Author: oi_admin

More Eco-friendly Tips for A Natural Green Holiday Season

Posted on December 9, 2010 by oi_admin - Healthy Home

Lessen Your Trash

Americans generate a lot of garbage during the holidays, and one of the biggest culprits is holiday entertaining. Plastic cutlery hangs around landfills a long time, and even paper plates are not earth-friendly if they are coated in petroleum-based wax.

Try using biodegradable cutlery and plates. Or, use cloth instead of paper napkins which can be thrown in the laundry after using them.

Sending Greetings

It is always nice to send greeting cards to extended family and friends during the holidays, but after a few short weeks, most of those greeting cards end up being thrown away. Why not conserve resources and reduce pollution by sending green greetings?

Send an electronic greeting using one of the many services online. Most of the services will even let you attach personal photos or videos to the cards.

Buy greetings cards made from 100% recycled paper. Better yet, find cards that have seeds embedded in the fibers. This way, the card can be planted will turn into beautiful flowers in the spring.

Gifts for Adults

Consider giving friends or family gift certificates for restaurants, movies, plays, concerts, yoga classes, spa services, or even weekend getaways. Give nature lovers a national parks pass or membership to a botanical garden or aquarium. Gift certificates are great gifts, they are easy to buy, and they don’t require shipping or wasteful packaging.

Gifts for Kids

In and under that shiny packaging of new toys, who knows what toxins or safety hazards lurk? A growing number of toymakers specialize in toys made with recycled and nontoxic materials.

But what if your child wants a particular toy this year? In February, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act established new standards for lead and phthalates in toys, however, there still may be toxic toys on the shelves this holiday season:

Be cautious when buying soft plastic toys such as bath toys and bath books.

Check out the purchasing guidelines in the annual toy safety survey, “Trouble in Toyland,” by logging on to www.uspirg.org.

The toy section of healthystuff.org has a database of 1,200 toys that have been tested for health and safety hazards. You can search by toy and also nominate specific toys for testing.

Gift Wrapping

Most wrapping paper is not made from recycled paper, and if it contains metal fibers or foil, it can’t be recycled either. If you do buy wrapping paper, make sure it is recycled and recyclable. Try wrapping your gifts using old maps, newspaper comics pages, children’s artwork, or pieces of old linens. Finish off gift-wrapping with a sprig of berries or pretty leaves instead of ribbon.

Maid Brigade House Cleaning Services cares about the health of you and your family. For more information on healthy green living and green cleaning, please log on to greencleancertified.com or maidbrigade.com. For more information on "Household Cleaning Products and Breast Cancer", please watch our video at www.greencleancertified.com/greentv.

Eco-friendly Tips for a Natural Green Holiday Season

Posted on December 8, 2010 by oi_admin - Healthy Home, Uncategorized

If one of the visions dancing in your head this holiday season is to "go green," then you are in luck! Here are some eco-friendly ideas to prep your house for entertaining and fill it with seasonal spirit and natural scents.

Green Clean Your Home

The holiday season is a time of cozying up in the house, so this is the perfect time to clear the air inside of toxins as well as dirt and dust. Use mild, biodegradable natural and non-toxic cleaning products. Look for ones that don't contain harsh chemical solvents, chlorine, ammonia, or synthetic fragrances. Baking soda or vinegar mixed with a little water make excellent all-purpose cleaners. If possible, try and open the windows a little while cleaning to let toxins out and fresh air in.

Buy A "Green" Christmas Tree

Avoid artificial trees that are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Choose a fresh tree instead. Live, potted trees are reusable. After the holidays, you can plant your tree or leave it potted in your yard and use it again next year. Or, recycle your fresh cut tree. Look for a lot (or an organic tree farm) that sells trees grown locally and without pesticides.

When the holidays are over, don’t put your tree out with the trash. Instead, see if your community has a tree-recycling pick-up day. Recycling services turn trees into compost or mulch for community parks and other public areas. Log on to earth911.com to find a tree recycler in your area.

