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

This is a super easy recipe too:

• Core a large Roma Apple – not all the way through the bottom though; leave a layer of skin intact.
• Peel a ring of skin away from the apple around the hole at the top of the apple.
• Place apple in a non-break baking dish.
• Fill hole in apple with brown sugar, cloves, cinnamon, or experiment with orange or other spices.
• Cover the apple with water; allow the water to seep into the hole and down the sides.
• Place dish on top of wood-stove or place in a fireplace over a grill. If you place this in an oven, (you can) I suggest doing it as you’re cooking other items, it shouldn’t affect food flavor, but it will release a great scent.

Also read:

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

[image via stock.xchng]

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

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

The lilacs are starting to bloom! FYI this is the perfect time to collect some and try that Candied Flower recipe – you know you want to.

Or maybe you’d rather make some air freshening mixes that aren’t toxic. I saw some great dried lavender at the farmers market the other day, so maybe some local shops around your town have some as well.

Gather:

• Cedar shavings – 1-2 ounces (I like mine Cedar heavy, but most people like the lavender to shine through more).
• About 1/4 – 1/2 ounce dried pennyroyal (air dried best, but most of us don’t grow it so…)
• Dried lavender; about 1 1/2 ounces.
• A few whole cinnamon sticks.

To make:

Break up pennyroyal and lavender. Place on a cutting board and slighting crush over with wooden rolling pin. Mix in bowl. Add Cedar shavings. Grate some cinnimon sticks into the mix – you don’t have to grate an entire stick, just grate enough to allow a sprinkle of cinnamon to fall into the mix. Then pop the whole sticks right into the mix.

You can put this in a clay or other earthen bowl in your closet, or remove the cinnamon sticks and sew it into a bag and hang it in your house. It’s best in a bowl I think, because this is a pinch-generated mix. Meaning, once the smell starts to wear of, you can pinch, or in this case, re-crush with a rolling pin, and re-grate the cinnamon to perk the mix up. I’ve perked up this mix maybe four times before it starts to not work.

This mix has a homey, earthy, woodsy, slightly spicy scent. Of course experiment if you like or even add a few drops of essential oils. Oh, with homemade potpourri, you should keep it up if you have small children or pets. This mix is pretty safe, as far as mixes go, but pennyroyal in large amounts can be dangerious, and cedar shavings for pets have not been proven totally safe.

[photo via Jennifer Chait's "daily walk to the park" collection]

Post from: Tree Hugging Family