When it comes to non-toxic wood floor care, people fail all the time – not because they don’t want to do the right thing, but because they don’t actually know what to do. We’ve collaborated with Luxury Flooring in the UK to raise awareness about the toxic chemicals in conventional wood floor cleaners and to share with you my top five secrets to non-toxic wood floor care, based on my experience caring for my own gorgeous wood floors. These “secrets” work equally well on hardwood and laminate flooring.

How NOT to Clean a Wood Floor

The challenge with cleaning a wood floor is to avoid any commercial cleaner that contains the following ingredients:

• synthetic or artificial fragrances
• ethanolamines
• detergent

Synthetic or artificial fragrances contain a wide variety of toxic chemicals that can cause breathing problems, headaches, itchy eyes, joint pain, flu-like symptoms and nausea.

These chemicals are very fine and quickly evaporate into the air as they dry after they’re applied.

Because you are usually bent right over the floor when you’re cleaning it, it’s easy to inhale them; it doesn’t take long to feel the side effects!

Ethanolamines include monoethanalomine, diethanolamine, and triethanolamine. These are chemicals used in detergents and cleansers. They help clean up grime, but they’re known to cause skin and respiratory tract irritation and eye injuries.

Detergents often consist of harsh soaps and more synthetic fragrances. Because they’re so strong, they can wear away the finish on your floor as well as cause the same unhealthy reactions as synthetic fragrances.

My Top 5 Secrets to Non-Toxic Wood Floor Care

I installed beautiful sustainable cherry wood floors throughout my home. Here’s how I maintain them in a non-toxic way:

1) Wipe my feet and leave my shoes at the door.

The soles of our shoes collect a lot of dirt, sometimes small pebbles, the occasional bit of dog poo, and maybe chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides that have been applied to lawns and gardens. When I come into my home, I wipe my feet on a rug I can launder, and then take off my shoes before walking on my floor.

2) Regularly sweep floors with a micro-fiber broom.

I don’t vacuum my wood floors because I don’t want them to scratch. Instead, I use a broom that’s got a soft micro-fiber cloth on the bottom. The cloth glides over the floor and collects all dust and dirt. It leaves the floor shining even when it hasn’t been washed.

3) Clean up drips asap.

We all drip ice cream, spill coffee, and slosh cocktails. Any liquid that lands on a wood floor will soak into the floor and leave a stain unless it’s wiped up at once. Note that once the floor stains, it really can’t be cleaned up; this is particularly true if what you drop contains a little oil. Just clean up spills as soon as you notice them to be safe.

4) Spot clean.

Foods may not stain your floors, but they can crust over and make your floor look dirty. When you notice dried food or dirt, dampen a cloth and gently rub until the spot loosens and you can pick it up.

5) Clean with a non-toxic cleanser and a damp – NOT WET – mop.

NEVER clean a wood floor with a soaking wet mop. The water or liquid could end up damaging the floor. Instead use a non-toxic cleanser or make your own. Use a spray bottle to apply a light mist to a small section of the floor then mop up immediately. Follow by dry mopping your entire floor to make sure you leave no water or dirt behind.

NON-TOXIC WOOD FLOOR CLEANERS

Make Your Own

If you maintain your floor regularly by mopping it with a micro fiber cloth, doing spot cleans, and not walking all over it with your outdoor shoes, you shouldn’t need anything stronger than water, some vinegar and a very little bit of natural liquid dish soap to clean it up. Don’t use baking soda, borax or anything else that could scratch the floor’s surface.

Don’t worry about adding disinfectant and an antimicrobial product to your floor cleaner. Even if you have a toddler, the disinfectant won’t really make nearly as much difference as just keeping your floor clean of dirt and dust. Plus, pediatricians say it’s good for kids to be exposed to a little dirt and some germs – it helps them build up their resistance.

RECIPE & Tools

1 bucket or pail or large pot (this system pictured at the right has the mop and bucket all in one)

1 gallon warm water from the tap

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar (buy it cheap in your grocery store)

5 or so drops of organic liquid soap, like Dr. Bronner’s (the nice thing about Dr. Bronner’s is that it’s already scented with essential oils, like rose, lavender, peppermint, and almond)

1 wet mop that you can easily wring out

1 dry mop or dry towels

Combine the water, vinegar, and soap in the bucket. Add cupfuls to a spray bottle and spray a light mist on the floor. Quickly mop up and shine with dry towels. Or, dip the wet mop into the bucket and wring well so the mop is only damp, not wet.

