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

Folks have a lot of questions about green cleaners. Most recently on the post, 25 Safe, Non-toxic, Homemade Cleaning Supplies, Tosha asked, “Does anyone know how long you can keep these products once you mix them?” Then Caroline followed up with, “I too am interested in knowing if you can mix a batch up and save it? Or do you have to mix and use immediately? No one has answered Tosha on this…and I would like to know too!”

The issue here is that there are 25 cleaners posted in that post – so as you might guess, each can have a varied shelf life. Since no one asked about specific cleaners, here’s a quick life-span primer on some of the cleaners (I’m guessing which ones people are interested in)…

Cleaner # 14 – Disinfectant all purpose cleaner: You can keep this mix of essential oil, water, and soap, until it’s all used up. To be honest, I actually just keep adding new stuff to the same bottle I’ve had around forever. No items in this mix will go bad. If you didn’t EVER use your mix, I’m guessing the essential oil component would eventually degrade or smell different, but I use mine daily, so I’ve never seen it happen.

Cleaner # 16 – Basic furniture polish: Mix fresh each time you use it. If you’ve got a little left over, and for sure will use it within a month, go ahead and keep it, but the olive oil won’t keep for longer.

Cleaner # 17 – Herbal disinfectant: The longest I’ve ever had this mix around is for a few months. By then I’ve used it mostly up and mix up a fresh batch. I don’t think anything bad will happen if you have it around longer, but the herbs may loose their herbal qualities.

Cleaner # 20 – Window / glass cleaner: This mix of vinegar and water will keep forever. At least in my experience. If a vinegar expert stops by, who knows, we may hear differently, but until then, I’m going with keep it until you use it up.

I hope this answers Tosha, Caroline, and anyone else wondering about these homemade mixes.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Following are some of the most useful green cleaning posts archived here at Tree Hugging Family; along with some seriously strange Mr. Yuk video fun. This list of past posts should help you get your green cleaning plans organized for spring and beyond…

Easy green cleaning tips:

• How to choose green cleaners – store bought green cleaners
• Hot Water for Cleaning – Yeah It Works
• Are Sponges A Great Green Choice?
• Breathe In Some Green Air

RETHINK your cleaners:

• Are We So Clean That We’re Breeding Super Germs?
• Guess How Many People Think Cleaners Are Safe?
• Household Cleaning Products Linked To Childhood Asthma
• The Dangers of Home Cleaning Supplies
• How many cleaning supplies are under your sink that your child could safely drink?

Make some homemade green cleaners:

• Pennyroyal, Cinnamon, & Lavender Air Freshener
• 25 Safe, Non-toxic, Homemade Cleaning Supplies

Disposal, reuse, and recycling extras:

• How to reuse toilet paper tubes – handy reuse tips for kids, criminals, and more
• Where Can I Recycle My…
• Make Recycling Easy for Kids
• How to Recycle Prescription Bottles
• Smart Paint Disposal
• Aerosol Product Recycling

THE TOTALLY INSANE MR YUK VIDEO (really).

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Being that it’s the first day of spring, I’ve gathered up some eco-friendly ideas and links for you to help you celebrate in style.

First a few Tree Hugging Family classics…

• Spring Nature Photos
• 60 Eco-Friendly Ways to Celebrate Spring
• Candied Flowers

And some news from other fine places…

• Green your spring cleaning from Co-op America.
• Pop-up flower card – use recycled materials.
• Eggshell plant pots.
• Organic spring gardening.

Other ideas…

• Get outside with a camera – have the kiddos explore and take spring pictures.
• Plan a camping trip – it’s still a little chilly, but if you go in the spring you’ll see different things then when you head out in the summer.
• Head out at night, have a green barbecue, and watch the stars.
• Start planning your eco-friendly Easter early this year.
• Of course anytime of year is a good time to plant a tree.

What green activities do you have planned for the spring?

Don’t forget to enter to win FREE tickets to the Seattle Green Festival!

