It’s probably seemed quiet around here for the past few weeks. That’s because I have hit what I call my after-Christmas crash. Basically, the month of December is one of my busiest, meaning that I’m usually going and going, right up until Christmas. Or until I just can’t go any more. So instead of starting the new year full of energy and resolve to make this year better than last, I started it exhausted and unable to focus. However, I promise this is only temporary, and I’ll be back to “myself” in time.

In all of this, though, the one thing I’ve been able count on is getting a good night’s sleep. Really.

I made the mistake of falling asleep on our sofa late one afternoon. Boy, did I regret it. When I woke up, everything hurt, from the arm I had fallen asleep on to my back, neck, shoulders and hips. I seriously felt like I’d been hit by a truck. Or at least a small car. Not a good look.

When I was able to drag my aching body off the sectional and get into bed, it felt like a cloud by comparison. Instead of being contorted into an uncomfortable position, my back was supported and aligned. In our new bed, I can lay on either side, or sleep on my back or stomach, and still be comfortable. Really, the Oyasumi organic mattress from The Clean Bedroom has been a godsend.

Particularly during the winter, I appreciate the fact that this mattress tends to stay warmer than a traditional mattress. This is probably because of a combination of the latex and the thick organic cotton cover. In any case, during the winter it’s a welcome change from our old innerspring mattress, which would get cold if you were out of the bed for more than 2 minutes. This added warmth is a real blessing when we wake up to 27 degree weather and have to take my daughter out to catch the bus. I couldn’t ask for a better winter bed. In the summer time, though, the extra warmth means we eliminate a few layers from the bed and sleep with just a lightweight comforter (instead of a comforter, a flat sheet, and sometimes a thin throw blanket).

So although my new year has gotten offer to an incredibly slow start, it’s definitely not from lack of sleep. I’m doing just fine in that department. Now if someone can just give me a few shots of energy to use for everything else, I’ll be back on track.

Learn more about The Clean Bedroom on Facebook and Twitter.

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

It’s been a little more than 3 months since my husband and I received our new organic mattress set from The Clean Bedroom, and oh, what wonderful months they have been. It’s hard to explain the difference in sleeping on an old lumpy innerspring mattress and a plush, natural latex one to someone who has never experienced it, but suffice it to say the difference is awesome. When I wrote the last post, I had only experienced the new bed for a few days. Now I have months of experience under my belt, and it has been all good!

You always hear in mattress commercials that innerspring mattresses put a lot of pressure on the body. Now that I’m no longer experiencing that pressure, I finally understand what they mean. With our spring mattress, I felt every twist, turn and shift throughout the night, and I often woke up multiple times and found it difficult to fall asleep again. Now, when I shift my position or body weight, I don’t feel it at all — at least not enough to wake me up. It feels like sinking into a plush pillow, and because of this, EVERY position is comfortable.

I used to be primarily a side sleeper. However, with the Oyasumi mattress set, I have found that it also has become comfortable to sleep on my stomach and back. My husband might disagree, though, since he still sleeps on his side most nights. But I know he agrees this is the best bed we’ve ever owned.

And the Natura DreamMate Organic Pillows? They are just as plump and well-shaped as they were on the day we opened the box. We can fold then, roll them up and bunch them as we sleep, and they still bounce back to their original shape. I can’t tell you how refreshing this is after years of sleeping on pillows that start out fluffy, but wind up flat as as pancake.

In three months, the only downside we’ve found to using this new mattress is that it is very heavy and hard to move. This isn’t ideal when changing sheets, particularly when I am doing it alone, but it’s not a huge problem for us. If I had to nitpick, I would also say that this bed does seem to keep our body temperatures hotter. This is especially noticeable when the heat is on in the apartment. However, we’ve learned to compensate for this by eliminating a flat sheet and sleeping with just a lightweight comforter.

All told, the pros of living with this mattress far outweigh the cons. The only time I wake up in pain is when I went to bed already sore from a full day at the computer or from an intense workout. And even then, the fact that I can comfortably shift positions during the night to find a a spot that will minimize my soreness means that I’ll usually wake up without pain, even if I went to bed with it.

I’d be a liar if I tried to give this bed a poor review. Really, we love it. It has made falling asleep a whole lot easier, and it’s made early morning wake-up calls particularly torturous, because we never want to get out of bed. We’re incredibly thankful to The Clean Bedroom for the opportunity to try it. It has made a world of difference for our sleep habits.

Learn more about The Clean Bedroom on Facebook and Twitter.

(sponsored post)

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

Over the years, we’ve owned our fair share of patio furniture. Some of it broke, some of it was given away, and some of it just weathered in ways that weren’t very attractive. I love the look of wood outdoor furniture when it’s new, but wood can rot, split or crack depending on weather conditions, and the patina wood develops after time isn’t always nice to look at.  Finding a balance between style and durability can be a challenge. So when the folks at Trex Outdoor Furniture recently offered me the chance to try out their recycled plastic furniture, I was eager to see it in person.