Non-Toxic Wood Floor Cleaner to Buy

Environmental Working Group (EWG.org) has evaluated many of the floor cleansers on the market for the toxicity of their ingredients.

They look at the likelihood of the ingredients to trigger asthma or other respiratory difficulties or skin allergies and irritation.

They also consider the history of the ingredients relating to developmental and reproductive irregularities and cancer. Finally, how the chemicals remain in the environment, and whether they pollute groundwater or threaten birds, fish and other wildlife, is taken into consideration.

According to EWG’s analysis, here are the most effective, least toxic cleansers on the market:

Aunt Fannie’s Floor Cleaner Vinegar Wash Concentrate –

This concentrate comes in several fragrances that are derived from natural essential oils, including eucalyptus, fresh lime mint, lavender, and sweet mandarin.

Aunt Fannie’s contains no dyes, parabens, ammonia, formaldehyde, petroleum solvents, or other nasty chemicals.

It’s concentrated, so you mix a half cup of the solution with two gallons of water, which is probably enough to clean your entire floor. Put it in your own spray bottle to apply, or soak your mop in the solution, then wring out most of the moisture.

Martha Stewart Clean Wood Floor Cleaner –

99% plant and mineral-based, this cleaner contains no fragrances or colors, It comes in recyclable packaging.

NOTE: It may not be sold on Amazon, so look for it elsewhere online or wherever you buy cleaning supplies.

Truce Wood CleanerDIS

Truce is hypoallergenic, alcohol and phthalate free, and free of colors and SLS, as well.

It’s made with essential oils but otherwise is free of synthetic, pesticide, parabens, chlorine and petroleum.

Plus, it’s cruelty-free.

DISCLOSURE

This collaboration with Luxury Flooring allows us to bring you the expertise you need in order to live the greener life you want. Our editorial opinions remain our own.

Big Green Purse earns a teeny tiny commission on some purchases our community makes online. It’s not enough to affect our opinions in any way, but it does help us pay the bills. Thanks!

The post Do You Know These 5 Secrets to Non-Toxic Wood Floor Care? appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Washing windows shouldn’t make you sick. But the chemicals in some of the commercial window cleaners I used to use really got to me. They gave me headaches, made me nauseous, and generally left me feeling totally out of sorts.

That’s why I went searching for a safer, non-toxic window cleaner that would leave my windows sparkling without leaving me achey and ill.

I’ve teamed up with window glass repair company Apex Window Werks to bring you 3 DIY natural glass cleaner recipes that don’t contain nasty ingredients and that really work!

Why Can Conventional Glass Cleaners Make People Sick?

Before we get into my DIY natural glass cleaner recipes, I wanted to say a little about the ingredients in most conventional glass cleaners and why they cause problems.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health*, most window cleaners you’d find in your grocery store contain the following:

These chemicals easily enter our bodies because they’re so easy to inhale.

Most glass cleaners come in a spray pump bottle that atomizes the liquid cleaner into tiny particles.

Unless you’re wearing a face mask that covers your nose and mouth, you can’t help but breathe in some of the spray.

And even with a face mask, the chemicals can get into your eyes or on your skin.

These chemicals can make us sick in many ways, according to NIH:

How Conventional Cleaners Can Make You Sick

Loss of vision
Sore Throat
Severe pain or burning in the nose, eyes, ears, lips, or tongue
Blood in the stool
Severe abdominal pain and vomiting
Low blood pressure
Dizziness
Insomnia
Irritability
Skin irritation

And this isn’t even the complete list of impacts!

3 DIY Natural Glass Cleaner Recipes That Really Work!

Here are 3 DIY natural glass cleaner recipes you can easily make at home.

They remove dust, dirt and grime without relying on any of the nasty chemicals found in many commercial cleaners.

And because you make them in small batches, you don’t need to add a preservative, the way even “green” cleaners you buy in the store might.

Also, depending on how dirty your windows are, you can strengthen or dilute the solution as you need to.

