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

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 (commonly

By the time laundry day comes around, you’re probably more concerned with cleaning your son’s Spider-Man jammies and your daughter’s favorite purple shirt than you are with the chemicals swirling around in your washing machine. But switching to natural laundry solutions means clean clothes and better health for both your family and the planet. Plus, making the change won’t compromise the quality of your laundry load—your clothes will be as clean and durable as ever.

The down and dirty truth is that traditional detergents contain synthetic optical brighteners as well as surfactants (which are wetting agents such as emulsifiers, dispersants and foaming products that reduce the surface tension of water). They also have fragrances that pollute our waterways,

Every time I open my medicine cabinet I think, “Boy I really need to clean this out.” But when I start to think it through, a little flutter of panic somewhere leads me to say, “Yeah, I’ll get to that later.” Old medication, old sunscreen, old make-up. Even if the majority of it is comprised of natural ingredients, I don’t want to flush it and and pollute my wastewater–and is letting this stuff slowly degrade in the landfill any better? I realize I’m trying to protect the environment by storing the expired products in my medicine cabinet–and the clutter-aversion I have is clearly at odds with this strategy.

But today’s the day–I have devised a plan of attack. It starts with determining what needs to be trashed (tips 1

As far as shopping bags go, the plastic versus paper dilemma is as puzzling as the one about the chicken or the egg. The truth is, the statistics on both types of bags are deeply disturbing. At first glance the alternatives seem less than convenient—-but after learning the facts and finding some easy solutions, we’re saying “neither thanks” to “paper or plastic?”

In South Africa plastic bags have been dubbed the “national flower” because so many are seen fluttering from fences and dangling in bushes—-some report that at times it looks like a snow storm. According to the National Geographic News, between 500 billion and one trillion plastic grocery bags are consumed worldwide each year. That 100,000 birds die annually from encounters

Slipping into soft, natural cotton or bamboo sheets your skin loves so much, with no scent but the outdoor sweetness of fresh air from an open window, is an incomparable way to go to sleep. No jarring chemicals to cause a steady and insipid niggle of disruption and jangle to your central nervous system, nothing that can hurt your liver or your lungs while you sleep, just all supporting rest and relaxation. Such is the gift of sleeping in bed linens laundered in clean water and green laundry products.

Of one thing I am certain: If you really took a whiff of commercial laundry products most of you will wriggle your noses and say you don’t like the smell. So why sleep with it? Have it on your clothes to breathe all day long?

Have the most serene time possible in your bed, in your

The image of Cinderella on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor is meant to evoke pity. It’s the same reason that seductive new floor cleaning products and systems are constantly introduced to entice us. Cleaning the floor can be the most woeful of chores—and most of us wouldn’t mind a small miracle to ease the agony. Unfortunately many of the conventional cleaning products that promise an easy and sparkling floor, are terrible for our health and the environment. We can’t provide a fairy godmother here, but we can show you how to clean your floors without compromising your health.

I think that it is time to admit something to you. Something that I am not proud of. I, Lily Berthold-Bond, am a very messy girl. I simply cannot be clean. My laundry piles up, my dishes don’t get cleaned, my books and papers get strewn across the room, the dust coats everything in sight … basically, it’s not a pretty sight. Well, normally I simply accept this mess as the sad norm and continue about my daily life. But this week was different.

Last Thursday, I woke up sick. Not kind of sick, really sick. So sick that I couldn’t go to class and had to lie in bed without moving all day. Well, my friend Marysa, who also happens to be a complete neat freak, decided to come take care of me. Bad idea. She nearly keeled over upon entrance to my room–literally,

I broke down the other day. I was weak, weak I tell you. On a particularly chilly November morning, I turned on the heat in our house.

I guess I’m a bit frugal when it comes to home heating. Why waste good money on home heating when I don’t need to? When it is cold, I can just add another clothing layer. My miserly winter heating philosophy doesn’t resonate well with my wife (or pretty much anyone else who comes over), and I must admit at 6 in the morning when the alarm goes off, I’m glad the house is heated.

We use natural gas to heat the house, but we also have a wood burning fireplace we can use. Wood burning fireplaces introduce unique hazards into the home, including the increased risk of a fire outside the fireplace and the possible emission of toxic chemicals.