Mommy Goes Green

Seventh Generation has come out with another great line of eco-friendly and non-toxic cleaning products.  This time, they have joined forces with CleanWell, using their patented technology based on thymol, a component of thyme oil, to create a line of disinfectant wipes and sprays, including both a multi-surface cleaner and a bathroom cleaner.

Their disinfectant line kills over 99.99% of household germs commonly found in your home, such as Influenza A, H1N1, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli.  Now you clean AND disinfectant safely, in one step.

Look for their new line wherever you normally purchase Seventh Generation products including mass retailers such as Target, Walgreens, Toys ‘R Us and natural food stores such as Whole Foods.

Print a coupon for $1 OFF any Seventh Generation product.

January is National Radon Action Month, designated by the EPA, as radon is the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung cancer for smokers.  That’s approximately 20,000 deaths per year in the U.S. 

Radon is a naturally occurring, odorless, and colorless gas produced by the breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water. Because radon is a gas, it can enter homes through openings or cracks in the foundation. The radon gas itself decays into radioactive solids, called radon daughters. The radon daughters attach to dust particles in the air, and can be inhaled.

According to the EPA, over 8 million homes in the U.S. have dangerous levels of radon gas – could yours be one of them?   You cannot smell, taste or see radon so the EPA suggests that EVERY home regardless of age, location or type of construction be tested for radon gas. You can purchase a test inexpensively at a home improvement store or online for about $15.00.

I purchased our test in the fall and finally conducted it in early January.  It’s VERY simple, you basically hang it up in your house for 4-7 days while it collects the surrounding air particles and then mail it back in.  I got the test results within days.  The good news is that our home has a level of less than 0.3 pCi/L which is basically equivalent to the radon found in fresh air.

Purchase a radon test kit TODAY for your home and if you are planning to rent or purchase a new home, make sure you conduct a radon test as part of your inspection period.  If there IS radon, it’s not necessarily a deal breaker as there are ways to fix it.

I’ve been toying with the idea of wallpapering the wall behind my bed and was curious about what my wallpaper options are.   Frankly, I’ve never wallpapered anything but I’m always up for trying something new!

What I didn’t know was that most stock wallpaper is made with or coated with vinyl (PVC) - a product I stay away from.   The stinky smell from products made with PVC ( new cars, plastic shower curtains, etc. ) emits hazardous VOCs in your house contributing to indoor air pollution.  Our indoor air is already 5x more polluted than the outdoor air, let’s not add to it with PVC wallpaper!  As I often find, there are better alternatives – vinyl FREE wallpaper.

Mod Green Pod vinyl-free wallpapers use water-based inks on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper and finish the product with a water-based glaze that can tolerate light wiping.  They’ve got some fun prints, check out the photo above!

For more prints, Graham & Brown has 46 wallpaper prints that are VOC-free and printed on paper from managed resources.

I love this Juicy Jute grasscloth wallpaper – it’s got great texture and is made with jute, a natural fiber.  It also comes in 29 different vegetable dyed hues.  For other natural fiber wallpapers, check out raffia or hemp.

Traditional wallpaper paste has a bunch of chemicals, too, so try this great DIY recipe from Annie B. Bond.

• •1 cup flour (wheat, corn, or rice)
• •3 teaspoons alum
• •water
• •10 drops oil of cloves (natural preservative)

Combine the flour and alum in a double boiler. (If you don’t have a double boiler, set a smaller pan inside a bigger one that contains enough water that can be brought to a boil without overflowing). Add enough water to make a consistency of heavy cream; stir until blended. Heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened to a gravy texture. Let cool. Stir in the clove oil. Pour into a glass jar with a screw top. Apply with a glue brush. Makes 1 cup. Shelf life: 2 weeks refrigerated.

If You Care is a unique line of unbleached kitchen supplies including coffee filters, cupcake baking cups, parchment paper, waxed paper, and cheesecloth. Why should you care? 

The most common method of bleaching these products is to use chlorine.  During the bleaching process, dioxin is released into the environment and is considered a carcinogen.  According to the EPA, dioxins can alter the fundamental growth and development of cells in ways that have the potential to lead to many kinds of impacts. These include, for example, adverse effects upon reproduction and development; suppression of the immune system; chloracne (a severe acne-like condition that sometimes persists for many years); and cancer. 

EPA estimates that most dioxin exposure occurs through the diet, with over 95% of dioxin intake for a typical person coming through dietary intake of animal fats. Small amounts of exposure occur from breathing air containing trace amounts of dioxin on particles and in vapor form, from inadvertent ingestion of soil containing dioxin, and from absorption through the skin contacting air, soil, or water containing minute levels. These processes result in widespread, low-level exposure of the general population to dioxins.

