Archive for the ‘Product Reviews’ Category

To me, clean smells like vinegar. I don’t routinely use vinegar in the homes of my clients, because it is a very love-it or hate-it type of smell that many find offensive. In my personal home though, vinegar is our cleaner of choice for just about everything! Vinegar cuts grease, disinfects, deodorizes, and leaves no scent behind once it has dried. 

• Use a mixture of 1/2 distilled white vinegar and 1/2 water in a spray bottle to clean counters, sinks, toilets, walls, cutting boards, windows, mirrors, and more! Avoid using vinegar on granite, marble, and other natural stone, or on gold colored taps. 
• Remove pet odors – if your pet has an accident, blot up as much as you can, and then saturate the area with white vinegar. Let dwell for several minutes, and then blot well and rinse with warm water. The vinegar will remove the smell, and discourage your pet from resoiling the same area. 
• Remove soap build up and odors from your dishwasher by filling a juice glass with vinegar and placing it right-side up in the top rack. Run the dishwasher empty (except for the juice glass) once per month. 
• Clean and deodorize the microwave: pour 1/4 cup of white vinegar and 1 cup of water in a small bowl, and microwave on high until it boils. The steam will loosen stuck on food so it will simply wipe away, and the vinegar will get rid of the burnt-popcorn smell that haunts your microwave. 
• Vinegar is a natural fabric softener and reduces static cling – use as you would a traditional liquid fabric softener. 
• Unclog and deodorize drains – pour a 1/2 cup or so of baking soda down the clogged drain, followed by 1 cup of hot vinegar, and let sit for 30 minutes. Flush with hot water. Read the rest of this entry »

1. Make a paste of baking soda and water, and spread liberally on the area to be cleaned.
2. Let sit for several hours or overnight for really tough grime. Keep moist by misting with water every once in awhile.
3. Wipe out well, and then spray the walls down with vinegar and let dry.

The baking soda requires even less scrubbing than conventional oven cleaners (you have to try it to believe it!) and the vinegar helps repel future spills.

To be considered truly Green, a product must go through rigorous testing and receive Green Seal Certification.

Green is an unregulated term however, and is frequently used by products that are not actually certifiably green (Simple Green is a great example of this.)

So what does green actually mean? To be certified Green, a product must prove through testing to be better for Human Health and the Environment. Typically Green Products are in fact chemicals, they are simply safer than traditional chemicals.

Natural Products are just that, natural. Their ingredients are naturally occurring and include elements such as baking soda, natural soap, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, borax, essential plant oils, and natural oils such as olive and jojoba. Most natural products are safe to consume (not that you would want to,) and thereby have little to no health or environmental impact.