[image via free pixels]

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

However, you don’t need harsher chemicals in the kitchen.  Marye offers some natural cleaners that I agree with, that will fight germs – even the ones hanging around due to raw meat. Honestly, hot water is amazingly efficient. In my microbiology and nursing courses in college, hot water proved just as efficient at killing germs as other more toxic chemicals. The power is in the scrub, not the treatment. And if you think I’m kidding, you’ve obviously never washed your hands in a chemical soap, then held them under a germ black-light – I have. You’d be amazed at the bacteria that slips past cleaners.

Read the post.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

You planned the food, you planned the table top, you sort of cleaned up, but YIKES, you forgot the smell of old sneakers coming from your kid’s room and the bathroom, well…

Here’s how to scent your home naturally and super fast for Thanksgiving. 

1. Whip up a quick batch of homemade scents:

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

2. Toss some orange or lemon peels into your disposal, add a pinch of baking soda, run some water, and grind away.

3. Fill a spray bottle with plain old water (about two cups), add three drops of orange essential oil, (or another scent), spray lightly around your house, and even on fabrics – make sure you don’t spray this on white linens, as the oil might leave a visible mark.

4. Grab a pot. Fill it with water. Add some whole cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, a dash of ground nutmeg, and boil on your stove top. Alternatively, use this water mix in a bowl that sits on your wood stove or burn this in a water diffuser.

5. Kill two birds with one stone, and make Hot Spiced Cranberry Punch. You get a beverage and air freshener. 

6. To spiffy up a bathroom super fast, take an old cleaning cloth (small one), drop 8 drops of your fave essential oil onto the cloth,  and hide behind the toilet, in a drawer, or at the bottom of your waste basket. Your whole bathroom will smell much better.

Next up, I’ll be getting that new contest I previously mentioned posted, however I decided to take most of yesterday off. Hence the no contest yesterday.

November current events at Tree Hugging Family – themes, reviews, news, and more…

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

• Less packaging waste. You’re not buying new bottles over and over.
• Less expensive. I actually started making homemade products before I was really all the way green – why? To save money.
• Less harmful (often not harmful at all) to humans, animals, and the earth.
• Less noxious home smell. Homemade natural cleaners always smell better than store bought. Well, except vinegar – but I have major vinegar issues. There are ways to mask the smell of vinegar though – not completely, but somewhat. Lavender essential oil and lemon juice both work some to hide the icky vinegar smell.

Here we go. Homemade cleaners, from basic recipes to a few that are more advanced…

1. Clogged sink and bathtub drains: prevent clogs altogether with the amazing drain trap. I’m shocked at how many people don’t use a drain trap. I got one at Home Depot for under two dollars – five years ago. If you have a sluggish drain, pour a cup of white vinegar plus one cup baking soda into the drain. Let that sit for a few minutes (it will bubble). Flush with a teapot full of boiling water. If you really have issues, use a snake or plunger. Drain cleaner is honestly something you should never have in your home – it’s hands down one of the more dangerous cleaning items.

2. Air freshening options: Light a natural candle, burn organic incense, boil orange peels and spices on your stove top, diffuse essential oils, open your windows, buy some air cleaning plants, use cedar blocks sprinkled with lavender in your closets, or make potpourri. Learn more:

• One Small Step: Ditch the Air Fresheners
• Natural Air Fresheners: Part Two

3. Soap scum removal: Apply baking soda (it is non abrasive). Scrub with a damp cloth or sponge. I have an older bristle brush I use for icky scum – like when I go to long without cleaning (bad me). You can use Borax or vinegar too; but Borax can scratch. Vinegar can be applied directly, left to sit, and scrubbed down.

4. Small carpet stain: Two words – club soda!

5. Bigger tougher carpet stains: Sprinkle Fuller’s earth or cornstarch onto the spot. Allow it to sit for about 20-30 minutes. Scrub with one cup vinegar mixed with three cups water. If it really won’t come out try a natural soap based carpet cleaner.

6. Carpet deodorizer: Sprinkle baking soda around the room – my son thinks this is the most fun ever. Add some dried crushed lavender or basil. Wait about 1/2 hour. Vacuum.

