Healthy Green Home

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Green flea prevention and treatment

November 10, 2009 in Eco-Pets, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

If you’ve got a furry friend then more than likely you’ve dealt with fleas. Fleas are little trouble makers for sure, but before you resort to toxic treatments that can get all over your green home, try some natural prevention and treatment.

Prevention first: Don’t wait until you’ve got fleas to treat the issue. You can minimize or kill off flea problems with the following tactics…

Your pet’s diet and exercise routine – a healthy pet is far less likely to be flea affected. Feed your pet like you feed yourself, healthy whole food based meals that are pesticide-free. Try pet food like Natura Pet or Newman’s Own pet food. Give your pet plenty of exercise as well and play often.

Healthy supplements – Talk with a holistic vet about healthy supplements for your pet. You can also try giving your pet dog garlic which has a scent that repels fleas – grate fresh garlic into his food. Brewers yeast is noted as being a good flea repellent supplement for kitties.

Groom tactics – frequently brush and bath your dog – frequently brush your cat as well, although slipping your kitty into a bath could prove more trouble than it’s worth. When brushing pay more attention to areas that get flea infested first like under the legs, on the belly, and around the head and tail.

After prevention comes treatment:

If your prevention tactics didn’t work you may need a flea repelling product. Aim for the least toxic first and move up the treatment ladder. Basic tea tree oil can kill off fleas on dogs (NOT cats) but needs to be diluted in water before you use it. It’s best to speak with a professional aromatherapist or a holistic vet before using. Herbal flea treatments are another option.

To rid your home of fleas clean like mad. You need to vacuum all the floors and upholstered furniture then get rid of the vacuum bag asap. Wash all washables well and send other items to a green dry cleaner.

Washing your pet’s bedding is something you should do regularly even when there’s no fleas around. Also you can sprinkle crushed lavender near the bed to keep fleas away.

See more green flea prevention and treatment tips.

Fight Off Three Home Toxins

November 3, 2009 in Air Quality, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

There are so many toxins out there nowadays – from auto emissions to mercury in the water to pesticides in city parks and more. You can’t stop your exposure to all things toxic, but what you can do is limit your home exposure. Following are three home toxins that are easy to wage war on…

Carbon monoxide (CO): An odorless but highly toxic gas that can come from all sorts of places; wood stoves, furnaces, leaky chimneys, badly ventilated gas stoves, and indoor grilling products.

Health effects: CO at high levels can result in death but it’s still no fun at lower levels which can result in fatigue, nausea, headaches, confusion, impaired coordination and vision and more.

Fight CO: Your home should have a CO detector installed and you need to do a battery check at least every other month.

Mold: Mold while naturally occurring is just as toxic as any other baddie toxin. It’s caused by little spores in the air that settle down and multiply on damp or wet surfaces. Mold is common in basements, at baseboards, in kitchen, near windows, and under sinks.

Health effects: Mold can produce general allergies, but also may cause rash, asthma, and other more serious issues.

Fight mold Make a homemade mold and mildew remover and use it. Once mold sets up camp for a while, it’s much harder to get rid of so prevention before mold invades is key. IF it’s too late and mold is rampant, you can try to get rid of it using more chemicals (which sucks, but you don’t want mold). Check out the CDC guide to mold for more ideas.

VOCs: We’ve talked at length about what VOCs are here before – it’s a lengthy topic. They’re not good at all though and they’re in an insane amount of products.

Health effects: VOCs can irritate your whole body – your skin, muscles, head, eyes, and so on. They can cause coughing, headache, and a ton of other very serious health problems.

Fight VOCs: There are many ways to keep VOCs out of your home which improves both your indoor air quality and health. Read the following for more info:

Wellness Water Filters – Clean and Enhanced Home Water

November 1, 2009 in Healthy Green Home, Water by Jennifer | 1 comment

Wellness Enterprises makes water filters for the home kitchen, bathroom, and even products for on the go. Of course we talk about water all the time here, and I usually go with drinking tap. However, since not everyone is down with tap water, and some people do actually need a filter to make their water safe to drink, a wellness filter might be a good choice.

All in all the company offers, filtered water bottles (great for plastic landfill reduction), shower heads, kitchen units, and a newly launched Wellness home device that filters and enhances water from the source (i.e. all sinks, hoses, shower heads etc).

According to the company, Wellness filters are not like regular filters. They filter 99% of all water containment, bacteria and viruses plus enhance the water by adding minerals and antioxidants that are proven to aid the skin in healing, aging, and increasing skin hydration by 115%. Additionally these cartridges last an extremely long time – about a year for a family of four (1,200 gallons).

The company tells me that they offer a recycling program for the Wellness Kitchen cartridge – although note, I looked around the site and couldn’t find info on any recycling program, so hopefully they can answer specific recycling questions if you contact them. In addition, each cartridge filters and enhances 1,200 gallons of water which is equivalent to more than 9,000 of the standard 500mL plastic bottles which of course saves landfill space (no plastic bottles) and saves you money.

The Wellness MG-III Home system does not use cartridges and provides filtering for an extended life of 7 – 10 years of life before the filtration media need to be replaced.

Visit Wellness Filter to learn more about all their home water filtering products.

Reduce the lead in your home water supply

October 31, 2009 in Healthy Green Home, Water by Jennifer | No comments

There could be lead in your water supply and that’s not a good thing. Lead can cause delays in physical and mental development plus deficits in attention span and learning abilities in children. Adults may experience increased in blood pressure and kidney problems when exposed to lead.

The stories you hear about lead in your hot water are true. If you’re used to filling up pots with hot water from the sink, make the switch to cold. Cold water, unlike hot won’t cause lead to leach from your pipes. According to the EPA houses built before 1986 are most likely to have pipes with lead. However, note that even “lead-safe” pipes can contain some lead – cool water is simply a better choice.

Cold water or not you should run water for 15 to 30 seconds before drinking it, especially if you have not used your water for a few hours, this allows any possible lead to drain out before you get to it.