Seasonal Fragrances and Decorations

This year, find your decorations in your backyard instead of heading to the store. Berries, flowers, and evergreen branches are beautiful decorations and fill the house with seasonal aromas.

Make holiday potpourri by simmering ingredients such as lemon or orange slices, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom, and nutmeg. Add to your seasonal scents by baking gingerbread cookies.

Instead of buying new decorations, use family vintage ornaments, or buy some from a thrift store. Have your children make ornaments from homemade clay, scraps of fabric, old holiday cards, and nontoxic paints and glue.

Children can also help make snow globes in watertight recycled jars. Several snow globes displayed together on a table or mantel make a beautiful winter wonderland!

Eco-Friendly Lighting

Candles and holiday lights are a big part of the holiday season, but electric holiday lights consume a lot of energy and standard paraffin candles are made from petroleum products.

If you are stringing up lights, conserve energy by turning the lights on only at night. Make sure to use LED lights because they are brighter than standard mini-bulbs and use one-tenth the energy, which can help you save on your energy bill.

When it comes to lighting a menorah or a tabletop, buy candles made with natural ingredients such as palm oil, soy, or beeswax. Electric menorahs are another option.

Some Solutions for Winter Allergies

Posted on December 7, 2010 by oi_admin - Healthy Home

Cold weather can lead to sniffling, sneezing, headaches and coughing. But the culprit may not be a virus. If your symptoms last more than 2 weeks, you are probably suffering from seasonal allergies. Learn where allergens might be hiding in your home.

Culprit: Bedroom Bookshelf
Solution: Move the Shelf to Another Room

Your books and collectables aren’t the only things on your shelves – winter allergens are lingering there as well. Bookshelves collect dust and mites that can trigger symptoms like itchy eyes, congestion and sore throat. You can get some relief by cleaning thoroughly at least once a week, but if you need a more permanent solution, you might want to remove the bookshelf from your bedroom entirely.

Culprit: Refrigerator Door Seal
Solution: Clean the Door Seal Weekly

Every time you open and close your refrigerator, mold spores that have collected in the door seal are released into the air. As spilled liquids and food crumbs find their way into the crevices, mold begins to grow, which can trigger your allergies. You can kill these mold spores and relieve your symptoms with a weekly cleaning. When wiping the seal down, use cotton swabs to get into the crevices where food, mold and dust collect.

Culprit: Excess Indoor Humidity
Solution: Keep Your Home’s Humidity Level Between 30% and 50%

If you use a humidifier to ease the irritating effect dry winter air can have on your nose and throat, be careful not to create an environment in which allergens are easily spread. Excess moisture in the air encourages the growth of both mold and dust mites. The humidity level in your home should be between 30% and 50% to ward off these allergens. A $10 humidity monitor can help track the moisture level in your home.

Culprit: Heating Vent
Solution: Change Heating Filters Every 3 Months

When the furnace turns on, it doesn’t just circulate warm air around the house – it spews out all the dust, mold and insect parts that have collected in the heating vents. If left unattended, this problem can lead to an entire season of headaches, sneezing and coughing. Make sure the heating vent filters are high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, and try and change them at least once every 3 months.

Maid Brigade House Cleaning Services cares about the health of you and your family. For more information on healthy green living and green cleaning, please log on to greencleancertified.com or maidbrigade.com. For more information on "Household Cleaning Products and Breast Cancer", please watch our video at www.greencleancertified.com/greentv.

Celebrate Hanukkah by Going Green

Posted on December 6, 2010 by oi_admin - Healthy Home, Uncategorized

menorahs photo by Beth Brewer on Wikipedia

Hanukkah is a good time to rededicate yourself, your family, and your community to helping the planet. Making the eight nights a little more eco-friendly is easy and traditional. Here are some simple things that you can do to conserve energy, not just at Hanukkah, but year-round:

Replace an outdoor light fixture with one that has a motion-detector. Outdoor lights that are left on all night waste electricity, increase your energy bill, and add to night-time “light pollution.” A fixture with a motion-detector will turn on only when needed.

