I am addicted to soaps and cleaning products with potent, natural fragrances. Really. Not addicted in the “I’ll sniff it to get high” sense, but I love a lasting fragrance when I take a shower or clean the bathroom. It may be illogical, but the fragrances make me feel “cleaner.”

And since we banished toxic cleaning and personal care products, I’ve realized that my nose has become extremely sensitive to chemical smells and artificial fragrances. Case in point: My husband bought a bottle of bleach sometime last year in an attempt to battle mold in our old apartment. When he opened it, I was three rooms away and had no idea there was bleach in the house. Yet, I smelled it and immediately got a headache. I ran to him screaming my head off about the bleach while he stood there confused about how I possibly could have known he was using it. To put it mildly, chemical smells are not welcome in my house.

Given the choice, I absolutely prefer scents created by Mother Nature herself. Not by a scientist in a lab coat. This also applies to perfumes and other fragrances for personal use. I’m more likely to rub a tiny bit of frankincense or orange essential oil on my wrists than I am to buy scented oils or “Eau de Toilette” at the mall.

By far, though, my favorite scents from nature are lavender and peppermint. They may be cliche, but I use them in everything and can’t get enough. I even mix them together when making homemade bath salts and carpet powder. The combination is intoxicating! I’d like to think that when my daughter is all grown up, these smells will bring back happy memories of her childhood. The smell of lemongrass and thyme absolutely do that for me. One sniff, and all of a sudden I’m back in the Virgin Islands.

They make me think of mornings drinking breakfast tea with my aunt and grandmother, and days when my mother would send me outside to pick some thyme leaves to add to her arroz con pollo, Puerto Rican-style chicken and rice. And the smell of ripe soursop never fails to make me misty-eyed at thoughts of my granddaddy, who once “forced” to me to drink a glass of milk. I hated milk. Still do. As it turns out, the “milk” was really soursop juice, so all my moping and complaining about having to drink it was for nothing. He thought it was hilarious.

Seventh Generation understands that Mother Nature knows best when it comes to fragrances. Their collection of dish liquids is a testament to that. You’ll find options like fresh citrus and ginger, lavender ( ), and lemongrass and clementine zest. In celebration of the fields from which their fragrances are derived and the hands that cultivated them, they are having the Nature Makes Great Scents Sweepstakes. You can enter to win a trip for two to either France, Italy or Vermont — the regions where lemons, clementines and lavender grow.

What natural fragrances do you love? Do they remind you of your childhood? A loved one? Have you ever seen the inside of a soursop? lol

Photos: Stock Xchng and Davity Dave

Disclosure: I was compensated for writing this post while participating in the SocialMoms and Seventh Generation blogging program. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

Lately, I’ve been a bit of slacker when it comes to the personal care and household products I’ve been using. I haven’t completely fallen off the bandwagon, but sometimes I really don’t want to spend $15 for a small bottle of laundry detergent. So I’ll go for the $4 Purex Naturals which isn’t horrible, but has ingredients I can’t really verify. Or I’ll grab Clorox Greenworks instead of Mrs. Meyers because the latter is hard to find in person.

Case in point: Rewind to last August. I remember my excitement at learning that Walmart would finally carry Seventh Generation products. Then reel back that excitement once I realized that Seventh Gen never made it to the shelves of my local store. Still haven’t, actually. And while I CAN find it elsewhere, I knew with everything in me that the prices at Walmart would be better. Like I said, $15 for a small bottle of Seventh Gen laundry detergent is not a good look for me. And I’m not into ordering cleaning/household products online when I can help it.

So when the Walmart Moms were approached to try Walmart‘s new offering, Home Free Shipping, I jumped at the chance to see what the Seventh Gen prices were like online. I was not disappointed.

But first, a little about Home Free. This new service offers free shipping to your house on all orders of apparel and consumables over $45. Thousands of items are eligible for shipping via Home Free, including beauty products, diapers, clothing, household cleaning products, snacks, personal care products, vitamins, pet food and more. There’s also an option to sort items by those that are available for Home Free, so you won’t inadvertently put something in your cart that won’t qualify for free shipping.

Given this opportunity, I figured why not check out the green household product selection. Tons of products were available, and I opted to buy the one thing we constantly run out of: Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent. I grabbed a 150 oz. bottle for just $19.99, a big step from $15 for a much smaller bottle of the same detergent. And as shown above (click the image to view it full size), you can also see on the product page whether it is eligible for Home Free. But the threshold to receive free shipping is $45. So I added a bottle of Yes To Carrots conditioner (which I really needed) and two cute shirts (that I just wanted) to my shopping cart and called it a day.

Within 4 days, I had my order, though it came in 2 separate deliveries. They also included a free lip balm from Yes To Carrots, which was a sweet little surprise. Next time I need some Seventh Gen  or YTC products, I’ll know where to shop, and I can’t wait until Walmart extends this program to all their other products as well!

Disclosure: I am a member of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation for sharing my their new Home Free shipping program with you. Participation is voluntary and as usual, all opinions are my own.

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

So remember that nifty little Dyson DC35 vacuum I received a while back? You may have noticed that I never wrote my final post about how it’s been to use it. That’s with good reason. It died on me. I charged the thing for a full 2 days and tried to turn it on. Nothing happened. So I let it charge for a few more days. Same problem. I notified Walmart and Dyson that the machine had stopped working, and they were happy to provide me with a new one. More than that, they asked me to ship the first machine back to them so they could figure out what went wrong. So this post is a long time coming because I had to wait for the new vacuum to arrive.

In spite of this mishap, I’m still a fan of the DC35. Dyson was very responsive in getting me a new one, and I’ve been using it regularly. In fact, Dyson challenged us to see how many tasks we could come up with for using the vacuum, and I’ve discovered quite a few:

• Clean the seats of our dining chairs
• Clean between the cushions on our sectional. They are attached, so stuff always gets trapped there with no easy way to get it out.
• Clean the windowsills and miniblinds throughout the apartment.
• Vacuum the floor in front of the main door to the apartment, which is a solid surface rather than carpet.
• Vaccuum cobwebs from corners.