Most tap water is pretty safe. However, if you’re concerned, it’s easy to find out if your water is safe or not. If not you may want to consider a water filter.

Put your water in a safe pitcher – it’s silly to get lead-free water from the sink only to put it in a pitcher that can add lead to the water.

How safe is your drink pitcher?

October 24, 2009 in Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

Instead of plastic drink containers, many folks are now using a more sustainable pitcher for water and juice in the fridge, which is smart, but can expose your family to lead if you’ve got a shady pitcher.

Ceramic pitchers are usually safe if they’ve been sealed properly, but it’s tough to know for sure if handmade products have been sealed well, and in some cases company made products. The FDA placed limits on lead in dishes back in the 80s, but one, not all companies followed through, and two, if you buy your pitcher used, it could be older than the 80s. To make sure your ceramic pitcher is safe check with the manufacturing company or run a quick home lead test.

If you’re using a glass pitcher, make sure the glass is lead-free. Many manufacturers are now making awesome lead-free recycled glass products, including pitchers.

You can also go with stainless steel, which is colder to the touch than other materials, but will keep drinks icy cold without leeching chemicals, lead, or weird flavors into your water or juice. Some ideas below…

Plants that naturally detox your air – natural healthy air quality

October 10, 2009 in Green Cleaning, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | No comments

House plants not only brighten your home but also improve your air quality without having to purchase a bulky plastic humidifier or air purifier. Plants do more than simple freshen the air too, they can actually remove some toxins, for example, in studies, specific plants have been found to do very well at removing formaldehyde.

Formaldehyde is an icky substance that the EPA calls a possible carcinogen found in things like carpet, plastics, synthetic fabrics, and more. You can naturally reduce the amount of formaldehyde in your home with the following plants…

Most of the above bloom even in medium light, so they’re ideal for indoors. The exception is the Corn Plant which does need bright light, but not full sun so choose a sunny window sill.

For more air cleaning plants take a look at an excellent plant chart from Good Magazine.

Lucky Earth: Wash your car with ZERO water

August 23, 2009 in Green Your Home, Healthy Green Home, On-the-Go by Jennifer | 2 comments

Each year people waste tons of excess water washing their car. As a home owner this not only raises your water costs but also runoff caused by the hose can allow chemicals from your car into your yard, driveway, and if you walk in that water, into your home via your shoes. One option that can keep your car clean without the negatives above is a waterless car wash. There are lots of waterless car wash brands on the market, but they’re not all the same. I recently tried Lucky Earth Waterless Car Wash and here’s the inside scoop…

Lucky Earth “Waterless” Car Wash is Lucky Earth’s signature car care product. It’s made with just water, natural surfactants (the cleaner) derived from coconut, and silicone. According to Lucky Earth, “The surfactants break up and lift the dirt from the vehicle’s surface, while the silicone allows the dirt to be easily whisked away without scratching.  The silicone leaves a smooth feel and glossy shine on automobiles, boats, and all types of motorsports and watercraft.” View the MSDS product sheet (pdf) which notes no toxic ingredients.

I reviewed the 32 oz. spray bottle of “Waterless” Car Wash which provides enough product to wash your car about 7-10 times. The wash doubles as an interior car cleaner, and can be used on the dashboard, leather seats, doors, and any other non-fabric surfaces. This product must be used with microfiber towels and I also got a set of those to review along with the wash.

What I think: Read the rest of this entry »

Are Hairy Legs Green?

August 8, 2009 in Healthy Green Home, Water by Jennifer | No comments

Actually yeah they are. If you don’t mind going leg commando, hairy legs have smooth legs beat, at least on the eco-front. Some research notes that as many as 2 billion razors get tossed into the landfill yearly. Since, by now we all know that plastic razors won’t biodegrade, that sort of sucks a lot. Secondly, plenty of those shaving creams and gels contain icky chemicals and come in plastic bottles which some of us need to be better about recycling.

Still, I know some of us like to shave (even me). I went through a eco-feminist deal where I didn’t shave for years, but when I moved to New Mexico it was so damn hot I had to shave – I mean, as in so hot you want to shave not only your legs but maybe your head too. At that point I looked for eco-shaving options like…

  • Shaving less – you can shave, but the fewer times you shave the less resources you use.
  • Shave with the water off. Soak your legs as you scrub then turn the water off and shave.
  • Use an electric razor. Eco-destruction caused by plastic is far worse than the tiny amount of energy you’ll use with an electric razor
  • For the very brave, use an old school razor – you know, the type with a longer lasting metal and replaceable blade.
  • Buy recycled razors. Sadly there aren’t so many around. I LOVE the Preserve company. However, in my smack down, Eco vs. Conventional: the Preserve Razor faces the Gillette Razor, Gillette won for function. I’m still looking and considering giving Preserve another shot though.

Shaving cream:

There are so many good good natural, organic, non-toxic, and non aerosol shaving creams on the market today that it’s silly to use anything else. My favorite hands down is vedaDUDE Glide Organic Shave Gel. But you can also try checking Skin Deep for some excellent non-toxic shaving cream and gel choices. Your local natural foods store, co-op, or organic section of the grocery store will have lots more options as well.

Do you shave your legs? What products are your faves?

Testing your home air quality

July 8, 2009 in Air Quality, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | No comments

Poor air quality is rampant in many homes. It’s smart to test your home air quality, plus not even that expensive. Most homes don’t need fancy testing solutions. Two kits you can pick up at your local hardware / home & garden shop include a basic carbon monoxide detector and a radon testing kit.

Talking Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm

A carbon monoxide detector will sound an alarm if gas levels in your home rise to an unsafe level. Carbon monoxide can leak from any poorly maintained fuel burning appliance and an appliance can go wacky without you knowing. Other places carbon monoxide can come from include, kerosene and gas space heaters; leaking chimneys and furnaces; back-drafting from furnaces, gas water heaters, wood stoves, and fireplaces; gas stoves; generators and other gasoline powered equipment; automobile exhaust from attached garages; and tobacco smoke, worn or poorly adjusted and maintained combustion devices (e.g., boilers, furnaces) or nearby auto, truck, or bus exhaust.

