Green Cleaning

Basic Pillow Maintenance to Avoid Allergies

Your pillow is a source of soft comfort and a good night's sleep. But it can also be a source of allergens, primarily dust mites. Because your face and head rest on the pillow all night, your exposure is inescapable. You spend about 1/3 of every day lying on your pillow. So if you have allergies, it's a good idea to maintain an allergy-free pillow along with the rest of your bedding. * Washing - If you have allergies, you probably already wash your bedding in hot water each week. Include your pillow case in this washing. While hanging clothes out to dry saves energy, skip this step with your bedding if you are allergic. Run your pillow case through the dryer on a hot setting. Wash your pillow itself every month or so (if it is washable - check the tag). Some experts say washing pillows every three months will suffice. Either way, use hot water and the dryer as well. Run them through the rinse cycle twice. * Freeze your pillow - Place your pillow in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer for 24 hours. This will kill dust mites. If you have a deep freeze or case ...

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How to Clean Your Jewelry the Green Way

All jewelry becomes tarnished, discolored and dirty over time.  Some of the conventional cleaning options may involve chemicals that are not eco-friendly.  To clean jewelry the green way, here are some tips. 1. Use any of various commercial jewelry cleaning products that are plant-based and non-toxic. 2. In a rubber dish pan or other container (you don't want your jewelry to slip down the drain), soak gold jewelry in warm, soapy water for about 5 minutes.  Use biodegradable liquid dish soap and filtered water, as chlorine can discolor some gold jewelry.  Using a soft brush - an old toothbrush is ideal - gently scrub each piece of jewelry, rinse, and lay on a soft towel.  Then gently rub them dry with a soft cloth. 3. Silver jewelry (without gemstones) can be cleaned by a non-toxic chemical method at home that does not involve a lot of scrubbing and rubbing.  This is especially good for fine chains.  Lay a piece of aluminum foil in the bottom of a pan.  Lay your jewelry on the foil; sprinkle with baking soda. Pour boiling water over the jewelry until it is covered.  Let the jewelry sit for about 5 minutes or longer. Then remove the jewelry, rinse, ...

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Clothes Lines and Line Drying Benefits

If you are concerned about the environment and how you can make a difference, there are many things that you can do today to reduce your carbon footprint and to help save the environment.  One thing that is easy to do is to start using clothes lines to line dry your clothes instead of using a dryer.  This is one thing that many people never even think of these days.  Unfortunately most households in the United States don't line dry clothing for a variety of reasons.  This can include no room for a clothesline, inability to have one because of a neighborhood association, and more.  If you really want to work on saving energy and improving the environment, this is something that you should definitely give a try. The Benefits There are definitely a variety of great benefits that you can enjoy when you decide to use a clothes line to line dry your clothing.  One of the main benefits is that it is cheaper than purchasing a clothes dryer.  Clothes lines are not that expensive to purchase, especially when you consider what you'll pay for a dryer.  Not only will save you on the dryer, but you'll save on energy.  You ...

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All Purpose Eco-Friendly and Organic Cleaner

Sulphuric and hydrochloric acid, phosphates and ammonia, bleach and petroleum – these are just a few of the harmful chemicals present in commercial cleaning products used in the home.  And you pay good money for them, too!  Luckily for the eco-conscious homeowners, there is an all-purpose, eco-friendly and organically-made home cleaner that costs less than a dollar and can be made in under 30 minutes. Ingredients and Supplies Needed To make this organic cleaner, you just need five basic ingredients and supplies.  Throw in a little patience and you ought to be good at making more bottles for your family and friends, too, which makes for a cleaner environment.  (Who says you can’t clean your house without polluting nature?) First, secure recyclable spray bottles with approximately one liter capacity.  The emphasis is on recyclable and/or recycled bottles because you want to protect the environment from more non-biodegradable materials, not add to the pollution. Second, purchase white distilled vinegar made from grain and/or plant materials.  Don’t use the ones made from crude oil!  Keep in mind that white distilled vinegar has cleaning properties, thus, its inclusion as the main ingredient in this organic cleaner. Third, buy authentic lemongrass essential oil.  It has antibacterial properties perfect for ...

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Soapnuts - Nature’s Detergent

Soapnuts, also known as soap berries, have been used as a natural detergent for centuries.  Soapnuts come from the fruit of the trees of the sapindus genus, from the family Sapindacea.  There are approximately a dozen species; native to India, China, Southern Asia, parts of north and Central America. Soapnuts are considered a fruit and are a yellow brown color with a diameter of around 1-2 cm and have a black seed.  The shells hold a substance called saponin, usually present in quantities of around ten to fifteen percent.  Saponin dissolves in water to form suds that dissolve fats and oils and help to lift grime out of an object. Oddly enough, just two to three teaspoons or one cotton bag of soapnut powder can substitute your regular laundry detergent and fabric softener.  A cotton bag that has a few shells in it will last for up to three to four washes and you save up to fifty percent on normal laundry detergent.  So replacing your regular laundry detergent for soapnuts is a great way to save money.  Soapnuts do not have any sort of order and are used a lot in some countries for wool and delicate clothing. Soapnut powder may also ...

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