We’ve all seen the icky plastic brooms sold nowadays at big box stores like Target and Walmart. Some of those stores actually still sell old-fashioned corn brooms, but even their corn brooms have plastic handles.

You can, however, get a truly old-fashioned, eco-friendly corn broom at your local hardware store. The broom part is 100% biodegradable, and many hardware stores sell them with recycled handles. And of course, your hardware store-bought broom can double as a Halloween prop in a couple of months!

What’s your favorite eco-house cleaning tip?

More House Tips:

Unplug Your TV!
Easy Ways to Conserve Water
Cute Dishes I Bought in Detroit
Mary Cordaro: Healthy Home Guru

Have any of you wondered about this too?  Whenever I recycle used food containers, like from my rice milk or maple syrup, I always stop for a minute and have the same thought: Yes, these things are recyclable, but what about the food residue that I can’t get off? I mean, have you ever tried getting every last bit of maple syrup cleaned out of a container? It can be an all-morning activity if you let it!  Obviously I want to recycle everything I can, but I’ve always feared that leaving any leftover residue on containers would make them un-recyclable. Plus, cleaning your empties just seems like the polite thing to do, right?

What’s worse, I heard a rumor somewhere that if you put any containers with residue in a recycling bin, it can compromise the entire bin to the point where nothing from that bin can be recycled. Even just the thought that this might be true has made me scrub every recyclable container until it was purged from any trace of food that might have ever touched it.  But this can become a lot of work, so I finally decided to do a little research and get to the bottom of this question once and for all.
 
The good news is that I wasn’t able to find any information out there to support the “contaminated bin” myth. That said, every area has its own procedures and regulations for what it recycles and how, so it’s always best to learn the dos and don’ts of your specific recycling program.  One easy way to do this is visit Earth911.com and enter your zip code to get a full list of recycling programs and centers in your area – with links to their websites and contact info.  Then you can research your programs individually and find out what they can and can’t work with. I print a list of all the stuff that’s recyclable in our area and post it near my bins at home so that everyone in my household is aware. Earth911.com also has a lot of other great general info and tips for recyclers. 
 
This aside, I did learn a few general guidelines about recycling that helped put things in perspective. First, there are a lot of steps your recyclable waste goes through between when your bin at home gets picked up and the end result. It is sorted, transported, resorted and processed, often multiple times. Usually most, if not all of these steps involve various cleaning processes. Most “single stream” recycling programs (where donors put all types of recyclables in a single bin) have accounted for the fact that not every can or bottle they receive is going to be as squeaky clean as I make mine and have implemented appropriate steps into their process.
 
So great, we’re all off the hook, right? Not exactly. The fact is, at many points along the recycling chain, the materials will sit around for days, weeks or even months at a time, which means that your residual tomato sauce on the inside of that jar is getting grosser, stinkier and more bacterial by the day.  Now multiply that by hundreds of tons.  This not only makes things more disgusting for the recycling facility workers (it’s pretty tough, low-paying work even on a good day), it can attract all kinds of rats and other critters. So, while it’s not absolutely necessary to scrub away every last piece of residue, a nice considerate effort to make your items somewhat presentable before you toss them in the bin is appreciated.
 
But… (yes, there’s one more but)… Keep in mind that the more thoroughly you wash these recyclables, the more water you’re using and potentially wasting, so don't go overboard and try to scrub them til their sterile.  Recycling centers are not hospitals, so just give your recyclables a quick courtesy rinse and get rid of as much food as you can before you toss it in the bin.  As always, it’s about balancing cleanliness and conservation with a little bit of kindness.

What kind of recycling program do you have in your area?

More House Stories:

Eco Bathrooms
Green Your Bedroom
Eco Moving
Vegan Dishes

Here's another one from the archives...enjoy!

A lot of you have been wondering about ways to make your homes and bathrooms more eco friendly.  An easy way to start is by getting all natural and green cleaning products such as Method and Seventh Generation and some of the ones I wrote about in my earlier posting.

Making your bathroom green is fun and easy!  And the best part...it keeps more green in your wallet!  And who doesn't want that?  Sean Miller, the Director of Eduction at the Earth Day Network, said that, "If the average American household installed low-flow toilets and low-flow showerheads in their bathrooms, they could save up to $60 annually on their water and energy bills combined." Ok, so I know that’s not a HUGE amount of money, but it still counts!  Unfortunately, it doesn’t save that much money because water is inexpensive...I hope that one day water gets its proper value, and costs a lot more. I found a great list of low-flow toilets compiled by TreeHugger.com.