If you’re exposed to carbon monoxide at low levels you may feel fatigue or chest pain. At high concentrations, carbon monoxide can cause impaired vision and coordination; headaches; dizziness; confusion; nausea, flu-like symptoms, angina, impaired vision, and reduced brain function. CO exposure can be fatal. A carbon monoxide detector can actually save your life and all homes should have at least one.

The U.S. Surgeon General and EPA recommend that all homes be tested for radon. Radon, a radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell or taste, can pose a danger to your family’s health. Radon is the most common cause of lung cancer (after smoking) and claims about 20,000 lives annually. Studies show that it’s found in all 50 states and that one out of every 15 homes has an elevated radon level.

According to the EPA, radon can creep into your home through…

  1. Cracks in solid floors
  2. Construction joints
  3. Cracks in walls
  4. Gaps in suspended floors
  5. Gaps around service pipes
  6. Cavities inside walls
  7. The water supply

Luckily testing for radon only takes minutes and is easy to do. Learn how to test for radon.

Testing your home air quality is just one part of the puzzle. You need to also keep mold in check, keep icky chemicals out of your home, and take daily steps to improve your indoor air quality.

Ideas for green and healthy teeth

July 7, 2009 in Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

Yesterday we looked at eco-friendly toothpaste options, but greener teeth care doesn’t end there. There are lots of other issues involved with keeping your teeth care habits green and healthy.

Source Toothbrush shown above

Green your toothbrush:

When it comes to toothbrushes, plenty end up in the landfill. Right now there are about 306,856,031 people in the U.S. alone. Since most experts advise changing your toothbrush every 3-4 months, not to mention after an illness, that’s an astounding number of brushes used, most of which are plastic. Some better choices for an eco-friendly toothbrush include…

Preserve toothbrushes: The handle is made from 100% recycled plastic and when it’s time for a new toothbrush you can send the toothbrush and case back to Preserve using their postage-paid label and your old toothbrush will be re-processed into plastic lumber for picnic tables, boardwalks and decks. Preserve also makes BPA-free recycled toothbrushes for kids.

Source Toothbrush from Radius: Made with 93% recycled material and 47% renewable resource material. Handles are molded from recycled US dollar bills/recycled flax and recycled wood all blended with recycled polypropylene resulting in a bio-plastic that is 100% renewable or recycled. The head can be changed so you can keep the handle forever.

Acca Kappa Bioceta Toothbrush: Made with biodegradable resin, non-toxic, natural bristles.

Monte Bianco: Resource-efficient toothbrushes (read more at Treehugger)

Green your mouthwash: Read the rest of this entry »

Brush Your Teeth Green: Eco-toothpaste

July 6, 2009 in Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

Technically you want to brush your teeth white AND be as green as possible while doing it. Here are some tips about greener toothpaste:

First a fluoride health note:

Because homemade toothpaste or homemade mouthwash won’t have fluoride, you should choose either a homemade paste or rinse but not both so you get your fluoride. OR you can try fluoride drops. Too much fluoride can cause fluoride toxicity or enamel fluorosis in people but too little can be bad for your teeth. Whether or not fluoride is too toxic or even healthy for people is a personal issue for folks that we won’t get into here, but you can read more about this cons of fluoride side of the debate at the Fluoride Action Network. For pros visit the ADA.

Clean & Gentle Care SLS-Free Anticavity plus Dry Mouth Soother Fluoride Toothpaste

Greener toothpaste:

The greenest toothpaste is homemade. You don’t waste as much packaging or hard to squeeze out product, plus it costs less. Learn to make homemade toothpaste.

Most toothpaste comes in tubes or pumps. If you’re going to buy store bought toothpaste your best bet is to purchase the largest tube possible in a non-toxic brand and from an ethical company. THEN recycle the tube when you’re done.

Greener brands of toothpaste: Read the rest of this entry »

Six green home changes you can make this weekend

June 19, 2009 in Green Your Home, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | No comments

If you’ve got the weekend, you’ve got enough time to green your home.

Small changes you can make in just one weekend include:

Eco-window care: Wash all curtains in eco-friendly detergent or wipe down blinds with an earth-friendly all-purpose cleaner. Wash windows with a non-toxic homemade cleaner – either mix 1/2 cup vinegar with one gallon water and spray and wipe or use straight up club soda and wipe down with recycled newspaper. After cleaning open up all the windows wide to let some fresh air in which cuts indoor air pollution more than any other tactic.

Clean your refrigerator coils: Your fridge coils may be costing you in both energy and money. Dirty coils have to work harder to cool your fridge which pumps up your electricity use, and in turn your bill. You can easily clean off the dust and grime with a long brush and your fridge will run better. Note; fridge coils are usually under or behind your fridge (check your fridge manual).

Hang a clothesline: With warm summer air here, you’ve got no excuse not to hang a clothesline. This will save energy and money plus is a super cheap fix to start with. It’ll only cost you about $10 for a decent clothesline and about 50 clothespins either online or at your local hardware store.

Clear out some plastics: Go through your kitchen cupboards and clear out some toxic plastic dishes and containers. Aim to ditch plastics #3, 6, or 7 first as these are the most toxic. Cleaning out toxic plastics leaves you space to stock up on some eco-friendly food storage options and less toxic dishes.

What are your green weekend plans?

[image via stock.xchng]

Create an earth-friendly first aid kit

June 1, 2009 in Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 2 comments

To be safe at home you should have a first aid kit, one that’s not ravaged whenever your little one gets a minor cut. Your first aid kit is for emergencies only and it’s easy to make an eco-friendly version. In fact, you should really make one for your home and one for each vehicle you own as well.