NOTE: For outdoor windows, start by spraying down the windows with water from your hose. Just make sure the windows are tightly closed so no water gets inside the house. But the spray from a forceful hose will loosen and remove dust, pollen, bird poop and other debris on the windows.

If needed, spray bird poop specifically with water or your cleaning solution, wait a few seconds, then rub off with a sponge. Removing excess dirt before cleaning will make it easier for the cleaning solution to work its magic.

Equipment
Clean Spray Bottle
Squeegee
Lint-free Cotton Cloth/Rag
Clean sponge
Rubber gloves

Ingredients
Water
Distilled White Vinegar
Limes/Lemons/Essential Citrus Oils
Baking Soda
Cornstarch
Liquid fragrance-free, vegetable-based dish soap

Recipes

#1 Water – Vinegar – Lemon or Lime Juice – Baking Soda

Fill a regular size spray bottle (or cleaned out one-liter soda bottle) 3/4 full with water.
Add 1/4 cup vinegar.
Squeeze the juice from a half of a lemon or lime, straining out the seeds and pulp to leave just the juice.
Add 2-3 tsp of baking soda. Shake well until all ingredients are combined.
Spray on the dirty window and squeegee clean. (The squeegee wipes away the water and any residual dirt on the window.)
Follow up with a spray of just clean water and the squeegee if necessary.

NOTE: Some people recommend using newspapers to wipe down windows. I find that newspapers make a mess when they’re wet, and may leave behind tiny pieces of paper. A lint-free cotton towel can also work well, but I’ve found that squeegees are really the best. They’re also very fast to use.

#2 Water – Lemon or Lime Juice – Cornstarch

If you hate the smell of  vinegar, which can be a bit strong, try making a cleaning solution of an almost full bottle of water, the strained juice of an entire lime or lemon, and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.

Again, combine the ingredients in the spray bottle, shake well, then spray.

#3 Water – Vinegar – Essential Oil – Cornstarch

If you find the water/vinegar/cornstarch solution works well but you hate the smell of vinegar and prefer something other than limes or lemons for fragrance, add 4 or 5 drops of a fragrant essential oil to your solution.

I personally love lavender, but you might prefer rose, geranium, lilac, coconut, or any number of other fragrances that are available as oils.

You won’t need to add that many drops to get the scent you prefer.

NOTE: Some folks have found that adding a little rubbing alcohol to their solution enhances its cleaning ability and helps make the windows shine.

I don’t add alcohol myself, but if you’re not satisfied with your results from water, vinegar, citrus and baking soda or cornstarch, add 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol to your mixture and see if that makes a difference.

You can also add a couple of drops of liquid dish detergent if your windows are particularly grimy. But don’t overdo it, or you’ll have to rinse off your windows with plain water again.

By the way, even with these vegetable-based ingredients, I crack a window open when I’m spraying them inside the house, and avoid inhaling them while I’m cleaning.

Sponsor Note: Sponsors and partners enable us to bring you expert content so you can live the greener, cleaner life you want. Our editorial opinions remain our own.

Sources:

*NIH/U.S. National Library of Medicine

** Health Care Without Harm

The post 3 DIY Natural Glass Cleaner Recipes That Really Work! appeared first on Big Green Purse.

You shouldn’t have to worry if the cleansers you use in your home could make you sick. But sadly, many of them contain chemicals that cause flu-like symptoms, headaches, nausea, and even make asthma and other respiratory illnesses worse.

KEEP READING – GIVEAWAY DETAILS BELOW!

Start by Following @AspenClean on Twitter

Not AspenClean. This company’s natural cleaning products get the job done by using only safe, EcoCert Certified ingredients that have not been tested on animals. They’re kid-safe and pet-friendly, too.

Here’s another benefit from AspenClean: They’re scented with infusions of organic essential oils. Many conventional cleaning products contain phthalates and synthetic fragrances whose chemical foundations have been linked to reproductive disorders and learning disabilities. At AspenClean, you’ll find cleansers that leave your home smelling like lavender, bergamot or grapefruit. Goodbye headaches, hello serenity!

