• Keep crumbs off the floor; especially in well hidden areas like under the fridge, under stove burners and in-between the fridge and cupboards.
• Never leave standing water anywhere in the house – bugs like to drink your standing water so eliminate it. Watch for leaks and puddles under the fridge and in the basement.
• Block them – try caulking holes and gaps in the walls, especially around baseboards and doors. Most bugs move into your home via cracks.
• Be tidier – I know, it sucks but bugs (other than cockroaches) like it messy. Be sure to clean up piles of paper especially.
• IF you go with poison – DO NOT use a bomb or spray, instead try a bait or gel trap with will won’t fume into your home, but the poison will end up back with the bug wherever he’s hanging out (usually in the wall).
• Try some natural bug barriers. There are tons of herbs, spices, and oils that bugs hate.
• See more pest prevention methods.

[image via stock.xchng] 1

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Although most parents in the U.S. consider home cleaners pretty safe, most are anything but safe. In fact more the American Association of Poison Control Centers notes that 1.25 million kids younger than six years of age are unintentionally poisoned in the home each year by things you’d expect (pain relievers and cough and cold medicines) but also lots of stuff you’d not suspect such as cosmetics, personal bath care products, and basic home cleaners. Furthermore, Studies by the Environmental Working Group conducted research that shows that nearly 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants can be found in the umbilical cord blood of newborns. That is insane.

Million Baby Crawl, a new campaign launched and sponsored by Seventh Generation hopes to get some of these toxic chemicals out of your child’s life for good though. It’s about time too. Congress passed that nation’s chemical regulatory law, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TCSA) 33 YEARS AGO and as of right now, the EPA has managed to test only 200 of the more than 80,000 chemical compounds developed for products used in the home. Way to go congress.

Additionally, the EPA has zero authority to gather information to evaluate a chemical’s risk because product manufacturers are not required by law to give that info to the EPA or to even prove a chemical’s safety as a condition of use. We aren’t doing very well at all when it comes to protecting our children – at least not from a whole country standpoint.

Join the campaign!

Seventh Generation and supporters of the Million Baby Crawl think that chemical manufacturers should be required by law to conduct safety testing before a chemical is used in products. As a parent, I’m sure you agree. You can help support the effort by doing the following…

• Visit Million Baby Crawl and create a crawler that represents why you want chemical reform. The Million Baby Crawl will help to present the Kids Safe Chemical Act to Washington by collecting signatures from Americans who support toxic chemical reform.
• Post about the Million Baby Crawl at your own blog.
• Follow the Million Baby Crawl discussion on Twitter #mbcrawl.

Until chemical laws are passed you still have a choice though. DON’T clean with conventional toxic cleaners. Make homemade green cleaners or buy safe green cleaners.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

• When ditching plastics, make sure to get rid of any plastics #3, 6, or 7 first. The other plastics are far less toxic.
• If you keep some plastics, don’t microwave in them. This makes it more likely that chemicals in said plastic will leech into your food or drink. Use glass or lead-free microwave safe ceramic dishes in the microwave.
• Use foil or a food container made of non-plastic vs. plastic wrap. If you can’t give up plastic wrap, at least never use it in the microwave.
• Look to packaging. A lot of plastics that end up in our kitchen are due to packaging on kitchen and food products. Try to buy food and other items in sustainable packaging. For example, you can buy ketchup in a glass bottle vs. plastic. To learn more, read how to green audit your kitchen pantry.

• If you bottle feed your baby, or give your toddler sippy cups make sure you use only BPA-free versions. Likewise, if you use baby and toddler feeding dishes, make sure those are BPA-free as well. One example are the Green To Grow – Welcome Home Sets – Baby bottles made with BPA-free resin and 100% recycled paper and soy ink packaging.
• Don’t use plastic cutting boards. Wooden or bamboo cutting boards are perfectly safe.
• Think in all-over terms. Plastic wrap and plastic food containers are obvious. However, it’s likely you’ve got plastic slotted spoons, plastic drainers, plastic drinking cups, plastic measuring cups, and more. When ditching plastics, do a full kitchen check. Many of these items come in safer silicone or aluminum versions.

Coming up, plastic-free food storage options plus some other plastic-free dishes (think spatulas, colanders, and so on.