What’s in a typical first aid kit?:

  • Bandages of varying sizes – if you have a little one under the age of five, make sure some are tiny for baby-sized cuts
  • Gauze pads
  • First aid tape
  • A pair of fine gauge tweezers
  • Rubbing alcohol or antiseptic
  • Some hand wipes in packages – good for cleaning off a cut in a pinch
  • Reusable gel packs – cold and warm
  • First aid booklet – one that covers how to do CPR.  You can usually pick up a booklet like this from your local red cross

You’ll also need some medications such as…

  • Hydrocortisone cream
  • Antibiotic cream
  • Acetaminophen – both for baby and adult
  • Ibuprofen – both baby and adult
  • Aspirin – ONLY for adults – if you have a baby know that babies CANNOT have aspirin
  • Antihistamine

How to green up your first aid kit: Read the rest of this entry »

Natural Household Deodorizers

April 25, 2009 in Green Cleaning, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | No comments

You can purchase some natural and semi-household deodorizers or you could go green and inexpensive by making some of your own. These ideas below are natural, easy, and don’t cost a bundle…

Gross disposal: Run hot water, a smidgen of baking soda, and some citrus peels down your disposal. Any citrus peels work.

Icky car fumes and smells: If you happen to burn Soy Wax Melts in your home, place on in your car – under the seat or in a cup holder. It’ll release nice scents instead of typical built up car scents. Just don’t do this in the dead of summer or melted wax might be an issue. If you don’t burn soy wax melts, grab a small cloth bag and fill it with a handful of dried lavender buds, a dash of nutmeg, and a sprinkling of essential oil (orange or lemon is good). Place the bag somewhere in your car that’s exposed to heat – like near the heat vents on the floor.

Your ice smells: Ice and food in freezers can pick up the scents of what’s in your freezer. First of all, keep your fridge clean (no brainer). Secondly, if all else fails, wipe down the inside of the freezer with pure vanilla extract or white vinegar. Then pop a box of baking soda inside.

Musty clothing, blankets, and other textiles: The best cure is prevention. When you first tuck your fabrics away, seal them up in an old plastic bag (recycled of course) then place them in a container, toss in a cedar block and cover with a tight lid. IF it’s too late for prevention try spraying your clothing lghtly with vodka (straight). If I were you, I’d spray the interior of the fabric in case of stains. Hang to dry. Another cure for must is crumpled newspaper. If you place this with clothing, the paper, not the fabrics will absorb any icky musty scents.

To learn more about keeping a naturally scented home read:

Do you have any natural scents tips or tricks? Share in the comments…

Green your walls with American Clay wall plaster

April 1, 2009 in Healthy Green Home, Sustainable Building by Jennifer | 1 comment

I’ve been meaning to post on this for a while – better late than never eh? I recently got a heads up about American Clay eco-friendly wall plaster. Not only is this solution green but it’s a beautiful home application choice as well. Look at this example below…

How to use:

American Clay interior wall plaster is an award winning product that can be used for walls of all sorts of structures, from contemporary homes to historical restorations. American Clay Earth Plasters create soothing textures and provide rich color for your walls; think of it as an alternative to – traditional paint, stucco, or other finishes.

Benefits of American Clay wall plaster…

  • Earth Plasters are non-dusting, mold and fade resistant, repairable and moisture controlling.
  • No off-gassing or inherent waste on-site.
  • Non-flammable.
  • Absorbs sound.
  • Helps counter the positive ions coming at you through electronics.
  • Huge array of colors and textures available – which all use natural clays, recycled and reclaimed aggregates, and vibrant natural pigments. Three color finish lines are available – LOMA, PORCELINA, and MARITTIMO.
  • Easy to use – can be a DIY project. At the main web page you can watch a video about how the plaster works or take a workshop about application, and American Clay even offers a “Try It” kit for $35 to see if you like it, with all three different formulations!

Good stuff. I love the colors available – see a larger photo gallery.

Visit the main site to learn more and to find out where to purchase American Clay products.

Green Your Home – Sierra Club Green Home

March 31, 2009 in Healthy Green Home, News by Jennifer | No comments

There’s a new website in town for home dwellers looking to go green (or go more green). The newly launched Sierra Club Green Home was created, as you may have guessed by Sierra Club and covers a wide range of green home topics.

I went to check it out, and here’s the lowdown…

Pros:

First of all, this is a great looking website. Very nicely done, easy to navigate, and there are plenty of clear headings so you can find what you need fast.

They created centers related to various topics like the “CO2 Center” and “Solar Center” where you’ll find tips about carbon offsets, how to lower your energy bills, all sorts of solar heating options, energy calculators, and much more.

There’s a home health area that’s pretty cool. Plenty of healthy home tips including how to eat healthy and tips for raising healthy and green kids.

I really like their green video section. I was pretty impressed – they have videos ranging from fashion to food to composting.

There’s a forum too, but it’s not too busy yet. Not a huge surprise since the site is newer though, but it’s a nice feature.

Few ads!!!! Yay.

Cons:

I didn’t like that you had to register for some features. For example, they have a healthy home quiz I wanted to take, but they want you to register for that quiz. On the plus side, it looks like you only have to register once and the registration is a basic fill in your email type form. Still, come on; I can find other calculators online that won’t make me stop and register. When you spend a lot of time online, it’s a pain.

Overall:

I’d give this site an A. I was familiar with much of the info, but of course green is what I do. I do however, think that if you’re newer to green or want an easy to read green home guide, this is a pretty nice site and super easy to manage.

Visit Sierra Club Green Home.

Tour the World’s Greenest Certified House

March 27, 2009 in Healthy Green Home, Sustainable Building by Jennifer | No comments

The Live Green, Live Smart Institute recently announced that they have received the Outstanding Custom Project Award from the US Green Building Council (USGBC) for the highest rating home in the history of the LEED for Homes program. That’s not bad eh?