But by far my favorite task that the DC35 has allowed me to do that no other vacuum I’ve owned has been able to do is cleaning out the car. I hate going to the car wash just to use their industrial-sized vacuums. For $1 or more in quarters, you get a few short minutes to clean the entire interior of your car. It’s often not enough time to do a thorough job. We have a 14-year-old car and a 5-year-old child, so the back seat always has crumbs and miscellaneous stuff that gets behind her booster seat and all over the back seat. The DC35 is wonderfully portable, and I was easily able to switch attachments depending on the job at hand. I used the long end attachment to get between the seats, the brush attachments for the seats themselves, and the floor attachment for the floors of the car. And because I have 15 minutes of battery power, I was able to take my time and do a thorough job to make sure the car is fully clean. I could never do that with my full-size vacuum.

Over the past few weeks of using the DC35, I’ve been thoroughly impressed by its versatility and how quickly it recharges after use. I didn’t plan to use it so much, but it’s already replaced my full size machine, and I see no reason to use that behemoth unless my husband and I are cleaning at the same time. I never imagined I could use it to clean my whole house, but I have done that and more. I’m officially a cordless convert.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart and Dyson have provided me with a Dyson DC35 Digital Slim vacuum to review and compensation for my time. Participation is voluntary and as usual, all opinions are my own.

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

Before I say anything else, let me just say that I hate to vacuum. As in unequivocally, without a doubt, hate with a capital H. Unfortunately, it’s a necessarily evil because my apartment has carpet in every room except the kitchen and bathrooms. The result of my vacuum hate is that I’ll procrastinate. So though we take our shoes off at the front door 90% of the time to minimize dust, dirt and germs being trekked through the house, carpet is carpet, and there’s no avoiding some accumulation.

The idea of pulling out our hulking vacuum every other day is not appealing. In fact, it conjures black and white images of those infomercials where you see a tired, frazzled housewife tugging around a hefty vacuum that makes her want to pull her hair out, with foreboding music in the background. Then in the next scene, you see the same woman, smiling and happy, using a much lighter handheld machine with birds chirping and upbeat music playing in the background.

That’s a ridiculous comparison, I know. But for me, the Dyson DC35 is the “happy” vacuum. Seriously, it makes a chore I hate much easier. I can’t say I look forward to it, but at least now I know it will be over pretty quickly.

We have owned another cordless vacuum. At the time, that one seemed great. But after using it for a while, a couple of problems became apparent:

• Suction was decent, but when we turned it off and put it back on its charger, dust and other stuff the vacuum had picked up would be deposited into the charging cradle because of low suction.
• And speaking of suction, it would lose power after a few short minutes of use. So while it still turned on, the power clearly waned, and it wasn’t nearly as effective for the last few minutes.

The DC35 apparently has fixed that. You get full power, and full suction, for 15 minutes of use  — 6 if you use it on “max” power for tougher jobs. During those 15 minutes, suction is constant. And because the charging cradle attaches to the handle area of the machine, there’s no worry about picking up the vacuum, only to find dirt from yesterdays cleanup on the charger. And did I mention it’s Energy Star qualified?

The biggest downside? You have to hold down the power button while you’re using the machine. On most vacuums, you can simply switch power on and off. In this case, you have to keep your finger on the button or the vacuum shuts off. An annoying feature, definitely, but something I can learn to live with based on its other benefits.

I relish in the fact that this lightweight machine can tackle big jobs like vacuuming under the dining table to small jobs like cleaning crumbs off the sofa. It’s incredibly easy to switch attachments, so I can go from a long vacuum that can tackle the entire floor, switch to a smaller nozzle too clean up my window sills and small cobwebs in corners, then remove the long nozzle altogether and use the upholstery attachment to clean my dining chairs. Overall, I’m incredibly impressed!

Next week, I’ll share with you some of the jobs I was able to tackle with ease because of this machine. In the meantime, check out this video from Dyson sharing what goes into engineering and testing the DC35:

Disclosure: I am a member of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart and Dyson have provided me with a Dyson DC35 Digital Slim vacuum to review and compensation for my time. Participation is voluntary and as usual, all opinions are my own.

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

As a family, we’ve been doing our best to cut back on clutter. That doesn’t always work out as well as I’d like. So spring is here, and it’s time for us to get in gear and get our home in order. For the most part, that means getting rid of things we no longer want or need, but it also means a thorough deep cleaning of the house. In the process, we’ve started using two DIY items that I thought I’d share with you.

Carpet Freshener

Years ago, my husband and I would stock up on boxes of Arm & Hammer carpet powder. We loved sprinkling it throughout the house about an hour before we vacuumed, because the fragrance would last all day. It really made the house feel clean, but we have no idea what ingredients are used to create those fragrances. Recently, my husband decided to try making his own.

The formula is simple: Baking soda mixed with a few drops of essential oil in the fragrance(s) of your choice.

My husband chose to mix a little orange and peppermint oil. He used an old seasoning container to sprinkle it throughout the house. I couldn’t believe how great it smelled — though we’ve made bath salts before, so I’m not sure why I was so surprised. Like the store-bought powder, the aroma lasted all day. But unlike store-bought powder, we knew exactly what was in it. If you’re looking for essential oils, you can pick them up at Whole Foods, health food stores, or online at Amazon. (aff)

Reusable Dryer Sheets

I absolutely hate taking clothes out of the dryer. Not because I’m lazy, but because I hate being shocked repeatedly. But I’m also not a fan of traditional dryer sheets that contain potential toxins. So we usually leave out the dryer sheets altogether and just bear the shocks. Dryer balls help a little, but not enough to ward off all the static.

A little while back, I found a simple tutorial for homemade dryer sheets from Northern Cheapskate. She also has a recipe for a fabric softening spray if you don’t want to make the sheets.

Again, the process is simple:

1. Cut absorbent scrap fabric into squares in the size(s) of your choosing. I used some organic cotton I had leftover, but you could use old towels or t-shirts. Pinking shears are ideal to make the edges less susceptible to fraying. But if you’re like me, you can just cut them with regular scissors.

