If you’re sick of chemical cleaners that pollute the planet and our bodies, then Seventh Generation would like your help to crack down for stronger standards on toxic chemicals. Seventh Generation’s new initiative, the Million Baby Crawl is one way you can help make sure that America’s sadly outdated chemical law become tougher, in order to make the world safer for your children.

Why you should get involved:

33 years ago Congress passed that nation’s chemical regulatory law, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TCSA). To date the Environmental Protection Agency has tested just 200 of the more than 80,000 chemical compounds developed …read more

NO! Not only is bleach extremely harmful for the planet, but bleach can contribute to a toxic home. Worst of all, bleach is extremely dangerious for humans. Not to mention; do we really want to grow super crazy unstoppable germs? Nope, I sure don’t but when you use disinfectants and bleach that’s what you’re doing. You do not need bleach in your world to get things clean and even sanitized and disinfected.

Clean and disinfect with zero bleach:
Did you know that the Environmental Protection Agency actually recognizes soap and hot water as a legitimate disinfectant? They do. However, for hot water …read more

There’s all sorts of ways to get toxins out and keep them out of your home; here are ten easy ideas that any family can try…

Do a green cleaning audit. Get out any toxic cleaners you’ve been using and replace them with eco-friendly, non-toxic alternatives – either homemade green cleaners or store bought green cleaners.
Use Skin Deep to help you make smarter choices about the beauty and body care products that you and your family use on your body.
Burn soy candles over wax – they emit somewhat less soot.
Bring some plants inside to help improve your indoor air quality.
Go organic and …read more

The first products to earn the new Green Good Housekeeping Seal were announced yesterday. The Green Good Housekeeping Seal (GGHS), is meant to be an environmental extension of the Good Housekeeping well-known primary Seal, and products with the seal are supposed to help consumers who want to live greener. How does the seal stack up? Let’s find out.

Why introduce a green seal?:
“The Good Housekeeping Seal was originally created to protect consumers from potentially dangerous products and false claims,” said Rosemary Ellis, editor-in-chief of Good Housekeeping. “Today our readers are interested in making choices that are healthier for their families …read more

Seventh Generation recently sent me a load of eco-products to test out. Of course I’ll be posting some reviews soon, but first we should take a look at the company as a whole, plus their eco-perks.

BASICS:
Seventh Generation is arguably one of the most well-known green companies around. They were one of the first self-declared “socially responsible” companies and have been around for 20 years. The company makes a slew of products, some that are very green and some that could be greener, but all in all, they offer some great product choices for green households in various categories…

Laundry Products
Dishwashing …read more

In Green Cleaners Aren’t Worth That Much, I noted that I’d be back with some safer, greener options to conventional, toxic, store-bought cleaners.
Basically, you’ve got three eco-friendly options:

Make your own natural, non-toxic cleaners.
Buy natural, non-toxic cleaners.
Don’t clean.

I know, don’t clean really isn’t a great option; just making sure you’re awake.

If you’re going to buy green cleaners, one, expect to pay more than you’d pay for conventional toxic cleaners (in most cases), and two, don’t be swayed by greenwashing companies if your goal is a better green lifestyle. For example, Clorox Greenworks is in truth, a safe non-toxic cleaner, BUT there …read more

In all my days of green living I’ve heard a lot of negative comments about green cleaners. They’re too expensive, they’re too time consuming, they don’t smell pine fresh, they’re not so much safer than real conventional cleaners, they don’t disinfect, and so on and so on…
Yup, green cleaners are a super drag. I hate not being exposed to toxic chemicals in my home; it’s what I live for. But seriously, there are some major and real issues related to the use of conventional household cleaners. When I point out the backs of conventional cleaning packages to people, which of …read more

Sponges aren’t that green. Basically you’ve got three choices:

Typical cheap sponges made with toxic and non-renewable polyurethane. These sponges won’t biodegrade and will last and last in a landfill.
Animal derived sea sponges which some people have an issue with because they are living at one point and some don’t.
Sponges made from wood pulp cellulose. These will biodegrade, and are non-toxic, but some say they encourage logging because they’re made with tree pulp. However, they’re a better choice than polyurethane sponges.

There are better choices:
I used to buy wood cellulose sponges when I did buy a sponge (rarely) and now I haven’t …read more

One thing you can do to change your habits in honor of Earth Day is to take a long, hard look at your paper towel usage.
Sure, paper towels can be handy for things like cleaning up kitty vomit or patting the grease off the top of bacon, but do you really have to use them for every little mess?
I cut down on my paper towel usage by following a few easy routines:
• Dry your hands with a clean towel that you reserve for that purpose: a hand towel in the kitchen. You may wish to buy some different ones for …read more

You can pretty much clean your entire house with items from your kitchen. For example…

Baking soda & lemon: Grab some baking soda, sprinkle it in your tubs, sinks, and toilets. Drizzle a fresh lemon over the baking soda and allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes. Scrub down with some plain old water.
White vinegar: Use white vinegar to break up deposits on your shower head and improve weak water pressure. Vinegar is also a great way to clean your coffee maker – run a pot full of vinegar through your machine a couple of times and follow with a clean …read more