clean green: spring cleaning

many people i conversed with over the holidays told me their new years resolutions were to not only to lose 10 pounds, but also be greener in 08! fast forward 3 months...yeah!! the 5 pounds they gained between halloween + boxing day have been shed (5 more to go sweets). yeah!!! they bought a "green/eco-friendly" cleaning product! not so fast. sadly, they have admitted to reverting back to their old, favorite "clean" smelling cleaner because the house just didn't smell "clean" enough. i think they missed the oprah episode where the world learned that clean does NOT have a smell. listen, i understand how hard it is to lose 2 pounds let alone 10...so congrats on the 5. but if your resolution is to be greener in 08, trying one product 2 times + giving up is just like joining the gym, going for 3 days + giving up because you are not seeing results right away. if you don't like the texture, smell, results of one product, we have so many more to chose from!

so the good news is...you still have plenty of time to lose 5 more pounds + be greener in 08! whether you have been thinking about going green or have already started the process, but can't find the right products to suit your needs - (hopefully) this list below can come as a handy guide to starting your spring cleaning out right. all of the products mentioned have links to the company websites for more information. i also purchased all of these products (except for shaklee) in the napa valley. sunshine foods, whole foods, trader joe's, vallergas + even target have a wide variety of products. try the ones listed below or something new + let me know what you think.

i would love to hear from you, so please feel free to comment or email me with more suggestions/feedback!!


DISHES

• SEVENTH GENERATION natural dish liquid...lavender floral + mint - my favorite dish soap by far! gets dishes super clean + smells heavenly

LAUNDRY

• ECOS all natural laundry detergent - after going through several brands of laundry detergent, i have found that this one works the best for me! i love the lavender scent...made with certified organic essential oil.
• PLANET delicate laundry wash - this is perfect for hand washing fragile garments.
• SEVENTH GENERATION chlorine free bleach - non-toxic. hypo-allergenic. degradable. according to the company, if every household in the US replaced just one bottle of 64 oz. chlorine bleach with chlorine free bleach, we could prevent 11.6 million pounds of chlorine from entering our environment.
• SHAKLEE get clean fragrance free dryer sheets - what i love most about these is that they are biodegradable + can be recycled!

MULTIPURPOSE

• SHAKLEE get clean basic H2 all purpose cleaner - this is a super product! cleans the kitchen, bathroom, pots + pans, windows + mirrors, floors, laundry and more!
• 20 MULE TEAM® BORAX natural laundry booster + multipurpose household cleaner - borax is a naturally occurring mineral composed of sodium, boron, oxygen + water. 20 Mule Team® Borax is not harmful to washing machines, plumbing or septic tanks + does not contain phosphates or chlorine.

FLOORING

• BONA® hardwood floor cleaner - my all time favorite wood floor cleaner. nothing compares! waterborne, non-toxic + environmentally responsible cleaner that will not dull your floor's finish or leave an oily residue.

WOOD

• METHOD wood for good furniture polish- great alternative to pldg. i use this with the method microfiber cleaning cloth instead of paper towels. works magic + smells yummy.

TOILET

• BIOKLEEN soy toilet scrub - for obvious reasons, i am not a fan of toilet cleaning, but it must be done...so this is the best product i have found so far. smells minty fresh!!!

SURFACE SCRUB

• BON AMI polishing cleanser - works great! earth friendly, biodegradable + does not scratch. use on sinks, tubs, cookware, tile, painted wood, and other hard surfaces around the house. packing contains over 75% recycled material too.
• ECOVER cream scrub - ecover is an amazing company. their progressive environmental policy is not only demonstrated by the amazing products they produce/sell, it is also an integral part of the company’s business operations.

CLEANING TOOLS

i switched from old school paper towels to 100% recycled unbleached paper towels a couple years back. admittedly between the 100% recycled toilet paper + paper towels those were the two hardest things for me to change in my efforts to go greener. however, i got used to it + actually just this past week used my last roll + am now switching over to cloth towels/microfiber towels in place of paper towels (not toilet paper!).

• SEVENTH GENERATION 100% recycled paper towels (unbleached) - i love these paper towels...but of course, they seem to be the most expensive available. Trader Joe's also has a good line for almost half the price +bonus, they have hearts embossed on the sheets.
• CASABELLA - they have a wide range of wonderful microfiber cleaning cloths + dusters + mittens. they also donate 10% of every sale to help stop domestic violence!

spring is springing!

i love spring! actually i love the beginning of every season, but especially love spring. after months of clouds, rain + eating wholesome, rich + fattening winter stews, i am overjoyed with just the thought of being out in my garden! + i can just taste those fresh, sun warmed heirloom tomatoes! however, last weekend was a bit bitter sweet - as it always is the first weekend i spend clearing + cleaning up my yard. happy to be outside in the warm sun, but saddened because i know what is a head of me - dead, soggy, messy + bug infested debris...not to mention the over abundance of weeds + clovers that have been living large all winter long (if only my roses were as hardy as these weeds)!! with that said, i got down to work without much complaint because, after all, it was a beautiful day in the valley.

this year i was blessed with finding baby salamanders, lizards, too many bugs to count + actually saved a bird from the tummy of my naughty cat uday (yes, her sister is qusay and they earned those names).

so after two days of hard labor i was ready to start planting. off to van windens i went...they always have the most selective variety of plants + supplies. i especially appreciate their efforts to educate their clients on eco friendly alternative fertilizers +pest/disease/weed control. their staff is friendly, knowledgeable + patient. year after i year i tend to let my excitement get the better of me + have a tendency to purchase everything + anything that tickles my fancy. ultimately, leaving me looking dazed + confused in my front lawn - mapping and re-mapping the placement of each new plant - forgetting any rules of symmetry (sorry mom), giving up half way through + sadly killing several of the plants that did not get blessed with finding a home. this craziness has been my way into the world of gardening that started 7 years ago (a year after i purchased this house + killed everything in the garden - yes, water is key). but this year i was better - perhaps it has to do with the massive budget i am on - or perhaps it has to do with the efforts i am making to not be so wasteful. either way, each and every plant found a home and the garden looks like SPRING!