The house referred to as The Sustainable House, located in Minnetonka, Minnesota is a residential construction, research project conceived and managed by the Live Green, Live Smart Institute. This was actually a remodel of a 1948 rambler, and took two years to green up. Incorporated in the redesign are various eco-friendly home options such as sustainable energy systems, water saving devices, significant reuse of materials and extensive environmental landscaping.

The best part is you can tour the home, even if you don’t happen to be Minnesota bound. The home is featured online and has some nifty interactive features going for it. Clicking in specific areas will give you a run down of how they greened the space.

Check out the house!

[image via Live Green, Live Smart Institute]

Are Soy Candles Greener and Healthier

March 22, 2009 in Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 7 comments

Soy candles are a better green choice than basic old wax candles for a couple of reasons. One, they’re made from rapidly renewable resources, whereas wax paraffin is derived from petroleum (not so renewable – as we all know). Two, soy candles are biodegradable and burn longer.

But are soy candles actually healthier for you, your family, and your home?

Somewhat – some research notes that soy candles give off less soot particles than normal candles. That’s a good thing, because a cleaner burn means less soot and gunk in your home and lungs. However, overall, there’s not a huge piece of evidence that says that soy candles are WAY better for you, so if you have allergies or asthma, just burning soy over wax may not help you to avoid feeling icky.

If you like the look of candles but want something that’s truly soot-free and eco-friendly to boot, you may want to try LED candles. LED candles have other benefits as well; they’re safer than real candles and don’t make a mess.

Where to snag soy candles:

Be an organic home know-it-all!

March 10, 2009 in Food & Drink, Furniture & Appliances, Green Your Home, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | No comments

When it comes to organic food and organic home products, there are a lot of choices. It can be overwhelming. However, there’s no need to freak. You will totally look like you know what you’re doing (even when you’re not so sure) with these simple rules…

Organic is not always best: There are absolutely some items you should purchase organic, and then there are the organic items that matter less. Clothing, textiles, and other fabrics for your home are good organic, but you can also choose used or other sustainable fabrics that are just as eco-friendly as organic cotton. For example – hemp, bamboo, and thrift store finds all lower your footprint without the organic label. As for organic food, some purchases offer better health and eco-benefits than others. Check out which organics you need to buy and 11 Ways to Save Money on Organic Food in order to make smart choices.

Don’t go nuts all at once: Small organic changes are just as good as a complete life overhaul, but WAY easier. Don’t try to go massive organic all at once. Start making small changes; i.e. buy organic peanut butter and organic cotton pillow cases. Eventually all your simple changes will start to add up.

Got pets?: Let them go organic too. Many people forget their pets but currently there are many organic varieties of pet foods, green pet homes, and toys out there.

Go organic for health: If you’re only going organic for the eco-benefits, that’s fine, but the health benefits of organic over conventional offer you much more motivation. For example, you can make over your bathroom soaps and cosmetics in order to cut chemicals out of your world or buy a better organic mattress for a non-toxic dream time. Think about organic in a way that personally relates to you because this makes shopping decisions easier.

Make it easy for your kids: Kids raised on organics are in a better position to grow up understanding the long-term benefits. Don’t just go organic – talk organic with the kiddos so they know what’s up. Once they’re old enough to make shopping decisions, they’ll have a far easier time than our generation of adults.

How are you going organic at home?

Live simply for a better, greener life

February 25, 2009 in Community, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 2 comments

Living simply is not all that complicated, but it can take effort. Simple living is basically learning to live happily on less stuff. Learning to enjoy people over things. Trying to live more of life in nature and reconnecting to what matters. Of course there’s a lot more to simple living than what I wrote above (we’d be here all day). For more tips on what simple living is and is not read one or all of the following…

Why is simple living green?

It limits the possessions you own, thus cutting your footprint and saves both energy and resources.

It connects you with both nature and community – both of these connections are necessary for people who care about the planet. You can’t hope to protect the earth and it’s members if you aren’t invested.

It allows you to live sustainably naturally as you look for other options (i.e. non-money, simple options) over the typical American goal of having more, more, more.

It incorporates healthy living and lifestyle choices which gears your thinking toward issues like eco-exercise, organic food, and healthy body and natural cleaning choices.

Are you living simply – or is life sort of bogging you down?

How To Choose Greener Body Products

February 24, 2009 in Healthy Green Home, Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle by Jennifer | 4 comments

When considering how to green your home, it pays to check out your bathroom habits. Body care products can cramp your green style in a major way, such as…

  • Many cosmetics and body care items are tested on animals.
  • Many of these products are over-packaged and often their packaging can’t even be properly recycled.
  • Most contain chemicals, artificial colors, weird fragrances, and more that you don’t need on your body or let out into our water supply.
  • Many antiperspirants contain aluminum salts; which yes makes them work (they clog your pores – thus blocking icky smells) but they’ve also been linked to health problems like Alzheimer’s.

To green up your beauty & body care routine try the following… Read the rest of this entry »

Two Quick Green Laundry Tips – Eco-laundry

February 19, 2009 in Green Cleaning, Green Your Home, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | No comments

Two icky chemical laundry issues are bleach and fabric softener. You don’t truly need either.

To soften clothing, add 1/4 cup baking soda to the final rinse cycle. If you can stand the scent, some people swear by adding a cup or so of basic vinegar to the final rinse. Being that I hate the smell of vinegar, I stick to baking soda. If you really like fabric softener, try a natural fabric softener.

For non-bleach whitening solutions read the following:

How to choose the best green mattress and pillows for your bedroom

February 11, 2009 in Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 2 comments

In the last post we looked at why it’s best to choose green bedding, mattresses, and pillows. In this post, tips for choosing your mattress and pillows. If you’re looking for tips about other bedding, read How To Choose Earth-Friendly Bedding and Organic Cotton for the Bedroom.