Make a plan to decrease your car use. Automobiles emit greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Examine your driving habits and see if you can tele-commute, walk, bike, take public transit, or combine errands to reduce the amount you drive.

Make your own Hanukkah gifts! Take a photo and design a frame for it, knit a scarf for the winter, or make a set of beeswax candles. Use recycled materials if you can. You can find lots of great books about homemade gifts in your local library.

Eat less meat and buy organic, locally grown foods. Large-scale meat production uses a huge amount of natural resources, particularly grain, topsoil, and water. Eating organic food is better for your health since it reduces your exposure to pesticides and antibiotics. Buying food grown close to home supports family farms and reduces the amount of energy used to prepare and transport food.

Give your furnace a tune-up. Forty-percent of home energy use is for heat. An inefficient heating system can waste 30-50 percent of the energy it uses. Oil furnaces should be serviced annually and gas furnaces every two years. A heating technician can do the tune-up for $50-100.

Save paper by sending environmentally-friendly Hanukkah e-cards, or, make your own paper cards with recycled paper.

Wash a full load of clothes and use cold water for the rinse. Washing machines use 32-59 gallons of water per cycle, so waiting until you have a full load of clothes will save both water and energy. A warm water wash and a cold rinse will clean nearly all clothes well.

A classic oil-burning menorah uses pure olive oil and cotton wicks. This is better than common paraffin wax candles, which are oil-based.

If you don't want to mess with oil in your menorah, look for pure beeswax candles. These burn cleanly, use no petroleum materials, and fulfill the mitzvah.

If you're crafty or want to get the kids involved, try making a menorah out of everyday items, like potatoes, ornaments, magnets, or pastry tips. This is a clever way to recycle and personalize the holiday at the same time.

Maid Brigade House Cleaning Services sends warm wishes for happiness, love and peace to you and your family on Hanukkah and always!

For more information on healthy green living and green cleaning, please log on to greencleancertified.com or maidbrigade.com. For more information on "Household Cleaning Products and Breast Cancer", please watch our video at www.greencleancertified.com/greentv.

Coming Clean on Cleaning Products

Posted on December 2, 2010 by oi_admin - Green Cleaning Tips and Tricks, Uncategorized

Many people use detergents and cleansers every day, even though the contents of these household products, including potentially harmful chemicals, remain a mystery.

The state of New York has begun to enforce an unusual state law that requires manufacturers to disclose cleaning product ingredients.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation is working on a draft plan due out early next year, that will detail what kind of information will be collected and how to give consumers the results. The results may also show how the chemicals affect human and environmental health.

In the meantime, many corporations have voluntarily begun posting product ingredients on their websites to head off proposals in Congress for tougher disclosure, which would include listing ingredients on labels.

Consumers have a right to know what chemicals they are using on their kitchen countertops, and around their families, especially their children and pets.

The DEC decided to act on this issue because of the heightened interest in household cleaner ingredients.

All I Want For Christmas is A Clean Green Home!

Posted on December 1, 2010 by oi_admin - Green Cleaning Tips and Tricks

It's that time of the year again....holiday shopping, parties, family gatherings, and house guests! Keep your home looking good and smelling fresh by cleaning with natural, homemade, non-toxic cleaning products.

Most toxic cleaning products contain strong, artificial colors and fragrances and harsh cleansing agents like bleach, ammonia and acids. These chemicals can produce indoor air pollution by releasing toxic fumes that can irritate eyes and lungs. Many cleaners also contain unnecessary antibacterial agents that actually make bacteria stronger.

Some of the biggest messes and toughest stains can be tackled effectively with baking soda, borax, lemon juice and other simple ingredients.

