Archive for September, 2008
Posted by Candice on September 27, 2008 at 00:46 am
After hearing about some of the concerns around using housekeeping products with phosphates in, I noticed that our dishwasher tabs contained them. Phosphates are naturally occurring minerals that soften water so they are typically added to automatic dishwasher detergents because. Phosphates are however dangerous for the environment. They are released into the waste water from your household which then eventually enters the water supply. The phosphates in your household water cause algae to grow and flourish and then when they die they feed microorganisms that remove oxygen from the water thereby causing animals and plants living in that water to die.
I had previously tried to use an eco-friendly product but it just didn’t clean my dishes so I went back to the regular ones. Recently, becoming more concerned about those darn phosphates, I decided to try again to find an eco-friendly product for the job of cleaning my dishes. I have been pleased to see the growing section of eco-friendly products at our local Ralphs store so I looked there and found the Ecover Dishwasher Tabs.
How did these tabs perform?
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Posted by Candice on September 25, 2008 at 17:10 pm
SustainLane is one of our favorite green guides. Their specific focus is on sustainable living. In 2005 they launched an extensive research project to rank 50 of the most populous US cities in terms of their sustainability. We include the SustainLane Rankings for each of our featured locations on our dedicated website page. We are excited to see that SustainLane have announced the 2008 City Rankings showing that some of our featured location cities are making great progress towards being greener, eco-friendlier and more sustainable. These cities include Chicago and San Francisco in renewable energy and urban greening; Boston, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Oakland in local food development; Denver, Charlotte, Phoenix and Dallas in citywide transit oriented development; Atlanta and Washington DC in green building. Over the next few weeks we will visit the SustainLane ranking for each of our featured locations.
Since the first SustainLane US City Rankings came out in Spring 2005, world events have made “sustainability” an even more vital concept.
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Posted by Candice on September 19, 2008 at 21:44 pm
Todays eco-friendly find is one of my favorites because it helps to keep our neighborhood clean and reduces the plastic waste going into landfills. The creators of the flip & tumble reusable bag want its style, its function, and its emotion to take you beyond the corner grocer to a trendy restaurant, a posh new gym, or even a whirlwind trip through Indonesia? Well, that sounds great but I’m happy just to use mine at the corner grocer – Jimbos. I haven’t been on any whirlwind trips lately but I can see how these handy little bags could be the perfect compact travel accessory. My experience when traveling is that one often ends up buying things that you hadn’t planned on and so having one of these in your pocket for those spur-of-the-moment purchases is perfect.
Hetal Jariwala and Eva Bauer, met while attending Stanford University’s Product Design graduate program. They picked up on a problem that I was experiencing frequently; I was committed to using reusable bags and had a plentiful supply of bags sourced from stores ranging from Trader Joe’s to Costco but invariably I would find myself at the store and there would be no bags in my car because I had forgotten to return them after unpacking the last groceries I bought or it was an unplanned shopping trip. What was the solution?
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Posted by Candice on September 18, 2008 at 22:34 pm
We have a winner! DeAnna Cochran of Dallas, Texas won the $500 House Cleaning giveaway. How did she do it? Entrants were required to submit a photograph of a room in their home which had recently been re-decorated and write a brief paragraph explaining why the services BidMyCleaning’s house cleaning services would be essential to preserving your hard work.
DeAnna decorated her winning diningroom herself for just $100. To see the photograph and read how she did it visit Blissfully Domestic’s Blissful Home
We are very pleased to have been able to treat DeAnna to the gift of clean. She was definitely a deserving winner:
This room speaks “peacefulness” to me since it is the only room without toys and paperwork everywhere. My husband and I moved when our home became too small for two home businesses and our 2 year old son named Christian. I left my 15+year corporate career to start my own business after we lost our first son Jackson in 2004. I wanted to find a way to give back to others. I create collections dedicated to various children’s stories that support their causes. Because I give so much of my income from the business there is little left to hire a housekeeper to help out. With a 2 year old and business full time there is not a lot of time left over for major cleaning. We host couples in our home every other weekend as small group leaders for our church. It would be so nice to have a clean house. BidMyCleaning.com could give this mom a much needed break, create a welcoming environment for our guests, and let me keep focusing on what I do best….giving back to some very worthy organizations.
Posted by Candice on September 17, 2008 at 23:11 pm
BidMyCleaning has launched in New York and North New Jersey where we now offer house cleaning services to homeowners (yes, there are some in NY) renters, property managers, realtors and office managers. We have partnered with what we believe are the best local independent cleaners and cleaning companies to offer instant bids on a range of cleaning services including housekeeping or maid service, window cleaning and carpet cleaning.
New York is our second east coast location after Philadelphia. New York is a slightly different market; cleaners there use public transport more frequently so they may not provide the cleaning equipment and supplies and need more flexible start time windows.
