The Green Moms Weekly question for this week is “What are some simple tips to go green with your household cleaning?”

LOVE to talk about green cleaning. No really, could talk about it all day long. I do not understand why so many folks rely on mainstream cleaners with their noxious and toxic chemicals. The green stuff works just as well and it is safe for humans and safe for our planet. There is just no reason to buy up most of the stuff you will see in the cleaning isle of your conventional grocery store. NO REASON. And before anyone brings up price I will concede that bottle of mainstream all purpose cleaner “may” cost less than a bottle by Seventh Generation. But you don’t have to buy pricey bottled cleaners at all. Ever heard of vinegar, baking soda, lemons, borax and the like? Yeah, I thought so. Cheap and effective green cleaning for pennies.

Here is what I use in my house:

Vinegar - Words cannot describe how much I love to clean with vinegar. I keep it in a spray bottle under the kitchen sink and I use it all the time. I use it as an all purpose cleaner, floor cleaner, laminate floor cleaner, window and glass cleaner, and I use it as a follow up to baking soda in tubs, sinks, toilets, and showers. AND I also use it as a hair rinse for our No Poo routine. Just recently one of my kids got head lice (the offender shall remain nameless) but we used vinegar daily to dissolve the glue from the nits. We got the lice under quick control and no one else in the house got lice either. How much more amazing could this stuff be?

Baking Soda – A scrubbing powder for grime. I use it in tubs, toilets, showers, sinks, etc. It can also be mixed with essential oils to make a scented scrub. Just put it in a Ball jar, drop in some essential oils such as Tea Tree or Lavender, slap a sprouting lid on top of it for a homemade shaker! This can be used to deodorize carpets as well. Sprinkle and let sit for 20 minutes and then vacuum up.

Essential Oils – Many essential oils have antibacterial properties that make them perfect for cleaning. Plus they make the house smell great. My homemade kitchen floor cleaner is vinegar, water, and tea tree oil. My homemade shampoo is pure castile soap, water, and peppermint oil.

Pure Castile Soap – Safe, natural, and effective. We would be LOST without our big bottles of Dr. Bronners. In addition to adding it to homemade cleaners and shampoo I also use it in my washing machine and to clean my carpets with my SteamVac.

Borax – I use this in my dishwasher coupled with baking soda.

Natural and Green Cleaners to Purchase

I will on rare occasions buy a cleaner. Some of my faves are the Seventh Generation Cleaner with Lemongrass and Thyme that I linked to in the first paragraph and the Cedarwood and Sage Cleaner from Trader Joe’s. I really like both of those and will buy them when the mood strikes me.  I also have some Bio+Green Crystals that you add to water. Those are pretty nifty too. You add the packet to a water bottle and they dissolve (packet and all) and you have a pretty good cleaner at your disposal.

If you need further help I have a FREE green cleaning ebook you can read with homemade cleaner recipes! I made it in 2009 but it is still relevant of course. Pass that link on to anyone you know who may benefit! I also like the book Creating Your Perfect Cleaning Schedule. It is not green per say but it has a great tips about getting it all done in less time.

So what do you use to clean your house? How do you keep it green?

** Read what some of the other Green Moms Weekly do here and here.

Fall is officially here and it is time for some lovin on the Fall collection of Jambu shoes, which have become a big favorite of mine over the years. They seem to have the right mix of fashion and style mixed with sustainability and outdoor adventure. For Fall I opted to try something I had never before seen.. Barefoot Boots! If you recall I have a love affair going strong with barefoot shoes. I wear my Vibram Five Fingers just about everywhere… the gym, the store, the zoo, hiking, traveling… I love them beyond all measure. Barefoot boots seemed like the perfect solution for minimal footwear in the winter AND despite the fact that I have been in Ohio for over 5 years, I still have never owned a pair of winter boots. What’s up with that?!

Anyway I selected the Jambu Nottingham Barefoot boots. They come with grey/black, brown/blue, and red/black color scheme options. I chose the brown/blue. I love that they can be worn up past the calf as a high boot but yet rolled down to mid calf for a shorter boot. It is like getting two pairs of boots in one. The former would be perfect for tighter pants and the latter for bulkier pants and jeans. They actually are minimalist as well. It’s very much like wearing pair of barefoot shoes, but slightly heavier and much warmer. The fit is very snug, which is going to take a bit of getting used to for me because usually, if I am not wearing five fingers (were all my toes can stretch out), I am wearing flip flops or other shoes chosen specially for their “roominess”. Though I suspect that come winter and the temperature dips to 10 degrees, the snugness won’t bother me as much. I can see some nice leisurely strolls at our local parks this winter, sporting these boots.