2. Place your fabric squares in a container with a lid. I used an old baby wipes container that I’ve had since my daughter was an infant.

3. Mix 2 parts water to one part liquid fabric softener. For example, if you use 1 cup of softener, you’d use 2 cups of water. Pour a generous amount of your mixture over the fabric squares and close the container. Allow the fabric to absorb it for at least an hour before you use them.

4. Put one fabric sheet in the dryer per load of wet clothes (though I used 2 for my towels). When your load is dry, just put it aside for your next batch of dryer sheets. And if the remaining sheets in the container dry out, you can simply add a little water.

Not only did this work well for me — it worked BETTER than traditional dryer sheets or even dryer balls. My towels (normally the biggest sources of static) were soft and fluffy, and I didn’t get shocked once! I also noticed that my daughter’s blankets came out much softer than usual.  Given the fact that I had very little fabric softener on hand, this method allowed me to stretch the bottle a lot further than it would have gone had I poured it directly into the washing machine.

I’d say that makes for a win-win.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation to share a DIY spring cleaning tip with you. I purchased the baking soda used in the recipe at Walmart. Participation is voluntary and as usual, all opinions are my own.

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© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

Pure Citizen is one of those sites that you just can’t help but love. It is a “Deal a Day” site in the spirit of Groupon, Gilt Groupe and others, but with one important distinction: Pure Citizen offers only eco-friendly products. The sales generally last 24 hours, except on weekends or for special events, and the discounts are notable.

Today, Pure Citizen is having their first home sale, with a variety of housewares and products, including:

• Soy candles by Dirt Candles for 40% off
• Fair Trade pillows, coasters and wooden sculptures for up to 50% off
• Recycled glass votive candle holders and vases for up to 50% off
• Beautiful recycled glass tableware by Shiraleah for up to 40% off
• Bamboo eating utensils and stainless steel containers by T0-Go Ware
• Cleaning products from Better Life (some of my favorites! Remember this review?)

The site is worth checking out, if only out of curiosity. Even if you don’t need any of these products today, there are new sales every day, and you can always rest assured that the products available have been vetted for their sustainability. Plus, in this gift-giving season, this is a great way to save money on eco-friendly gifts.

Why It’s Green:

• Pure Citizen vets all their products as being eco-friendly in some way. You’ll find Fair Trade products, products made of recycled or otherwise eco-friendly materials, handmade items, and more!

Price: Discounts for this sale are up to 50% off (but sometimes, you’ll get up to 90% off!) (aff) Remember, the sale ends at midnight Dec. 1!

NOTE: If you’re not yet a member of Pure Citizen, you must sign up to take advantage of these deals. Signing up is free.

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

It always surprises new visitors to my home to learn that we never buy paper towels. I guess it’s just habit for most people to ask for them after washing their hands, but it’s literally been years since my husband or I have bought a roll. This didn’t happen overnight. Eliminating paper towels and napkins was definitely a process, but it was a necessary step toward reducing the amount of waste in our kitchen.

Our goal is eventually to have no waste at all leaving the kitchen, which tends to be the room where most of our household trash is produced.

Paper products

Getting rid of paper towels was a logical step, and here are some simple tips to help you do the same.

• Once you’ve made the decision to ditch paper, build up a stockpile of cloth towels, rags and napkins.
• Don’t feel the need to buy special kitchen towels, since you’ll be using them to clean up messes and do all the things you used to do with paper towels.
• Have some full-sized towels that are on their last leg? Use pinking shears to cut them up into kitchen-sized towels. One bath towel can typically make 4-6 kitchen towels. More, if you cut it into smaller rags.
• Any piece of fabric you have laying around could be a cloth napkin. Literally.
• Put the cloth towels and rags where they are accessible so you won’t be tempted to reach for paper. Our favorite kitchen location is inside a small basket on the kitchen counter. In the bathroom, I tie a ribbon around towels and rags in the corner of the counter to make them easy to find.

Getting rid of paper towels and napkins really isn’t as hard as it seems. Once you’ve done it for a few weeks, it’ll become second nature.

Food packaging

We still have a long way to go to eliminate kitchen waste, though. Food packaging is a major source of trash, and it drives me crazy.

When grocery shopping, we consciously try to buy only foods that are packaged in recyclable containers — preferably ones also made of recycled materials as well. We also do our best to avoid plastics — even the ones that are recyclable in our community. At the end of the day, metal and glass can be recycled infinitely, but plastic will eventually reach a stage where it can no longer be recycled. Then what?  A lifetime in the landfill.

Still though, we’d find ourselves buying food packaged in recycled paperboard, only to find a non-recyclable baggie inside. We try to avoid single-serving foods, even when they’d be more convenient.

Eventually, we want to be able to avoid packaging altogether. We have been doing more shopping at farmer’s markets where we can get fish and other meats wrapped in paper, and we recently found a local co-op farm where we plan to sign up. This will allow us to get produce fresh from the Earth sans cans, wrappers, containers, etc.

Food waste

One of the biggest areas where I admit I have failed is composting. I keep saying that I want to try it, but I never get around to it. Yes, we live in an apartment, but these days, there are composting options for indoor and outdoor use. I’ve read all the details time and time again, but get intimidated by the balance we’d have to achieve to make composting work as it should. But really, there’s no valid excuse for why we haven’t taken the plunge.

Given my daughter’s affinity for half-eaten plates of food, we really would cut back on a lot of what we throw away if we could just toss it in the compost bin.

So here’s me kicking myself in the pants. We WILL buy an outdoor composter for our patio, and we WILL be successful at it by December. Hold me to it.

ABOUT THIS SERIES

Seventh Generation and Walmart challenged me to take a month and share the things I’m doing to make my home greener. That’s a little tough, since making my home green is all I ever aim to do. Still, we can always do more, right? In this series, I’ll share with you some of the new, and old, things I’m doing to make sustainability a priority in my home. You can see what other Walmart Moms are doing, too. Sheena from Sophistishe, Monica from MommyBrain Reports, Jenn from Frugal Upstate and Denise of Wholesome Mommy are also participating. Be sure to come back next week for more!