However, we’d recently purchased furniture for our small patio, and didn’t have room for it. Instead, I opted to give the Trex furniture to my sister, who has had a front porch for many years with no place to sit.

This furniture is design to be very low maintenance. As in hose it off once in a while if you have a high-pollen day or wipe with some soapy water.  It doesn’t have to be painted, stained or sealed. I knew my sister would appreciate this particular feature, because I know she doesn’t have time to constantly clean and maintain it.

More than 90% of the material used to make the furniture, produced in partnership with POLY-WOOD™, is made from post-consumer recycled plastic, such as milk and detergent bottles or other HDPE post industrial material. HDPE is short for High Density Polyethylene, a very durable plastic with infinite recyclability.  Since any plastic that currently exists will be around for generations to come, I can’t think of a better, more permanent use for it.

Trex offers great customization options for all their furniture in varying styles: You can select the color of the furniture body, as well as the color of the seat (and sometimes back) cushions.  My sister chose the Trex Adirondack chair and ottoman in Sand Castle with a cushion in Linen Chili. If you’re not into the Adirondack style, there are more modern deep seating styles, counter height seating, and even a swing and rocker. My sister also found a couple of similar chairs at Big Lots (shown above). The quality is nowhere near the same as Trex, and they’re not made of recycled plastic, but the look is so similar that she couldn’t pass them up.

So here’s the big question: Is this chair comfortable?

According to my sister — and her dog, Gizmo — it is wonderful. The ottoman really made the difference in comfort. Because who doesn’t want to put their feet up when they’re relaxing outside?

My biggest qualm about these pieces is the pricing. While I understand that they’re designed to last literally for decades, I imagine it would be cost prohibitive for many families to spend so much for a single chair.

Why It’s Green:

• Made of 90% post-consumer plastic

Price: Adirondack chair, $455.98; Ottoman, $155.98

© 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.

To put it mildly, our last set of pots had seen better days. We bought them more than 5 years ago with very little concern about how they were made, what they were made of, etc. And while they were still usable, we knew we’d have to get a new set sooner or later. So when the opportunity arose to review a set of stainless steel pots by Better Homes and Gardens, I jumped at the chance.

While BHG isn’t exactly known for carrying the greenest of products, this particular product is green by default. Why? Well stainless steel is 100% recyclable, and an average stainless steel object is composed of about 60% recycled material.

Our history with stainless steel

However, my husband and I owned a set of stainless steel pots when we first got married, and let’s just say our experience made us cautious about using it again. Stainless steel heats more quickly and evenly than traditional non-stick cookware, so if you’re not careful, it’s pretty easy to burn your food. The problem with our original pots is that they were cheaply made from thin metal, so they burned easily, and the charred food was extremely difficult to clean. Of the original set of 6 pots, only one has stood the test of time. And it’s not in the best condition.

Our experience with the BHG pots

Understandably, we were cautiously optimistic about this new opportunity to cook with stainless steel again.

The first indication that we’d have a drastically different experience with the Better Homes and Gardens 10-Piece Stainless-Steel Set was the weight of these pots. These things have some heft. You probably can’t tell from the photos, but they are very sturdy and well made. In other words, no cheap, thin metal to burn through.

We’ve been cooking with them for a few weeks now, and I can honestly say I love these pots.

As I mentioned before, stainless steel heats much more evenly than other materials, and that holds true here. Making omelets is like child’s play, and the eggs cook beautifully from edge to edge. There is a little sticking, but nothing that a few dabs of butter or a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil can’t fix.

And in case you’re wondering, we have burned a couple things. Not the fault of the pots though. I’d say it’s more because of operator error. We were so used to cooking on higher heat with our nonstick pots that it took some time to adjust to the fact that stainless steel doesn’t require as much heat to do the same job — particularly when you’re working with quality stainless steel.

I am happy to report, though, that even when we burned dishes — including notoriously tough burns like spaghetti sauce — cleanup was surprisingly easy. A little dish liquid and a couple of strokes from a scouring pad was all it took to make the pots look good as new, with no scratching. I couldn’t believe it. I also love the fact that these pots are dishwasher safe, because I fully admit that I hate washing dishes by hand. They’re also oven safe up to 350°F for warming and baking. Gotta love that feature, though we haven’t used it yet.

Overall, we are exceptionally happy with these. The lids fit very snugly and they perform like pots that are much more expensive.

The set includes a covered Dutch oven, 2 covered sauce pans, a covered deep skillet, and 2 smaller skillets — more than enough to cook a meal of several courses. We’re really looking forward to using them to cook Christmas dinner.

Why It’s Green:

• Stainless steel is 100% recyclable.
• Most stainless steel object contains 60% recycled material — approximately 40% from post-consumer products and 60% from manufacturing.

Price: $149 (aff)

Disclosure: I am a member of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation to share my cookware experience 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.

I featured Wabisabi Green here at Green Your Decor a LONG time ago. The graphic designs on the pillows are so fabulous that I can’t help but to love them! And finally, I am able to hold one in my hands. Without a doubt, this is now my favorite pillow in my living room.