If You Care also carries 100% recycled aluminum foil.  Check it out – I’ve been using the foil for about a year and it works great.  I know it’s more expensive than some of the conventional brands but I really don’t use that much foil, maybe 1 or 2 boxes per year.  We store most of our foods in plastic, glass or other reusable storage containers.  If you can’t find the If You Care line, Reynolds now makes a recycled aluminum foil that I’m sure you can find in your local grocery store.

Know someone interested in a greener, more eco-friendly lifestyle?  Put a green kit on your Christmas shopping list, a collection of tools and tips to start out on their green journey. 

Kathy’s Climate Kits - kits include: compact fluorescent bulbs, weather stripping, tire pressure gauge, faucet aerator, reusable bags, LED nightlight, toilet leak detection tablets, letters to Congress, junk mail removal, and more. Plus, one tree is planted for every kit sold.  $45

Green Lemonaide- kits arrive in a reusable tote with SIGG water bottle, cleaning scrub, sink aerators, CFL and shower timer.  $35

The Green Starter Kit - kit includes It’s Easy Being Green book, Canvas Grocery Tote, Produce Bag, Stainless Steel Water Bottle by THERMOS, Stainless Steel Mug, Banana Paper Note Pad, CFL Bulb, Sun & Earth healthy cleaning products and coupon for 2 Trees Planted  $59

Seventh Generation Kits – You can’t go wrong with a kit from Seventh Generation.  Choose from their healthy home and cleaning kits or baby kits.  All filled with great Seventh Generation products.  $30 – 45

Ever wonder where the plastic products you recycle goes?  Preserve is one company that takes them to make new personal care, kitchen and tableware products.   All of their products are made in the U.S. from 100% recycled materials.  Better yet, they are all recyclable when you are done using them.

In face, if your community doesn’t recycle #5 plastics, Preserve will take them back to use in their recycling process.  You can drop them off at a local collection site or mail them to Preserve.

Preserve’s personal care product line includes toothbrushes, razors and flavored toothpicks.  Toothbrush handles are made from 100% recycled plastic, including Stonyfield farms yogurt cups and come in soft, medium and hard bristles for both adults and children.  Every three months, when you replace your toothbrush, you can mail the old toothbrush and case (postage paid) back to Preserve and they’ll recycle them into plastic lumber for park benches, decks and more.  They will also take back their razors and tongue cleaners for recycling.  How’s that for full circle?  Love it!

I’m in the last two weeks of my pregnancy and nesting like crazy, cleaning and organizing anything that can be.  One of the things on my ‘to do’ list was to scrub some of the carpet stains that have accumulated over the last couple months.

I recently bought a bottle of Seventh Generation Natural Carpet Stain and Spot Remover so I grabbed it and some white microfiber cloths.  I shouldn’t be surprised when a chemical free product works as good as anything with chemicals but still I am!

The directions say to spray the stain and let it set for 5-10 minutes before blotting up the stain.  I had to wait about 2-3 minutes and the stains were gone.  I was able to easily remove a stain on the carpet in my office that had been there for 2 years. 

I love it when a non-toxic, environmentally friendly product works just as well (or better!) than a conventional, chemical filled one.   Seventh Generational Natural Carpet Stain and Spot Remover uses hydrogen peroxide as its most active stain removal agent.  As with all Seventh Generation products, ALL of the ingredients are disclosed so you can decide whether or not you want them used in your house.

At $4.99 per bottle (get a $1 OFF coupon), it’s worth every penny.

Kim Carlson, eco-expert and founder of EarthSmart Consumer Certified, provides 6 ways you can prepare your home for winter this year – saving money on your energy costs.

• Change Furnace Filters:  Before cranking up the heat be sure to replace or clean furnace filters as dirty ones can restrict airflow and increase energy use. It’s very important to replace them once month when in use. Next time you go to change it or go to the hardware sortie, consider purchasing an electronic filter. These filters are much better at controlling the bacteria, mold, viruses and pollen that causes illness and irritation. Another good choice is a genuine HEPA filter (like the one pictured), which can remove at least 99.97% of airborne particles. HEPA filters are based on Department of Energy standards. But avoid “HEPA-like” filters, which can be vastly less effective.

• Run Fans in Reverse:  Switching your ceiling fan to clockwise pulls warmer air trapped at the top down to the living space. Many ceiling units come with a handy switch that reverses the direction of the blades. This can cut your heating costs as much as 10 percent.