Have you been trying to go plastic-free in the kitchen? What sort of changes have you made?

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Why say no?:

More and more studies pop up all the time that note the dangers of plastics. Plastics can leach toxins into our food and drink and then into our bodies. The most dangerous plastic threats continue to be BPA loaded plastics, but other plastics can contain chemicals as well.

While some plastics are made with plants now vs. oil, most plastics are still made with non-renewable resources and while some are recyclable, many plastics are not tossed into the recycling bins. If plastics aren’t recycled, they’ll languish in the landfills for god knows how long. Other plastics are downcycled into products that can’t be further recycled. Furthermore it’s super expensive to recycle plastics and doing so causes its own set of environmental problems.

The worst plastic offenders for our health:

If you aren’t up for clearing out all the plastics in your kitchen just yet, at least avoid the following..

• #3 – PVC usually used in plastic wraps and bottles (such as salad dressing).
• #6 – PS used for meat trays and styrofoam cups.
• #7 – 7 plastics are an odd bunch. It basically means it’s not a plastic 1-6. Most of these contain BPA and are usually used in baby bottles, water bottles, metal can linings, many Tupperware containers, and more.

Plastics #1, 2, 4, and 5 are less toxic to humans but still not ok for the planet.

Next up in the plastic kitchen series, ideas to reduce your plastic use in the kitchen.

Are you using tons of plastic gear in your kitchen? Do you know what types of plastics you still have around? If not, it might be time to start sorting them out.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Today’s green question appeared on the post, 25 Safe, Non-toxic, Homemade Cleaning Supplies; a reader asked, “I have some old floor cleaners, wax, ect.. what’s the best way to get rid of it with out hurting the environment?”

First of all you’ll need to know which household cleaners are worth keeping, and which should be tossed. You can read the following post; How many cleaning supplies are under your sink that your child could safely drink? to sort out your chemicals.

Secondly, you don’t want to toss them in the sink. Cleaners can be just as toxic to the environment as paint or other hazardous materials so allowing them into the groundwater system is no good. You need to dispose of them correctly.

WHERE TO DISPOSE OF YOUR ICKY CLEANERS:

Apartment Therapy has a nice informative post up for people who live in large urban areas (i.e. NY, San Fran, etc) – Where to Rid of Your Toxic Household Cleaners but this won’t help if you live elsewhere.

Some other ideas…

• Earth 911 lets you search for recycling centers and household cleaners are included.
• Check with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Their household toxic waste disposal page lists tips for proper use and disposal of waste (like cleaners) and offers ideas about where to drop off these items in your community.
• Your local recycling center is a good place to start. Even if your general recycling center won’t accept old cleaners, they’ll be able to tell you who will.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Here at Tree Hugging Family, I mainly advocate making your own homemade green cleaners. Not only is it easy to make simple green cleaners, but very cost effective. That said, there will always be folks who want to buy, not make cleaners, so I figured we should take a look at which store bought cleaners are actually green.

The number one rule for choosing a green store bought cleaner is – read your labels. A pretty waterfall or little green leaf means nothing. Ignore fancy ‘green’ packaging and read your labels.

Terms you want to see on a cleaning bottle include:

• Ammonia free
• Chlorine free
• Plant based
• Biodegradable
• Certified organic
• Solvent free
• Phosphate free
• Chemical free
• Fragrance free
• Dye and artificial color free

Of course, one cleaner may note that it’s got certified organic ingredients or that it’s fragrance free, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. You need to read the whole label, not simply go by the first thing you see.

Terms you DO NOT want to see on a cleaning bottle include:

• “Poison” or “Danger.” Federal law mandates that these terms indicate the highest possible level of hazard.
• “Caution” or “Warning,” both mean a product carries a moderate hazard.
• “Wear gloves” – “Only use in a well ventilated area” and other likewise terms are big baddies. I’m sorry, but if you need to wear gloves or a face mask in order to handle a product, right there it’s a bad idea.

Next check for full ingredient disclosure: If a product says something like, “Natural ingredients” or has a super scanty ingredient list, I’d be leery. They could do better. Some products may be just fine, and list their healthy ingredients at their website, but they should include them on the package.

Lastly check the packaging:

• Is it excessive?
• Is it recyclable?
• Is it refillable? Some co-ops do offer refillable cleaning products.