Ready for one more benefit? They contain NO triclosan or other antibacterial agent. The products do a great job removing dirt and grime, and preventing bacteria & viruses from growing in the home. But they DON’T contribute to our growing resistance to antibiotics by putting antibacterial agents in their soaps, scrubs or sprays.

I love AspenClean’s backstory. The company was founded in 2004 in Vancouver, Canada to fulfill a mission to create healthier, greener alternatives to cleansers whose ingredients were linked to cancer, reproductive difficulties and asthma.

Since that time, they have developed natural-based products for both the kitchen and the whole house, including:

FREE NATURAL CLEANING PRODUCTS GIVEAWAY!

In honor of our Big Green Purse Simple Green Holiday Challenge, AspenClean is offering the Big Green Purse community a Whole House Cleaning Kit for one lucky winner! The kit contains:

√ All Purpose Cleaner, with an All Purpose Microfiber Cleaning Cloth

√ Bathroom Cleaner, with a Bathroom Microfiber Cloth

√ Glass Cleaner, with the Glass Microfiber Cloth

√ Kitchen Cleaner, with the Kitchen Microfiber Cloth.

If you were to buy this kit of natural cleaning products, it would cost you $75 (CAD), plus shipping. But if you WIN it, it’s yours for free. 

Here’s How You Win Your Natural Cleaning Products Kit from AspenClean

The giveaway is free to enter. All you need to do is

1. Leave a comment below this post on why you think green cleaning is so important!
2. Follow @AspenClean on Twitter and send a tweet using @AspenClean and #greenclean 

Want to boost your chances of winning? Drop on over to the Big Green Purse Facebook page and leave us a comment there, too. Authors of all comments left between now and close of business December 22 will be entered into the giveaway, with a winner chosen at random.

Get an Additional Discount

Though there’s only one giveaway, everyone can take advantage of a 10% discount off anything you order between now and January 1 from AspenClean. Just use this promo code:

GreenClean10

Orders over $100 qualify for free shipping, and if you’re shipping to the US, you will not pay tax. All prices on their website are in Canadian dollars, which means purchases will actually cost about 25% less (depending on the exchange rates).

Remember, enter twice, by leaving a comment below and on Facebook. After you do, please share this post on your social media. The more people know about natural cleaning products, the healthier we’ll all be!

Note: Sponsorships from great companies like AspenClean lets us introduce you to great products you might not know about but could be perfect for helping you lead the greener, healthier life you want. All editorial opinions, of course, remain our own and we never work with a company or sponsor that does not meet our strict standards. Thanks!

The post AspenClean’s Natural Cleaning Products GIVEAWAY!! appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Whether you work at home or have a small business, you can have a big environmental impact depending on the paper products and cleaning products you use.

Our sponsor for this post, Dolphin Blue, has pulled together a “Green Office Starter Kit” to make it easier to waste less and create a healthier environment no matter where you work.

What’s included in your Green Office Starter Kit?

• 100% Recycled paper – Producing 1 ton of non-recycled printing and office paper “from scratch” uses 24 trees. Making paper from recycled content saves trees. In fact, says Dolphin Blue, 1 ton (40) cartons of paper made up of 50% postconsumer (already been used) content copier paper saves 12 trees. Plus, it reduces the amount of trash that gets tossed in a landfill. The starter kit includes 1 ream/500 sheets of 100% postconsumer recycled paper.
• Recycled Paper Towels – I generally advocate using reusable sponges rather than paper products to mop up spills. But if you do have to use paper towels, they should be made from postconsumer waste. The 2 rolls of Earth Friendly Products paper towels in the starter kit are made from 100% recycled material, 80% of which is postconsumer (the other 20% may come from paper scraps that were never used, but were incorporated into the paper towels rather than thrown away).
• Facial Tissue – If a cloth hankie won’t do, at least choose facial tissues made from 100% recycled paper, as are the three Seventh Generation boxes included in Dolphin Blue’s kit.
• Trash Bags – The trash bags in the kit are the tall 13-gallon variety, and made from 97% postconsumer recycled material.