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Seventh Generation has provided me with products. Walmart has provided me with compensation to blog about attempting a more sustainable household for a month. Participation in this program is voluntary. All opinions are my own. (sponsored post)

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

Last week, I told you about the challenge Seventh Generation had issued to myself and several other Walmart Moms: In four weeks, do what we can to make our homes greener. Last week, I talk about greener cleaning. This week, the topic is saving water.

Disclaimer: I hate making videos, so watch at your own peril…lol. I hope you learn something from it

ABOUT THIS SERIES

Seventh Generation and Walmart challenged me to take a month and share the things I’m doing to make my home greener. That’s a little tough, since making my home green is all I ever aim to do. Still, we can always do more, right? In this series, I’ll share with you some of the new, and old, things I’m doing to make sustainability a priority in my home. You can see what other Walmart Moms are doing, too. Sheena from Sophistishe, Monica from MommyBrain Reports, Jenn from Frugal Upstate and Denise of Wholesome Mommy are also participating. Be sure to come back next week for more!

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Seventh Generation has provided me with products. Walmart has provided me with compensation to blog about attempting a more sustainable household for a month. Participation in this program is voluntary. All opinions are my own. (sponsored post)

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

A lot of things have changed for my family since January. When my daughter was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), it felt like someone pulled the rug out from under us — like things would never be “normal” again. In part, we were right. The doctors and nurses charged with my daughter’s care warned us that we should expect to find a “new normal,” and that we eventually would find our footing, even if it took a while.

They were right.

One of the things that we’ve had to reevaluate is how clean we keep our house. This is not to say that our house was nasty before, but that we have become even more vigilant about keeping our home clean. If you’ve been reading Green Your Decor for a while, you know that the idea of cleaning green is nothing new. I’ve been touting the benefits of safer cleaning products directly made or derived from natural ingredients for years. But having a sick child put new pressure on me not just to clean the house, but to disinfect it as much as possible.

ALL is technically a blood disorder, but the disease combined with chemotherapy weakened my daughter’s immune system, particularly during the first few months of intensive treatment. We were warned to make sure that the house was clean and to tell anyone who might be sick to stay away. I won’t lie — this pushed me into full on paranoia, wanting to make sure that the house was spotless when we brought her home from her first (and thankfully only) extended hospital stay. We bought new organic sheets, afraid to let her sleep on the ones that were already on her bed, and cleaned to house from top to bottom (doorknobs, light switches and all) with the natural cleaning products that were already in our cabinet, including Seventh Generation, Mrs. Meyers, Dr. Bronner’s and peroxide. (aff)

Before then, I was content with the house simply being clean, and I had never worried before that cleaning without bleach meant I might be wiping bacteria away, but not killing it. That first day home, though, I seriously contemplated buying my first bottle of bleach in years to make absolutely certain nothing would make my daughter sicker than she already was. In retrospect, that sounds absolutely crazy. I was more worried about killing germs than I was about the toxic chemicals I KNOW are in bleach.

In the months since then, my husband and I have learned that our daughter isn’t as fragile as we thought. We thank God every day that she has never caught and infection or come down with a fever. We still put a high priority on keeping the house, particularly the kitchen, dining room and her room and bathroom, clean. But I’ve had to find other ways to disinfect the house that go beyond bleach.

One of my favorite tools is the ActiveIon sprayer. As hard as it is to believe, this tool allows me to not just clean, but to sanitize, surfaces with nothing but water. I admit — I had it in my possession for months before I really started using it because I believed there was no way water alone would really clean anything, much less sanitize it. But now that I know its power, it is my first choice when I’m cleaning my kitchen. It even removes food splatter from painted walls and get the microwave clean and fresh with just a few sprays. I tend to keep it in the kitchen, though. I prefer something with some suds when I’m cleaning the bathroom.

So a few weeks ago when Seventh Generation sent a few of the Walmart Moms their products to test, I was ecstatic to find that those products included a Disinfecting Bathroom Cleaner that is designed to kill 99.99% of germs botanically. The active ingredient in this product is thymol, which is a compenent of thyme oil. Imagine that.

I’ve been using Seventh Generation products for a long while, and have even written for their blog in the past. However, I tended to stick to the laundry detergent, dish liquid and dishwashing detergent, preferring other products for deep cleaning. This disinfecting cleaner has really made me change my mind about that. The knowledge that I can not just clean Ja’Naya’s room and bathroom, but disinfect them, all without resorting to bleach really makes me feel at ease. I’ve even let her help me clean with this product, which I think says a whole lot. I refuse to use any products that I can’t use around her, and this is not a problem with Seventh Generation or any of the other green cleaning products I prefer.

It has literally been years since I have allowed a traditional cleaning product in my home, and the proliferation of companies like Seventh Gen means that I’ll never have to. I can remember when the only way to find these products was shopping online or finding the one or two small stores in your area that carried them. Now they will be on Walmart shelves, where those of us who are committed to going green can find them, but also where people who know little or nothing about greener products can pick them up. This is a huge deal. It’s great when people who are knowledgeable about green issues buy green products, but I think it’s an even more powerful statement when those who know nothing can make a change. Having Seventh Generation products that REALLY work on the shelves right next to more traditional cleaning products will hopefully make consumers think twice about what they use to “clean” their homes.

Truly, I’m excited about that.

ABOUT THIS SERIES

Seventh Generation and Walmart challenged me to take a month and share the things I’m doing to make my home greener. That’s a little tough, since making my home green is all I ever aim to do. Still, we can always do more, right? In this series, I’ll share with you some of the new, and old, things I’m doing to make sustainability a priority in my home. Next week, I’ll share a video with some of my favorite tips. You can see what other Walmart Moms are doing, too. Sheena from Sophistishe, Monica from MommyBrain Reports, Jenn from Frugal Upstate and Denise of Wholesome Mommy are also participating. Be sure to come back next week for more!

