Mindful Momma

Practically Green Book Launch Party: Day #1 The Non-Toxic Home

Welcome to the party!! I'm SO excited about giving away all these prizes.  This is just the first of 5 days of giveaways so be sure to keep checking back each day to see what's new!

Today I want to focus on the importance of eliminating toxins from your home.  With the Million Baby Crawl campaign going on (and the Crawl to Action events coming up on Wednesday!), there has been a lot of focus on toxins lately - and that's a good thing.  Many people don't realize that the indoor air in a typical home has chemical contamination levels 2 to 5 times greater than outdoor air. 

One of the biggest sources of those toxic chemicals in homes is cleaning products.  Yes - the very products we are using to clean our homes can be extremely bad for us and for the earth as well.  There's a whole chapter on cleaning products in Practically Green with info on the types of chemicals you'll want to avoid as well as helpful tips for how to scrub your home the healthy way!

To help me celebrate the book launch, a couple of great cleaning product companies have donated prizes to get you started on your way to a non-toxic home:

Seventh Generation is giving away a Healthy Home gift bag that contains 7 full sized cleaning products in a reusable tote bag.  Pretty much everything you need to give your home a green, clean makeover!

EcoStore has generously donated a $25 gift certificate to their web store.  Check out their eco-friendly, plant-based household cleaning products as well as some really nice bath soaps (I can vouch for them - I've reviewed their products in the past).

For a chance to win, just leave a comment letting me know your practically green tips for cleaning house.  The giveaway runs today only - ending at midnight, central time on Monday, November 16th.  (only one entry per person please and you must have a US shipping address)

Calling all Babies: Join in the Million Baby Crawl

Have you heard?  Babies everywhere are crawling to Washington to say "no" to toxic chemicals found in our homes. Seventh Generation, maker of safe, eco-friendly cleaning supplies is leading the way by sponsoring the Million Baby Crawl.  The campaign is intended to bring awareness to the problem of toxins found in commonly used household products and to DEMAND change in Washington! 

You can help by creating your own crawler (just takes a minute!) and spreading the word about the campaign.  And, if you live in Boston, Denver, Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, New York City or Burlington, VT, you can attend a Crawl to Action event on Wednesday, November 18th. 

I've been asked to participate in the Crawl to Action here in Minneapolis.  It takes place at Southdale Mall in Edina from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, next Wednesday, November 18th.  There will be plenty of cool activities and free samples:

Soapbox Photo Op area where Mom and Dad can capture their little activist taking a stand. All children will receive a "Say No to Toxins!" rally flag.

A sign-making station where participants can make their voice heard on their own custom sign.

The Crawler Computer station where you can join the community on www.millionbabycrawl.com.

Entertainment by local family-themed musicians and performers.

Appearances by local dignitaries and celebrities showing support for the cause.

A Crawl to the Capitol children’s area.

Rallying in support of Toxic Substances Control Act reform.

A Season of Change mural where you can make your mark in support of the cause.

A t-shirt- and baby-t-making station.

Educational information about creating a healthy home.

Free Seventh Generation product and giveaways.  

Please participate in any way you can.  Let's make some noise and demand change to keep our babies safe!!

Get Rid of the 3 Most Toxic Cleaning Products in Your Home

I bet you've already heard the dirt on conventional cleaning products.  You know that most of them are either bad for your health in some way or they wreak havoc on the environment after they go down the drain.  Perhaps you like the idea of giving the cupboard under your kitchen or bathroom sink a green makeover....but you can't do it all at once.  Well you could, but I wouldn't recommend it.  Instead, get rid of the most toxic of the cleaning products in your home first, then slowly replace others as they run out.  Here are the 3 that I recommend doing away with pronto:

• Oven Cleaner - Conventional oven cleaning products contain lye, which is extremely corrosive and can burn skin on contact.  I've got a self-cleaning oven so I haven't had to worry about
  this myself but I've heard that Restore Grill & Oven Cleaner works well and there's always good old Bon Ami, a mineral-based scrub.  Or, make your own oven scrub using baking soda.  Just coat the bottom of your oven with baking soda and use a spray bottle of water to dampen it.  Leave it alone for awhile (I'd leave it overnight) and come back and scrub. 
• Drain Cleaner -  Chemical drain cleaners are probably the scariest cleaning product lurking in your home.  These caustic mixtures commonly contain lye, bleach or sulfuric acid and can cause damage to skin, lungs and eyes.  Instead of messing with chemicals, try an enzyme-based drain cleaner like Earth Enzymes from Earth Friendly Products or use the popular home remedy of vinegar and baking soda followed by hot water.  It really works!
• Toilet Bowl Cleaner - Most toilet bowl cleaners are highly acidic and can irritate lungs and burn eyes.  I've used Ecover and EcoStore toilet bowl cleaners with good results.  For maintenance and to treat stubborn stains, try Borax, a naturally occurring alkaline mineral that is a powerful disinfectant and deodorizer.  Toss 1/2 cup in your bowl, wait a half an hour,then scrub.

Note: don't just toss these products in the trash.  Bring them to your local hazardous waste disposal location because that's what they are....hazardous waste!

Homemade Tub & Tile Cleaning Remedies

When you spend good money redecorating a bathroom, you can get a little obsessive about keeping it clean. I know because I've been there.  We put new tile in the shower and reporcelained the bathtub in our bathroom this past year and I'm working like a maniac to make sure that mold and mildew don't take residence in there!  Here are a few of my green cleaning and maintenance tips:

 

For prevention:

• Make sure the shower area is well-ventilated - turn on the fan and open the windows and doors!
• Use a squeegee to take excess water off of the shower walls.
• Wipe down problem areas like corners and ledges with a dry cloth.
• Make your own all-purpose shower cleaning spray by mixing 2 cups water, 1/2 cup vinegar and 1 big squirt of liquid castile soap or eco-friendly dishwashing detergent.  You can also add about 20 drops of antiseptic essential oil like tea tree or grapefruit seed oil.  Both the vinegar and the essential oils work to prevent mold. 

For treatment:

• Spray mold with straight vinegar to kill spores.
• Mix up a paste of baking soda or borax (a naturally occurring mineral) and scrub with a toothbrush.  Use caution if you use borax - it can be harmful if ingested.   
• To bleach stubborn stains, mix 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide with 1/2 cup water in a spray bottle.  Spray stains and leave to dry.

So far I've kept the mold & mildew at bay.  Hope these tips work for you too!

(if you're looking for more homemade household cleaning recipes and other DIY ideas, check the Make It Green tab at the top of my site.)

Mindful Momma Giveaway: Simply Neutral Cleaning Products

 

If you're in the market for eco-friendly cleaning products, there are plenty to choose from.  And a lot of them are very good.  But I was excited to discover this relatively new brand, based right here in the great state of Minnesota, called Simply Neutral.  What sets this company apart from the competition is that they sell a waterless (i.e. concentrated) version of their products in order to reduce shipping weight - and hence the related creation of carbon dioxide emissions.

I met the owner, Maggie at the Living Green Expo this past spring.  Turns out she's a former house cleaner who kept having bad reactions to the products she used to clean people's homes.  She searched high and low for something that kicked butt on household grime but didn't make her skin break out...and she finally decided to create her own line of cleaning products.

I bought a few products to try out and I have to say, I am a total convert!  The products not only work well but they smell fabulous too!  The citrus/tea tree scent is just the right blend of essential oils to leave your room smelling great without being overpowering.  And the stainless steel cleaner works wonders on my fridge!  You can buy a premixed version if you want, but I love the concept of the waterless version - you buy the spray bottle with just about an inch of cleaning concentrate in it - then you go home and fill it up with water.  When you use it up, pick up a bottle of concentrate that makes 6 refills.  Works for me!  

Wanna try it for yourself?  Leave a comment on this post and you might win a waterless Value Pack that includes an all-purpose cleaner, a no-VOC glass cleaner and a non-abrasive cleansing scrub.  The contest will run through Tuesday, June 23rd.  (one comment per person please and you must have a U.S. shipping address.) 

If you don't win but would still like to try these great products, they are offering a BOGO (that's buy one, get one free!) promotion:  When you buy one all-purpose cleaner, you will get a no-VOC glass cleaner or stainless steel cleaner free.  Indicate which free product you would like in the "special instructions" box during checkout.  This special deal runs through Tuesday, June 30th. 