7. Oven cleaning prevention: Don’t let spills sit. That’s the best cleaning procedure hand’s down. Clean the oven sooner rather than later. Line your oven bottom with foil to catch spills.

8. “Oh no, I didn’t follow the oven cleaning prevention tip above!”: Ok, if you have a hot spill, sprinkle it with salt. Mix some baking soda – I just toss maybe two tablespoons with into a cup, with some water to make a thin paste. Use an old toothbrush or bristle brush to scrub it down.

9. Everyday toilet cleaning: Sprinkle some baking soda and lemon juice into your toilet and walk away. Eventually you’ll want to return and scrub it with a toilet brush.

10. Bachelor pad toilet cleaning: No offense guys – I’ve seen my fair share of bachelor pads though. Spray vinegar around the bowl, sprinkle with baking soda, scrub.

11. Metal rust: Mix 2 tablespoons salt with 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Apply and rub well.

12. Musty stuff: Say you have an old suitcase or truck that’s all musty, but you’d like to use it. Fill it with recycled crumpled newspaper let it sit for a week. The paper will absorb the smell (mostly) then, fill a mister bottle with water, add a few drops of tea tree oil, lightly spray the case and leave it open to dry.

13. Burnt food or fishy kitchen smells: Set aside a thrift store pie plate for times like these. Sprinkle the pan with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a dash of orange essential oil – place in the warm oven, and let it sit as the oven cools.

14. Disinfectant all purpose cleaner: Mix a few drops of natural soap, 2 cups water, and 15 drops each of tea tree and lavender essential oil (you can use just the one oil- but 30 drops, I just like the mix). You can spray this on all surfaces, like cutting boards, counters, toilets, walls, (except it will streak glass). This stuff disinfects but is so safe you can actually spray it on your baby – you can’t say that about most commercial household cleaners.

15. Mold removal: Try not to let mold invade your home. You can prevent it – believe me I lived on the cold, foggy, always wet beach in Humboldt, you CAN prevent mold. Clean often with the disinfectant above and scrub down places that might develop mold with Borax once in a while. Borax will prevent mold and disinfect.

16. Basic furniture polish: Mix 1/4 cup vinegar with 3/4 cup olive oil OR mix 1/4 cup lemon juice with 1/2 cup olive oil. Wipe down furniture with a soft cloth and the solution.

17. Herbal disinfectant: Choose one fresh herb – lavender, eucalyptus, juniper, sage, thyme, or rosemary. Simmer the leaves and stems for 30 minutes. You can use any amount of water, but the less you use the stronger the solution and disinfectant properties. Strain, pour liquid into bottle, and use on any surface but glass. If you add a dash of natural soap or biodegradable dish detergent it will cut grease.

18. Homemade herbal scouring pad: Horsetail stems are just like a scouring pad for pots and pans and won’t scratch. Simply rub a handful of dried (leafless) stems on the pots and pans. It will leave a bit of a green color – but that washes right off in water. Since you’re washing dishes anyhow it won’t be an issue.

19. Wood floor wax: Mix equal parts olive oil and vinegar. Apply a very thin coat and rub -you can simply stand on an old towel and sort of surf around the floor.

20. Window / glass cleaner: Mix 1/2 cup vinegar with one gallon water – spray and wipe.

21. Glass cleaner that does not smell like gross old vinegar: Use straight up lemon juice or club soda. If you use club soda than newspaper is the best scrubber to use. If you use lemon juice than use an old less linty cloth.

22. Sink cleaner: Scrub with baking soda and water.

23: Microwave cleaning: Place a bowl of straight vinegar or a bowl of water with 15 drops tea tree oil in the microwave. heat for about 2 minutes. Microwave will steam itself and be easy to wipe out with a wet cloth. I don’t have a microwave, but I did this at my friend’s house and it worked.

24. Silver polish: Rub silver with plain old toothpaste and rinse with water.

25. All over home cleaning: Never underestimate good old hot water and some scrubbing. If you really want to get fancy add a few drops of natural soap, but honestly hot water will clean just about anything. Alone it won’t completely disinfect, but it does kill many germs and removes dust. Hot water is especially useful for basic floor mopping.