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Seventh Generation has provided me with products. Walmart has provided me with compensation to blog about attempting a more sustainable household for a month. Participation in this program is voluntary. All opinions are my own. (sponsored post)

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

Without going into a whole lot of detail, suffice it to say that I’m a busy woman. With a daughter who stays at home with me and a blog and graphic design business to run, there’s not a lot of time left at the end of the day. And while going green is an incredibly important part of my life, and my livelihood, I admit even I am mildly annoyed by the fact that “green” is rarely synonymous with “convenient.” In fact, the two terms are nearly polar opposites. While I understand this disconnect is for my own good (because convenience generally = disposable), it still gets under my skin from time to time. So when I find a company that manages to successfully package Earth-friendliness and convenience together, I’m an easy sell. Sun & Earth did this for me.

There are lots of companies making green cleaning products these days, and because so many of the ingredients tend to overlap, it’s sometimes tough to pick brands out of the bunch. Sun & Earth makes itself a standout by creating products that few other eco-friendly companies are making. Case in point: Liquid fabric softener, dryer sheets, and even dishwasher packets and a stain removing pen a-la Tide. They sent me a virtual treasure trove of products to test, so I’ll break them down with brief thoughts on each:

All-purpose cleaner: Smells like a freshly cut orange and powers through grease like nobody’s business. I only had to spray once to get tough stains off our ceramic cooktop and microwave, and that impressed me to no end.

Glass cleaner: Wasn’t streaky at all and left mirrors glass glistening like it was brand new.

Dishwashing liquid: Again, smelled like a fresh cut orange and did a great job of cutting through grease on dishes without leaving my hands feeling dry or cracked.

Dishwasher packets: I have to admit I wasn’t terribly impressed by their performance. I wish the orange fragrance was a bit stronger, although that is definitely a personal preference. Where they fell short is in scrubbing. I’ve been trying to break myself of the nasty, water-wasting habit of pre-washing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. I restrained myself for a couple of loads and put the dishes in without washing or rinsing them first. Some of them didn’t come out clean when I used just the packet. It took the addition of some Palmolive Eco+ (phosphate free) in the “pots and pans” cup for the dishes to be thoroughly cleaned. However, when I prewashed the dishes, the packets worked great.

Hand soap: The orange fragrance here was actually a bit nauseating for me — slightly more like orange-flavored cold medicine than an actual orange. But my daughter loved it It did leave our hands feeling incredibly clean and well-scrubbed.

Laundry detergent: I’m picky when it comes to laundry detergent, and we’ve gone through a lot of green brands in our search for one that meets our needs. Sun & Earth did a great job of getting our clothes clean, although I also have a nasty habit of using too much detergent (ie. 2 caps instead of just one). That habit defeats the purpose of buying natural, concentrated detergent, but I’m working on it

Fabric softener (liquid): I loved this! I grew up using both liquid fabric softener and dryer sheets. Wasteful, I know now, but that’s the way we always did it. Over the past year or so, I had quit using liquid softener because I couldn’t find one made with natural ingredients. This often meant we’d wind up with clothes that just weren’t soft enough and felt scratchy. The Sun & Earth softener smelled great, and worked like magic to keep our clothes soft and virtually free of static, even when we used no dryer sheets.

Dryer sheets (biodegradable): I’ve tried to find “natural” dryer sheets that would actually biodegrade, but the best I’d been able to do is Arm & Hammer Essentials. I know. I know. I should have given up dryer sheets completely by now and switched to dryer balls. But since I have yet to find said balls in a local store, I still occasionally use dryer sheets. These were unlike any dryer sheets I’ve ever used. They were fragrance free and felt more like textured wax paper than a traditional dryer sheet. They also have to be torn in half when they go in the dryer. But lo and behold, they really worked. I don’t know yet if they’ll actually biodegrade, but I’ll report back once I know more.

Other goodies: Sun & Earth also sent me a reusable shopping bag with a hard bottom, which has been great for heavier grocery loads. The last item in the bx I received was the stain removal pen. I haven’t tested it yet, but something tells me my daughter will give me an opportunity to do so the next time we eat out.

Overall, I was impressed by the performance of the full range of products, although there are 1 or 2 I might not purchase on my own because of my personal preferences. But the laundry detergent, fabric softener and all-purpose cleaner are going on my list of go-to products, particularly because the prices are so reasonable. Definitely.

Why It’s Green:

• Cleaners made from coconut and orange oils, among other plant-based, natural and non-toxic ingredients
• Free of petroleum-based cleaners, chlorine, phosphates, dyes and perfumes
• Packaging contains recycled content and is recyclable
• Sun & Earth has been making green cleaning products since before “green” was a mainstream term

Price: $3-11.99

(review)

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

I know it’s been a few days since the Spring Clean & Green series ended, but I have a couple of great products from the series to give away to one lucky reader. If you’re itching to get your hands on some truly eco-friendly cleaning products, today is your lucky day.

Better Life is giving away one starter kit that includes:

• (1) what-EVER Clary Sage & Citrus all-purpose cleaner (32 oz)
• (1) I Can See Clearly, WOW! glass cleaner (32 oz)
• (1) Simply Floored! ready-to-use floor cleaner (32 oz)
• (1) Even the Kitchen Sink gentle scrubber (16 oz)
• (1) Collapsible six-compartment cleaning caddy
• (1) Twist Euro Sponge
• (1) Twist Loofah Sponge (2-pack)

That’s $39.99 worth of cleaning products that will have you set for a few months. And if you want to get a starter kit without the wait, Better Life has been generous enough to offer a discount for my readers. Use coupon code “gyd10” to get 10% off the price of the kit.

Kangaroom Storage is also offering up a set of their brand new Recycle Bags, made of 100% recycled polypropylene. They’ve certainly made sorting our recyclables an easier and more stylish task, and the bags are washable, so you won’t have to worry about getting them dirty.

WANT TO WIN?