Safe Cleaning Products

Many cleaning products contain potent chemicals that leave behind annoying fragrances or residues that can irritate our lungs and eyes and make us cranky and irritable. The best cleaning products do the job without making people sick. The Green Office Starter Kit includes:

• Hand Soap – This Better Life No Regrets Soap is made from purified waters and plant-based ingredients, without sulfates, synthetic fragrances or dyes, parabens, phthalates or triclosan. It has not been tested on animals, either.
• All Purpose Cleaner – The Better Life what-EVER all purpose cleaner works on any washable non-porous surface, including countertops, appliances, sinks, toilets, walls, baseboards, floors, tables, chairs, showers and tubs. You can order it unscented or lightly scented with sage and citrus. 99.99% of the ingredients are derived from plants.

You can see additional green office products, including printer ink and toner, calendars and planners, and filefolders at the Dolphin Blue website.

Sponsor: Dolphin Blue bills itself as “the first and only online ALL-green general store.” It was founded in 1994 on the belief that “we can all be responsible in what we use.” The company’s products contain a minimum of 20% post consumer recycled material whenever possible and are manufactured with a minimal carbon footprint. In addition to eco-friendly production, Dolphin Blue provides a portion of its profits annually to local chapters of environmental non-profit organizations. The company’s mission statement says it all: “To serve as your trusted source of the world’s most environmentally and socially responsible products – to assure your well being and a healthy, sustainable planet.” For more information, call 1-800-932-7715 or contact Dolphin Blue here.

The post The Green Office Starter Kit Will Help You Waste Less, Breathe Better appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Apart from the fact that they’re smelly and unsightly, mold and mildew can be very unhealthy. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, breathing in mold spores can cause a variety of respiratory illnesses. Both mold and mildew can lead to headaches and nasal congestion and even trigger asthma attacks.

Mold and mildew build up in damp places, which is why you might find them in your basement or shower or on your shower curtain. But they won’t get a foothold if you follow these steps.

PREVENTION

Mold and mildew can’t grow where it’s dry, so the best way to keep them at bay is to reduce dampness.

• Crack open a window and start your ceiling fan when you turn on the shower so excess moisture moves out of the room, rather than condenses on the walls and tile. Keep the fan running and the window cracked open at least 15 minutes after you turn the shower off to let as much moist air escape as possible.

• Wipe down the shower and tub as soon as you’re finished. Keep a small squeegee in the shower so it’s convenient; you can get a squeegee very cheaply at a hardware store, home goods retailer, or online. Or, use a hand towel or washcloth to do the job. A cloth is particularly good at getting to the tile grout and in the corners where mold has a tendency to start.

• Use a shower curtain you can actually launder in the washing machine. That means, skip the vinyl or plastic in favor of cotton, hemp, or nylon.  Wash it in hot water, run it through your machine’s spin cycle to remove excess water, then hang it up to dry in the shower. After every shower, wipe down the tile, let the fan run, and at some point, pull the shower curtain wide to let it air out.

• If you have a non-slip mat in your shower, you will need to pull it up and wash it down regularly. I’ve gotten rid of my shower mat because it was too much trouble to keep clean. If you want yours, you’ll have to wash it frequently. It helps to spray the back of it weekly with a solution of white vinegar and water, or tea tree oil and water.

• Use a terry cloth hand towel in the shower instead of a mat. Most of us have extra hand towels lying around. Or, pick up a few hand towels at a dollar store or when your department store is having a sale. Put the towel on the bottom of the shower or bath tub. It won’t slip, you’ll have traction, and when you’re finished, you can wring out the towel and let it dry, or throw it in the laundry.

• Keep your shower clean. Wash it down regularly with a good non-toxic cleanser, like baking soda and a plant-based liquid soap, or something like Bon Ami, which is essentially pulverized rock. Use a mop and a stepladder to reach the ceiling above the shower if needed. Dry it with a rag or towel when you finish washing it.

• Fix leaky faucets and showerheads. Stop the drips to limit mold and mildew around drains.

• Install a dehumidifier in the basement. You can adjust the appliance to remove as much humidity from your space as you need. Empty the water collection bucket frequently – in the summer, I need to empty mine almost every day. If convenient, you can use the collected water to water your plants. You can usually eep the dehumidifier bucket clean by washing it out with hot soapy water and wiping away any mold or mildew that might be building up.Remember this true adage: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The more you do to prevent mold and mildew from building up, the better off you’ll be.