And if you live in the Twin Cities area look for Simply Neutral at:  Twin Cities Green, Linden Hills Natural Home, Eastside Food Coop, Fresh and Natural in Shoreview and Plymouth, Natural Built Home and Sunny Day Earth Solutions. 

The winner of a Simply Neutral Value Pack is Renee who is about to move and wants to start fresh with eco-friendly cleaning products in her new house!  Congrats Renee!!

Guest Post: National Heathy Schools Day

I've got a guest post today from Janelle over at Healthy Child Healthy World.  She's written about the importance of maintaining healthy air quality in our schools and reminds us that National Healthy Schools Day is next Monday, April 27th.  For me it begs the question - What little things can I do to make my son's school a healthier place?  Read on...Janelle has some good suggestions.

 

When my husband and I first toured schools to find the one we wanted to enroll our daughter in, I’m sure I was silently voted one of the strangest parents ever. Why do I feel I was secretly endowed with this title? Because every room and hallway we were taken through, I sniffed. A lot. And, according to my husband, I wasn’t terribly discreet.

I didn’t have a cold or postnasal drip. And, I’m not part bloodhound. I was simply concerned about the indoor air quality. My daughter was (and still is) prone to respiratory illnesses and I wanted to be sure the school she would be attending would support and protect her growing lungs (in addition to her brain). For many air quality issues, your nose knows, so I was using the easiest tool I had to gauge how healthy the environment was.

While air quality is a significant issue in schools (the EPA estimates that at least half of our nation’s 120,000 schools have problems), parents are also increasingly concerned about other school health issues like nutrition and the use of toxic pesticides. Many schools are making the switch to healthier and more sustainable practices like green cleaning, least toxic pest management, and even school gardening. What they’re finding is that greening their school improves the health and performance of students and personnel, saves money (from using less energy, buying fewer products, and having fewer worker injuries among other things), and also helps protect the planet. It’s truly win, win, win.

To highlight the issue, the Healthy Schools Network coordinates National Healthy Schools Day.  This year, over three dozen events will be held across the country (and more in Canada) on April 27th to promote and celebrate healthy school environments.

What can you do? Healthy Schools Network recommends simple activities such as:
• Adopting Guiding Principles of School Environmental Quality as a policy for your School;
• Distributing information related to Green Cleaning or Indoor Air Quality (IAQ);
• Writing a letter or visiting your Principal or Facility Director to ask about cleaning products or pest control products;
• Walking around your school: looking for water stains, cracks in outside walls, broken windows or steps, and overflowing dumpsters that are health & safety problems that need attention. Use this checklist.
• Writing a Letter to the Editor of your local paper on the importance of a healthy school to all children and personnel.

You can also help support the efforts of states trying to pass policies requiring schools to use safer cleaners. (Or, initiate your own effort!) There are good bills pending in Connecticut, Minnesota, California, Massachusetts, and Oregon. According to Claire Barnett, Executive Director of the Healthy Schools Network, the key pieces to promote on green cleaning in schools are:
• Not being fooled by ‘green washing’ claims—commercial products must be third-party certified as green (to verify claims);
• Understanding that green products are cost-neutral and they work; and,
• Learning that “Clean doesn’t have an odor.”

She encourages parents and personnel to tune into one of the archived webinars on green cleaning (like the first module for general audiences) at www.cleaningforhealthyschools.org.

The fact of the matter is that whether you’re concerned about the quality of food, cleaning chemicals, recycling, or energy use – schools need our help and support. Instead of complaining about what’s wrong, it’s time to help do what’s right – for our children, our schools, and our planet.

What are you going to do? There are so many ideas and resources. Find your passion and get active on April 27th – National Healthy Schools Day.

Additional Resources:

• Creating Healthy Environments for Children (DVD): A short video with easy tips for schools and a variety of handouts to download and print.
• Getting Your Child’s School to Clean Green: A blog I wrote last year with advice based on my experience working with schools.
• Healthy Community Toolkit: Healthy Child Healthy World’s tips and tools for being a successful community advocate and some of our favorite organizations working on improving child care and school environments and beyond. 
• The Everything Green Classroom Book: The ultimate guide to teaching and living green and healthy.

