Laundry Day Blues



     Did you know that most laundry detergents contain fillers like sawdust? No wonder your skin itches and your drains clog. Switch to organic laundry detergents. Bio Kleen is my favorite.

The Twelve Most Essential Cleaning Tools 

by Mary Findley

     Folks often confess that their cleaning arsenol consists of supplies they bought, used once and stored in the attic for the next garage sale. They have separate cleaners for toilets, showers, baths, carpet stains, clothing stains, 5 window cleaners that all streak, every cleaning gadget ever advertised and none of this stuff works, Let's widdle this down to the necessities and take the confusion and expense out of cleaning. The following list has is geared to a typical home.


1) Start with a divided tote tray found at hardware stores. Do not use cleaning aprons unless you like trips to the doctor to straighten your neck due to the weight. Or worse email me asking what to do after bumping a sprayer and the cleaner ruined your antique coffee table.

2) A large plastic cup to hold a plastic scraper, stiff bristled toothbrush, non-scratch pad or other small cleaning tools.

3) A plastic container with holes in the lid filled with baking soda. You can also use a clean, plastic parmesan cheese shaker. Use baking soda to scrub sinks, tubs and shower floors and toilets.

4) A gallon of vinegar. Use to remove hard water stains in the sink and add a bit to your diluted concentrated cleaners. Vinegar boosts the cleaning ability of a cleaner. If your concentrated cleaner calls for one ounce per quart of water add ¼ cup of vinegar and use ¾ of an ounce of cleaner.

5) Toilet bowl brush – do not use the ones with the metal ring as the metal part scratches.

6) Sink brush

7) Two clean spray bottles for dilution – three if you use my Wood Care. It’s the only wood cleaner and conditioner on the market that can be diluted.

8) A concentrated eco-friendly all-purpose cleaner like my CleanEz. They clean most counter tops, appliances, toilets, showers, tubs, clothing and carpet stains. No you don’t need separate products to do these chores. Concentrated cleaners save you a bundle of money so look for concentrates.

9) A streak free, concentrated bottle of glass cleaner. I carry a good one called Benya. Make certain it does not contain acids or ammonia so it’s safe for Corian, granite and marble countertops.

10) Color coded towels. I use blue terry towels for the bathroom, white for the kitchen and a green one for the floor. Then baby diaper cloths for dusting and lint free towels for windows. Windows and glass are the only safe surface for microfiber. Buy the expensive microfiber cloths. The cheap ones leave lint and smear.

• Note: I use color coded towels because they are faster. You’ll dig for hours looking for the right towel to clean the bathrooms, or kitchen or dust. Don’t waste the time. Color code your towels for fast cleaning.

11) A good mop. Of course I’m a bit prejudice but I feel the one I manufacture is faster and outlasts anything on the market. Plus it does cobwebs, walls, windows and dries off cars, Rvs and boats. Again do not use microfiber mops unless you like replacing or refinishing flooring.

12) A good vacuum cleaner. Here is where we may part company. After using Kirbys, Hoovers, Eurkea’s and half a dozen others during my 12 years professionally cleaning, I’m hooked on the Meile canisters. This is a personal choice but I’ve been very pleased since switching to Meile. They are expensive and worth every penny.

Lastly always refill your bottles when you finish cleaning. That way they are ready to go for spills or quick clean up.

This article may only be copied giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website at www.goclean.com. Copyright © 2011 Mary Findley All Rights Reserved Worldwide

     I attended a recent fire and safety seminar at a rally down in California. Mac McCoy "The Fire Guy" is a retired fireman and paramedic. Everything I thought I knew about putting out a fire and escaping a burning building went up in smoke - literally during Mac's demonstration.


     Outside Mac doused a large board with gasoline and lit it on fire. He attempted to put the fire out with the standard fire extinguishers found in hardware stores. They are filled with a powder he reignited. Further the powder is toxic and spreads everywhere. It was all over the fence, the pavement and you could see it drifting for some distance including onto his clothing. Inside a home it penetrates into places like electrical outlets and damages things like plastic found on kitchen appliances like microwaves. Due to its toxic nature, a hazmat team must be brought in to clean.