That may not sound like high praise, but I have quite a few pillows in my living room, and I’ve edited out several more that I tried, but didn’t make the cut. I’ve been trying to strike a balance between oranges and bluish grays, and I could never find a combination of colors and patterns that really worked. Finally, Wabisabi’s Sea Fan Coral pillow gave me the look I wanted. The deep charcoal gray is a great complement to the solid yellow pillow next to it, and it also works with the pillows I made from Mod Green Pod’s Aspire fabric.

The pillow cover is made of organic cotton, and the insert is made of recycled fill. The insert fits snugly into the cover, and I love the fact that I could — if I desired — replace just the cover in the future and reuse the same insert.

Now, all I need to do is order a matching pillow for the other side of the sofa!

Why It’s Green:

• Pillow covers are made of organic cotton twill hand-printed with water-based ink
• Pillow inserts are made of either made from recycled plastic bottles or sustainable kapok fiber.

Price: $45-70 (depending on the insert)

(review)

How to Win:

The winner will get receive one EcoArt pillow of his or her choosing from Wabisabi Green.

There are several ways to enter:

1. Visit the Wabisabi Green website. Then come back here and leave a comment telling me pillow you would chose if you won.
2. Like Wabisabi Green AND Green Your Decor on Facebook. Then come back here and leave a comment with your Facebook name.
3. Follow @greenyourdecor on Twitter. Then come back here and leave a comment letting me know.
4. If you haven’t already, sign up for Green Your Decor’s email updates by 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, December 13, 2010. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. Current subscribers must leave a comment saying that you are a subscriber to be entered.
5. 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-only subscribers are anonymous otherwise.

You have up to 5 chances to enter, and the giveaway entry period ends at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, December 13, 2010. U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only! A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. Good luck everyone!

Other Current Green Gift Giveaways:

• Personal care prize package from Nostalgia Organics (soap, lotion & more!). Ends 12/10/10.
• Environmental Tales: Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax and Disney’s Wall E on DVD. Ends 12/14/10.
• Recycled paper Doodle List journal from Gadanke. Ends 12/15/10.

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

When it comes to stylish, eco-friendly home textiles, the first company that always comes to mind for me is Amenity. I can always rely on them to deliver flawless, nature-inspired style, and I never have to question their commitment to the environment. So when I learned that they are gearing up to debut their new fall collection, I couldn’t wait to share that news. I don’t have photos yet, but I am willing to bet it’s going to be fabulous!

To make way for the new collection, Amenity is having a huge sale on some of their older designs, including their hemp pillow collection. The ladies at Amenity were also kind enough to send me one of their hemp pillows to review. Given that I’ve had my eye on them for a while, I jumped at the chance to see a pillow in person, and it did not disappoint.

Amenity’s signature is their bold, graphic prints, and I received the Trail Pillow in silver. I have one word to describe it: Glam! I love this pillow! You can see it at top staged on my yard sale chair with an equally pretty silver, organic cotton purse I bought myself for Christmas last year. And above, it’s happily at home on my bed with two other pillows that are also eco-friendly. It is a great way to balance the silver from our bedside lamps.

Why It’s Green:

• Made of 55% Hemp, 45% Certified Organic Cotton fabric
• Printed with non-toxic, water-based dyes
• Printed and sewn locally in Los Angeles.
• Eco-fill fiber generated from spun recycled bottles

Price: $29-99 You can also get an additional 40% off their already low sale prices with coupon code “EXTRA40.” Exp. 8/1/10

(review)

Want to win?

Amenity wants to give one of my readers the chance to win two hemp pillows in the style of your choice. So how do you enter? Visit the Amenity site, and tell me which pillows you would want if you won, PLUS one other item you like from their other collections. If you do one, but not the other, your entry will be disqualified. Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, August 6, 2010, 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. Amenity is also doing a HUGE summer giveaway via their Facebook page! You can win a $1000 bedroom makeover with a prize package that includes your design choice of: 1 organic duvet cover, 1 sham set, 2 wall art prints, and 2 18″x18″ hemp pillows. Like Amenity on Facebook and enter their giveaway, then come back here and leave a comment telling me that you did. How sweet is that? Two entries for the price of one! But you only have until August 1 to enter the Facebook giveaway, so do it quick!
2. If you haven’t already, sign up for Green Your Decor’s email updates by 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, August 6, 2010. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. Current subscribers must leave a comment saying that you are a subscriber to be entered.
3. 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.
4. “Like” Green Your Decor on Facebook and leave a comment on the wall. Then leave a comment letting me know you’ve done so.
5. Follow Green Your Decor on Twitter. Then tweet about GYD or this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your tweet.
6. Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your post.

You have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, August 6, 2010, to enter. 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.