No matter what kind of toilet you have, I have a great tip for you that will save you money and save water!  All you have to do is save a 20 oz. water bottle, remove any plastic or paper from the outside of it and then fill it partially with sand, dirt, pebbles or gravel (if you can’t find any of those materials around your house, just fill the bottle partially with water!).  Make sure to seal the bottle tightly before placing it in your toilet tank.  Then carefully lower the bottle into the tank and put the lid of the toilet back on.  Pretty easy, right?  HERE is a New York Times article about reducing water in your home.  According to this article "A sealed half-gallon water container installed in the tank will save a half gallon of water per flush...a family of five that flushes five times a day each -- the national average -- will save 350 gallons of water each month."  That's a lot of water!

It doesn't stop there though because there are many ways to make your bathroom green.  You can buy towels and washcloths made of organic cotton or bamboo, get recycled toilet paper, and if you really want to get crafty you can make your own cleaning products from common household items like baking soda, lemon juice and diluted vinegar.

If you have a favorite homemade concoction that makes cleaning supplies that you swear by, please share!!

Also, those icky sprays for the bathroom are just gross and toxic.  Let’s face it... When you start eating better, you won’t need to spray the bathroom after you go.  After a while, your poop just doesn’t stink! Ok, just not nearly as bad!  If you do want a spray to use in the bathroom, try to find a nice, natural one... Or you can make your own with an old spray bottle!  Just take water and add your favorite essential oil, and there you have it!

Baby wipes are also not a bad thing to have in your bathroom!  Just find the good, non toxic kind that are all natural, biodegradable, and made with recycled materials. Be careful not to get the kind that contain Bronopol (a preservative ingredient).  It is in most baby wipes, and has been given the highest hazard score by the FDA! Seventh Generation makes some good ones, or you can find another eco, generic brand.  These are good for the planet, AND good for your bottom!

And of course, my favorite tip for an eco friendly bathroom.... Don’t flush!!!! Unless you have to, of course!

And I've posted some photos of these cute toilet seat covers from Toiluxe.  You can get them on Etsy if you want to decorate your bathroom!  They aren't eco, but are just some fun things for decoration, depending on your style.

What are your tips for making a more eco-friendly bathroom?

I really like the store Green for Bedroom and Baby in Thousand Oaks! It’s a bit of a drive for me (and not available for people who live outside of LA), but for all you Angelenos, it’s a great place to help make your bedroom the healthiest it can be.
 
Several years ago, when I was looking to replace my previous (not very eco) mattress of 13+ years, I hunted high and low for an all-natural option. But here was the dilemma I faced: California state law requires that mattresses must be fire retardant, which is super-toxic. On the other hand, the natural alternative was wool – which wasn’t an option for me either.
 
That’s when the folks at Green for Bedroom and Baby helped me discover this great organic mattress company named OMI. Now, most of OMI’s mattresses are made with wool, and even though they maintain that they only source their wool from providers who treat their sheep humanely, I still felt uneasy about a wool mattress. After all, the sheep are still sent to slaughter at the end of their lives.
 
But, this is where OMI stepped it up. It turns out that the legal requirement for mattresses does make allowances in cases where a doctor can verify that there’s a medical excuse, such as an allergy to wool. A friendly chiropractor wrote me a note, which opened the door for Green for Bedroom and Baby and OMI to create a vegan, all-natural, all-healthy mattress for me (as they can do for anyone who has a doctor’s note). I wasn’t an unusual case – all of their mattresses are non-toxic, with no VOCs or Kevlar (a synthetic fabric used in everything from mattresses to armor to racing tires). And, with the proper doctor’s authorization, they are happy to custom-make the mattress wool-free as well.
 
I also picked up some amazing pillows at Green for Bedroom and Baby. They’re called Kapok pillows and, even though they feel exactly like down (aka feather) pillows, they’re actually eco-friendly and cruelty-free (check out PETA’s article about why we should avoid down or feather pillows here). Kapok is a fiber extracted from the seedpod of the kapok tree, found in the rainforest, so it’s all-natural. I went for the thickest kind, because they squish down pretty quickly and become the softest, yummiest pillows ever!
 
Recently, my husband and I went back to Green Bedroom and Baby for a new mattress topper. He prefers soft beds, and even though I tend to like harder beds in general, my hips were getting a bit sore towards the end of my pregnancy, so I was open to a softer option. The people at Green for Bedroom and Baby and OMI set us up with a super comfy topper (it’s a squishy thing that lays on top of your mattress), again ordered without wool.

So, to all you Southern Californians, I urge you to go check out their store. It’s super cute and stocked with all kinds of bedding and baby accessories that are all eco-friendly and healthy. Even though they do sell some wool products, they’re willing to help make almost anything without it. Some of their stuff can get a bit pricey, but it’s so well-made and sustainable that it just might save money over the long run – and it’ll help save the environment, so that new baby of yours will have a better future to grow up to! And of course, it’s the healthiest option for you and your baby.

Thank you OMI and Green for Bedroom and Baby!
 
Do you have a green store for bedroom and baby near you?

