One of the things I miss about living in the Southwest is the fact that we never, ever had to deal with things like mildew and stinky towels. As a child, bathing suits and towels could be tossed on the carpet all willy nilly and only an hour or two later they would be crunchy and bone dry. Mildew didn’t stand a chance. Later when I was cloth diapering my babes I had the luxury of being able to let the diapers sit in the diaper pail for a week or longer with no smell and no mildew. The first time I tried that after moving to Ohio…well let’s just say it didn’t end well. There was a noxious smell, there was mildew, and there were bugs. Argh!

We also learned that you don’t leave wet bathing suits and towels lay around and every so often your towels start to smell mildewy no matter if you wash and dry them on hot repeatedly. The first time this happened we ended up throwing them out because I thought it was hopeless without the use of something harsh like bleach. Well, we started to notice the same issue with our towels recently and since so many are organic and/or a super luxurious bamboo I did not want to throw them out. Didn’t want to bleach them either. Time to get creative!

With some tips from my Natural Living Facebook community I had a game plan, and it worked! Yay for clean smelling towels!! But why in the heck do they get stinky in the first place?? We do let our towels sit wet in the bathroom between showers/baths so that doesn’t help, even though they are on a hanging rack. I also think that they have a tendency to get stinky for the same reason cloth diapers do…a detergent buildup. Cloth diapers need to be “stripped” every so often to get rid of detergent scum/buildup and so do towels.

How to Get Rid of the Mildew Smell in Bath Towels

• Wash with hot water, 1/2 cup baking soda, and 10 drops tea tree oil
• Rinse with 1 cup vinegar
• Repeat wash/rinse (tea tree oil optional for the 2nd go round)
• Dry on hottest setting or dry outside in direct sunlight

This method worked wonders for me! Even after using the same towel over several days, no mildew smell. Now I just need to use this method every time I wash towels over the next 1-2 weeks to make sure I got them all.

Do you ever have this issue? How do you handle it?

Planet Friendly Ways to Keep Pups and People Healthy and Happy

One of the things I have been researching lately is green puppy care. We don’t actually have a puppy yet but hope to get one someday soon. I grew up with dogs but I never much considered green issues and I pretty much let them play with or eat what you could buy at big box stores. Now of course I know from having children that much of what mainstream America is peddling is unsafe and it is also true of products for pets. When you have pets you want to avoid harsh chemicals in your home, unhealthy “junk” dog food, and puppy toys with chemical nasties. The planet friendly pet offerings these days have increased greatly. You just have to wade through it all…

Cleaning Up After Your Pet

This is my big issue with pets and the reason why we have not had one in a very long time. I cannot stand dog hair and pet messes. So I decided that when we do get a dog it will have to be one with short hair and no undercoat. I am also putting this off until my kids are older and able to help with care and cleanup. We are getting there but at least we have the safe, green cleaning part covered. We use Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap for most cleaning, including cleaning our carpets. We use that and vinegar for our hard floors in the kitchen, along with a spray mop. When we have puppy messes using these methods will get the job done just fine without toxic cleaning products and we can sprinkle baking soda over spots so that they won’t smell.

Avoid Conventional Pet Food

This is a billion dollar industry and if we are to believe the deceptive advertising and photos on pet food bags then we might think our dogs are getting choices cuts of meat and other nutrient dense foods with every meal. In actuality the pet food industry is just an extension of the people food industry and pets get the “waste” that is unfit for human consumption. Many people are now trying to avoid anything produced within our nasty factory farming industry and yet this is what many choose to feed their pets. If we are eating that stuff we are eating the worst the industry has to offer, and our pets are eating the worst of the worst. Is it any wonder that many of the dominant pet food companies have been involved in pet food recalls that sickened and/or killed many pets? I think not.

Healthy, organic, raw pet food will help your dog with skin ailments, allergies, immunity issues, digestive disorders, and better overall health. Some good brands include Paw Naturaw, Primal Pet Foods, and the pastured raw pet foods from Tropical Traditions. Those options are all pricey but I am not sweating this because dogs do best on a primal diet like what we eat in this house already so we will likely make our own dog food. Dogs should NOT be eating dog food with grains, corn, wheat, and rice. They are carnivores, not vegetarians.

Natural Flea Control

If this becomes an issue make sure to look for a natural flea control option. Conventional flea collars and products have lots of chemical nasties in them. They are not safe for animals and not for the humans exposed to them either. Instead try cleaning and vacuuming often and launder pet bedding weekly. Use a flea comb daily and bathe them often with a natural shampoo like Cloud Star’s Buddy Wash. It has coconut oil and essential oils. You can also make your own flea collar by applying a carrier oil (like almond oil or neem) mixed with some essentials oils (cinnamon, rosemary, clove, peppermint) to their existing collar. You can make a spray by mixing some neem oil with some castile soap and spray it on their coat when fleas rear their ugly little heads. A DIY flea powder can be made using crushed herbs like rosemary, fennel, and eucalyptus. What you can make at home will likely be safer and more cost effective too. Other ideas include keeping grass cut short and buying nematodes at a pet store or garden store to reduce the flea population. There are plenty of natural options beyond the chemical ones you find at your vet’s office.