One lucky reader will take home both prizes. So how do you win? Visit the Better Life and Kangaroom websites, and then come back here and leave a comment about something you liked or learned from BOTH websites. It could be a product or something you learned about the companies. Entries that do no include this information for both websites will be disqualified. Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, to enter.

Want to enter more than once? Boost your chances of winning by completing one or more of the tasks on this list. Please leave a separate comment for each entry:

1. If you haven’t already, sign up for Green Your Decor’s email updates by 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, May 19, 2009. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. After you sign up, FeedBurner will send you a verification email. Please do not ignore it — your entry will be invalid if you do not verify. From now on, subscribers will no longer be entered automatically. This will help me avoid choosing a winner who is a subscriber, but who doesn’t necessarily want a specific prize. If you are an email subscriber and you want to be entered, please leave a comment saying that you are an email subscriber and interested in this giveaway. Subscribers will not be entered automatically. You must leave a comment saying that you are a subscriber in order to enter.
2. If you’d prefer to receive your updates via RSS, sign up for the GYD feed. Then please leave a comment letting me know that you’ve done so, and be sure to include your email address. RSS subscribers are anonymous otherwise. This will let me know that you want to be entered in this giveaway.
3. Blog about GreenYourDecor.com and post a link to your blog entry here.
4. Stumble or give a thumbs up to any page at GreenYourDecor.com via StumbleUpon and post a link to your SU profile to verify your thumbs up.
5. Fave Green Your Decor on Technorati. Then come back here and leave a comment with your Technorati user name so I can verify it.
6. Follow me on Twitter. Then tweet about Green Your Decor or this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your tweet.

You have until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, to enter. U.S. mailing addresses only! A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. Good luck everyone!

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

I may not love spring cleaning, but it is a job that must be done. The decluttering, chemical-free cleaning and deep cleaning are out of the way, so now I can get to the part I actually enjoy: Putting everything back together and semi-redecorating. Because if I take the time to make the house look spiffy, I may as well make each room a lot more beautiful than the way it started.

Living Room

My husband loves rearranging furniture. In fact, I’m never surprised to walk in the house to find the position of the sofa and TV have been reversed or to find a side table in another room altogether. Now is a great time to reevaluate the position of your living room furniture. Here are some points to consider when repositioning and redecorating your living room:

• Is there too much furniture in your room? Not enough? Get rid of pieces you’re not using.
• Is your sofa blocking the doorway? Is there a clear, unobstructed path from the living room to the room closest to it?
• Is your rug floating in the middle of the room, or is it integrated with your seating area?
• Is the TV the focal point of your room? If it is, can you shift it to something else?
• Consider bringing accent pillows from other parts of the house for a fresh look.
• If your room is dark, consider hanging a mirror opposite a window so it will reflect light back into your room.
• Consider organizing your open storage (shelves, entertainment centers, etc.) with baskets and trays
• Don’t feel obligated to have all your large pieces of furniture up against a wall or even parallel. Float them in the center of the room and/or angle them. You’ll be surprised at the difference it will make.

Kitchen & Pantry

I hate clutter on the kitchen counter probably more than any other part of the house. Of course, because of this, it tends to magnetically attract mail, keys, toys and anything else that isn’t tied down or too heavy to move. Here are my tips for keeping the kitchen and pantry clean and well-organized.

• Use baskets on the counter nearest your high-traffic walking area. We have one for incoming mail and one for miscellaneous “stuff” like keys, along with a matching cup for loose pens, pencils, crayons, etc.
• Try to keep seldom-used appliances like blenders, food processors and similar items behind closed doors when they’re not in use (unless you bought them with their decorative value in mind).
• Put loose items like rice, flour, cornmeal, beans, uncooked pasta, etc. into airtight glass jars or containers and label them.  It will make them easier to organize, and it will allow you to take a more accurate inventory of what you have before you go grocery shopping.
• Keep decorative items on the counter to a minimum. It will make everyday cleaning easier and keep excessive grease from hiding behind items that don’t serve a true purpose.
• If you’re like us, most of your recyclables probably come from the kitchen. Keep your bins close at hand to encourage the entire family to recycle. Ours are against the wall behind the dining table in the eat-in area of the kitchen. And thanks to the team at Kangaroom, we are now recycling in style. They sent us a 2-pack of their new Recycle Bags, which are made of 100% recycled polypropylene. At just $12.99 a set, they are certainly a great alternative to the old carboard box we had been using. They are tough and sturdy and the perfect size for food-size packaging and other household paper. We’re still using an old plastic storage bin for the glass, metal and plastics because we don’t want to chance breakage.

Bedroom

The bedroom is another one of those rooms where clutter tends to accumulate. We empty our pockets on top of the dresser, undress and hang our clothes on the footboard and kick off our shoes in front of the closet instead of putting them in it. We’re still struggling to master our bedroom organization, but here are some of my favorite tips:

• Baskets, storage bins and trays will save your sanity. For large surface areas like closet shelves or the tops of wardrobes, they will help you to organize your bedding, extra clothing and all the etceteras of busy lives. For small areas like nightstands, they will give you a place to put your keys, cell phone, wallet, etc. without creating a lot of clutter.
• Don’t be afraid to put your furniture against a window. In bedrooms, you’re often battling for wall space because of all the windows and doors. A headboard or writing desk can be happily at home against a window. Place it a few inches away instead of flush against the window so your window treatments will have room to move.
• Consider layering your window treatments for privacy. For example, try pairing roman shades with semi-sheer drapes or panels. This also will add depth to your windows, often making them appear larger than they are.
• Invest in a quality shoe rack (or two). Finding a place to put stacks of shoes is typically what makes our closet look like a jumbled mess. Thanks to the decluttering stage, I’ve pared down my shoe collection to the ones I actually wear, so it should be a lot easier to organize them now.

What about you?

What are your favorite tips for making your home look like home again after you’ve completed your spring cleaning? Leave a comment and share your expertise!

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

Now that you’ve properly disposed of all the extra junk that was cluttering up your home and eliminated all the toxic chemicals from your stash of cleaning products, you’re more than halfway through with your spring cleaning. But there’s still a couple of tasks left to tackle, including one of my least favorite of all time: vacuuming. The other is getting in all those nooks and crannies where dirt resides that we don’t usually touch. Here are a couple of gadgets designed to make those tasks easier.