Bathroom Cleaning.
Baking soda and water:  Dust surfaces with baking soda, then scrub with a moist sponge or cloth. If you have tougher grime, sprinkle on some kosher salt, and work up some elbow grease.
Lemon Juice or Vinegar:  For stains, mildew or grease streaks, spray with lemon juice or vinegar. Let sit a few minutes, then scrub with a stiff brush.
Disinfectant:  Instead of bleach, make your own disinfectant by mixing 2 cups of water, 3 tablespoons of liquid soap and 20 to 30 drops of tea tree oil.

Kitchen Cleaning.
Baking soda and water: Clean counters by sprinkling with baking soda, then scrubbing with a damp cloth or sponge. If you have stains, knead the baking soda and water into a paste and let set for a while before you remove. This method also works great for stainless steel sinks, cutting boards, containers, refrigerators, oven tops and more.
Kosher salt and water: If you need a tougher abrasive, sprinkle on kosher salt and scrub with a wet cloth or sponge.
Natural disinfectant: To kill germs, mix 2 cups of water, 3 tablespoons of liquid soap and 20 to 30 drops of tea tree oil. Spray on countertops and other kitchen surfaces.

Window Cleaning.
White vinegar, water and newspaper: Mix 2 tablespoons of white vinegar with a gallon of water. Spray, then scrub with newspaper, not paper towels. Paper towels cause streaking. If you don't like the smell of vinegar, you can substitute undiluted lemon juice or club soda.

Carpet Cleaning.
Beat rugs: Take any removable rugs outside and beat the dust and hair out with a broom.
Club soda: Club soda works well on carpet stains if you attack the mess right away. Lift off any solids, pour on club soda and blot with a rag. The soda's carbonation brings the spill to the surface, and the salts in the soda thwart staining.
Cornmeal: For big spills, dump cornmeal on the mess, wait 5 to 15 minutes, and vacuum.
Spot cleaner: Mix 1/4 cup liquid soap or detergent in a blender, with 1/3 cup water. Mix until foamy. Spray on, then rinse with vinegar.
Deodorize: Sprinkle baking soda or cornstarch on the carpet, using about 1 cup per medium-sized room. Vacuum after 30 minutes.

Hardwood Floors.
Vinegar: Whip up a solution of 1/4 cup white vinegar and 30 ounces of warm water. Put in a recycled spray bottle, then spray on a cotton rag or towel until lightly damp. Mop.

Oven Cleaning.
Oven cleaners are loaded with toxic ingredients, like ethers, ethylene glycol, lye (sodium and potassium hydroxide), methylene chloride and petroleum distillates. The products are harmful to skin and eyes, and the fumes are unhealthy. Use baking soda and water instead. Coat the inside of the oven with a paste made from water and baking soda. Let stand overnight. Wipe off grime with a moist cloth.

Clogged Sink.
Baking soda and hot water: Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda into the drain, followed by 2 cups of boiling water. If the drain is still clogged, pour a 1/2 cup of vinegar and cover tightly, allowing the vigorous fizzing of the chemical reaction to occur. Flush with one gallon of boiling water.

Detox Your Home by Going Green This Holiday Season

Posted on November 30, 2010 by oi_admin - Healthy Home, Uncategorized

This year, why not give your family the gift of health? Keeping your home free from toxins is a great place to start!

Here are some ideas for keeping your home and your family healthier:

Avoid chemical house cleaning products by choosing natural ones. Baking soda, vinegar or orange oil can replace almost any chemical cleaner.

Avoid chemical pesticides at home. Use baking soda with sugar or peppermint oil instead.

Avoid synthetic chemicals in personal care products and cosmetics. Read labels and avoid those ingredients with which you’re unfamiliar. Avoid products that contain parabens, diethanolamine (DEA), or phthalates.

Try not to use mothballs. Mothballs contain paradichlorobenzene, which is very toxic. Instead choose sachets made with natural herbs and essential oils like rosemary, lavender, thyme and mint, which are natural moth repellants.

Avoid heating food or storing it in plastic. Most plastic contains bisphenol-A (BPA) that migrates into the food stored in these containers. BPA has been linked to thyroid and other hormonal problems.