Is it worth it?

All in all, this is a lot of work just to find a green cleaner. You could just make most of your own. If you need help making homemade green cleaners (or help choosing a green conventional cleaner) read the following:

Basic green cleaning

• 25 Safe, Non-toxic, Homemade Cleaning Supplies
• Hot Water for Cleaning – Yeah It Works
• Breathe In Some Green Air
• Homemade Organic Liquid Handsoap
• Are Sponges A Great Green Choice?

Nice scents

• Homemade Spicy Apple Air Freshener
• Natural Air Fresheners
• Pennyroyal, Cinnamon, & Lavender Air Freshener

Laundry

• Solar Stain Fighting
• Green Product Review: Biokleen All Temperature Laundry Liquid

Dishes

• Green Product Review: Biokleen Automatic Dish Powder
• Green Product Review: Seventh Generation Automatic Dishwasher Gel
• Seventh Generation Dishwasher Powder Review

Which cleaners do you buy vs. make?

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Hmmm. Tough decision. Plants can naturally clean your air of toxins and chemicals, reduce stress, and improve your overall well-being. Also, plants are just so much more aesthetically pleasing than a fatty white box. Here are some pretty options:

Gerbera Daisy

Bamboo

[Via Savvy Gardening - read: Bringing Up Bamboo]

Christmas Cactus – not just at Christmas time, these plants actually can last 30 years.

[Available at Cactus Limon]

To learn more, you have to see this amazing chart from Good Magazine.

The chart (once bigger) will show you common household pollution issues and the plants that fight them. An excellent chart and resource!

You can also look for the following at the library; How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office – one of the better books I’ve read on this topic. This book covers plants that work well in small and large spaces, and also plants that do well with low light, meaning, you can have air cleaning plants in a bathroom or office space with no windows.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in May 2008

[Gerber daisy image via Stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

The following are written for kids and gives them the information they need if and when they get bit by a creepy crawling critter.

Bug Bites

Hey! A Brown Recluse Spider Bit Me! (egad)

Hey! A Scorpion Stung Me!

What to Do if You’re Bugged by Bugs

How do I Avoid Ticks?

Also some more fun based buggy sites:

• World’s Most Notorious Bugs – an awesome site, with “most wanted” bug posters. Really cool.
• Bug Bios
• Yucky Roach World
• Cool Bug Stuff

For Parents:

If you’re parents of the much younger, can’t read themselves set, you might be interested in my Pregnancy & Baby bug series, which includes info about DEET dangers…

• Stop baby itching this summer with bug bite prevention
• Treating bug bites on babies
• Safer natural bug sprays for babies
• Bugs bugging your babe?

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in May 2008

[Image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Today we’re going to kick things off with the eco negatives of conventional female products.

Landfill issues: Of course even just one woman creates enough tampon and maxi-pad waste over her lifetime to make you cringe – just where are all these products ending up? In landfills of course. Multiply this issue by all the many women in the world and it gets pretty scary. Many conventional options are not biodegradable and this includes the product plus packaging.

Animal issues: From tampon and pad companies that test on animals (most of the conventional ones) to the thousands of plastic tampon applicators washing up on beaches each year, choking birds and fish, conventional tampons and pads pose huge threats to wildlife and habitat. Not to mention human health safety – do you want to vacation at a tampon filled beach?

Health issues: I’m sorry, but when it comes to where we put tampons and maxi-pads; is this really somewhere you want pesticides and chemicals?! Ick.

• 107: number of ingredients in pesticides thought to cause cancer, and it’s not as if we’ve haven’t tested them all. (After Silent Spring, NRDC, 6/93)
• 5 out of 9: Number of pesticides used on cotton that are categorized as “The most dangerous chemicals” by the EPA.
• 25% plus: Estimated amount of insecticides that annually (and globally) end up in conventional cotton.
• Many conventional tampons and pads are chock full of dyes, fragrances, and rayon.
• The FDA has publicly, and rather frantically, released statements, in the past, that rumors about tampon safety are incorrect – that chemicals are doing no harm – whether or not you trust the FDA’s judgment is a long discussion for another time, but in the meanwhile read this.

Coming up: Reviews of some better, greener choices you can make when it comes to tampons and pads.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in May 2008

[photo via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Post from: Tree Hugging Family