Even the most eco laundry detergents usually come in a cardboard box or plastic bottle, and are chalk full of ingredients you can’t pronounce. At Ethical Ocean, there’s a new, all natural alternative: Earth Berries! These natural “soap nuts” rival the cleaning power of any of the major laundry detergent brands, but without all the nasty chemicals and animal testing common among big name brands. What's more, at four cents a load, these powerful berries cost a fraction of a typical laundry detergent!
 
How It Works
 
Earth Berries are the fruit of the Sapindus Moukorrosi tree, which grows in India and Nepal. You certainly wouldn't want to bite into one of these berries - their high concentration of saponin (Mother Nature’s naturally occurring foaming agent) is activated by water and makes these berries the perfect laundry cleaner.


 
Spend Less, Waste Less
 
Unlike lots of eco-friendly cleaners, these berries are also kind to your wallet. A typical 50-ounce bottle of conventional detergent costs anywhere from $10 to $14 and does about 26 loads. Now consider Earth Berries: for $43 ($31 + shipping) you get enough to do 350 loads...even if you do a load every day, your berries will last almost a full year. Plus, because Earth Berries put natural softeners back into fabrics, you save more by cutting out the need for fabric softeners.
 
As if that weren’t enough, these berries:

• Are compostable.
• Are unmatched at removing odours and stains, tackling even the nastiest gym clothes and cloth diapers.
• Will keep your clothes vibrant, protecting your favourite little black dress from fading.

Not convinced of the power of these berries yet? Check out NBC's review of Earth Berries on the morning show last week, then visit Ethical Ocean to buy your first 1kg of Earth Berries:
 
Win a $100 Gift Certificate

Buy a bag of Earth Berries before August 8, and be automatically entered to win a $100 gift certificate to Ethical Ocean, your one-stop shop for animal- and earth-friendly home, beauty, food, and fashion products!

*UPDATE: We’ve chosen our winner. Congrats Amanda!*

Kind Lifer Michele Powell told me about this awesome company called Greenbox.

She’s used them twice for moving – basically, you rent green boxes instead of using cardboard. You can also reuse the eco-friendly packing materials once you’ve moved!

Have any of you Kind Lifers moved recently? How did you make your move as eco-friendly as possible?

When I blogged about my yummy tempeh tacos, a lot of people commented and asked where I got that cute plate with the word “vegan” embossed in it.

There is a store on Etsy called Vegan Dish that sells a bunch of really cute handmade dishware that is all labeled vegan! Check out some of their stuff. I like their bowls too. I have been using them for years!

Where do you get your dishes from?

I must say, I love love love unplugging my TV after I’m done watching. I also love keeping my VCR/DVD player unplugged until I need to use it. The only thing that stays plugged in all the time is my DVR/Tivo type machine, since it won’t record anything if I unplug it.

Here’s my system: We have these 3 plugs for the TV (TV, DVD, DVR), and they’re all labeled. This helps me to know what I can unplug after I’m done watching TV or watching a movie. And for some reason, having this system seriously makes me deliriously happy! Every time I unplug the TV or the DVD/VCR player, I know that I am saving soo much energy, which is the best feeling!

When electronics or appliances or really anything with a power cord is plugged into a socket, they’re still using up energy. It seems weird, I know, but it’s true. So if you start doing this, and unplug things when you aren’t using them, you can save about 50% on all of your energy bills... Not to mention saving the Earth’s resources.

This is such an easy thing to do, I’d love it for you all to give it a try! Just take 5 minutes and label your cords. Keep them unplugged, and then whenever you need to use something, you’ll know which cord to plug in. It’s so easy and makes such a big difference.

Let me know if any of you have energy saving tricks of your own!

Everywhere, the issue of water conservation is becoming more important. For example, the average Los Angeles resident uses 155 gallons of water per day, which adds up to 215 billion gallons of water used annually in Los Angeles alone. This is not sustainable!

The national average daily water use is 80-100 gallons, most of which comes from flushing the toilet and showering. These numbers tell us loud and clear that we can all do more to conserve one of our most vital resources!

Because LA is a desert city that gets all of its water from other regions, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is extra conscious of promoting conservation. LADWP offers these water conservation tips that can be applied anywhere:

• Install a water saving showerhead – LA residents can get one for free by calling 1-800-U-ASK-DWP
• Take shorter showers
• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving
• Check faucets and pipes for leaks
• Use your dishwasher for full loads only
• Use your clothes washing machine for full loads only
• Don’t leave tap water running
• Consider native and drought-tolerant plants and grasses
• Do not allow the hose to run as you wash your car
• Water your lawn deeply and less frequently
• Water early in the morning or late in the evening
• Change lawn and plant watering schedule seasonally
• Use a broom instead of a hose

These habits are just the bare minimum we can do to conserve water! Do you have any other tips for minimizing water use?