Whew, that should at least get you going.

What natural cleaning products do you make at home?

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

That said, this week we’ll look at some major points related to the dangers of cleaning supplies, some earth and people friendly alternatives, and lots of links to extra info. There’s a lot to digest. Too much. For example, two years ago the University of California at Berkeley conducted research surrounding just one small area of cleaning supplies – the exposure to indoor airborne chemicals while cleaning and what resulted was a 200+ page report.

What current research says about the dangers of household cleaners:

Almost all the major long-term research on household chemicals shows that the most dangerious chemicals in our homes are almost always basic cleaning supplies. Some of this relates to the actual ingredients and some of it depends on how we use these chemicals.

Research shows that people terribly misuse household chemicals i.e. mixing items that should never be mixed. If you have a bucket of ammonia diluted with water solution, and you pour that in your bathtub, and then wipe down that same tub with a sponge that has bleach on it, you’re already producing enough toxic gas to be classified at a harmful to human level.

The Washington Toxics Coalition notes that the most dangerious chemicals in most homes include corrosive drain cleaners, oven cleaners, and acidic toilet bowl cleaners.

VOCs found in oven, carpet, and other cleaners containing Toluene, Formaldehyde, Nitrobenzene, Chloride, Methylene, and Ethylene glycol have been shown to cause asthma in children.

Numerous OSHA studies show that individuals in the cleaning industry develop health problems at higher than normal rates related to cancer, skin issues, permanent eye damage, and organ damage because of their use of toxic and strong cleaning supplies. These are people who tend to use full strength cleaners as opposed to diluted – but the exact same ingredients are found in both industrial cleaners and household cleaners, simply in different amounts. If a product causes major health issues at high levels than low levels truly aren’t technically safe either – you’ll just become exposed and sick slower. Slower is not too big a consolation if you end up with major organ failure.

Many of the chemicals found in cleaning supplies are only supposed to be used with protective equipment. This means gloves, eye goggles, long sleeves, and face masks. If you aren’t cleaning your home with protective gear then technically you aren’t following proper safety procedures, and you shouldn’t be using the products.

Whether or not you believe the research related to the dangers of household cleaning chemicals there’s plenty of proof that people are being affected negatively. U.S. Poison Control Centers relate that in 2000, cleaning products accounted for 206,636 phone calls to the centers. Of these calls over 120,000 involved children under the age of six.

An entire page of scary research about the cleaning products in our home – an eye opening read.

OSHA/EPA Occupational Chemical Database: Enter a chemical and see how dangerious it is.

More later, including more dangers and safer option.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

If you said, “Very few” then this is the week to change this. Our green audit this week is household cleaners. How to keep safer, greener cleaners around while tossing the worst of the worst.

Now, this isn’t to say that I’m going to let my son Cedar guzzle biodegradable dish washing granules. Yeah, they’re greener for the environment, but not a real delightful beverage. What I’m saying, is that on average, the typical household has far more dangerous cleaners than necessary. This week we’re going to look at other options and some that you even can safely drink.

Some things to start considering:

When you have non-biodegradable and icky chemical laden supplies, it’s not just your home and family that are affected. Each time you wash a load of clothing, do the dishes, or scour the sink, those chemicals wash out into our water supplies, atmosphere, and soil.

Almost all commercial traditional cleaners have some basic things in common:

• Way over packaged.
• Tested on animals.
• Full of toxic chemicals.
• Many are made with non renewable resources.
• Most will kill you if you ingest enough.

These aren’t really family friendly aspects are they? These most absolutely are not earth friendly aspects. So, what’s the allure?

Here are a couple:

Commercialism – we were brought up thinking germs should be killed off whenever possible, and we’re still being exposed to this now as adults.

Convenience – It’s easy to use a handy bleach wipe right? But is it worth your family’s safety?

Now, earth and people friendly cleaners can clean just as well but in the long run are safer, more cost effective, and won’t make your home smell like a big chemical plant. More to come this week.

To get started try figuring out this: Do you know many cleaners are under your sink right now that are dangerious for people or the planet?

Post from: Tree Hugging Family