Mindful Momma Giveaway: ecostore Products

There's a new eco-friendly brand in town...and I think it's destined to be a big one!  ecostore is a New Zealand based brand that has been around over there for over 15 years but has only recently come to the U.S.  So far, ecostore products are available online and at Meijer stores in the Midwest.

The company mantra is "No Nasty Chemicals" and if you look at the product ingredient lists (which they provide, even though they are not required to) you can see that is true.  Made from natural ingredients like vegetable-based surfactants and mineral salts and scented with essential oils, these products really are gentle on your family and the environment.  I also appreciate the fact that the products are ultra-concentrated - so a little bit goes a LONG way.

Would you like to try some?  Just leave a comment on this post with the ecostore product (or products!) you would most like to try.  The winner will receive a bottle of laundry liquid, the pure oxygen whitener and a bar of soap.  I had the good fortune to sample all 3 of these products and I have to say, I'm hooked.  The laundry liquid smells fabulous with its eucalyptus oil scent, the oxy whitener is a great alternative to bleach and the bar soap???  I'm in love with the scent of the lemongrass soap!   The contest will run through midnight, central time Friday, April 3rd.  (one entry per person please and you must have a U.S. shipping address.)

I'm not one to order my cleaning supplies online so I'll be anxiously waiting for these products to show up at a local retailer. (The Wedge, Linden Hills Natural Home, Target....are you listening???)

The winner of the ecostore products is...Suzanne Chen who said " I am all about the laundry products... with sensitive skin, its important to stay as pure as possible but they actually need to work too..." 

(comments for this post are now closed)

Favorite Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products

I hate cleaning.  Let me just get that out of the way.

But since it has to be done...I decided to get some advice from the smart women I keep in touch with from the Green Moms Carnival and on Twitter.  I asked them "What's your favorite eco-friendly cleaning product."  Here's what they had to say:

Jenn from The Green Parent:  "I pretty much use vinegar and baking soda to clean the whole house.  But one product that I do like is Seventh Generation toilet bowl cleaner.  Its thick, so it gets into places that my vinegar and baking soda combo can't reach.  It does a sparkling job...and considering we have a potty trainer in the house, that's saying something!"

Mary from In Women We Trust:  "I’m a BIG user of ¼ cup of old fashion vinegar in every dishwashing load. It makes everything sparkle. I pour it into an upright glass on the top layer and somehow it splashes around and does it’s thing."

Beth from Fake Plastic Fish:  "Well, it WAS Vodka until I realized I was drinking more than cleaning with it.  Seriously, Vodka is a great disinfectant and doesn't smell like sauerkraut, or anything else really.  I also love to scour with baking soda and a Skoy cloth.  (Okay, I don't actually love to scour.)"   "I put the vinegar in the slot where the rinse agent is supposed to go.    And I use a combo of 1/2 baking soda and 1/2 borax as dishwasher soap." (that tip originally came from The Green Phone Booth)

Diane from Big Green Purse:  "My favorite store-bought product is Bon Ami. Cheap, in a recyclable cardboard container; contains no synthetic fragrances or toxic chemicals of any kind whatsoever, just pulverized calcite & feldspar minerals, and biodegradable detergent. No chlorine, or dye, either. Works great on the ring around the bath tuband in the toilet, too. Gentle enough for Corian countertops, hardworking enough for fingerprint grime build-up on the wall. It's my fave!

In place of paper towels, I use the kids' old t-shirts and sponges. I also like the new loofah cleaning sponges being sold at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Their rough surface is great for cleaning pots and pans without scratching."

Maryanne from Not Quite Crunchy Parent:  "I'm on the vinegar and lemon bandwagon for green cleaners though I use simple green and 7th generation too!

Michelle (Green Bean) from The Green Phone Booth:  "I too use vinegar and baking soda for the whole house with a little borax for toilet bowl cleaning.  I had great success with unclogging drains with baking soda, then boiling vinegar followed by boiling water once the fizzing stops or in five minutes."