How to choose a good green mattress and pillow:

Green mattresses come in all flavors. You want to look for certified organic materials, wool, and non-treatment with chemicals. Overall, you’ve got plenty of choices such as:

Most of the places that sell green mattresses will have healthy green pillows available as well. For more shopping help, check out the green mattress shopping guide and this guide to eco-pillows.

Consider packaging and shipping as well. If you’re going to go green – don’t half-a** it. Make sure the packaging for your products are made with recycled or recyclable materials and buy local whenever possible.

Costs vary A LOT on green mattresses and pillows. While there is something for everyone, no matter your budget, it’s not as easy to find a great price on a earth friendly mattress as it is a conventional one. You really need to plan your budget and research options to snag the best deal.

Keetsa is a great place to start your search for a greener bed – the folks there not only offer great bedding info, but run an informative eco-blog and are overall cool folks. You can also look at Green America’s green mattress and bedding pages.

Why Choose A Green Bed Mattress and Pillow

February 10, 2009 in Air Quality, Green Your Home, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

Green bedding is a huge deal because we spend about a third of our lives in bed. Some of us probably spend even more time in bed :)

This is a major reason why you should go green with all your bedding, including the main components – your mattress and pillows.

Perks of choosing an eco-friendly mattress and pillow:

Conventional cotton can be jam packed with pesticides and even insecticides. You don’t want to sleep on that.

Many of the synthetic fabrics and materials used in conventional mattresses and pillows are made with non-renewable petroleum products. These products are often further treated with chemicals that can, over time, emit icky junk into the air (and into your peaceful dreams).

Conventional bed items are made with some major flame retardant baddies. Yes, no one wants to burn alive, but flame retardant materials like the ones used in conventional mattresses and pillows are overly bad for your health. The combustible-happy petroleum materials used to make conventional bed items is why the mattress and pillows need treated anyhow.The most common flame retardants are PBDEs and has been shown to pollute both the planet and our bodies. PBDEs have been noted as a possible prerequisite to birth defects, decreased sperm counts, motor skill problems, and more.

All of the above not only can cause problems in your home (added toxicity, chemicals in the air, and health issues) but also are dangerous for the people who manufacture these products.

All in all, conventional mattresses and pillow spell big trouble for your health and your green home. Coming up, how to choose a greener mattress and pillow, and some more facts about healthy green bedrooms.

Do you know what’s in your mattress?

Are Shoes an Eco No No?

February 3, 2009 in Air Quality, Green Cleaning, Green Your Home, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

Your shoes may be vegan, they may be made with recycled soles, they may even be made by a totally ethical company, but when you get right down to it, your shoes may be waging war on your green home.

Quick step: Take your shoes off at home.

Why?: Research shows that shoes drag in way more eco-baddies than we think. From pesticides to chemicals whatever is on your shoes comes inside with you and gets tracked all over your house.

Other tips:

  • During the summer taking off your shoes is more important. Summertime shoes have been shown to be worse offenders. During the summer pesticides used outdoors are at their peak, and more of these chemicals make it onto your shoes.
  • Having hardwood, clay, or tile floors reducers your exposure. Carpets, not so eco-friendly on their own, become worse when shoes walk all over them. Studies show it’s almost impossible to clean out dust, pesticides and chemicals from carpets – no matter how often you clean.
  • Keeping the above in mind, a rug or mat outside your door will help to limit the junk you carry inside, because the door mat collects some of the pesticides.
  • It’s also important to improve your overall indoor air quality which can help to combat the stuff you bring in on your shoes.
  • If you hate going shoeless, keep slippers or house shoes by your front door. You can change once you arrive.
  • Don’t forget the kids – they walk where you walk. Their shoes may be small, but they cause the same risk.

Do you go shoeless at home?

The VOC-free Home – 11 Ways to Keep VOCs Out of Your Home

January 23, 2009 in Air Quality, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

In the last post we looked at what VOCs are. Now let’s look at some tips that can help you keep VOCs out of your home.

  1. Look for products that have low-VOC or no VOC labels. There’s no standard labeling system for VOCs, but many companies do make low or no VOC products. If you’re curious about standards, it pays to check out a company’s website to learn more about their ethics and VOC goals.
  2. Avoid aerosol products.
  3. Use natural air freshers.
  4. Buy natural beauty and health care products (soaps, cosmetics, and so on).
  5. Have a clean home air-make-over. There are tons of things you can do to clean the air in your home. Many of these steps naturally help limit VOC exposure.
  6. Learn how to properly dispose of and / or recycle hazardous household waste.
  7. Buy natural organic bedding and other natural and organic home textiles.
  8. Learn to co-exist with plants.
  9. If you build a home, choose a green architect and green building supplies.
  10. Avoid products that contain PVC. You can look for PVC-free labels or check out the PVC-free family guide.
  11. Buy sustainable furniture which tends to avoid things like pressed wood and particle board – both of which are heavy on the VOCs.

How are you avoiding VOCs at home?

What Are VOCs – Keep VOCs Out of Your Home

January 22, 2009 in Air Quality, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | No comments

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are gases that are emitted by various synthetic materials (both liquids and solids).

VOCs can be found in a large amount of products you may use in your home from paints to household cleaners to plastics to cosmetics to building materials and lots more. You can see a technical list of VOCs here (in pdf) or a more user friendly list of VOCs here.

Why be afraid of VOCs:

Plenty of health issues can occur from exposure to VOCs. According to the EPA the following are issues…

“Eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; damage to liver, kidney, and central nervous system. Some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans.  Key signs or symptoms associated with exposure to VOCs include conjunctival irritation, nose and throat discomfort, headache, allergic skin reaction, dyspnea, declines in serum cholinesterase levels, nausea, emesis, epistaxis, fatigue, dizziness.”

VOCs are worse indoors than out, which is a major reason why you need to be aware or the products being used in your home. Research has found that indoor VOC levels average 2 to 5 times higher indoors than outdoor levels. Shockingly, after immediate exposure to some activities, like paint stripping, levels in your house can be up to 1,000 times greater than outdoor levels.

