Build your own natural cleaning kit!

Here are three checklists of everyday, inexpensive products and tools that can help you to clean your home naturally. You probably already have many of these things in your pantry, but weeding these supplies out and setting aside a specific stash "for cleaning only" may help you feel better prepared should a whim or necessity to clean abruptly strike. Consider storing them together in an easy to carry bucket, storage bin, basket, or oversized market tote if you need to bring supplies from floor-to-floor.

Bare Necessities: Don't even think of cleaning without these.

• Broom & Dustpan
• Measuring Cup
• Measuring Spoons
• Bucket
• Baking Soda
• White Vinegar
• Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds
• Nice Cloths: Something with good scrubby loops. Terry cloth is great, so old towels or wash cloths will do. Or you can take it to the next level with a variety of microfiber cloths-- dusting, glass, stove top, general purpose-- like those from E-cloth
• Ratty, but clean, Cloths: Soft, faded old t-shirts or socks.
• Cheap Vodka: 80 proof/ 40% alcohol. Get whatever your local hobo likes.
• Instructions/ Non-toxic Cleaning Solution Recipes: See below for links.

The Life (and Time) Savers: Make cleaning short, sweet, and powerful with these additional things.

• Microfiber Mop: The saleswoman at Green Depot says E-Cloth's is her favorite. It cleans with just water!
• Club Soda
• Old Toothbrush 
• Borax Laundry Booster (at your own risk)
• Washing Soda (Can't find it in the store? Make your own!)
• Dish liquid detergent (handwashing)
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Rubbing alcohol
• Spray bottles tightly closing jars, and permanent marker: Mix up extra homemade cleaners, label the jar/ sprayer, and save for later.

Gravy: At some point, one or all of these things will come in handy. But if your budget is tight, you can totally do without these.

• Essential Oils and Dropper: Add your favorite aromatherapy scent or extra disinfecting power.
• Lemon
• Table Salt
• Scouring Pad
• Scrubber
• Cheap-o Vegetable Oil
• Seventh Generation Naturally Disinfecting Wipes
• Rubber Gloves (Always wear when cleaning with washing soda or borax, as both can irritate skin.)

Recipes
I found tons of recipes for non-toxic D.I.Y. cleaning products all over the internet and far my favorite article is Real Simple's 66 All-Natural Cleaning Solutions. It is pared down and organized in a really fantastic, approachable way and it includes measurements, which is super helpful. Care2 has a similar article called How to Make a Non-Toxic Cleaning Kit. Here's an article with tips on incorporating essential oils into your cleaning ritual, and here is another that features a list of herbs organized by properties (eg. antiviral, antibacteral).

The BEST resource is Green Housekeeping by Ellen Sandbeck. If it wasn't so thick, it'd sleep with it under my pillow. It's the most thorough and down-to-earth book I've read about not only non-toxic cleaning, but also about living an organic lifestyle.

In the end, you'll find pretty much all of the tried and true non-toxic solutions are similar. So as long as something doesn't sound too weird it should work. I recommend trying out a few recipes/techniques on different parts of the same surface and see what works best if you're truly curious.

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning.   

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Creating an attic in your kitchen

My last two apartments have had minimal closets, but both have great space over our kitchen cabinets. This space inspired the idea of a very urban "kitchen attic".

I bought five inexpensive clear plastic boxes with lids, then covered each with contact paper (to hide the mess) and an image of a cute rescued animal from an old PETA calendar. I then filled the boxes with items I use less often than once a week. I grouped items in the boxes according to purpose (eg. party supplies, holiday decorations). I also made sure to record each item under an index card with the name of the animal on the box. I keep the index cards banded together in the stationary drawer in my kitchen.

Tips: If you do this, be sure to measure the height, depth, and length of space you have. Bring tape measure to the store to assist you when choosing the right size and number of containers. Also, when filling the containers, consider how much weight you can safely lift and hold.

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning.   

 

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Review: Seventh Generation Disinfecting Wipes

With Cold and Flu Season fast approaching, you may find yourself looking for something that kills viruses. If you're trying to avoid killing yourself along with the germs, then Clorox, Lysol, and other harmful chlorine bleach-based disinfectants are out of the picture. What botanical alternatives exists?

Seventh Generation has partnered with CleanWell to develop a somewhat new line of disinfecting products. The active ingredient in these wipes is Thymol, which is a traditional antimicrobial found in the essential oil of thyme. According to their research, it kills 99.99% of germs, like the Influenza A Virus (inc. H1N1), Salmonella enterica, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Because my boyfriend loves to clean with wipes, I picked up a package of the Disinfecting Wipes. I don't have any lab equipment so I have to take Seventh Generation's word that it kills viruses. The cleaning was indeed quick and easy and the lemongrass and thyme scent was fantastic too. Still, I felt like using a cloth once before tossing it out is living a little too high on the hog for me. The guilt factor was worsened when I read the cloth is made of cotton and rayon, so I can't flush it or expect it to bio-degrade either. Well, that was true until I got to the toilet and realized I wouldn't have to think about cleaning a sponge well enough to use again. I do wish the wipe were a bit bigger. It felt small in my hand and measly against the toilet. It took three wipes to clean the whole thing.