     Mac then demonstrated a fire extinguisher containing foam. After extinguishing a fire he relit the foam and it failed to reignite. Nor did the foam spread like the powder. It's so safe that he even sprayed it on himself and ate a small bit.

     He said most fires start in the kitchen and advised against using baking soda. Baking Soda must be poured directly over a flame putting clothing in direct contact with the flames. Instead, grab a large pan lid. Start at the chest and use the lid as a shield pushing it toward the flaming pan. This separates the flame allowing you to safely put the lid on the pan. If you bring the lid from the top of the pan, the flames separate and catch your clothing and nearby woodwork on fire.

     Next Mac recommended storing the extinguisher on top of the counter but away from the stove so it can be reached without the flames catching your clothing on fire. Always leave a pan lid on the counter when you cook. Set your timer for 45 seconds when you turn the stove on to preheat a pan as a reminder that the pad is preheating flammable oil.

     Mac instructed us to sleep with the bedroom door closed. It takes 10 to 15 minutes for fire to burn through a solid bedroom door. Touch the door knob and door to make sure it’s cool before opening it.

     Always crawl on the floor to move around the home. Smoke inhalation, which settles in about waist high, kills more people than the fire itself. Mac emphasized the importance of planning an escape route and where to meet once you are outside the home then practice to make certain your plan works. If you have small children or disabled family members decide who will help whom out of the home and how. Then practice so everyone knows their job.

     Read more articles on Mac's website www.macthefireguy.com/Home-old.htm. You can order foam extinguishers from him as well. Call him for guidance on what extinguishers are best for you. You'll need one for each bedroom, the kitchen and I also bought one for my truck. I would have burned to death 10 years ago had my truck caught on fire after I was hit head intentionally. It rides in one of my cup holders where it's easy to reach.

     Don't forget to put a sparkle on your windows with Benya, our February special. Usually $19.95 it's now $14.95.

This article may only be copied giving credit to Mary Findley and her website http://www.goclean.com/. All rights reserved worldwide.

Prevent Holiday Disasters

     Recently I was recently a guest on the Martha Stewart Living Radio Program, which is always a pleasure. As we discussed removing holiday stains, the listening audience decided to play “stump the expert.” Let’s discuss a few suggestions to prevent accidents and stains during the holidays.

1) Avoid serving salads and drinks that contain red, orange, purple or green food colorings. If temptation draws you like a warm winter fire, keep a fresh bottle of hydrogen peroxide handy. Mix it 50/50 with water in spray bottle. Fill a second bottle with 1 part distilled white vinegar and 4 parts water. Spray red wine or food dye stains immediately with the peroxide/water mixture. Let it set 5 minutes then rinse with the vinegar/water solution to neutralize the effects of peroxide. Persian, silk or wool carpets or area rugs should be professionally cleaned.

2) Clean the chimneys and flues to prevent fires.

3) Don’t over look cleaning the furnace ducts as they have also been know to catch fire.

4) Always place a holder under candles. Never move a burning candle or one that has just been blown out. Hot wax leaves a nasty 3rd degree burn and stains that resist removal.

5) Keep a current fire extinguisher close at hand. Know how to use it! Any extinguisher more than 4 years old should be examined to make sure it’s in working condition.

6) Purchase a couple of white plastic table cloths if pets or young children are coming to dinner. Place them upside down on beds, furniture or the floor where they will be sleeping, playing or sitting. The fuzzy side helps catch spills or accidents and the plastic side prevents the liquid from absorbing into the surface. Purchase a bottle of Nature’s Miracle at the pet store to remove urine odor and stain from any surface – safely without toxic chemicals. Dilute my concentrated CleanEz to remove the rest of the stains like food, grease, oil and dirt.

7) Keep a lid on the counter to place over a pan should it catch fire. Tuck a bag of wet terry towels in a plastic bag under the kitchen sink. They put out kitchen fires faster than baking soda and quickly clean up spills.

