I have been dying to get my hands on a steam cleaner. What better way to clean the house without chemicals? I had watched (an embarrassingly large number of times) the infomercial for the Shark steam pocket. I read reviews online which were mixed – so I checked into other steam cleaners, some of which had better reviews. But when it came down to it, I was at Costco this weekend and they had the Shark. I think it was $80ish? So I figured, what the heck? Costco has an amazing return policy so I knew if it was a piece of junk, then I could always return it. I brought it home and couldn’t wait to use it. Much to my husband’s eye-rolling, I pulled it out at 9pm on Saturday night after I finally had a minute to check it out.

I got all the zillions of pieces out and quickly read the quick start guide. Then I got going on our bathroom sink – and my first reaction was.. “eh”. It was OK. Definitely NOT like what I saw on the infomercial (I know, how SHOCKING!).  We have hard water here so we get calcification on the faucets. I was really hoping that this would soften that – but not so much. However, I did notice that it loosened it enough for me to scrape it off more effectively than I’ve been able to do in the past. So that’s not bad, I guess?

It did an amazing job on the toilets which was a bonus. Suffice it to say, I live with 3 males (…) so the toilets can be, um, disgusting. Cleaning with the Shark,I didn’t actually have to touch anything (yea!) and was able to sanitize and clean the outside of the toilet and around the bottom easily. What they don’t show on TV, though, is that you usually have to wipe up after steaming. But still, overall, I was happy with the toilet cleaning bit.

Cleaning the showers was more “eh”. It does make the chrome sparkle which is nice. But there’s still a lot of elbow grease needed to get rid of soap scum etc. I guess I was wishfully thinking that this would be some miracle tool that would make cleaning fun (I know, I must have been watching the infomercial after that second glass of wine…).

So here’s my boiled-down (so to speak) assessment:

The good:

• Relatively easy to use (some flaws, see bel0w)
• Chemical-free
• Works great on chrome, toilets, getting dirt from nooks & crannies and tiny places
• Excellent at getting rid of greasy grime in the kitchen (stove top, microwave, toaster oven)
• It comes with a canvas bag that you can easily store everything in
• It is very portable – the cord is super long

The “not what I’d hoped for”:

• Didn’t get rid of hard water stains without a lot of elbow-grease
• Didn’t do any better than scrubbing with Bon Ami on getting rid of burnt-on mess on the stove top
• A little messier than I had thought – can leave a lot of water behind that you have to wipe up
• Not sure that using the attachments with the cloth steam pockets is actually disinfecting anything – it doesn’t seem hot enough. The cloth pockets seem to trap and cool the steam? I need to investigate more.
• It is hard to press the steam button with one hand and scrub with another if you need to hold onto smaller items. In general this isn’t a problem but cleaning the teapot was tricky.

So I guess if I was giving it a rating using a 5 star scale, I would give it a 2 1/2 stars rating. I suspect I’ll keep it because it is handy for certain jobs. But definitely not the revolutionary tool I was dreaming of…

I get a lot of people asking me what products I use around the house, so I thought I’d make a quick post that summarizes all of the things that I use. I’d love to hear from you if you have other suggestions!

• Vinegar/Water solution (I know you’ve heard me go on and on about this one before so I won’t go into detail – suffice it to say that most general cleaning is done using a spray bottle filled with this. Bathrooms, kitchen, wood floors etc.)
• Trader Joe’s Sage All Purpose Cleaner (good general cleaning spray if I want to use something other than vinegar and water)
• Bon Ami powder (my mom has always used this – it’s excellent for cleaning pots and pans, tubs/showers/sinks/toilet bowls etc. It’s at the grocery store in a yellow can, right next to Ajax and Comet)
• Borax (a great all-purpose powder that you can use to boost the power of your laundry detergent, and you can also use it for scrubbing bathrooms)
• Baking Soda (zillions of uses for cleaning and freshening)
• Green Works toilet bowl cleaner (this is a new find for me – it’s easy to use and very fresh and clean smelling, and surprisingly powerful.)
• Trader Joe’s powder dishwasher detergent (works almost as well as Cascade but it’s earth-friendly and doesn’t have those harsh chemicals)
• Trader Joe’s Laundry Detergent – OR Kirkland Natural Laundry Detergent from Costco. (Both are great! And both work well with front-loading washers).

I know, that was not an especially exciting post, but it gives you a good list of some products to check out if you haven’t tried them already.

The thing that I’m dying to try is a steam cleaner. I’ve got my eye on one, so hopefully soon I will be able to check that out and let you know what I think. If you have one – I’d love to hear from you!

Well, you knew it would happen eventually. Everything else is going “organic” so why wouldn’t dry cleaners jump in too? Apparently, however, this recent trend is again something you should check into. So here’s the scoop. As you may already know, perchloroethylene or PERC is what is used by most dry cleaners. It is a highly toxic chemical (a “probable carcinogen” according to the EPA) that is used to clean clothes. BTW – “dry” cleaning is actually a misnomer – the solvent is a liquid and the clothes do get wet but just not from water. PERC can not only be harmful for those who work at dry cleaners, but also for people who wear clothes that are dry cleaned if they haven’t had enough time to have the chemical smell dissipate. Some states have actually begun to phase out its use.

