Green Mom Finds™

Homemade Cleaning Products

2008-12-04T07:13:23Z

My grandmother recently emailed me some homemade recipes for cleaning products that she clipped from the paper. I was surprised to find that I already have all of the ingredients to make them, and since I have 2 young boys I clean up A LOT of messes. I thought I’d pass them a long to you so you can try them out, and save a little money.

Furniture Polish: Combine 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/4 cup of distilled vinegar, and 2 tsp. lemon juice and shake well. Dip a clean and dry cloth into polish and rub wood in the direction of the grain. Refrigerate any remaining polish.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Sprinkle bowl with baking soda and drizzle with white vinegar. Let soak 30 minutes, and scrub with toilet brush. For tough stains, let soak overnight.

All Purpose Cleaner: Combine 2 cups of white distilled vinegar and 2 cups of water. Use on counter tops, kitchen floors, windows, mirrors, and any other hard surfaces. For tough jobs, warm the cleaner in the microwave.

Let me know how these work for you!

Author Patricia Wooster is the founder of the Project Organic Eating blog, where healthy eating meets affordability!

Stainless Steel Stocking Stuffer

2008-12-03T05:46:13Z

One of the first things I did when I starting going green was to stop buying disposable water bottles. Ever since, I’ve been having fun trying out all of the different reusable bottles out there. One of my favorites is the Kleen Kanteen. While the colors and patterns are somewhat limited as compared to the Sigg, I personally love the simple, classic silver and so does my husband. But most of all, I love that the interior is made of non-leaching, high-grade stainless steel. My current dilemma, however, is that I only own one and my husband I fight over who gets to use it when we go out together. I guess we know what he’s getting in his stocking this year!

Find It Here: Natural Pod

Your Baby Never Slept Better

2008-12-01T04:04:37Z

When creating a green nursery, your baby’s crib mattress is one item you might not want to skimp on. According to the Healthy Child website, toxic chemicals such as PVC, phthalates, polyurethane foam, and fire retardants are often found in crib mattresses. If you’re looking to reduce your child’s exposure to some of these harsh chemicals, then look no further than the Coco Mat Organic Crib Mattress from Natural Mat. Handmade in England, The Coco Mat is filled with organic coir made from sustainably sourced coconut husks coated with natural latex and then wrapped in lambswool. Try repeating that five times fast! Phew! This 100% organic mattress is high quality and completely free of glues, bonding agents, chemicals, plastics and PVC. Plus, all Natural Mat mattresses are naturally fire retardant (details here) and they source their raw materials from 100% renewable and sustainable sources that adhere to fair-trade policies. Wow! There are so many great features about these mattresses, it’s hard to stop gabbing about them! Just one more thing bears mentioning - my 15-month-old sleeps on his Coco Mat like…well, like a baby…and his smile every morning is testimony that Coco Mat isn’t just a safer mattress, it’s a comfortable one too. Now, if only they’d make it in Queen size!

Find It Here: Goore’s

Deal! Receive 10% off any Natural Mat order from Goore’s using code gmfnm.

P. S. If your child has allergies or asthma, then check out the Latex Mat from Natural Mat, which is also chemical-free but hypoallergenic as well. Natural Mat also has organic cotton and flannel crib bedding and handmade mattress pads of wonderful quality.

$150 KEEN Giveaway!

2008-12-02T08:26:26Z

Looking for the perfect eco-gift for the guy in your life who can’t go anywhere without his laptop? Look no further than the Cornell Bag from KEEN. Made from repurposed rice paper and recycled rubber and aluminum, this laptop bag is as sustainable as it is hip. And…we’re giving our readers (you!) a chance to win this laptop bag OR another fab prize from KEEN! Yep, the winner of this contest will get to choose to receive this laptop bag as a prize OR any other product from the KEEN website (up to $150 value). Woo-hoo!

Win It: Click here to fill out our simple entry form. Just enter “KN34” as the giveaway name and provide the answer to this question: What is your favorite KEEN product besides the featured bag? Open to US residents only. Enter by 12/12/08.

Deal! Receive free shipping when you order from the KEEN website with code GREENMOM. Expires 12/10/08.

Rough, Tough and Green

2008-11-27T17:40:32Z

Around my place, we eat a lot of veggies—especially carrots and potatoes, which means a lot of scrubbing and cleaning of said vegetables. Thankfully, we found the Tampico scrub/vegetable brush by the good people at GreenBoatStuff.com. (This family-owned company has a range of green products, with particular emphasis on boating and watersports, and proudly asserts its Earth-friendly nature in its name.) What I adore most about this rough brush, though, is not that it makes vegetable-cleaning a hundred times easier and quicker than, say, a toothbrush, though it really does; not its great price (a steal at $3.25 plus shipping); and not the health factor of having well-cleaned versus inadequately cleaned veggies. I love the green denominator best: It’s plastic-free and constructed to be as biodegradable as possible, even if it were to accidentally make its way into the marine ecosystem! The bristles are made of Tampico fiber, which is a vegetable fiber from a plant indigenous to Mexico, and the handle is of finished hardwood. A few of the other great things about Tampico are its capacity to store and release water, its resistance to heat and oils, and its abrasiveness, which makes it ideal for other applications on and off the boat and around the house. Although not the sleekest, most fashion-forward brush (but who needs form when you’ve got oodles of function?), it more than gets the job done—sans chemicals!

Find It Here: GreenBoatStuff.com