Not only are VOCs more problematic indoors than out, but you can be exposed even if you’re simply storing a product with high VOC levels. Many VOC laden products release the VOCs when used, but some also release them when they’re just sitting around in your cupboard.

Next up we’ll have some tips about how to limit your family’s household exposure to VOCs.

Green Sex Tip Ahead – Look Out

January 20, 2009 in Healthy Green Home, Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle by Jennifer | No comments

Ok, greening your sex life is not totally related to your green home, the main focus of this blog. We all know you can have sex any old place not just at home. However, I bet that if you have some um, sex toys, you likely store them at home. I sure hope you’re not dragging them around in your car or laptop bag anyhow.

If you are saving up one or more sex toys at home, maybe toys that are out of commission, broken, or otherwise boring at this point, you have a better option than mass collecting now. Recycling! That’s right. Just last week, news broke about a new sex toy recycling program, which is, I think, pretty cool. Green to the extreme for sure. Read the rest of this entry »

Where to Get Eco-friendly Home Office Supplies

January 20, 2009 in Healthy Green Home, Home Office by Jennifer | No comments

Last week we started looking at eco-home office ideas. You can catch up by reading:

It actually used to be hard to find eco-office supplies; at least on a budget. The places carrying these items were few and far between, so you had to pay a lot for even simple things like recycled content printer paper. Currently though, things are a lot better. So many places carry eco-office goods that you’re sure to find what you need at a decent price.

Here are some good places to start your eco-office supply search:

Later I’ll post some cool specific green office products – nice green office bling you’ll adore.

Green Your Home Office – Home Office Eco Ideas

January 15, 2009 in Green Your Home, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 2 comments

This week we’re looking at how to create a healthy and green home office. The other day we saw some office supplies and products that can help you reduce waste and chemicals.Today some tips that can help you easily green your home office space.

Shredding rules: If you splurge on one amazing piece of equipment, make sure it’s a shredder. You need a heavy duty paper shredder. This will help you keep things tidy and supply you plenty of free and recycled packing material. If you have too much shredding, you can compost the extra, or simply toss it in the recycle bin. It doesn’t pay to buy a wussy shredder though. Get a really nice one, like the OfficeMax Shredder, Cross-Cut. This shredder has a 20 sheet capacity (even with staples) and shreds crazy stuff like credit cards and DVDs.

Try green flooring: Some nice eco-friendly rugs, that still allow your chair on wheels to roll around include:

NOTE: for real rolling ease, you should use a rug mat under the rug you choose.

Bring in some real green: Plants are both healthy and green. Placing two or three around your desk is an easy way to improve the air quality in your office. Opening that window from time to time (even in winter) will help to improve your air quality and green your space as well.

Stay warm, save energy: If you can, set up a home office thermostat that’s programmable. If you’re in and out of your home office quite a bit, you might want to consider a sweater vs. the heat cranking.

If something breaks… You should take more steps than just tossing the item. One, see if your item can be fixed. Two, if it can’t be fixed, see if you can recycle it. Three, if it’s not broke, I’d say hang onto it. However, we all know there are folks who like the latest office gadgets. If this is you, don’t toss your old one, donate it to a cause. Plenty of non-profits can use an extra computer or printer.

Stay tuned for tips on green home office accessories.

How are you greening your home office?

Create A Healthy and Green Home Office

January 13, 2009 in Green Your Home, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | No comments

I’m thinking that with the start of the new year, redesigning a room in your house to be greener is a great plan. One easy place to start with a green home make-over is your home office.Over the next few days we’ll look at how you can get your home office, be it a space, or an entire room, into tip-top green shape.These tips can also be applied to your out of the house office if you like.

Your basic home office supplies checklist:

There are basically three sorts of products to watch out for in home offices – products that drain excess energy, products that use too many resources, and products that are chemical heavy. Of course, you want to be on the flip side of this…

Products that save energy in your home office: Read the rest of this entry »

Is This Product Really A Smart Green Choice?

January 2, 2009 in Green Cleaning, Green Your Home, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

In the last post, Green Product Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Buy I said I’d gather some resources that can help you answer some of the questions offered. Here you go…

Now keep in mind that some of the questions only you can answer, but in some cases, you find info about a company or product that can help you to make a green purchasing decision.

Does the product have a long shelf life?: To learn more about product reliability and life expectancy, try looking at the following…

Is the company who made it / sells it a good green and ethical company?:

Can I recycle the item and or packaging?:

Could I get it from a local company: Check your local yellow pages or do an online search but use your area as a search perimeter.

How toxic is this product?:

Is it tested on animals?: Visit Caring Consumer to see companies that do and do not test on animals.

If you do a little research before you buy a product, you can make sure that you’re getting the least toxic, and most eco-friendly product for your dollar.

    Green Kitchen: Eco-Friendly Dishes

    December 27, 2008 in Eco Kitchen, Food & Drink, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 3 comments

    This week we’re looking at green kitchen dishes and cookware. Yesterday we learned about Eco-Friendly Pots & Pans. Today we’ll look at basic dishes – plate, bowls, etc.

    Avoid lead: Toxic lead in the human body is very dangerous, and especially so to small children and babies. The FDA does regulate things like lead and cadmium levels in dishes here in the U.S. but they don’t catch everything. To avoid lead dangers in your dishes do the following:

    • When you purchase new dishes, see if there’s a registration card offered and use it to sign up for safety notices.
    • Never store food in antique dishes.
    • Avoid imported ceramic dishes.
    • If you like to purchase dishes from thrift stores, or have old dishes around your house, then learn how to test your current dishes for lead.
    • Never store liquids in lead crystal glasses or bottles
    • Pregnant women, children, and babies should not drink from lead crystal bottles or cups.