Before I begin this post, let me just say that I know there will be people who will hate what I did with the Mainline desk I revealed to you last week. I know that there are mid-century and wood purists who will say I ruined it and should’ve left it the way it was. After spending a few days with it, I decided I was OK with that, and I LOVE the after, whereas I only LIKED the before. So here goes nothing:

I initially planned to paint it white, but because I have other pieces in the room that are more of an “off white,” and I wanted a little more color in the space to complement the orange, my husband and I decided to paint it light blue. The color is difficult to see in the daytime, but I’ll post more pics of it once I put the computer back on it an redecorate the area. But can I just say that I LOVE it? Really. I can’t say that enough. The new chrome and white ceramic hardware really makes a statement against the blue.

The first step was sanding, and I left the heavy lifting to my husband. Thankfully, we recently invested in an electric sander, so the job took about an hour rather than days. After wiping it down thoroughly, we primed it with the new KILZ Clean Start zero-VOC, low-odor primer. Let me just say that this stuff is THICK. While we didn’t have any stains to cover, we did have a lot of wood to prime. Even with the thickness, it took about two and a half coats (the last was very light) to get the even coverage we wanted before starting with the blue. You can see how it looked after one coat in the photo below. I admit that I was a little peeved by this at first, since I was hopeful that a single coat of such a thick primer would be enough. My disappointment, however, was short-lived.

Scatterbrain that I am sometimes, we primed and began to paint the entire desk before realizing that we had forgotten to prime the drawers. And the lazy person that I am sometimes, I decided to paint the drawers sans primer. It was then that I truly realized the value of a good primer. The body of the desk took just two coats of blue for me to achieve the color I wanted. The drawers? Five coats of blue to match the color on the rest of the desk.

Just so you have an accurate picture, here’s one last before…

And after…

This may not have been the best project on which to test the power of KILZ, but I definitely plan to use it again when we paint our dining room, which has fallen victim to a summer full of kids’ careless hands and grubby fingers. I will say, however, that it had almost NO smell — even when I sniffed just inches from the paint tray. Assuming it covers odors and stains as well as every other KILZ primer on the market, which I have used in the past, I will definitely be switching to this version.

Want to try it?

The folks at KILZ are graciously giving one of my readers the opportunity to win a gallon of Clean Start primer to help with your next painting project. The winner will also receive a $100 Home Depot gift card. So how do you enter? Tell me how you’d use the primer and gift card if you won. Would you paint a piece of hand-me-down furniture? Give a room a quick makeover? Spill the beans for a chance to win!

Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, July 30, 2010, 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 Monday, Friday, July 30, 2010. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. Current subscribers must leave a comment saying that you are a subscriber to be entered.
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.
3. “Like” Green Your Decor on Facebook and leave a comment on the wall. Then leave a comment letting me know you’ve done so.
4. Follow Green Your Decor on Twitter. Then tweet about GYD or this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your tweet.
5. Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your post.

You have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, July 30, 2010, to enter. 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.

Remember way back (actually last August) when I worked with Wilsonart Flooring and my local Dalton CarpetOne to have a new, recycled laminate wood floor installed in my mother’s living room and hallway? Well, it’s about time for an update, don’t you think?

A lot has happened in the last 9 months. My husband, daughter and I moved out of my mom’s house and into our own place — and then we moved again. My mother has been back and forth between the Virgin Islands and Georgia, and the house still gets a lot of traffic. One of my sisters lives there, and my nieces are there almost every day after school. And that’s not to mention my mother’s rambunctious dog, who would frolic all over the house if she were allowed.

Suffice it to say we have not gone easy on the floor. In fact, just this past weekend, when these photos were taken, my other sister had a birthday party for my niece. A luau-style party complete with water balloons, a wading pool, a slip-n-slide and a dozen wet kids tracking across the floor. The photo above is from right AFTER the party, if you can believe it. You can still see the strings from the balloons on the left side and the plastic hula skirt-covered table on the right.

The grass had been cut just days before the party, so wet kids were tracking blades of grass everywhere. You can clearly see this effect the photo above.  All it took was a few swipes with a towel to make it look as good as the day it was installed. It really is lower maintenance than we expected it to be. As long as we keep it swept and go over it with a damp microfiber cleaning cloth every once in a while, it really looks great.

So great that my mother is still planning to continue the Wilsonart flooring in the hallway from the garage and into the kitchen when she moves back to Georgia permanently this summer. Since we haven’t been living there for a while, I haven’t done much to the rest of the room, so hopefully she’ll also give me the opportunity to help her finish the rest of the living space. I have some ideas for the kitchen too, but I won’t get ahead of myself

Why It’s Green:

• Made of a minimum of 70% pre-consumer recycled content
• GREENGUARD certified for indoor air quality
• Made in the U.S.

Price: $3.89-5.09/square foot. Find a local retailer by entering your zip code in the top right corner of the Wilsonart home page.

(review)

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

It’s been a while since I’ve done a product review, and with good reason. I’m trying to be a lot more discerning about the products I review and present to you. This review isn’t technically of a “new” product, but one I introduced to you late last year: Bungaloo zero-VOC color liquid/paint. It is rare to find a paint company that offers base and colorant that are both zero-VOC. Mythic is the only other paint I”ve tested with this particular characteristic, and it performed really well. I was hopeful that Bungaloo would do the same, and I wasn’t disappointed.