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Posted by Candice on September 12, 2008 at 12:34 pm
The Latin phrase Veritas Terra or “true to the earth” is the inspiration for the name chosen by VerTerra whose mission is to “produce the highest quality products using sustainable production methods and fair trade labor for the environmentally and socially conscious consumer. ” Their products are a range of single-use dinnerware plates, bowls, cups, and platters that are thoughtfully designed and friendly for the environment.
Perhaps you exclusively use disposable paper dinnerware for entertaining or for BBQs and picnics instead of plastic ones so you can recycle them. Well, you may now have an even better choice. Each VerTerra piece is made from 100% renewable and compostable plant matter and water. Fallen leaves are collected and then steam, heat and pressure are applied to transform the leaves into durable products that will naturally biodegrade in 2 months. No chemicals, waxes or dyes, which can leach harmful toxins can leach into your food are used. The entire production process also uses only a fraction of the energy used in recycling. Amazingly enough, these products can still be used to reheat in the microwave, bake in the oven, or cool in the fridge. The range of environmentally-friendly plates, bowls, cups, and serving dishes come in a variety of beautiful shapes and sizes. They’re lightweight, convenient, durable, toxin-free and downright stylish, so you can mix, match and enjoy without worry. They are even reusable.
Posted by Candice on September 11, 2008 at 23:22 pm
Founded in 2000, method is the leading innovator of premium eco-friendly healthy home and personal care products. As a leader in people and planet-friendly home care products, method’s mission is to educate as many people as possible that living in a healthy home is part of an overall healthy lifestyle.
This month method will temporarily set up a retail shop at 2034 N. Halsted, Chicago from Sept. 15 – Oct. 12. The “detox your home” shop offers aroma and ingredient workstations for sampling and testing out products – I am excited to try the recently announced methodbaby and methodkids lines. I am always looking for safe and eco-friendly products for my daughter so these piqued my interest.
Not only are method products great on the green factor but their packaging is also fun and whimsical. method products will be available for sale along with their first book Squeaky Green, a room-by-room guide to creating a healthy home.
‘Detox Chicago’ is part of their mission to educate and motivate so they have a roster of activities and programs lined up one of which is very appealing to me.
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Posted by Candice on September 7, 2008 at 02:16 am
‘BidMyCleaning is a way to stay sane with small kids in tow’ according to Amber/JerseyMomma writing for the Wishpot Baby Blog.
Amber says on the Wishpot Baby Blog:
I’m tired, I’m a bit overwhelmed—and scrubbing my house has become my absolute last priority (note: I DO clean—I have slacked on bleaching and scrubbing, that is all.). When I finally get around to doing a thorough cleaning, I find myself doing double and triple the amount of work than if I would have kept up on it more often. So for me, all I would need is a good wipe-down once a month to lighten the load.
With Bidmycleaning.com, I just go online, punch in my information and I instantly receive a local bid for $135 a month. That’s only $34 a week that I would have to set aside to have a sparkling clean house that I could just “maintain” until the next cleaning. Bottom line, I buy a few less People magazines and I can have my house clean!
Unless you can turn cleaning your toilets into a fun activity for toddlers or you do it late at night when your kidlets are in bed then time spent cleaning is time you could have spent with your children.
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Posted by Candice on September 5, 2008 at 23:30 pm
We all know the importance of avoiding plastic water bottles so the find this week is actually a favorite item in our household. The Foogo Thermos Straw-Bottle is made of stainless steel and is therefore notably free of Bisphenol A (BPA), Phthalates or PVC. As an added bonus, the Foogo thermos product range, which includes a sippy cup and food container, keep beverages and food chilled.
We love to fill ours will chilled water from the refrigerator dispenser before heading out on the road and they are a perfect addition to a daycare or school lunch bag. I am always reminding my daughter how important it is to stay hydrated so I try to set a good example by always drinking water myself.
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Posted by Candice on September 1, 2008 at 23:59 pm
Blissfully Domestic, the online magazine that makes family life easy, re-launches Tuesday September 2nd, 2008 with a fresh new look and lots of exciting changes. There are now 150 contributors and 15 editors working to create lots of great new content. To celebrate the re-launch we are going to be offering a prize giveaway – $500 to spend on House Cleaning services. Choose from maid service, carpet cleaning or window cleaning.
The entry period for the giveaway will commence on Monday 9th September 2008 and run through 12th September 2008. To enter, all you need to do is send in a picture of a room that you have recently renovated, re-decorated or rearranged together with a brief paragraph explaining why the services of BidMyCleaning.com are essential to preserving your hard work. Entries should be submitted to the Home and Garden Editor (email to jeanannvk@gmail.com). All entries are due by September 12th. The winner will be notified by e-mail and an announcement will be posted in the Blissful Home Channel. All decisions are final.
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