Green Cleaning

Sure, now that going green is the popular thing to do, it seems every company is coming out with their own green alternatives. For example Clorox, Tide, Marcel have all released products that are supposed to be better for the planet. Not only that but everywhere you look new “green” companies are popping up with their own lines of cleaning products. Well here’s the good news. You don’t need any of these overpriced products. All you need to have a clean house is baking soda, borax, vinegar and lemon juice and you can clean just about anything in your home. Read for recipes on homemade cleaning solutions that will go easy on your pocketbook.

Recycling Clothes

Clothes made from organic cotton and recycled materials may sound better for the planet but making clothes, packaging clothes and shipping clothes takes energy – precious and non-renewable energy. Your best bet for green clothing is the same as your mother used to use, hand-me-downs. Or in this day and age, second-hand, thrift or consigned clothing. By buying used clothing you are recycling, reusing and reducing all at the same time. What could be better for the planet.

Saving Water

While this may only superficially apply to people who pay for their own water, saving water isn’t only about saving money. The world’s clean water supply is rapidly depleting. It’s likely that within our lifetimes getting clean drinking water is going to be a serious challenge. Obviously it is in every one’s best interest to conserve water. The biggest water-savers is to water your gardens or vegetable and flower patches with collected rainwater be sure to store the water in covered containers to avoid attracting mosquitoes. Learn more about saving water.

Green Gardening

You don’t have to drive yourself into bankruptcy buying all organic foods. Start a garden and grow your own vegetables and herbs and save the money for more important things. Container gardening is easy, inexpensive and doesn’t take up much space – in fact you don’t even need a yard. Anything you can grow in ground (in a smallish area, obviously no apple trees) you can grow in a large container. Be creative here, you don’t have to buy big planters any large container can by used once it is cleaned out. This is a good way to recycle large plastic containers. Another good green gardening tip is to make  and use your own compost instead of buying expensive organic fertilizer. Read about how to start your own compost pile. You can also use used coffee grounds to fertilize your plants. Again all the Rs are represented and our budget is still frugal friendly.

Pros:

1. Living green is better for our planet
2. Going green increases the chance that our children and grandchildren will have a clean and healthy world to live in
3. Once initial costs are paid, living green is extremely inexpensive.
4. Going green is a great lesson to teach your kids.
5. No more guilt over the eco-irresponsible things you know that you’re doing

Cons:

1. Going green takes more time and time is a rare commodity for busy moms.
2. Depending on how “green” you go materials and supplies may take up more precious space
3. Certain aspects, like buying organic food and products, can cost more than their less eco-friendly alternatives
4. When you do occasionally slip and throw away a soda can or forget your reusable shopping bags one grocery day, you run the risk of feeling guilty.

Okay, I’m really scraping the bottom of the going green cons list but that’s only because I can’t think of any really good reasons to not go green. If time, space of money are a concern, start small and build up over time. No one is saying you have to throw away all your food, clothing, cleaning and beauty products only to make more conscientious choices in the future. And if you make a slip up once in a while, remember that you’re not perfect and you’re making many good changes that are good for our planet. Fact is, nothing should stop you from doing your best for the world we live in.

To start your all natural skin care regime you need to eat a healthy diet with fruits, vegetables and whole grains as the staples and drink plenty of water. Avoid smoking, drinking excessively, caffeine, and more than one or two servings of red meat a week. These things, aside from not being good for your health will leave your skin looking dull, aged and possibly blotchy.

Every good facial routine consists of cleansing, toning and moisturizing. If you have oily or combination skin, use an oatmeal-based soap. You can make one or buy one in any retail store. For dry skin it’s better to use a milk-based or honey-based soap. Again you can make a homemade version or buy an all-natural alternative in a retail or drugstore.

Toning comes next. If you have normal to dry skin, use a mild cucumber juice applied with a cotton ball to your entire face. For oily skin, you may want to try Witch Hazel. It has always been good for my skin which runs on the very oily side.

Moisturizing should be done even if you have oily skin. Grapefruit juice works as an effective moisturizer on oily skin without promoting breakouts. For normal skin, you can use a small amount of warmed honey applied over a slightly damp face. Dry skin can be moisturized by applying a small bit of olive oil and covering with a hot moist cloth until cool. Rinse face with cool water.

As you can see, great skin doesn’t require $100 department store cream or laser surgery from the cosmetologist. Farm fresh skin is called that for a reason – it comes from the farm.

I purchased an organic face powder from Almay (Almay being one of the cosmetic brands my dermatilogist recommended and the one I usually purchase) My first reaction to the product was that it stunk. Smelled like sour mud – yuck. Still I tried it (and no other make-up) for a month or so. While I didn’t see a lessening in the frequency of my breakouts I did notice that my skin as a whole looked and felt better, cleaner and fresher. The coverage was good even if it did leave a bit of a shine. Still not a bad product – if you can get over the smell – for about fourteen bucks.

While talking to a dermatologist, I brought up the topic of cosmetics and he agreed that pricier didn’t necessary mean better, it often meant better quality. High end cosmetics, like the kind you find in department stores, use finer ingredients in the cosmetic formulas.

When talking about retail, lower-end makeup (like Wal-mart and Target) there are only a couple of brands that are supposed to be less harmful to your complection. Almay is one of those two and Physian’s Formula is the other. Still, neither of these compare to simply taking good care of your skin, cleansing it daily and eating a healthy diet.