After I wrote about the company, I reached out to them, hoping to find out for myself how the paint stacked up against other brands. I can tell you that Bungaloo is innovative straight out of the box. First, the paint isn’t sold in cans. It comes in plastic bottles, either in 40 oz. or 100 oz. As much as we try to avoid plastic packaging, I have to admit pouring from these bottles, which resemble laundry detergent bottles,  is a lot easier and less messy than pouring paint from a typical can.

I first received small samples of the colors I was interested in so that I could put a little on my walls and decide what color worked best. Trust me when I tell you that this is a great approach, particularly when buying paint online. Paint can look a LOT different on your walls than it does on your computer screen, or even in person at the store. The light and shadows in your room will affect the way the final color looks, so take the time to test so you won’t have to repaint because your gray has too much blue in it or your red is too bright.

My husband and I finally decided on two shades of yellow: In Bungaloo speak, that means Dominick (richer, golden yellow) and Caitlyn (paler complementary yellow). We initially planned to create some fabulous pattern on a feature wall using the two colors, but as you’ll see, we changed our minds. We wound up painting with just Dominick. We received a full painting kit, which included a 100 oz. bottle of each color, along with a painting tray, roller and cover, an angled paintbrush and a roll of blue painter’s tape. I, of course, forgot to take a photo of all this until after I’d already used them, but you get the idea. It was very handy to have everything I needed provided for me. Because we already had a drop cloth, all I had to do was line the tray with some aluminum foil so I’d be able to use it again, and start painting.

In our previous apartment, which is where we were living when we received the paint, we planned to paint our entire master bedroom yellow. But after painting too many walls in that rental, only to move out a few months later, we didn’t want to face the prospect of having to repaint all our rooms here when we move out. So instead we painted one full wall behind the bed, and a fun stencil treatment on the opposite wall, which you can see in the photos. I also painted an old, hideous gold mirror yellow. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about having accent walls, but now that it’s done, I’m really happy with the way the room turned out. If you’re wondering why there are no “before” pics, that’s because I forgot to take one. Yeah. I know. Bad blogger! But you’ll get to see another before-and-after of our master later today. I promise.

Now for the paint.

It is awesome! I painted the wall in my master with my daughter sitting 5 feet away on our bed watching a movie. I opened the windows just to be sure, but there was very, very, very little noticeable smell. Definitely the best I’ve ever tried in terms of odor. Again though, this is a completely VOC-free paint, with no VOCs in the base or the colorant. Coverage was also pretty awesome. I did a heavy first coat and let it dry for a few hours. Then I did a very light second coat, and it dried to a nice, even color.

Even though we chose the yellow when we were living in another apartment, the color turned out to be the perfect choice for this room as well. I’ve complained about the lighting situation, and even though there two windows in the room, those windows are both shaded for much of the day. The yellow really helps brighten up the space a lot, and when the lamps are turned on, the room literally glows. Overall, I was very, very impressed. We did sign a 15-month lease, so if we decide to paint any more rooms, I’ll definitely give Bungaloo another shot. Given that we have a full 100 oz. bottle of Caitlyn yellow that we haven’t used yet, I definitely see a furniture project in my future

UPDATE: Want to see our finished master bedroom? Click here!

Why It’s Green:

• Paints contain zero VOCs (both colorant and base are VOC-free)
• Bungaloo uses its marketing to support social causes, including green efforts

Price: $16.95-$27.95 for individual bottles in 40 oz. or 100 oz. volumes; $44.95-119.95 for kits designed to give you everything you need to paint a room

(review)

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

My family recently moved into an apartment in an older building that comes with a lot of quirks. The water running from our faucets turns brown on days with a lot of rain, and no matter what we do to get rid of them, we find at least a few occasional spiders and bugs. We can’t do much about these issues, but there were some changes we knew we wanted to make. Among them: Installing a low-flow, handheld showerhead.

The Earth Massage Handheld Chrome Showerhead by Niagara Conservation operates at just 1.5 gallons per minute, which really adds up when you consider the fact that many showerheads spit out water at 2.5 gallons per minute or more. When they contacted me, I couldn’t wait to review it. We can’t see or feel the difference, which is a good thing. In fact, the water pressure is better than it was with our previous showerhead, and we are showering just as effectively now as we were before we made the switch. Knowing that we’re conserving water without any extra effort is a great feeling, and to maximize those savings, we try to keep our showers as short as possible. One of the upsides of living in an older building is that the water gets hot immediately, so there’s no water waste while we wait for the water to warm up.

My favorite feature, by far, is the 72″, tangle-free hose, which makes bathing my 4-year-old a whole lot easier. As I mentioned, we live in an older building, and the surface of the tub shows its age. I’m not really comfortable letting her sit on the uneven surface for a bath, so I turn on the shower and hand her the showerhead, making the experience much more interactive for her and a heck of a lot easier for me.