    Best safe and green dishes to choose:

    • Recycled glass dishes, plain old glass dishes, stoneware, and ceramic dishes made in the U.S.
    • Buy local.
    • Buy from handcrafters and companies who have eco-ethics.
    • Bamboo dishes.
    • Sustainable wood dishes with non-toxic finishes.
    • Stainless steel dishes – extra points for recycled.
    • If you MUST use disposable dishes, choose recycled and biodegradable disposable dishes.

    Green Kitchen: Eco-Friendly Pots and Pans

    December 26, 2008 in Eco Kitchen, Food & Drink, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 3 comments

    This week we’re going to spend some time looking at better green cookware and dishes for your home. Overall, almost all dishes and cookware take a lot of time and energy to process, and many have toxic services. That said, there are some far better green choices when it comes to outfitting your kitchen and dining room.

    Tips for greener pots and pans…

    Avoid pots and pans made with perfluorochemical (PFCs): You’ll know PFCs as “nonstick.” PFCs is a collection of substances that among other things, keeps food from sticking to pots and pans. PFCs are used in everything from apparel to furniture to cosmetics, but we’re focusing on dishes today and in fact, PFCs may be worse in dishes than other applications because there are many health hazards of having PFCs in your body, and PFCs last forever both in our bodies and they won’t degrade in the environment. You don’t want to cook on and eat off this stuff.

    Visit the Environmental Working Group to find out which cookware contains PFCs. Common brands containing PFCs (in specific pieces), include Farberware, Emerilware, Calphalon, All Clad, and more.

    Better green pots and pans: The best choices of cookware include pieces made of recycled (or even not recycled) glass bake ware, cast iron, and stainless steel.

    The worst pots and pans: Non-stick pots and pans such as anything with Teflon.

    What if you already own non-stick cookware?: The best thing to do is upgrade to non-toxic cookware, however, if you hang on to your non-stick pieces, be sure that you don’t heat them to above 450 F and toss them if the non-stick coating starts to peel or shed off.

    Later we’ll look at tips for greener flatware, dining dishes, and food containers plus see some green options you can purchase as well, so stay tuned.

    Green Tissues for Cold & Flu Season

    December 4, 2008 in Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | No comments

    In the last post, Eco-friendly Flu Fighting, I noted that I’m sick today. Since I tend to blog along the lines of how my day is going, it’s pretty much sick day here at Best Green Home Tips.

    Right now let’s take a look at earth-friendly options for tissues.

    Your most earth friendly tissue option are cloth handkerchiefs; but there are pros and cons.

    Pros of cloth handkerchiefs:

    • Reusable.
    • Cost effective; much cheaper than buying oodles of tissue.
    • Often won’t dry out your nose as much as paper tissue.
    • Especially softer on a child’s nose.
    • You can use them plain, or drop some essential oil on them for treatment.
    • Can be used as cleaning cloths when they get too old.

    Cons of cloth handkerchiefs:

    • Washing! Seriously, how much laundry do you want to do while you’re sick?
    • Can be icky.
    • Kids, in my experience, don’t tend to handle cloth tissues as well. They leave them laying around, and or try to toss them in the garbage.
    • You may need to purchase a lot in a bigger family, and if everyone wants their own, you’ll need to choose specific colors or monograms.

    The next best tissue is recycled.

    There aren’t too many pros and cons here, the basic gist is that recycled tissue is a good reuse product if you want paper tissue, but they’re not as green as cloth; because obviously they don’t last as long.

    Options:

    Organic cotton flannel handkerchiefs: Packaged in a brown paper bag. Available in your choice of natural colour or hand-dyed purple.

    Colorgrown Organic Cotton Flannel Hankies

    Organic Cotton HANKIES – Singles

    100% Recycled Seventh Generation Tissues; Hypo-allergenic; Whitened without chemicals containing chlorine; No added dyes; No added fragrances

    Green Forest Facial Tissue: 100% Recycled Paper; Whitened Without Chlorine; Minimum 40% PCR Content

    Gaiam Facial Tissue: 100% recycled paper with a minimum of 20% post-consumer content; hypoallergenic, unscented and bleached with environmentally safe sodium hydrosulfite and hydrogen peroxide.

    Eco-friendly Flu Fighting

    December 4, 2008 in Green Cleaning, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | No comments

    I’m fighting the flu, or some sort of killer cold, hence the topic. I feel terrible, and also a little blah because it’s not even that far into cold and flue season. Darn huh?

    If you’re looking to try and avoid (or deal with) all these sick germs flying around, I’ve got some eco-friendly ideas for you:

    First of all you want your immune system to be in pretty good overall health. This means avoiding things like toxic home cleaning supplies, chemical laden fragrances in most conventional air fresheners, and chemical fibers in your home furniture, floors, and textiles. Your overall goal is to keep your air clean and free of any icky chemicals. Read the following posts to learn how:

    Next you’ll want to avoid breeding germs in your home. Some studies show that the use of antibacterial products; like hand gel and dish soaps, actually help germs, not fight them. You may kill some off at first, but it’s like antibiotics. If you give a germ a dose of antibacterial soap, over and over, the germ may not keep dying off, in fact the germ may adapt and just be able to eventually outwit the soap. The best soaps to use are not antibacterial, but basic, natural and organic soaps. One nice hand soap is Manor Hall Soap Company Liquid Hand Soap.

    If you’re already sick and looking for treatment options my advice is usually to start with the smallest plan of attack and move upwards. One, keep your house clean or if you’re already sick, see if someone will help you clean. Cleaning with hot soapy water does remove germs from household surfaces. Two, try some natural remedies like rest, hot showers, essential oils, tea and honey, and so on. To learn more about earth-friendly health care visit Simply Home Remedies. Three, visit the doc. I’m way into natural remedies, but I’m also not against using conventional health care when you need it. I don’t think overuse of medications or antibiotics is smart, but neither is suffering away. Smart medical care is sometimes best. Don’t avoid the doctor’s just because you want to focus on natural treatments.

    Also read: Five natural & non-toxic care remedies for kids

    More sick day posts coming up!