And let’s face it…you’re probably prettier without it.

Every surface in the bathroom is suspect – the drain in the tub, shower head, base of the toilet and the shelves in the medicine cabinet. After all where is the first place you go when you’re sick? Straight to the bathroom to blow your nose, get an aspirin, grab some cold medicine, or heaven forbid, vomit. This can mean that even an immaculate bathroom can turn into a petri dish of disease in the duration of just one bad bug.

Luckily only a couple of supplies are needed to keep your  bathroom sparkling. Baking soda, borax, vinegar and a few drops of tea tree oil are all that is required to make cleaning solutions for your whole bathroom.

Borax is good for scrubbing tubs, sinks and toilets. You can also use borax on shower tiles by mixing it with water until it isn’t as abrasive.

Baking soda works well on floors, shelves, sink counters, vanities, and shower accessories. You can dissolve with water and use as a spray or you can use the  baking soda directly on the surface and rinse well with a wet sponge.

White distilled vinegar will work well on mirrors, chrome fixtures, glass shower doors and windows. Tea tree oil is a sweet smelling (it vaguely reminds me of eucalyptus) essential oil that was found to have antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. Just add three or four drops to each cleaning solution and you’ll boost your germ fighting power in an all-natural way.

A simple all-purpose green cleaner can be made from  baking soda dissolved in water. Add lemon juice, tea tree oil, or lime juice for a fresh scent and additional antibacterial properties (tea tree oil is also a natural fungicide)

White distilled vinegar makes a good window cleaning. Use diluted with water and wipe dry with a lint-free cloth for a streak free finish.

To clean your wood without all the toxic chemicals and overwhelming scents you can use olive oil combined with a couple of drops of tea tree oil and a small amount of lemon juice (food grade is fine). This mixture will replenish your wood’s natural rich look and won’t put too much of a dent in your purse. As a bonus, it’s all natural so it won’t hurt your furniture, your family or the planet.

Baking soda is an ideal all natural deodorizer. By using it directly on surfaces your whole kitchen will smell fresh and clean without any artificial scents overpowering the glorious scent of clean. The one thing you should know is that baking soda take a lot of effort and water to rinse off. Trust, though, it is worth the effort.

Although baking soda and vinegar neutralize each other, they make an effective drain cleaner and deodorizer. First pour a cup of baking soda down the drain. Follow with a cup of white distilled vinegar. You should see a great deal of foaming and fizzing. Let it sit for about thirty minutes and run hot water down the drain for a few minutes to clear the residue out.

1. No toxic chemicals for you and your family to breathe in.
2. Safe for use on children’s furniture and toys
3. Green beauty products smell oh so nice
4. Natural ingredients prevent breakouts and allergic reactions on skin
5. Most recipes for green products cost less to make than the regular products cost to buy
6. No artificial pine or lemon smell filling up your house
7. No worries about pets getting sick from licking the wrong surface
8. Natural antibacterial properties and disinfectant properties are less likely to cause negative reactions.
9. Using green soaps and shampoos make with all natural ingredients feels better than the creamy, greasy, smelly regular soaps and shampoos.

1. Plant a Tree – Make planting a tree more than just adding oxygen to the Earth. Dedicate the tree to the family and celebrate the growth of the tree along with the growth of your family
2. Clean up litter a favorite family hot-spot – Spend a day picking up litter at a park, beach or playground that your family spends a lot of time visiting. This way you’re not just doing a good thing, you’re giving back to a spot that has given you so much happiness.
3. Run a recycle drive for your neighborhood – Invite your neighbors to bring all their paper, plastic and metal recyclables to your house. Make an event of it – serve lemonade and cookies. If your area offers money for recyclable goods amount to giving the money made to a good cause.

So what are some ways to motivate tweens and teens to jump on the green bandwagon?

1. Rent the documentary ‘An Inconvenient Growth’ and watch it as a family. The beautiful imagery will hold their attention while the message will bring to light the seriousness of the environmental situation.
2. Involve your kids in deciding what some of the things you are going to do to live greener. Allow them to have plenty of input.
3. If your kids like building things look up plans for solar ovens, and compost bins. If they like cars, research cool looking eco-friendly vehicles. If they like gardening you can plant trees. Whatever their favorite activities are, try to find a green spin to them.

Some sites for Green Activities for Kids:

Kaboose

Green Daily

Burt’s Bees – These all natural products have been around since before being green was popular. Products include soaps, diaper rash cream, and lotions.

Desitin recently came out with a natural version of its diaper cream. It works about the same as the non-natural cream.

There is some debate over disposable diapers vs. cloth diapers. While they do have to be washed and will need to be changed more frequently to avoid skin irritation I still thing the pros drastically outweigh the cons. Disposable diapers just take up too much space in our landfills for too long. If possible try to find organic cotton diapers.

When shopping for baby clothes you should focus on getting all-natural fibers like organic cotton. Some sites that specialize in “green” baby clothes:

Kee-Ka - inexpensive clothes for baby, toddlers, and pets

Organic Baby Warehouse – A wide variety of organic products for baby

Pure and Little – A little pricey but the products are well worth the price. Also has a large variety.