I do wish that the showerhead came with a few more spray settings. It comes with just 2 settings, although you can moderate the water pressure one of the two settings by rotating the edge of the head. I use the highest settings when I need a hot, massaging shower, and lower pressure when bathing mini me, as she’s not fond of the sensations of dozens of streams of water pounding her sensitive skin.

Overall, I’m thrilled to know that we have a stylish, quality showerhead that is saving us water and energy, even if we don’t have to pay a separate water bill (it’s included in our rent).

Why It’s Green:

• Uses a low 1.5 gallons per minute, which can save thousands of gallons of water a year compared to traditional shower heads
• Can save up to 40% more energy than traditional shower heads

Price: $29.99

(review)

Want to win?

Three lucky readers will win their own Earth Massage Handheld Chrome Showerhead! So how do you win? Visit Niagara Conservation site, then come back here and leave a comment about something you liked or learned. It could be a product or something you learned about the company. Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, October 28, 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 Wednesday, October 28, 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 Green Your Decor on Twitter. Then tweet about GYD or this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your tweet.

You have until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28, 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.

A few weeks ago, I was presented with a unique and exciting opportunity. Flooring manufacturer Wilsonart contacted me to tell me about their eco-friendly laminate flooring, made in the U.S. with a minimum of 70% pre-consumer recycled content. When I questioned how practical and durable this flooring could be, Wilsonart generously offered to install my choice of high-pressure laminate flooring for free in my home. I selected the flooring I wanted a few weeks ago, and last Friday, a team of installers from my local Wilsonart retailer, Dalton Carpet One, came by to tear out our carpet and replace it with sleek hardwood laminate. And I wanted to dance a jig

The installers were scheduled to arrive between 8:30 and 9 a.m., and they showed up promptly at 8:40. And within 15 minutes, the carpet was no more. It took a little longer to prepare the bare concrete floor for installation, scraping what remained of the carpet pad and adhesive and removing carpet tacks. Finally, they laid a sheet of what looked like vinyl over the concrete to protect the new floor from moisture. The installers weren’t sure if the material was vinyl, and I was concerned about offgassing. However, I also understood the need to protect the new floor from moisture, and I was comforted by the fact that it wouldn’t be visible or accessible once the flooring was completely installed.

The installers assured us we could walk on the concrete and even the new floor as they finished installing a section, reminding us that it would be an all-day job. We still tried to stay out of their way as much as possible, but there were moments when we had to sneak by to get from room to room. The newly installed areas didn’t even shift an inch. The process wasn’t as loud or dusty as I expected, because much of the cutting was done outside — in the garage, thanks to a sudden thunderstorm. No adhesives were needed, because Wilsonart flooring is designed to be installed with a simple tap and lock system. It was actually pretty impressive to see the seams disappear as the flooring planks were tapped together.

All things considered, the installation process was relatively quick and painless, and the new floor was complete by about 3 p.m. A few planks were left over, and the installers left it for us in the event a plank is ever damaged and needs to be replaced. My mother made a quick pass with a Swiffer wet cloth to pick up all the remaining dust, and we stepped back to admire the new floor.

I couldn’t believe the difference in the room. In fact, I’m still in awe at how much bigger, cleaner and more open the space looks. I sincerely could not have imagined a better result. The varied tones in the wood are as beautiful as we imagined they would be, and it looks as much like real wood as I had hoped it would. The only “problem” is that the dark wood entertainment center now disappears into the floor because the colors are so similar. We plan to take care of that relatively easily with some darker stain or chocolate brown paint and new, more modern chrome hardware. I’ll be sure to post the results once the makeover is complete.

Suffice it to say we are all exceptionally happy with the results. Aside from the fact that I now have to sweep every other days because the laminate has a way of collecting a thin layer of dust, I honestly couldn’t be more pleased. I love the fact that the carpet is no more, at least in the living room and hallway, and I’m even happier that it was replaced with an eco-friendly option. My mother is so happy that she plans on calling Dalton Carpet One again to finish the kitchen and another hallway with the same Wilsonart flooring. At about $3-5 per square foot, it should be be pretty affordable. I’ll check in again a few weeks after we’ve lived with our new floor for a while.

Now we just have to figure out how to recycle the remnant carpet that’s now rolled up in the garage. Any suggestions?

Why It’s Green:

• Made of a minimum of 70% pre-consumer recycled content
• GREENGUARD certified for indoor air quality
• Made in the U.S.

Price: $3.89-5.09/square foot. Find a local retailer by entering your zip code in the top right corner of the Wilsonart home page.

(review)

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

My husband and I are certified candle connoisseurs. OK…maybe we’re not certified, but we have a thing for candles. Natural, nontoxic ones, that is. So when Soy Delites contacted me to send samples for my review, I couldn’t say no. And let me tell you, I wasn’t disappointed.

Not all soy candles are created equal. Typically, they have to burn for a while before you really begin to smell the candle’s fragrance, and you can barely smell some of them at all. Not the case with Soy Delites. The fragrances were exceptionally potent, even before being burned. And even after the candles were extinguished, the beautiful fragrances stuck around for hours afterward. On top of that, the 9 oz. glasses used to contain them are beautiful. We’re thinking of using them to make our own soy candles to give away as gifts. And did I mention that these candles are handmade in Austin, TX? Every time I have to give someone a gift, I try to come up with great eco-friendly gifts they’ll actually use. Soy Delites are now on my list of go-to options.