The upper part of the boot is a knit material (bonus for natural fibers) and the bottom part is nylon. You would expect that in a winter boot though. I am not sure what the inner liner is made of, but it is soft and comfy. The outsoles are made with partially recycled rubber, rice rubber to be exact. This allows flexibility and natural motion which emulates the one of a kind feeling that only walking on sand can give you. They are warm, comfy, and very minimalist. Other than being a bit too snug for my personal liking, they are a perfect minimalist shoes option for winter. In my estimation they run at least a half size small, so ordering up might fix that.

What are you wearing this winter?

************************************

Many thanks to Jambu for sending me a pair of shoes from their Fall line!

It was about two years ago now that I wrote about the issue of toxic bubble bath. That post was spurred by a Campaign for Safe Cosmetics report that highlighted known carcinogens in baby bath products and Johnson & Johnson appeared on the report several times. This just happened to coincide with a blogger campaign the company was running, trying to get mom bloggers to endorse their products. I was pretty livid at the time and while I hoped that J&J would clean up their act, I highly doubted they would. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics called upon Johnson & Johnson to reformulate its baby shampoo and remove formaldehyde releasing chemicals. So did they?

Yes and no it turns out.

Between July and October of 2011, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics reviewed labels of Johnson’s Baby Shampoo sold in 13 countries to see if the products contained quaternium-15, a chemical preservative that kills bacteria by releasing formaldehyde.

We found that Johnson’s Baby Shampoo sold in the United States, Australia, Canada, China and Indonesia contains quaternium-15, while Johnson’s Baby Shampoo sold in Denmark, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Sweden and the U.K. contain non-formaldehyde preservatives.

Obviously, it is possible for Johnson & Johnson to make baby shampoo without formaldehyde, and that’s what the company should be doing in all countries.

Wow. They prove that they can in fact do the right thing and make a safer product but apparently have decided to do so only in the countries with tougher product standards. American babies still get the cancer causing chemicals. Only after this latest report came out has J&J promised to phase these chemical nasties out of their products worldwide but I think a boycott is in order until they do. There are plenty of other companies who were ALREADY doing right by babies and they should be the ones rewarded with our patronage.

A better brand to try:

Earth Mama Angel Baby - USDA Certified Made With Organic Ingredients. No 1,4-Dioxane, formaldehyde, or phthalates. No sodium lauryl sulfate, cocomidopropyl betaine or other synthetic surfactantsNo artificial preservatives (parabens, phenoxyethanol, etc).

In particular you might like the Angel Baby Shampoo & Body Wash. They also have some great soaps and washes for the whole family, mom approved.

• Calm & Clean Hand to Toe Wash – Soothing Lavender & Vanilla
• Happy Mama Hand to Toe Wash – Invigorating Ginger & Grapefruit
• Natural Non Scents Hand to Toe Wash – Unscented

They smell great, they work, and they aren’t filled with questionable and potentially unsafe ingredients. A+

For a budget alternative you can do what I personally do and use Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap. They have an unscented variety for babies. We use the peppermint. I dilute a few squirts in some water and usually add some essential oils as well, inside a Ball jar. The jar sits next to our shower and we shake it up and pour a tablespoon or so into our hand and then use on our hair and bodies. Works like a charm and my kids get snarly when some other shampoo product makes an appearance. They prefer the Dr. Bronners.

Do you have any alternative suggestions?

Much of the information you find about staying healthy around Halloween addresses what you can do beforehand… aka keep kids away from the candy. You see advice to have the Great Pumpkin come and trade the candy for books and toys or you forgo trick or treating and make healthier treats yourself. That is actually great advice. Halloween candy is actually terribly bad for your kid’s health. Those are just the facts. It is loaded with immune suppressing sugar and other junkie ingredients like artificial dyes. Consuming all that candy is literally putting their immune systems under attack and during a time when they are already vulnerable… allergy season, fewer sunlight hours, and cold and flu bugs rearing their ugly heads.

But avoiding the candy is not always possible because they could get it at school or from other kids. It also sets up the concept of forbidden fruit. I would rather teach my kids to avoid it when they can but also teach them how to take care of their bodies after they have had a lapse in judgement. Giving them insight into how their body works when we eat junk and how we can nurture ourselves in the aftermath is just as important in my mind as teaching them about healthy eating. After all, I know I shouldn’t drink much alcohol or eat those candy cane flavored chocolates that abound this time of year, but I do. Instead of beating myself up when I want the bad I have to learn how to balance it with the good and take care of myself when my healthy habits take a detour.

It helps that we don’t allow too much candy to make its way home. We give the kids small buckets or lunch bags (much smaller than typical treat bags) and when they are filled, we go home. Doing it this way mitigates some of the damage hopefully. The second thing we usually do after Halloween is tell the kids to eat up the candy. No, we don’t let them eat 5 pieces each day and extend the immune suppressing abilities of all that junk. It’s best to get it gone and start the healing. My kids typically don’t eat all of it that night so the next day most of it magically disappears (works for younger kids) or I buy them out. Give me the rest of that candy and I will take you to a movie, deal?