8) You’ll find Mary Moppins mop to be one of the handiest gadgets not only for the holidays but year round. My mops use ordinary terry towels to mop floors or dust cobwebs or even dry off RVs or boats. They last for years to save hundreds of dollars buying mop head replacements. Why not give yourself or someone else the gift of time this year? They cut cleaning time up to 80%!

This article may only be copied giving credit to Mary Findley and her website http://www.goclean.com/. Copyright @2011 All rights reserved worldwide.



New Virus

     There is a new virus going around. I received an email from ICI Investments last night saying I was going to be sued for sending unwanted emails. There was an attachment so I felt it was a virus. To make sure I emailed ICI from their website. They responded this morning that it was a virus and are going to take action against the sender for using their company name illegally. No matter how threatening or inviting an email looks do not open these attachments or the email. Delete them immediately.



Go Green for Fall Cleaning 

     Dust mites thrive in damp dusty areas especially humid climates. If you suffer from headaches, sinus or bronchial congestion then it’s time to send these little bugs packing. More time is spent in the bedroom than any other single room of the home.

     Yes it is important to declutter the bedroom, I’ll cover that in my next post, only right now the weather in most areas are ideal to haul the mattress outside for a good old fashioned cleaning. My prayers to those caught in the wildfires or in the path of the East Coast storm.

     Mattresses are the favorite hiding spot of dust mites. If possible take the mattress to the back patio, lean it against the house and pound it good with a broom like Grandma used to do on the farm. Wear a face mask as the dust does fly.

     Vacuuming helps, only it can’t reach the inner sanctions of a mattress. I often read to wrap mattresses in plastic only that means breathing in the toxic fumes all night from the dozens of chemicals that comprise plastic. Rather, enclose the mattress with a thick cotton spread then launder it frequently. Breathing chemicals eight hours a night can contributes to toxic bioaccumulation in the body especially the lungs, sinuses and nasal cavities.

     Air out your mattress while you pull out the frame of the bed, dust it, clean the baseboards and thoroughly vacuum. Then pull out dressers and clean behind them as well.

This article may only be copied giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website www.goclean.com. All rights reserved world wide copyright@2011

Fall Green Cleaning

     This morning I spoke on Martha Steward living radio program about greening your fall cleaning. Since I’m way behind in my blog posts due to a hectic summer and early fall, I’m going to start by posting tips for fall green cleaning. Let’s start fall cleanup by airing out your home to rid it of toxins that build up inside the home.

     Open the back door or one window if you live in an apartment. Aim a fan so the breeze blows out the door or window. Open windows on the opposite side of your home. The fan pulls fresh air through the open windows and circulates it through the home to move stale musty air out either the door or window.

     Air fresheners should be removed and disposed of properly. They work by numbing your sinuses, which leads to sinus congestion, headaches and polyps. If you like a light scent in your home, place a cinnamon stick in a plant, many of which help remove toxins from the air. Pick up a copy of my book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Cleaning for more ideas to improve indoor air quality.

This article may be used by giving credit to Mary Findley and her website goclean.com. Copyright @2011

Back to Cleaning

     The past few months have been busy ones with successful trade show presentations as well as articles being submitted to magazines. My blog posts will pick up once again and yes I'll cover ways to pick up the clutter and organize your home, office, RV and the boat as well.

   To start though there is a wonderful website called TheFamilyGroove.com. These ladies are so energetic and totally love what they are doing to help families especially those with young children. Check out their latest post about my company, Mary Moppins at http://www.thefamilygroove.com/blog/?p=3058. Stay tuned for more cleaning tips. I'm on another roll to clean up our Earth! Mary Findley

Online Radio Interview

 

Want to learn more about Mary's book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Cleaning? Listen to her radio broadcast with Don McCauley all day today May 24, 2011 at http://www.theauthorsshow.com:80/

What Cookware is Best to Use    

     My inbox has seen a recent barrage of questions about what cookware is best and safest to use. Back when I peddled my mops at home shows, I often sold other products one of which was stainless steel cookware. One show was in Boise, Idaho where I sold a set of cookware to a man who worked for a chemical testing company. He had just finished testing various cookwares for the amount of toxins they emitted.  