Reduce your fragrances. Most perfumes and colognes, scented candles, plug-in air “fresheners,” pot pourri, laundry soap, fabric softeners, dryer sheets and house cleaning products are loaded with toxic ingredients that have been linked to hormonal imbalances, mood swings, fatigue, brain damage and many other symptoms.

Switch from sponges to natural cloths for cleaning. Most sponges have been treated with a chemical called triclosan, which is toxic to the skin and immune system.

Eliminate mold with tea tree oil. A few drops of tea tree oil can be used on a cloth to wipe down walls, floors and other surfaces to help kill mold.

Choose "VOC-free" paints for your home. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are linked to cancer.

Toss the non-stick pans. Teflon, Silverstone and other coatings emit harmful perflourochemicals (PFCs). The EPA classifies them as carcinogens.

Toss out the toxins at home and in the garage. Of course, dispose of them properly based on your community’s guidelines.

Missed Out on all the Black Friday Deals? Don't Worry....

Posted on November 26, 2010 by oi_admin - News

.... Give your loved ones a gift they will never forget...

..... a day off from cleaning! Let Maid Brigade do the cleaning! Why not hire a service you can trust that is committed to healthy green cleaning!

For more information, or to find a Maid Brigade near you, please log on to maidbrigade.com.

For more information about healthy green living and green cleaning, please log on to greencleancertified.com.

On This Thanksgiving Day...

Posted on November 25, 2010 by oi_admin - News

Happy Thanksgiving

Maid Brigade House Cleaning Services would like to wish you and your family a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving.

A Healthy Way To Green Clean This Thanksgiving Holiday

Posted on November 22, 2010 by oi_admin - Green Cleaning Tips and Tricks

Healthy green cleaning for the holidays doesn’t need to be stressful, it just takes a little extra planning. Your home should have the aroma of that incredible Thanksgiving meal, not the toxic fumes of cleaning products.

Try replacing your typical cleaners with something natural. You may find that cleaning up before and after your party is fun without the strong smell of chemicals. Below are some green cleaning tips and alternatives to use during the holiday season.

Dusting. Instead of using a typical dusting product, try using a light dusting spray made from 2 tea bags, lemon juice and three cups of water. Boil the water, add the tea bags and leave them in the water until it cools completely. Put the tea mixture in a spray bottle with a teaspoon of lemon juice. Lightly spray the mixture on a microfiber cloth and dust.

Put your curtains in the dryer for a few minutes to remove dust and also kill dust mites. This is faster than trying to wash, dry and iron your curtains and they will look just as fresh and clean.

Laundry. Launder your tablecloths, napkins, and dish towels that you will be using for dinner in a homemade laundry soap using items like soap flakes, borax, washing soda or baking soda. You can find these items at your local grocery store. Your linens will be clean and fresh without any lingering fragrance from a detergent.

Mopping. Why not clean your floors with the same type of mop being used by hospitals. Hospitals love microfiber mops because they clean well, get washed in between uses, and prevent cross contamination. By using a microfiber mop you can avoid using heavy, toxic cleaners since the microfiber does the work.

Silver Polish. Try using an old fashioned way to clean your silver. Place a piece of aluminum foil in the bottom of your kitchen sink and fill it with 2-3” of boiling water. Add a tablespoon of baking soda and a tablespoon of salt. Place your silver in the sink so each piece of silver touches the foil. The tarnish will disappear off the silver and onto the foil.

If you prefer to rub your silver with a paste, use toothpaste to make it sparkle.

Clean up. Say yes to any offers by your guests to help you clean up after dinner. It is a great way to have the kitchen cleaned up quickly and to continue to enjoy their company. Mix up your own gentle dish soap for anything that has to be washed by hand. You can make your own by using a liquid castile soap and adding 8 drops of a pure essential oil. Try using peppermint or orange clove essential oils to celebrate the holidays.

You can also mix up your own automatic dish soap by using a tablespoon of salt, borax and baking soda. Place the mixture in the powder dispenser of your dishwasher and then top with concentrated lemon juice. When you see the mixture start to foam, close the dispenser lid and start the dishwasher. The mixture works with the hot water to remove all the grime on your dishes.