Eureka Envirovac

More and more companies are taking a hard look at the way they make products and trying to do so in a more sustainable way. Eureka, for example, introduced it’s Envirovac last year. This model is touted for its energy efficiency, as it claims to use 33% less energy than comparable uprights, but I am more impressed by another often-overlooked feature when shopping for a vacuum. Have you ever tried to buy a replacement filter for a vacuum, only to find that a) a replacement is incredibly difficult to find or b) a replacement is incredibly expensive?

The Envirovac eliminates this issue altogether. The filter and all the vacuum components can simply be rinsed and reused. I swear, replacing the filter was one of the most frustrating parts of vacuuming for my family, so even if this were its only green feature, I’d still be impressed. My husband, who actually enjoys vacuuming, has rinsed and replaced the filter a couple of times since we received the Envirovac, and they are still going strong. This a convenient feature, but it also will eliminate a lot of waste over its lifetime. The vacuum is also powerful, pulling up dirt, hairs and other debris from a recently cleaned carpet. Yes, I had to use the detachable hose to clean along the floorboards of every room, and yes, cleaning the filter can be a slighty messy and tricky process the first time you try it. But considering our old full-sized vacuum recently went belly up, it is a welcome addition to our household and one we’ll be keeping around for a long time.

Price: $68.64-72.22

Oreck XL Power Team

Another company trying to green its cleaning arsenal is the gold standard of the vacuum industry, Oreck. They sent me their Oreck XL Power Team Gold vacuum to test and review. On their face, these vacuums don’t appear to be terribly green, but there are some high points. They are made in the U.S., which is always a plus, as its carbon footprint is tiny compared to the one created by imported products. They also claim to require only a third of the energy of comparable vacuums. If that holds true, it would be even more efficient than the Envirovac. Lastly, Oreck vacuums are known for lasting a lifetime, and there’s nothing greener than a product that is unlikely to need replacing. Of course, there’s the glaring fact that Oreck vacuums require bags — disposable bags — that will be landfill bound. But how did it perform?

To put it simply, it’s an Oreck, and for the price, I was certainly happy it lived up to its reputation. It was loud, but offered superior performance to any other vacuum I’ve ever used. It picked up minuscule objects that I couldn’t even see, even with the light attached to the front of the vacuum. I also appreciated the fact that both the low and power settings offered stellar performance. Definitely impressive.

But I still can’t resolve that with the idea that I’ll have to throw away bags full of dirt. Granted, the bag does appear to have a fairly large capacity and should last about a month with regular vacuuming. But there are a great many bagless uprights that use canisters, so it’s hard to understand why Oreck still insists on using bags. There’s the argument that sealed bags eliminate the possibility you’ll have to come in contact with the dirt and dust you’ve just cleaned up. I can buy that, but that doesn’t seem like a good enough reason to waste all those bags, especially since you’d been living with all the dirt before it was vacuumed anyway.

Overall, the XL Power Team Gold performed incredibly well. For the price, it definitely can be considered an investment. Given their track record, any Oreck vacuum should last a lifetime with proper maintenance. For that reason alone, they are definitely worth considering…if you don’t mind a bag.

Price: $299.95-599.95

Steam cleaning

We don’t have a steam cleaner, but I’d really, really like to try one. I love the idea of using steam to clean and disinfect surfaces without the use of any cleaning products, natural or otherwise. Even without a machine, I know the power of steam cleaning. When the microwave really needs a thorough cleaning, my husband and I have a simple strategy. We put a bowl of water, perhaps with a drop or two of dishwashing liquid, in a bowl (glass, not plastic) and nuke it on high for between 10 and 15 minutes. This bathes the inside of the microwave with steam, loosening any food particles or steam that may have been baked onto the inside surface, including the inside of the door. Most, if not all, of it will simply wipe away after that. It also eliminates nasty microwave odors, like the lingering stench of burned popcorn.

what about you?

Has anyone tried a traditional steam cleaning machine? What did you think of it? Leave a comment and share your green cleaning experience with the rest of us!

(review)

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

Now that you’ve decluttered, donated and otherwise disposed of all the stuff that you no longer want or need, you can get down to the business of actually cleaning, better known as the part I hate the most. As much I love the idea that I can clean my whole house from top to bottom with nothing but a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s and some peroxide, sometimes I want something more.

I’m definitely tempted to try some products when I walk by the cleaning aisle at the grocery store and see a new product that claims to be non-toxic, eco-friendly or biodegradable. I’m hesitant, of course, to recommend any of these cleaners until I’ve actually tried them, because all cleaning products are not created equal, particularly when they’re claiming to be green. But I truly believe that this is one area EVERY family should attempt to make greener. “Cleaning” our homes with toxic chemicals is unsafe and counterproductive. So here are some of my favorite green alternatives:

Better Life cleaners

With product names like “Simply Floored!” (floor cleaner), “what-EVER!” (all-purpose cleaner), and “I Can See Clearly, WOW!” (glass cleaner), what’s not to love, right?  Obviously, the reason these products made my list of favorites goes far beyond the name. The company was created by two conscientious dads, Tim Barklage and Kevin Tibbs, who simply wanted safe cleaning products that could be used around their kids. And to put it simply, these products just worked. They tackled soap scum and rubbed-in beeswax (don’t ask) with ease, and there were no toxic fumes to make me go running out of a closed bathroom after a couple of squirts.  And unlike many products that claim to be green, the ingredients were clearly listed on the label with no VOCs, parabens or other offending chemicals in sight. Add to that the fact that they are reasonably priced and shipped in recyclable bottles, and I know I’ll be sad when these cleaners run out.

Price: $6.99-7.29 per bottle, $39.99 for a starter kit with all products plus a Twist Euro sponge and Loofah sponge. Sign up for their newsletter to get $10 off the price of the starter kit.