• Install storm doors and windows:  Installing storm doors can increase energy efficiency by 45 percent as it seals off drafts and reduces air flow. Equally as important is to install storm windows as they make a huge difference as well. If you have old storm combination windows, further seal up air leaks by installing film between the storm and window to give your home an extra layer of protection against the cold.

• Energy Audit:  Have your electricity provider complete an inexpensive energy audit on you home. They will give you recommendations that will help you save money, energy and keep the winter drafts out.

• Caulking and weather-stripping:  Along the same lines of installing storm doors and windows be sure to seal off gaps that can sap home energy efficiency by 5 to 30% a year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Some key places to eye are corners, around chimneys, where pipes or wires exit and along the foundation.

• Safety & Preparation:  The windows will be closed so it’s a good time to test and replace non-working carbon monoxide detectors and replace batteries in your smoke alarms. Along the same lines, be sure to monitor your humidity levels with a hygrometer that you can buy inexpensively at any hardware store. When you are using a humidifier, keep humidity levels between 20- 50% to protect your indoor air quality.

For more information about winterizing your home and saving energy, check out some of Mommy Goes Green’s past posts: 

• energy audits
• saving energy – first steps
• replacing air filters
• switching to CFL bulbs

Mommy Goes Green Q&A– A reader emailed asking about Advanage Wonder Cleaner.

Q: I am so bummed right now because I got suckered into buying Advantage Wonder Cleaner for $38 + tax from a door to door saleswoman. She had this great spiel and demonstrated how well the cleaner worked – which it did work great. She promised it was “green” and gave me a pamphlet with info.  I read on the bottle (of course after I buy it) all these warnings about ingesting it and rinsing your eyes out if it gets in them and to contact a physician if you being vomiting after ingesting. Would there be all those problems if a product was truly non-toxic?

A:  I haven’t heard of Advanage before.  Unfortunately, I really can’t find much about the company online, besides their website. They claim to be awarded some “green seal of approval” but the organization that they cite (My Green Globe) doesn’t have a website and I can’t find anything else about them. I did find several complaints and claims about the product not working along with some aggressive behavior by the door-to-door salespeople.  As a comparison, I looked through the Seventh Generation products I use and they are clearly labeled ”not poisonous” but if ingested to drink water and call a physician. My general rule is that if a product does not disclose ALL of its ingredients, I won’t use it. As far as I can tell, Advanage doesn’t disclose its ingredients so I’d be inclined to toss it.  Also, if it says ‘Danger’, ‘Warning’ or ‘Poison’ – then there is no way it’s “non-toxic”.  That term is not regulated, so anyone can claim their product is safe.

Readers – anyone else come in contact with Advanage?

The Environmental Working Group just released a study on cleaning supplies used in schools and the news is not good.  Tests of 21 cleaners from 13 large California school districts found that when used (as directed),  the products released six chemicals known to cause asthma and 11 contaminants that are known, probable, or possible cancer-causing substances in humans.

Not only are use of these products harmful to the janitors cleaning the school, these chemicals hang out in our schools and exposure over many years may be harmful to our babies’ health.

Not only are some of these products used in schools – we use them in our homes everyday.  Comet, Simple Green, Febreeze ring a bell?  Yep, they are all included:

•Comet Disinfectant Powder Cleanser, which emitted 143 contaminants when used as directed, including formaldehyde, benzene, chloroform and four other chemicals identified by the state of California as causing cancer or reproductive harm.

•Simple Green, a general purpose cleaner that released 92 chemicals into the air, including two linked to cancer (2-butoxyethanol and acetaldehyde) and one linked to cancer and asthma (formaldehyde).

•Febreze Air Effects, an air freshener that gave off 88 airborne contaminants including acetaldehyde, a chemical linked to cancer.

The good news is all of these products have greener alternatives that work!  I use Bon Ami in place of Comet and EcoBreeze works in place of Febreze.  There are tons of eco-friendly all purpose cleaners on the market often, good old fashioned ingredients like baking powder and vinegar can work as well. 

First step – get these yucky cleaners out of your house and replace them with green cleaners.  You can start quickly by replacing everything with Seventh Generation products – I’m a huge fan.  Once you get comfortable with those, you can work in other products that you find or make some of your own.  I make our glass cleaner and use a variety of household ingredients for certain cleaning projects like cleaning grout or the oven.

Second step – find out what your children’s schools are using to clean.  The EWG even has a handy guide to talking to your school, a customizable letter to send to the administration to start the conversation,  and a fact sheet to educate about green cleaning.

I’ve briefly approached my daughter’s preschool in the past but didn’t get much of a response.  I’m going to try, try again!