Why It’s Green:

• Made of soy wax with natural fragrances
• Handmade in Austin, TX

Price: $6-12 for single candles, $20-21 for sets of 2 candles

(review)

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

I’ve ranted and raved more than once before about how much I hate living with wall-to-wall carpet. Well, a few months ago, I was contacted by a representative of flooring company Wilsonart to tell me about an innovative green product: their laminate wood flooring. I know what you’re thinking, because I was thinking the same thing. How could laminate flooring possibly be eco-friendly, right? After asking lots of questions, it turns out Wilsonart’s line of laminate flooring is a pretty nice shade of green. It is made in the U.S. with a minimum of 70% pre-consumer recycled content (including sawdust from saw mills, wood chips from log processing and shavings from wood processing) and it is GREENGUARD certified for indoor air quality. This is not a specialty product. ALL of Wilsonart’s laminate flooring is made this way.

Still, I was skeptical about how any laminate flooring would hold up to the rigors of daily life, and I wanted to see it for myself. So Wilsonart has generously offered to install my choice of high-pressure laminate flooring for free in my home (technically my mother’s home). Seems like they’d have to be pretty confident in the performance of their product to be willing to do this.

Last Friday, my mother and I visited our local Wilsonart supplier, Dalton CarpetOne, to learn more about the product and select the style that we wanted installed in her living room and hallway. After receiving the great news about this opportunity, we had visited the Wilsonart website to get an idea of what was available, and we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted: dark tones that looked as natural and close to real wood as possible. Above, Wilsonart rep Alan Rowell is discussing some options with my mother. Below are the various choices we were considering.

Our two simple preferences (natural-looking dark wood) made our decision pretty easy. Though many of the choices look amazingly similar to real wood, there were only a handful with the specific tone and color variation that we preferred. Our final choice: Coach House Oak, shown in the very first photo of the post. It has rich chocolate brown tones that glide naturally into black-brown and golden honey tones that make it both sleek and organic-looking — much like real wood floors.

Wilsonart & Sustainability

We spent the bulk of our time talking to Alan about the product and the company’s focus on sustainability as a whole. That focus goes well beyond this laminate product. Alan explained that Wilsonart’s goal is to have zero-waste manufacturing facilities, where everything that comes in goes out in the form of product or packaging or is recycled internally for some other purpose. The company is also encouraging employees to be aware of their energy use, and company policy is to use energy as carefully as possible. Does that warm your heart as much as it does mine?

Cleaning

Wilsonart’s recommended floor cleaning solution is biodegradable and VOC-free. This does NOT, however, mean that it is free of chemicals. I only needed a cursory glance at the ingredients list on the bottle to discover that. I asked if I could use my own natural cleaning products and concoctions. Alan said he’d find out whether any natural cleaning products I prefer to use are OK. I reviewed Better Life cleaning products a few months ago, and I’m still happily using their “Simply Floored” floor cleaner and plan to buy another bottle soon. I’ll let you know the verdict on using an all-natural cleaner like this one.

UPDATE: Here’s some more info directly from Wilsonart on cleaning:

• Everyday cleaning: Vacuum the floor or use a dry electrostatic cleaner to remove loose dirt and debris. Do NOT use Wet mops or Wipes containing oil, polishes, waxes or detergents such as Swiffer Wet products.
• Deep cleaning: Use a damp mop using two ounces of Wilsonart Flooring Cleaner (concentrate) diluted in a gallon of warm water and a cotton string or terrycloth mop. Never wash mop head in regular laundry detergent, soap or fabric softener (a residue can build up in the mop head and be transferred to the floor).
• Spot cleaning: Wilsonart Flooring Cleaner (ready-to-use spray bottle) may be sprayed directly on the floor and wiped with a flat-bottom cotton/terrycloth mop.
• Preventive maintenance: Wilsonart recommends the use of felt pads on furniture legs and walk-off mats at outside entrances to prevent scratches and preserve the appearance of your floor.

Installation

The product is installed with a snap-and-lock system, meaning that no toxic adhesive is required. Adhesive is recommended for commercial installation, or for rooms where there is likely to be lots of moisture. This product isn’t recommended for bathroom installation, but according to Alan, it’s great in the kitchen. And while you can use an adhesive for installation, the product is guaranteed whether you use it or not.

Wear & Tear

This is the part that I was most concerned about, but everyone has assured me that I need not worry. I will see for myself once the product is installed, but Wilsonart does have a “puppy test” that shows how durable it is for pets, and it is also designed to withstand the antics of kids who will walk across it wearing soccer cleats without a care in the world or drop heavy books on it without thinking twice. Candi, my mom’s dog, isn’t really allowed in the living room because she sheds so much, but I’ll let you know how it holds up. Alan did point out a great difference between real wood and laminate while we were shopping. He pointed out an area of the store’s floor that was covered in real wood. There were lots of heel marks, scratches and nicks in the wood. But the Wilsonart laminate, which was on a high-traffic area right outside an office used by all the store’s employees, was completely free of nicks and scratches even though it had been installed at the same time as the real wood. It was a compelling observation, unless you like real wood because it wears beautiful over time.