Planet Friendly Dog Toys

Just as with kids toys, lots of pet toys have BPA, PVC, lead, dyes, and other nasties. Instead of those buy toys made of natural rubber, rope, hemp, and organic cotton. The Simply Fido Bamboo Plush Rope Dog Toy is adorable and comes in many designs and colors. Also West Paw Design has many eco toys for dogs that use their Zogoflex material. It is plastic but it is also fully recyclable and built to last for as long as it is serving as a dog toy. These toys do not contain any known sources of lead, cadmium, mercury, latex, phthalates, hormones, Bisphenol A, or asbestos.

Reader Lysa submittedd this tip in regards to greener shew toys/food:

We give our dog naturally fallen deer antlers as chew toys. We’re lucky to have them available naturally but know that they can be purchased at reputable animal supply shops (feed type shops, not pet stores.) They are very nutritious and last a long time.

These are some important issues to consider when you have a family dog or plan to get one. For more ideas check out my article on Green Pet Products and Supplies. It has ideas for green bedding, bamboo collars, and eco cat condos. Enjoy and hug those puppies!

I grew up eating pineapple oatmeal breakfast cookies and for many months now I have had a hankering for some. This past weekend I asked my mom for a refresher course on how to make them and after adapting the recipe a wee bit I have made these cookies for breakfast all week long. They are so simple and easy to make (12 minutes total for prep and cooking) and they taste delicious. They are one of the few ways I will eat oatmeal actually and they are surprisingly filling without being heavy. They keep me satiated for hours and I can eat them prior to hitting the gym without cramping up. This recipe serves one (4 cookies), since I eat my breakfast alone most mornings, but it can be doubled as needed for more servings.

My whole family enjoys these…

Pineapple Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies Recipe

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup crushed pineapple (fresh or canned)
1 pastured egg
1 T quinoa flour
1/2 T flaxseed meal
1 T whole wheat flour
1 t baking soda
4-5 drops liquid Stevia, or 1-2 teaspoons of another natural sweetener
Pinch of cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together. You should have a wet dough but not so wet that it won’t clump together. If it is too wet add more flour. Scoop onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees or 10 minutes. Eat them warm and enjoy!

Important Notes: You can eliminate the tablespoon of whole wheat flour if you take a tablespoon or more of the oats and grind them into flour. If you use canned pineapple, drain the juice first. Ideally you will also want to use soaked oats to make sure the phytic acid is deactivated and that the cookies are as nourishing as possible. One good way to do this is to soak your oats overnight in water with a couple tablespoons of dairy kefir. Then drain off the water and spread them thinly on a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate them. You can also use a cookie sheet and a low temperature in the stove. Once dry you can use the oats for this recipe and you can make big batches of them so that you have some at the ready.

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.

No doubt you are catching on to the fact that the “beauty industry” is actually code for “toxic crap you don’t need”. Never in a million years would you think women would willingly line up to slather noxious chemicals all over their face but guess what? They do! But we can green up our beauty routines and make them more natural and safe too. Here are some tips for greening up your beauty regime.

1. Read the ingredients. Look closely at the ingredients in your cleanser, shampoo, hair gel, make-up, and so forth. Look them up in the cosmetics database and read first hand about what you are actually putting on your skin. If you find a lot of suspicious chemical names, look for alternatives. All sorts of toxic substances have been identified in conventional makeup and other beauty aids but there are companies making alternative products. The more people that purchase better products the louder our collective voice becomes against toxics.

2. Keep it simple. It’s amazing what you can accomplish with just lemon juice, for example. You don’t need an abundance of elaborate, complicated beauty aids.

3. Use natural products, such as lemons, honey, oatmeal, avocado, and yogurt on your hair or skin. The beauty tricks of long ago still work! For more info on that check out Beauty Secrets of the Bible. Its not a religious book is just gives us insight into Biblical women and what they used for beauty. They were just as concerned about it as modern women can be.

4. Use baking soda instead of shampoo. It makes a wonderful cleanser for your hair. Mix about a teaspoon of baking soda per cup of warm water, and pour over your head while in the shower. Work it in to your scalp and rinse.

5. Use an apple cider vinegar (ACV) solution as a rinse following the baking soda wash. Mix a tablespoon of ACV into 2 cups of warm water and pour over your head and hair. Rinse with as cool a water temperature as you can handle.

6. Look for natural make-up. Many top cosmetic manufacturers specialize in more natural formulations. Avoid make-up that has aluminum, phthalates, formaldehyde, fragrance, and parabens.

7. Combine cooked oatmeal with mashed bananas and spread on damp hair to treat dry scalp and dandruff.

8. Cut out beauty products with petroleum-based ingredients. Some ingredients to look for include parraffin, Propylene Glycol, and Isopropyl Alcohol.

9. Look for the “not tested on animals” label to assure you are not supporting the harmful and cruel practice of animal cosmetic testing. Human beauty is NOT worth animal suffering.

10. Use reusable products rather than disposable ones in your beauty routine. Examples of common disposable beauty items are: razors, pre-packaged, single-use hair treatments, and cotton balls.

The two BEST books on this subject happen to be written by the same person, Julie Gabriel. The first is the Green Beauty Guide. That link takes you to my review. The second is fairly new, Green Beauty Recipes, and I have LOVED puring over the recipes. My daughter is ecstatic to make some of these and I feel good about letting her go wild with it because they are safe and natural. Carrot Cake Cleansing Cream, Milk and Olive Facial Toner, Breakfast Yogurt Scrub, Pumpkin Mask, Natural Clay Deodorant… its fun, practical, and informational.

Enjoy!