Another Reason to Avoid That Nasty High Fructose Corn Syrup

Apparently high fructose corn syrup has mercury in it...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20090126/hl_hsn/studyfindshighfructosecornsyrupcontainsmercury

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/mercury/

Natural Pesticides/Repellents

Ditch the dangerous, conventional pesticides laced with synthetic poisons that are linked to immune-system disorders, hormonal disruptions, fetal defects, and many cancers. Natural pesticides and repellents are available at most stores, but you can easily make your own.

Boric acid or Diatomaceous earth (can be found at gardening centers) are safe and effective against ants and cockroaches. Sprinkle it around baseboards, under sinks and any other areas they hang out in.

Ants are also deterred by spearmint, peppermint, cayenne pepper, clove and cinnamon.

Fend off flies with sweet basil or clover and fleas with citrus oils, garlic or cedar. Citronella, neem and eucalyptus oils ward off mosquitos.

These are just a few remedies for pests. For more information on natural alternatives to pest control, check out these sources:

Earth Easy
Care2
Planet Natural
Pest Information

* From "Nine Things to Kick Out of the Kitchen" by Michael Witeman-Jones in Boulder County Home & Garden Magazine Fall 2008

Real vs. Artificial

I have often found myself wondering which was better...a real or fake Christmas tree. I love the smell of a fresh tree, but must admit the needles can be a bit of a pain to clean up. So I looked very thoroughly at a few artificial trees just to see what my options were when I came across an itty bitty warning at the very bottom of a box that stated the tree contained lead and it was necessary to wash one's hands after touching it. That sealed the deal for me. With 4 kids and 2 dogs, there is no way a lead laced tree is going up in my house. While my mind was made up the minute I saw the warning, the researcher in me couldn't leave it at just that. I had to read more...so for those of you who are still debating or are just curious, here are two sites I found very useful:

http://www.christmastree.org/faketrees.cfm
http://environment.about.com/od/greenchristmas/a/christmas_trees.htm

May your holidays be filled with joy no matter what type of tree you choose!!!

P.S. We sold our house and have been in the midst of packing, thus the long break and future spotty postings. My apologies, but I promise to be back in full swing as soon as we get settled in the new home!

Biodegradable Bags

Green & Clean Diaper Sacks (75 per pack) by Classy Kid Inc.

Don't let the name fool you! These are for more than just stinky diapers...they are also great for pet presents (inside and outside) and any other foul thing that needs containment/odor control before being tossed out.

These wonderful, affordable (which often don't go hand in hand when it comes to all things "green") bags are a great replacement for plastic grocery and empty food bags...yes, I even reused my old store bought bread, veggies/fruits, and chips bags...but now can recycle them and use these greener ones instead.

While I find these bags to be a terrific alternative to other non biodegradable plastic bags, they do have a "fresh scent" that is not clearly defined on the package, so I have emailed the company to find out if it is an eco friendly fragrance.

I haven't found them in any local brick and mortar stores yet but did find them at Amazon for $2.95 (with free super saver shipping) and Babycenter.com for $4.50.

Happy "green" cleaning!

Easy Chemical Free Cleaning

My mother still has some of the best advice to offer. This time she has completely wowed me with an amazing cloth that can clean just about any hard surface...windows, trash cans, counters, fridges, dishwashers, mirrors, floors, doors, car dash/seats...you get the idea. All you have to do is provide the cloth with a touch of water (works best if you wring out as much of the water as possible and clean well in between uses) and less elbow grease than a Mr. Clean sponge requires. I have been actually enjoying cleaning kid art and fingerprints off the walls now that I am not left with a messy residue that Mr. Clean used to leave and an arm that hasn't turned to jiggly jelly. This amazing cloth won't rid you of all stains, but it sure does better than anything else I have tried.

Of course, there is a catch...just one catch...you can wash the cloth, bleach it, whatever...just DO NOT dry it! If you are like me and tend to lose track of no dry items when transferring laundry from the washing machine to the dryer, don't shed any tears...if you accidentally dry it, it will still work. It just won't be as pretty and a tad bit shrunken.

I highly recommend getting several and marking them with a permanent marker so you don't clean the toilet with the same cloth you clean the kitchen counter.

Check out this website to stock up on this super duper cloth.

Happy Cleaning!!!

Two Fave Non Toxic Cleaners

Window Cleaner

1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 teaspoon liquid soap/detergent
2 cups of water

Combine in a spray bottle. Shake to blend.

Hand Cleanser

In any foaming pump container (I use empty Clean Well brand pumps cuz I like the colors), combine a few squirts of your favorite non-toxic liquid soap (I use the Dr. Bronner's soaps) and fill with water.

While you don't necessarily need soap/bubbles to get your hands clean since warm water and time are all you really need, this makes for a fun non-toxic way to enjoy the benefits of the foam so many of us have been programmed to believe equals cleanliness.

Enjoy!

Homemade Lip Balm

For a safer, non toxic lip balm, make your own. Here is a super easy recipe I found at Care2.

Basic Lip Balm Formula
From Better Basics for the Home by Annie Berthold-Bond (Three Rivers Press, 1999).

2 ounces oil
¼ ounce beeswax
1 teaspoon honey or glycerin

In a double boiler, cook oil and beeswax over medium heat until wax has melted. Remove from heat and stir in honey. Blend with a handheld mixer until creamy. Add flavoring oil to taste, stirring to combine.

Makes one-quarter cup.