ingredients is still the best green practice. Simple, successful, non-toxic and natural. Here are four great formulas that will never fail you:
Soft ScrubThis superstar formula is as good for cleaning the bathtub as it is for stainless steel appliances and shower stalls. 1/2 cup baking soda
Enough liquid soap...
By Annie B. Bond, Care2 Executive Editor
Talk about an unwanted gift with purchase: Almost every sponge now sold in U.S. supermarkets is impregnated with a synthetic disinfectant'usually triclosan? that has been registered as a pesticide with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Not only should we be concerned about washing our dishes and counter tops with triclosan, but common disinfectants may contribute to drug resistant bacteria just like antibiotics.
Here's what you can do:- Buy only pure cellulose sponges by avoiding sponges in packages that use language such as "kills odors."
- If your sponges exude the distinctive disinfectant smell, throw them out and search for a source of sponges made of pure cellulose.
- Sterilize sponges by boiling them in a pan of water for three to
By Melissa Breyer, Care2 Senior Editor
When I was young, I assumed dry cleaning meant that clothing was, somehow magically, cleaned with hot air. It was not until I was older that I began to suspect the chemical smell from freshly dry cleaned clothes. When I learned what dry cleaning really is, I was a bit shocked. I wouldn't say I was filled with disillusion, but definitely a shudder of "eeeew" shot through me.
The dry cleaning industry started in the 19th century, and volatile liquids such as gasoline and naphtha were used to clean clothing and linens. Clothing is washed with a liquid, it's just not water. The flammability of those early solvents led to the use of other solvents, and today eight out of 10 professional dry cleaners in the United States use the chemical perchloroethylene
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