Here are some other ways that we give our family an immunity boost after gorging on candy. These tips work for Halloween or any candy centric holiday (ie Valentines and Easter).

Broth – Once that candy is gone we go into a week long spree of nourishing, broth based soups that are heavy on the veggies, garlic, onions, and ginger. My crock pot and my dutch oven get used daily for at least a week.

Hydration – The drink of choice after Halloween is good old fashioned water and I make sure it is alkaline as well. No natural juice or sweetened teas right now, just water.

Fermented Drinks – After a week of mostly water we reintroduce fermented drinks like water kefir and dairy kefir, which enhance immunity with their live cultures. We mostly make our own but their are also some good ones from Lifeway. Their Pumpkin Spice and Cranberry Crème Brulee are a good way to mix kefir with holiday cheer.

Garlic - It has strong antiviral and antibacterial properties and can help ward of illness. I will often use an entire bulb in our soups after we have had excessive candy exposure.

No White Stuff- Sugar is one of the white things to be avoided but also white rice and flour. This week my hubby made pancakes with coconut flour and quinoa flour and he also made an apple pie with quinoa flour. We have gotten in the habit of using substitutes in our baking and cooking but it can be especially important not to eat any more of the white stuff after a candy binge.

Ginger - Ginger warms you up so fast you think you might be having a hot flash. That is of course why it works so well. It raises your body temperature and fights off viruses and prevents them from replicating. It is also anti-inflammatory and it supports our immune system.

Elderberry - This amazing herb is an anti-viral and it helps to fight viruses by warming your body temperature. It also has strong antioxidant properties that boost the immune system. You can make your own or you can buy it in the form of Sambucol.

Exercise – Mom and Dad go the gym but the kiddos need an extra dose of exercise after all that candy to. This is easily accomplished with neighborhood walks (most evenings for a couple weeks) and hiking at our nearby park system on the weekends. Exercise really boosts our immune system.

Plenty of Rest – After an event like Halloween we send the kids to bed earlier so they can get plenty of rest… their little bodies need it. All week long they are required to hit the sack an hour earlier than usual and this gives their immune system a chance to recover from the shock of all that sugar. Just wake a kid up for school the day after Halloween and see how much the extra rest was needed. A child after a sugar binge can be downright terrifying.

How will you keep your kids healthy AFTER Halloween?

Related: Cold School Remedies for Winter Illness

If you are a person who loves to cook then you know how the use the right herbs can enhance the flavor of any dish. Potato leek soup with dill or homemade pizza with fresh basil come to my mind! It can get quite expensive to purchase fresh herbs from the local grocery store though. This really isn’t a problem for those who live in a warm climate as you can grow your own outdoor herb garden. But for those of you who live in areas that have cold harsh winters your herb growing may be limited to only a few months out of the year unless you learn how to grow those herbs indoors for the winter months.

Growing herbs indoors in winter is not as difficult as it may seem. Though not all herbs grow well indoors, herbs like geranium, basil, mint, rosemary, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, chives, garlic and oregano are easy to grow indoors. Not only will growing herbs indoors allow you to enjoy fresh herbs all year round but, these herbs will also make your home smell nice as well.

What You Need To Go Herbs Indoors

There are of course a few things you need to grow your indoor herbs. Here is a list of most of the necessary items.

• Containers with good drainage (see if you can recycle some from your outdoor garden)
• Herb seeds or seedlings (seedlings give those new to growing herbs a better chance of success)
• At least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day. A south facing window will provide the best sunlight. You can also use florescent lighting but, if you do so then the plants will need about 12 hours of this kind of light each day.
• Daytime temperatures of around 70 degrees Fahrenheit
• Night time temperatures no lower than 50 degrees Fahrenheit
• Humidity. You can mist your plants to give them the humidity they need or keep a humidifier in the area where you are growing your herbs.

Herbs also need to be harvested in order to keep them from getting to bushy or outgrowing the container but, this should not be much of a problem as the whole idea of growing herbs indoors is to allow you to have fresh herbs all year round. You can use them for your meals of course and for natural remedies as well.

While growing herbs indoors is not difficult they do require care and attention just like any other indoor plant. But, the time that you spend will be well worth it when you see your family enjoy the food you prepare by using these fresh herbs.

Also, many children like growing indoor plants and this may be a project you and your children can do together. They will enjoy watching these plants grow and you will all take pride in producing “food” for your family. Many people begin their indoor herb growing with just three or four common herbs and find the experience so pleasant that they eventually have a semi large indoor herb garden. Whether you choose to grow just a few herbs indoors of a wide selection of herbs you will enjoy the experience of having fresh herbs that you grew yourself available to you all year round.