The Next Step

Once we made our choice, we set up an appointment for a representative of Dalton CarpetOne to come out and measure our room. On Tuesday, the room and hallway were measured, and the entire process took only about 20 minutes. Now, I’m just waiting to schedule the installation. I can’t wait!

Why It’s Green:

• Made of a minimum of 70% pre-consumer recycled content
• GREENGUARD certified for indoor air quality
• Made in the U.S.

Price: $3.89-5.09/square foot. Find a local retailer by entering your zip code in the top right corner of the Wilsonart home page.

(review)

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

I learned about Molly Mutt and their innovative product months ago when I was living in Tennessee and I thought it was a great idea, but I didn’t have a dog. When my family and I moved back to Georgia, we moved to my mother’s home, and she does have a fine four-legged friend, her beagle, Candi.

I love dogs as much as the next treehugger, but Candi is a shedder. She leaves a wake of fine white hairs everywhere she goes, no matter how often she is brushed or bathed. So keeping her bed clean (not to mention any other room in the house where she is allowed to roam) is more than a little bit challenging. She has been through at least a dozen pillows, blankets and beds in the past two years or so. Between the red Georgia clay that seems magnetically attracted to her paws and fur and the hair that winds up everywhere, after a while, they just weren’t salvageable.

This is why I immediately loved the idea of Molly Mutt. The company makes dog bed duvet covers. On the surface, this may not seem very innovative, but in practice, it’s awesome! The duvets are designed to be stuffed with whatever you have on hand, from old pillows and blankets to clothing too dingy to donate to Goodwill.

For us, that meant a stained, but cushy old blanket that had once lived inside Candi’s kennel and a couple of old pillows that would have made their way to the local shelter if we hadn’t found another use for them. My daughter and I folded them and put them inside the mesh stuff sack that Molly Mutt sent to us. We then put then entire stuff sack inside the beautiful, medium-sized Bird on a Wire duvet cover we received. The whole process took maybe 2-3 minutes.

Candi had been sleeping on a thin, years-old baby blanket, and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t keeping her very comfortable inside her kennel. Now, she hardly ever wants to come out! I’m not overexaggerating. Before we got the Molly Mutt bed, she’d be barking to come out of her kennel first thing in the morning. Now, she’s content to sit in there all morning, or at least until she gets hungry. Candi is still shedding a lot, of course, but I take great solace in the idea that we can remove the components of the bed and wash them all separately instead of trying to find a laundromat that has a washer big enough to fit a whole bed.

If I had one criticism, it is that the fabric used for the duvet is thick, sturdy cotton canvas, but it’s not organic. If the duvets could be made of organic cotton, hemp, jute or some other sustainable fabric, this would be a perfect green product! Still, I love it, and I love the idea that we were able to fill the duvet with whatever we had laying around and still managed to give Candi a comfortable bed that she loves as much as we do!

And to top it off, they are absolutely beautiful! I love the graphic, designer prints that are available. Candi sleeps in the laundry room, but if your dog sleeps in full view of the rest of the house, this a great option that you won’t want to hide from your guests!

Why It’s Green:

• Reduces waste by allowing you to create a bed by filling the duvet with old blankets, pillows, clothing, an existing dog bed, etc. instead of replacing your bed

Price: $20-40, depending on size. Stuff sack sold separately for $10-15. Available in small, medium & large. Scroll down for a coupon code.

Want to Win One?

Molly Mundt, the creator of Molly Mutt (yes, that’s really her name), generously offered a doggie duvet and stuff sack to one lucky reader in the size and style of your choosing! So how do you win? Visit Molly Mutt’s website, then come back here and leave a comment telling me which size and style you would pick if you won. Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, July 21, 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. You MUST complete the main entry method above before any of these extra entires will be counted. 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, July 21, 2009. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. After you sign up, FeedBurner will send you a verification email. Leave a comment letting me know that you subscribed. If you are a current email subscriber and want to be entered, please leave a comment saying that you are current subscriber and interested in this giveaway.
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.
3. Become a fan of Green Your Decor AND Molly Mutt on Facebook. Leave a comment on the GYD Facebook wall that mentions both Green Your Decor and Molly Mutt. For example, “I love Green Your Decor and Molly Mutt!” Then leave a comment here letting me know you did so.
4. Follow Green Your Decor on Twitter. Then tweet about GYD or this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your tweet.
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.

You have until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21, 2009, to enter. U.S. mailing addresses only! A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. Good luck everyone!

BONUS!

Molly Mutt has offered a discount exclusively for the readers of Green Your Decor. Use coupon code “greenyourdecor” and get 10% off your order! Exp. 8/14/09.

(review)

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