TREATMENT

As soon as you notice mold or mildew, attack! If you have black mold in the walls, ceiling, or floor of your home, you will probably need to hire a professional mold remediation company to treat the problem for you. Black mold can pose a real health hazard, so don’t wait to take it seriously. For more superficial problems, the following steps will help:

• Make a spray of water and vinegar, tea tree oil or hydrogen peroxide, using between one and two tablespoons of the product for every cup of water you add to the spray bottle (experiment a bit to see what works in your situation; you may need up to a 50% vinegar/50% water solution). You can add fresh squeezed lemon juice minus the pulp to sweeten up the smell of the vinegar. If using vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, spray the potion directly on the spotty areas, leave them alone for 10 or 15 minutes, and then rinse. Dry with a rag you don’t mind throwing away. If using tea tree oil, which is more expensive but is supposed to be more effective, spray the cleanser on the tile or shower stall and leave it overnight. Run the fan and open the window to keep air circulating and to counter the smell from the vinegar or tea tree oil.  Reapply as soon as you see the mold reappear.

• If the grout in your shower can’t be thoroughly cleaned out, you may need to replace the grout.  If this is too much to do on your own, you can find a professional service to replace the grout for you. Get a price estimate before you commit to the work. It may be a little pricey, but probably cheaper than dealing with health problems that could result from living with mold and mildew.

MAINTENANCE

Getting rid of the mold and mildew in your shower doesn’t mean you can be less vigilant. Inspect the shower and shower curtain once a week to make sure you’re staying mold and mildew-free. Wash the shower curtain regularly to keep it fresh. Wipe down the tile or shower stall each time you finish using it, and don’t forget to keep the window open and the fan going to reduce moisture build-up.

The post Naturally Kill Mold and Mildew appeared first on Big Green Purse.

What’s Wrong With Synthetic Chemicals?

A better question is, what’s right? And the answer?  Not much!!

Some of the synthetic chemicals you’re likely to find in conventional cleaning products include:

• Phthalates – linked to birth defects in children exposed in utero; can cause headaches, nausea and other discomfort when inhaled via the artificial fragrances they’re usually found in
• Phosphorous – overloads fresh water systems; when washed down a drain, it ends up in streams, rivers, and lakes, where it can rob the waters of precious oxygen and make it difficult for fish and other aquatic wildlife to survive
• Bleach – releases powerful fumes that can cause headaches, nausea and general feelings of illness; when mixed with ammonia, can create a poisonous gas that can burn your lungs if you inhale it.

What’s a Healthier Alternative?

Responsible cleaning companies are manufacturing products that rely on plant-derived cleaning agents that use natural sources and contain essential oils, corn-based alcohol, earth-based minerals and filtered water. Though lemon oil is probably the most common essential oil used, many other citrus oils, plus essence of peppermint, spearmint and lavender, among others, may be included as well. Though there’s always a chance you might be allergic to one of these ingredients, they’re far less likely to pose serious threats that the more conventional cleansers you might currently be buying.

If you’ve never tried a green cleaner before, in honor of Earth Day our sponsor SourceSupplyCompany.com is offering at a 10% discount green cleaners that can be used on bathroom and kitchen surfaces, including chrome, stainless steel, and glass; dishwashing detergents, laundry detergents, and more.

You can find the full list of products available for purchase here.   Use promo code Earth10 for your discount!

NOTE: Sponsors allow us to provide expert content at no cost to you. Our editorial opinion remains our own. Thanks!

About Source Supply Company 

SourceSupply Company is a janitorial supply company with over 20 years of experience in the industry, specializing in janitorial, facility, and maintenance products. With more than 14,000 products and access to more than 300 manufacturers, Source Supply Company makes it easy for you to find the products that best meet your need while benefitting from our competitive pricing and superior service.  For more information, visit http://www.sourcesupplycompany.com. 

The post Green Spring Cleaning With Plant-Based Cleansers appeared first on Big Green Purse.

We’re not.

We ARE living in a world that we share with billions of “germs,” most of which are perfectly harmless. In fact, many doctors believe that living with germs keeps us healthier by helping us build up a resistance to their ill effects.

