I’m always on the lookout for new green products and last week I found another great addition to th our everyday green household. Scotch Brite have come up with an awesome product for any eco warrior which keeps cleaning dishes and kitchen counter-tops green and biodegradable. New Scotch Brite “greener clean” sponges are made from 100% natural materials including 23% recycled paper, they are certified as biodegradable to the ASTM D6400-04 standard and they work great!

Scotch Brite Scrub Pads

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We experienced a family crisis late last week, everything in our house started to break, our happy infrastructure was literally falling apart. First to quit on us was our fridge water dispenser, closely followed by the ice maker, then our clothes dryer decided to stop drying!

We easily managed without the ice maker and water dispenser but we quickly realized that the clothes dryer was a fairly critical piece of what makes our lives tick by so smoothly. Without our clothes dryer the pile of dirty clothes quickly reached new heights and a pile of already washed rugs started to stink up the laundry room with a rather nasty “sour” smell…

Our Old Washer and Dryer (In a Messy Laundry Room!)

But as the saying goes, for every cloud there is a silver lining, and our silver lining was the chance to upgrade our out-dated washer and now broken clothes dryer. We went to our local Lowes store and spent about an hour checking out the new features and ratings for the “high efficiency” front loading washer and dryers.

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As we strive to live a more balanced, natural lifestyle and still keep a clean and healthy home, I started using Green Works cleaners from Clorox last week. I did not want any harsh chemical fumes or residues but I did want something that would clean. I bought the Natural glass and surface cleaner. In the past, most green cleaners either weren’t very green or weren’t very effective cleaners, or both. Green Works is a plant-based  line of products. The products are 99 percent natural, sustainable, made from biodegradable ingredients and not tested on animals. I think this glass cleaner works as well as or better than conventional cleaners. I was impressed!

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Did you know it is possible to have a clean kitchen and a green kitchen? One of the things I dislike about cleaning the kitchen and the bathroom, for that matter, is all of the strong chemical, sometimes even toxic, commercial cleansers it takes to get the job done. So wipe your kitchen clean with these new, old ways to clean.

CLUB SODA:  Club Soda is a great cleaner for stainless steel sinks. Poor some on your clothe and wipe. Its that easy, the club soda will remove stains created by food and soap scum.
VINEGAR:  I keep a gallon bottle of white vinegar in my house, Vinegar is mildly acidic, so it works very well to clean grease, soap scum, mineral deposits, mildew and coffee stains.  Vinegar is great to clean your coffee pot. Use equal parts, water and vinegar, in proportion to the size of your coffee pot. Mine is 8 cups, so I poor 4 cups vinegar and 4 cups water in the water holder. Run the machine until it runs half the mixture through and turn it off. Let sit for 1 hour.  After an hour, turn it back on and let the rest run through. Rinse with fresh water. It removes the stains and that old coffee pot taste. Vinegar is also a great glass cleaner. Use with old newspaper to get that spotless clean on glass doors and windows.
TOOTHPASTE: This is a great cleaner for chrome, it removes rust and mineral build up. Use only plain toothpaste with no added whiteners or tarter control agents. Old toothbrushes with toothpaste on them work great when trying to get around shower heads and drains.
KETCHUP: Spread on the cooper portion of a pan. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes and wipe, the acid in the ketchup will clean the cooper.
LEMON JUICE:  Lemons have antibacterial qualities as well as a fresh and invigorating smell. They can be used to clean soap scum and hard water deposits and are also great to clean and shine copper and brass. Cut a lemon in half and sprinkle baking soda on the cut section. Use the lemon to scrub dishes, sinks and stains on counters. 1-cup olive oil with ½ cup lemon juice, makes a great furniture polish for your hardwood furniture.
Don’t forget to recycle your lemon peels and orange peels by putting them down your garbage disposal.  It freshens the drain much better than the very expensive gel tablets sold for the same purpose.
BAKING SODA: Baking soda can be used in place of abrasive cleansers such and Comet or Ajax. It also works as a great deodorizer and not just in the refrigerator and freezer; try a box in the bathroom and the closets!
After you clean the kitchen with these products not only do you have a clean and fresh smelling place to cook, you have plenty left over to make salad dressing  and lemonade!  You sure can’t do that with your standard store bought cleaners!

I have to admit, I’m addicted to my morning tea or coffee and have recently made sure that my habit does not include wasting paper cups etc. I use a thermal mug at the office and always use my favorite cup at home… But I miss the look of my Starbucks classic paper cup! Well not anymore, I found this nifty product simply called;

“I am not a paper cup!”

This crafty creation is a stealth mug! It looks exactly like the iconic paper coffee cup but is in fact a reusable ceramic mug. I’m sure Starbucks or any other purveyor of fine coffee would be happy to fill this up for you instead of wasting more paper products.

So what are you waiting for? Get your green going and save the planet one sip at a time!

I bought mine at Amazon.com, it cost about $19 and was well worth it! If you like the look of the “I’m not a paper cup” this is where I bought mine;

I am Not a Paper Cup Reusable Mug

Happy sipping (in a greener kinda way!)

My clean shower walls

Ok, I’m no Heloise, but I think I may be turning into a top notch greener cleaner!  A couple of weeks ago I blogged about the Method cleaner for wood floors (see archives for February). Well now I have to tell you about the Methods Best in Glass planet friendly glass cleaner. When I first used it on my glass shower walls, I was less than enthusiastic. I sprayed it on and used a clean towel to wipe it off. There were streaks galore, I sprayed again, used paper towels, still smudges, I was really disappointed, and I had to work extra hard to get the steaks off and it still looked a bit foggy. So this week, I purchased the Method microfiber cloth for windows and glass, and let me just say it made a 200% difference in the results and the amount of time spent. My shower walls look spectacular (see picture), and so does the glass on my back door, my mirrors, my front storm door… OK I may have gotten a little carried away, but it took so little time and effort and the glass looked great. Did I mention the great minty smell and the fact that it is non-toxic, ammonia-free, biodegradable, and the plastic bottle is made from other bottles and 100% recyclable! I am definitely sold on the Methods Best in Glass cleaner, and especially the Method window + glass microfiber cloth, as the dynamic duo. I bought both at Target for about $4.00 each. The Microfiber cloth can be washed and used over and over again, save a few trees, no more paper towels. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I almost enjoy cleaning my shower now!

Method Best in Class planet friendly glass cleaner

Method Wood For Good

OK, I have to say I absolutely love this stuff, it makes my wood floors look beautiful and makes the room smell like almonds.  It’s easy to use, just squirt it on the mop pad and go to it. As if that’s not enough, Method Wood For Good, is planet friendly, non-toxic, biodegradable and the bottle is 100% recycled, what a deal!