Celebrating A Green Clean Thanksgiving

Posted on November 16, 2010 by oi_admin - Green Cleaning Tips and Tricks

Thanksgiving is all about being grateful for everything we have. And this year, we hope that caring for the environment and living a healthy green lifestyle are at the top of everyone's list. To celebrate these good gifts, here are some cleanup tips that can easily be applied to anyone's feast.

Wrapping up Leftovers. Avoid plastic wrap. Most plastic wraps contain PVC, which quickly winds up in landfills and leads to harmful environmental consequences. Use containers that can be washed and reused. If you must use something to wrap, use aluminum foil, it can be recycled.
Dishwashing. Your dishwasher uses about half the energy, 1/6 of the water, and less soap than you might use during hand dishwashing.

If you have a lot of dishes to wash, load your dishwasher with an eco-friendly detergent and air-dry the dishes rather than heat drying them. Make your own non-toxic dishwasher soap by mixing equal parts of borax and washing soda (increase the washing soda if your water is hard).

Dishwashing Soap. Commercial low-phosphate detergents are not harmful themselves, but phosphates nourish algae which use up oxygen in waterways. A detergent substitute is liquid soap. For tough jobs, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of vinegar to warm, soapy water.

All-Purpose Cleaner. Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda (or 2 teaspoons borax) into 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water. Store and keep.

Cleaning with microfiber cloths can lift off dirt, grease and dust without the need for cleaning chemicals because the cloths are formulated to penetrate and trap dirt. A good quality cloth can last for several years.

Carpet Stains. Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray directly on stain, let sit for several minutes, then clean with a brush or sponge using warm soapy water. For fresh grease spots, sprinkle corn starch onto spot and wait 15 - 30 minutes before vacuuming.

For a heavy duty carpet cleaner, mix 1/4 cup each of salt, borax, and vinegar. Rub paste into carpet and leave for a few hours. Vacuum.

Chopping Block Cleaner. Rub a slice of lemon across a chopping block to disinfect the surface. For tougher stains, squeeze some of the lemon juice onto the spot and let sit for 10 minutes, then wipe.

Coffee and Tea Stains in Cups. Stains in cups can be removed by applying vinegar to a sponge and wiping. To clean a tea kettle ot coffee maker, add 2 cups water and 1/4 cup vinegar, bring to a boil, cool, and wipe with a clean cloth. Rinse thoroughly with warm water.

Maid Brigade House Cleaning Services cares about the health of you and your family. For more information on healthy green living and green cleaning, please log on to greencleancertified.com or maidbrigade.com. For more information on "Household Cleaning Products and Breast Cancer", please watch our video at www.greencleancertified.com/greentv.

Reduce Your Chances of Catching the Common Cold

Posted on November 12, 2010 by oi_admin - Healthy Body, Uncategorized

About one billion colds hit Americans each year between the months of October through March.

Because the common cold can run you down for weeks, why not try these simple steps to reduce your chance of catching one:

Touch "less." Keep your hands off of germ-infested surfaces and off of your face as much as possible.

Direct contact with sick people is the number one way germs are transmitted. Eighty percent of colds are spread by direct contact.

Indirect contact, such as handling a doorknob which a sick person has touched, then spreading it to your face by touching your mouth, nose or eyes, is the other way germs are transmitted.

Regular Handwashing. Proper handwashing is especially important during the cold and flu season.

Wash hands with warm, soapy water for at least 15 seconds. After washing, use a paper towel to shut off the faucet and open the bathroom door on the way out.

Stress "less." Stress can weaken the immune system. Leave stress behind and clear your mind, whether it is at work, school, or home, and incorporate some peace into your day. Whenever possible, sit back , relax, and take a few deep breaths to de-stress.

greencleancertified.com or maidbrigade.com. For more information on "Household Cleaning Products and Breast Cancer", please watch our video at www.greencleancertified.com/greentv.