This perspective seems to be routinely ignored by the cleaning products industry. A report by Women’s  Voices for the Earth, a non-profit Montana-based research group, investigates the link between toxic chemicals found in disinfectants and human health. Disinfectant Overkill: How Too Clean May Be Hazardous To Our Health analyzes the impact of “cleansers” that commonly contain chlorine bleach, ammonia, triclosan and other anti-bacterials, ammonium quarternary compounds, and nano-silver. Their conclusion?

“Some of the most common antimicrobial chemicals used in cleaners could have
serious health consequences. This is especially true for cleaning workers, young children and women who, despite progress on gender roles, continue to do 70% of housework in the average home.”

Furthermore, “The overuse of antimicrobials contributes to the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which some scientists say could leave the public with fewer tools in the fight against infectious diseases.”

WVE suggests this analogy to understand the impact today’s common cleansers have on us and the environment:

“Suppose you have a pesky fly in your house. One option is to reach for a flyswatter. Assuming you get a direct hit on the fly, your problem is neatly and efficiently solved. But imagine if all you have handy is a sledgehammer. Again assuming you get a direct hit, you will certainly take care of the problem fly. However, you are likely to put a hole in your wall in the process.

The sledgehammer might be supremely effective at killing flies, but are the side effects (i.e. holes in your wall) worth it?. The same is true for antimicrobial products; they are often too strong for the average daily need. Occasionally they may be warranted, just as a sledgehammer has its place and purpose. But on a daily basis, simple soap and water or other non-toxic cleaners will do the trick without causing potentially harmful side effects.”

WVE does not argue we should stop cleaning. On the contrary, “Disinfectant Overkill” makes a convincing, science-based case for using safe solutions to keep germs at bay.

Wondering where to start? These eco-friendly tips will help keep your hands clean.

These DIY recipes for home cleansers are cheap to make and work effectively on any surface in your home.

The post House Cleaning? Use a Fly Swatter, Not a Sledge Hammer appeared first on Big Green Purse.

“Early in 2008 I read an article in the Arizona Republic about the One in a Million campaign and it matched my own thinking so well that I went right into the computer and registered.

I feel that, even though I can’t solve all the problems on my own, I should do whatever I can and if other people do the same the cumulative effect could really make a difference. I tell my husband this is my way of taking care of great grandchildren I won’t be around to take care of directly.

I focused my spending shift on food and cleaners because it was an area of my spending I hadn’t really made any changes in yet. Also, I have been trying to green my life for awhile so I’d already done many of the obvious changes. For instance, among other things, I had already replaced all the light bulbs in my house (and my parents house) with compact fluorescent bulbs, I’m a vegetarian (which reduces a bunch of green house gasses) and we had replaced the 25 year old energy sucking air conditioner with a new high efficiency unit.

Though I was trying to have my family eat healthy, I hadn’t really evaluated our food (or our cleaning supplies) for their environmental impact. The shift was kind of tough at first, I found that some of the places I had been shopping weren’t going to work out for things I was used to buying there because the greener alternatives they had available were just way to expensive. So I had to go hunting, sometimes trying new stores altogether, sometimes looking at stores I already went to for things that I didn’t normally buy there.

I have to say that Target and Trader Joe’s have really come to my rescue on more than one instance. Trader Joe’s has such good prices on so many organic things and Target is constantly increasing their inventory of environmentally friendly cleaners as well as organic food. Shopping habits aren’t easy things to change, but now I’m not going back, this has become my new normal routine. I haven’t decided on our green goals for the new year yet, but I am so pleased with what we have done so far that I definitely want to make additional changes to keep us getting greener all the time.”

How did Carolyn shift her spending?

Date            Item                                    Money Spent

all year        organic foods                              $ 755
all year        non-toxic cleaners                       $ 350

Total …………………………………………….. $ 1,105 (or more)

Want to join the campaign? Sign up here; you’ll get a handy balance sheet you can download to help you keep track of your environmentally friendly choices. The idea isn’t to spend more money; it’s to shift money you already spend to greener products and services. Once you’ve shifted $1,000, send us your story so we can share it with others.

Thanks to One in a Million, over $3 million in spending shifts have already occurred.

The post Why Did Mom Shift $1,000 to Greener Cleaners, Organic Food? appeared first on Big Green Purse.