Ruchira from Arduous Blog:  "I just use one bottle of Ecover for everything. It kinda sucks actually, but I think that has more to do with the fact that I don't use sponges, I use rags for everything." 

@treehgr: "my favorite green cleaner is seventh generation's tub and tile cleaner"

@SimpleStepsNRDC: "My fav cleaning product is Borax, it works in the laundry and in the bathroom.  And there's the Malvina Reynolds song!"

Well, I don't know about the Malvina Reynolds song but I do like borax for the toilet bowl....and I was pleased to see so many people are die-hard vinegar and baking soda fans!  My favorite store-bought all purpose cleaner is a Minnesota brand called Soul Tonic.  They're so small they don't even have a website but last time I checked it was available at the Linden Hills Co-op.  It doesn't exactly make me enjoy cleaning but the fabulous essential oil scent helps make my least favorite chore a bit more tolerable!

Do you have a favorite cleaning product?  Let me know and I'll add it to the list!

This is my post for the Green Mom's Carnival about spring cleaning, hosted this month by Jenn from Tiny Choices. 

Done with Dryer Sheets

I'm done with dryer sheets! After taking the very last piece out of the humongous double-boxed set that I bought from Costco over 2 years ago (!!), I vowed not to buy those nasty little buggers again. 

Only recently did I learn that most dryer sheets contain animal fat.  Animal fat?  I learned that juicy tidbit from the book Squeaky Green by the two guys behind the Method cleaning product company, Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry.  (I honestly never thought I'd buy a book about household cleaning, because it is frankly not something I have a lot of interest in but I took one look at this book and I just had to have it.  It's funny, smart and actually inspired me to want to clean!)

Eco-friendly dryer sheets do exist.  They are biodegradable and use vegetable-based softeners instead of animal fat.  Some use essential oil fragrances instead of synthetic.  I was kind of hemming and hawing about whether or not to go that route when I came across a product that I had never seen before:  The Static Eliminator - a reusable dryer sheet 'system'.  The box has the look of something you'd find on an infomercial so I was pretty wary at first, but I found it at my local co-op and I knew it wouldn't be there if the product wasn't any good.  So I swallowed the $14.95 price tag and took it home. 

I was a little surprised when I opened the package to find 2 big pieces of polyester fabric inside.  That was it.  Not much of a 'system' if you ask me.  I have no idea how these things work, but they do.   They are completely chemical free so it must be the fabric itself that is doing the trick. 

I like a little scent in my freshly laundered clothes, so I added a lavender dryer sachet from Trader Joe's.  It was just the ticket!  And I wondered whether I would miss the fabric softening action that I was getting from the Costco dryer sheets but so far I'm not. 

How about you?  Are there any other good dryer sheet alternatives out there?  Do you think that fabric softener is a good thing, or an invention by laundry product manufacturers to get us to buy more product?

Eco-Me 100% Natural Kits

Are you a DIY wanna-be, but just don't have the time in the day to figure it all out?  That's the way I feel much of the time.  In fact, I love to experiment with making homemade, natural body care and cleaning products - but find that taking the time to get together all the supplies can put the brakes on my great ideas. 

The people at Eco-Me must have had us in mind when they developed their 100% natural kits for home, body, baby and pets.  These nicely packaged kits contain all the accessories you need to make your own products - including the bottles, jars, mixing sticks and special essential oil blends!  You provide the basic ingredients like baking soda and vinegar - which you no doubt have in your house already.  I have not tried these myself but they sure look fun and I think they would make a great gift for a busy, do-it-yourself-type.

Take a look at the Eco-Me Home Kit.  With it, you can create your own chemical-free all-purpose spray, wood polish spray and scrub cleanser.  Bring your own oil,vinegar, water and baking soda and they provide the rest:

• 1 natural fiber storage bag
• 2 spray bottles for mixing spray cleaner and polish
• 1 jar for mixing scrub cleanser
• 1 natural bristle scrub brush
• 1 handy mixer
• 1 microfiber cleaning cloth
• 1 bottle Eco-Me Home Cleaning Essential Oil
• Easy to follow instructions show you how to mix ingredients right from your own kitchen

The great thing is, once you have all the supplies, the actual products are super cheap to make.  And 100% natural.  How cool!