Anyway – it’s clear that PERC is a no-no. So when environmentally friendly cleaners started popping up, I quickly joined up. We have been using one that I LOVE (or should I now say, loved, sadly…). They are one of the ones that uses an organic process. On their website they say “Customers can rest assured that we clean all garments with high quality, natural, organic solutions and soaps. These solutions break down naturally in the environment and are gentle on clothes. We use the industry’s best lines of detergents and soaps that have been tested to ensure great results, free of chemical odors.” Sounds perfect, right? When I called the company they confirmed that they use a natural, hydrocarbon solvent that is better for the environment. Still sounds good! But then they confirmed that it is something called DF-2000.

This is where the “uh oh” comes in. Turns out, DF-2000 is a petrochemical. Yes it’s natural – meaning it is from the earth, but in the same way as gasoline. It’s derived from crude oil. Not to mention the fact that it’s actually made by Exxon-Mobil – enough said, right? OK so it’s marginally better for the environment and health, but it is still not great. I applaud companies looking for better methods, but it looks like this isn’t the be-all/end-all that it seemed to be.

So be sure to check with your dry cleaner to find out how they are cleaning your clothes “naturally”. If they are using DF-2000, as them if they have considered other options like either a carbon-dioxide cleaning method or an actual wet-cleaning method using water (who knew??). Those are the best not only for the environment and for health. Meantime, I’ll be on the hunt for one near my house. I’ll let you know when I find one!

Have you ever noticed how many products there are to freshen the air in your home, make rooms smell nice, and make your laundry smell good? Candles, sprays, plug-ins, weird gel crystal thingies, potpourri – the list is endless. So much money is spent on these products – but the worst part of it is not the wasted money, it’s the fact that most of them are actually harmful to your health. Just think about it – you spray these products all around your home and then breathe the chemicals. Not great!

Do you love those scented candles? I admit – I used to be addicted. I had Yankee Candles all over my house. Until I learned more about what burning the candles does – emitting soot and other airborne micro-particles in the air that can cause long term harm. Not to mention the phthalates from the artificial fragrances used to scent the candles.

But I think the room sprays are even more of a concern. I just read that Americans are expected to spend 1.72 billion on air fresheners this year. Yep – 1.72 BILLION dollars! Crazy. Are our houses that stinky? Yipes. But again – it’s not just the money wasted, but the health impact. A study done at the University of Bristol found that “frequent use of air fresheners and
aerosols during pregnancy and early childhood was associated with higher levels of diarrhea, earache and other symptoms in infants,as well as headaches and depression in mothers.” Uh oh.

So – I thought I’d share a few natural ways to make your home smell fresh and clean – naturally! Many of these options use essential oils, which can be purchased in natural food stores or online.

1) Toss some spices like cinnamon stick, nutmeg, cloves in a pot with some water and let it simmer. Or add a few drops of essential oil to simmering water. Just don’t forget about it!

2) When you are cleaning with vinegar and water – add a couple of drops of essential oils. Lavender is nice – it is calming and it also has a strong enough scent that it will linger awhile.

3) Put a few drops of essential oil on a cotton ball and put it in a small dish. Hide the dish behind something if you don’t want it to be seen. Putting it behind the radiator in the winter will help spread the scent faster.

4) When doing laundry, instead of using a dryer sheet, put a few drops of essential oil onto an old face cloth and toss it into the clothes dryer with the load of laundry. Again – lavender is a good choice, as is rose geranium.

5) Use the old tried and true box of baking soda. Remove the top of the box of baking soda and leave it in the room to absorb the odors.

6) The next time you have a cup of green tea – don’t throw away the tea. Dry the leaves – then toss some on the carpet and vacuum it up. It will refresh the carpet and also deodorize your vacuum bag. Also – toss the tried leaves into the kitty litter box – it’s a great litter deodorizer too!

7) Mix 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 2 cups of hot water in a spray bottle. Shake well until mixed and dissolved. This can be used as a great air freshener just like the expensive ones you can buy at the store! (just avoid spraying above wood furniture)

Those are just a few options-get creative! And toss out those harmful, chemical-laden “fresheners”.

I love finding new ways to use eco-friendly, kid-safe products around the house, and I recently came across an article that outlined some great uses for baking soda. Yep – just regular plain old baking soda. So I wanted to share them:

• You can use baking soda as earth-friendly alternative to unclog your drain. It’s simple to do, less expensive than the store bought product, and just as effective.

Here’s what you do: Pour one cup of regular table salt, one cup of baking soda, and half a cup of plain white vinegar down the drain. Leave it alone for 15 minutes and then pour two quarts of boiling water into the sink. Follow this by running the hot water into the sink for at least one minute.

You’ll be amazed how effectively this combination works. The drains will be clean and you won’t have added anything toxic to the drain system. For tough clogs you may need to repeat the process.

• Baking soda, when mixed with salt, is also an effective stain remover and scouring powder. Mix one cup of baking powder with one cup of salt. Then use this mixture the same way you would any other scouring powder. Again, an effective mixture that is less harmful to the environment.

• Sprinkle some baking soda on your carpet and let it sit for 10 minutes. When the time is up, vacuum away any stale odors that may have settled in your carpet.

• Add a little baking soda to your dishwasher the next time you’re loading it. The baking soda will give your cleaner an extra boost to get your dishes sparkling clean.

• Making an equal mixture of baking soda and laundry detergent will stretch your detergent and make your laundry smell fresh.

So next time you’re at the grocery store, buy one of those bigger boxes and check out some of these tips!