Having said all that, I am looking forward to having my boyfriend use this easy and effective cleaning tool, so I will make sure we always have a bottle in the house. I might also pick up the Bathroom or Multi-Surface Cleaner so I can just apply directly to a big ol' re-useable cleaning rag. That or maybe I'll try to find out more about this thyme oil on my own. Hmmm....

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning.   

 

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My Kitchen Utensils Find Order and Beauty

My boyfriend jokes that our kitchen drawer was like the "NO" picture in some infomercial advertising a better way to store your cooking utensils. We had two "organizers", but they were big and had amorphous shapes that did nothing to inspire us to relegate certain utensils to specific spots. Instead, everything was sort of swimming about haphazardly. As a result, we had to dig through the entire drawer to find the measuring spoon, vegetable peeler, or any tool we desired. Another annoying thing is, more often than not, it was a hassle to get the drawer to open or close.

This isn't really working.

Determined to correct this, I set out to find something huge to toss all my larger utensils in. At Fishs Eddy, I found this really cute Brooklyn Crock. Fortunately, an exceptionally helpful salesperson intercepted when I told her what I would be using the crock for. She suggested I use wide mouthed Ball jars of various sizes. This would help me better organize the utensils by size and possibly even by color and material (steel, black plastic, wood). I was so grateful for her help because 3 jars were a faction of the price of the crock and seemed to be the perfect way to avoid bringing the chaos that existed in the drawer up to my counter.

I ended up needing only two of the jars (pint and quart sized) because I had so many other suitable containers at home: A large vintage green glass vase and a smaller vintage purple vase (both from Salvation Army), three adorable Moroccan themed glasses from a dollar store in Queens, and two cup sized Ball jars. All this stuff has been just hanging around my various apartments for years awaiting their destiny beyond holding the occasional flower or breakfast juice. I now feel like I could stare at my counter forever. Everything on it is beautiful and orderly. It feels almost just as good to open my utensil drawer and look my knives and backup cutlery who, if they could speak, would surely say how happy they are to have some breathing room.

Yes!

I can find everything!

I can't clean or organize without it being a party so I let Pandora play DJ. I heard Erykah Badu's The Healer for the first time. She is so fantastic! Watch this video to hear the song performed live, and to see her fantastic afro! I need to find that wig!!!!!

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning.   

 

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Dish Cloths vs Sponges

 When I was growing up my mother always had a dish cloth hanging from faucet to dry. The image of this cloth hangs heavy in my memory. I remember feeling kind of ashamed about the fact that we used dish cloths instead of sponges like the people on television. Of course, I assumed she used cloths just because we were poor, and not as a matter of preference. But lately, I've noticed dish cloths are gaining popularity. This makes me wonder, which are better: Dish cloths or Sponges?

The Battle Against Harmful Bacteria
There are lots of harmful bacteria in our kitchens (especially in homes where meat is prepared), so both cloths and sponges require mindfulness. Killing germs on a dish cloth is as simple as washing and drying on high heat just once a week. You can basically throw it into your weekly laundry. It's also a good idea to microwave it, while moist, on high for a minute after each use. Be sure to hang it from a rack and let it dry out between use.

The moist, micro-crevices that make a sponges such an effective cleaning device also make them a cozy home for germs and more difficult to disinfect. Keeping a sponge that is used for cleaning pots and dishes fresh, requires microwaving AND being put in a dishwasher with a dry cycle after each use. Don't forget to let it air dry. The easiest, and cheapest, way to do this is to place it on the dish rack. You can also spring a couple of bucks and buy a sponge caddy; just make sure it has air holes and can drain.

Re-usablilty & Eco-friendliness
A dish cloth can stay in great shape for at least a year. Once you've worn it ragged and you're ready to say goodbye, you can drop it off at your local Greenmarket for textile recycling. I like Full Circle dish cloths because not only are they adorably colorful, they are also made of organic cotton, which makes their origin just as graceful as their departure.

The lifespan of a sponge depends on the sponge. My favorite sponges are made by Twist. They seem to hold up FOREVER. (Though I am personally weary to keep a kitchen sponge around for more than two weeks, I've been known to use them on my bathtub for months.) Another nice thing about Twist sponges is the sponges and their packaging are made entirely of biodegradeable materials, even the scrubby ones, which are made with natural loofah. (I should note that I am not sure if this means you can compost them. Does anyone out there know?)

Seems like there is no way around how dirty both these things can be, but the good news is both are fairly eco-friendly.  Try both yourself and let me know what you prefer by responding to the poll and leaving a comment.

Want more fun? Read vintage dish washing tips at Behind the Curtain!

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning.   

 

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