Simply Neutral

It goes without saying that any product I put on my list of favorites is effective, but Simply Neutral cleaners stood up to every test, from a ceramic cooktop with caked-on sauce to white sneakers that needed a thorough scrubbing. But their cleaning power isn’t what impressed me most about these cleaners. I was more than a little surprised at how light the shipping box was when I received them. That was with good reason. The bottles were very nearly empty, with, at best an ounce or two of cleaning liquid in them. There was a note attached:

“Simplyneutral’s goal is not only to protect our customers, but also the planet. To reduce our global footprint, we have shipped you our “waterless” version of cleaners. Our concentrate is already in the bottle, you just need to add the water.”

At first, I was thrown for a loop. To receive large, 32 oz. bottles of cleaning products that were nearly empty was crazy, or was it? It definitely showed my husband and I just how much water we’re paying for when we purchase traditional, full bottles. And even after all that diluting, the cleaners were still incredibly potent and effective. On top of that, their business card was stamped on a piece of recycled cereal box. I’m not kidding. I could clearly see the Cheerios logo on the other side. Now that’s what I call recycling!

Price: $4.99-5.99 per 32 oz. bottle. Also available in concentrate (so you’ll never have to buy another bottle)

Eco Mist Solutions

This one is for my Canadian readers. Anyone who has children and upholstered furniture knows that they should beware of markers. I know it too, but my daughter caught me blissfully unaware one day while I was washing the dishes. She used a dark blue marker to color her entire fingertip. Then, realizing what she had done, she tried to wipe it off — by wiping it on the sofa cushion. What was left was a huge blue spot that I was certain I’d never be able to remove. I didn’t even bother trying to get it out for a few days.  Thankfully though, Eco Mist Solutions’ carpet & upholstery cleaner came to my rescue.

It took some soaking in an quite a bit of blotting and rubbing, but the Eco Mist completely removed a large, unsightly, dark blue stain from a beige sofa cushion. If their other cleaners are even half as effective, I am sold. And what’s even better is the very basic ingredients used to make up such a powerful cleaner: Non-chlorinated water, corn, tree sap, processed coconut extract, potatoes, soy, grass and grains. There’s nothing on the list I’ve never heard of or can’t pronounce.

Where to Buy: Available at Home Depot locations throughout Canada

What about you?

Are there any natural cleaning products you’ve tried and loved? Have you tried any of the ones listed here? What did you think of them? Leave a comment and let me know!

(review)

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.

I’m typically a pretty clean person — or maybe “neat” is a better word. I will readily admit I’m not a big fan of cleaning. But as much as I dislike it, I do it because it must be done. And if there’s one time of year when I get in the “mood” to clean, it’s spring. There’s something abut the newness of flowers coming out of their buds that makes me want to scrub the cabinet doors.

Since I figure many of you are going through the same process right about now, I figured I’d share some of my favorite spring cleaning tips this week and help you keep it as green as possible. After all, a well-decorated home is a clean home, and you can’t very well have a green home if you’re cleaning it with toxic chemicals. I’ll share some of my favorite green cleaning tips as well as reviews of green cleaning products, from carpet & upholstery cleaners to vacuums.

getting started

Before my husband and I start the big clean, we first must — for lack of a better way to say it – go through all our crap. The last time we moved with all of our stuff, which was back in 2007, we got rid of a LOT of stuff. Since most of the stuff we kept has been sitting in storage since then, it’s probably a safe bet that we’ll go through all of it again when we move into our own placec and get rid of lots more. If it’s in a box that hasn’t been opened for months or we’ve forgotten we own it, we get rid of it. We typically have 3-4 piles: One pile to donate/give away, one pile of stuff to sell at a yard sale, one pile of stuff to recycle and one of stuff to toss. This helps us declutter, obviously, but it also is a reminder that above all, living green is about simplifying, working with what you have and conscientiously disposing of everything else.

Here are a list of places that will allow you to properly dispose of your unwanteds:

• Goodwill: Clothing, shoes & accessories, furniture, textiles & housewares, computers and hardware in any condition, and vehicles
• Salvation Army: Clothing, shoes & accessories, furniture, textiles & housewares, and vehicles. They may even pick up your stuff. Call 1-800-SA-TRUCK (1-800-728-7825) to discuss pickup of your items or to find a drop off location.
• Habitat for Humanity: Building materials and jeans to be turned into home insulation
• OneSight: Take your old eyeglasses to Sears, Sunglass Hut, Target, LensCrafters, Lions Club, Pearle Vision, or BJ’s Optical store, and this organization will recycle them as glasses for those in need throughout the world
• Radio Shack: Take your unwanted gadgets (MP3 Players, phones, cameras, camcorders, GPS units, car audio, laptops, video games & consoles, HDTVs and monitors) to Radio Shack to be appraised for trade-in. Get the value of your used items back on a Radio Shack gift card. We recently traded in 3 old cell phones in good condition and got back $49. The better condition your gadgets are in, the more money you’ll get back. It’s also a good idea to find the chargers for all those gadgets.
• Best Buy: They offer an online trade-in program for your gadgets (same type of gadgets as Radio Shack). You can get instant online appraisals, print a free shipping label and send them in. 10-14 days later, you’ll receive a Best Buy card with the value of your gadgets.

my favorites

Before my family started learning about green cleaning products, we stuck to a couple of old favorites for all of our cleaning. We never really used any recipes. We just guesstimated when mixing with water:

• Lemon juice: All-purpose cleaning
• Hydrogen peroxide: All-purpose cleaning, eliminating sink odors (we don’t have a garbage disposal) & for laundering whites
• Vinegar: All-purpose cleaning and eliminating sink odors (although I’m really not a fan of the smell for everyday cleaning, even when diluted)
• Dr. Bronner’s pure castile liquid soap: All-purpose cleaning, floor scrubbing and hand-washing
• Borax: For laundering clothing

asking for your help

What natural green cleaning products do you use in your home or want to know more about? Leave your tips or questions in the comments and let’s get excited about cleaning our homes for the spring!

© 2008-2011 Green Your Decor. Do not republish any items from this feed without permission.