     Toxic fumes from coated cookware: His tests were astonishing even as familiar as I was with the various cookwares. Common sense tells you that when heat is applied to a chemical, fumes are going to be emitted. His tests showed this to be true of the various coated cookware. Coated cookware emits higher levels of toxic fumes than any other cookware.

     Caste iron was burdened with bacteria. It is porous so food particles, grease and oil bake into the pans making it a haven for bacteria. Although he is not a doctor he expressed concern about caste iron causing intestinal distress.    

     His said copper cookware emits more fumes than stainless steel and to make certain the interior of copper cookware is lined with stainless steel. Otherwise excess copper cooks into the food and can become over abundant in the body.  

     Glass cookware is fine for cooking and generally used to cook vegetables or bake but rarely advised for frying.

      Anodized cookware should also be avoided. He told me that this cookware is aluminum or an alloy and is treated in a chemical bath of electrolytes like sulfuric acid. An electrical current is then run through the bath to bake it onto the aluminum. Although only minor amounts of sulfuric acid seep into food and thus into the body, but it does build up in the body and cause various health issues down the road. It also emits fumes.

     His tests showed that stainless steel cookware emits the least amount of fumes into the air and food. Stainless steel of itself is not a good conductor of heat. Make certain your cookware has an aluminum or caste iron disc on the bottom for rapid heating and it is housed between layers of stainless steel. The sides likewise should have a layer of aluminum for even cooking.

     Keep checking my blog over the next week for tips on how to clean your cookware. 

This article may only be copied giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website at www.goclean.com. ©Copyright 2011 Mary Moppins All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Four Tips to Increase Gas Mileage

     Gas prices are soaring once again. Follow these few suggestions to gain an extra 2 miles per gallon of gas.

1) Keep tires properly inflated. Low tires decreases gas mileage. This is well known yet it's surprising the number of people who overlook their tire pressure. Tires pressure tends to change between seasons so check your tires at the change of seasons. 

2) This is tuff but leave 10 minutes early and drive 5 mph under the speed limit adding 1 mpg to your mileage.

3) Keep vehicles clean and use a good protectant like Advantage. Dirt causes drag on a vehicle decreasing gas mileage. A protectant is made with polymers and makes a surface slick decreasing tension on the surface of a vehicle. Carnauba wax products do not make a surface slick and one of the reasons I had Advantage formulated with polymers.

4) Finally change the oil and keep air filters clean. These steps can add 2 plus miles per gallon or 20 to 24 more miles per tank of gas.

This article may only be copied giving full credit to Mary Findley and her company Mary Moppins at www.goclean.com

 

TWEETCHAT

 

     Have some fun and spring into cleaning by following my Tweet Chat this Thursday 11 AM Central Time and 9AM Pacific Time. Go to TweetChat.com then log into your account. Where you see the # sign type in AskCIG. It will take you to the Tweet sponsored by Alpha Books & WIlkes Communication. Alpha are the publishers for my book "The Complete Idiots Guide to Green Cleaning, which is available on my website or bookstores, Amazon etc. If you get your copy through me, you receive a signed copy plus one of my Swifter towels that are so handy for quick wipes. 

 

     Bring your cleaning questions and ask away. Just be sure to end each question with a space then #AskCIG so your question goes to the right Tweet. See you there!

 

Mary Findley owner of Mary Moppins www.goclean.com

     Spring Cleaning

Where do I Start?

     My last newsletter encouraged you to pull the plug on clutter and gave short easy ways to get rid of it. Now you are ready to tackle the spring cleaning. Pick up a copy of my book “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Cleaning.” It takes you through my Precision Cleaning methods with room by room speed cleaning directions along with a multitude of helpful green cleaning tips. For those who buy my book through my website by mid-April and want a copy of my booklet for cleaning RVs “Whistle While You Work*Three," the cost for “Whistle” will be reduced another dollar making it $3 rather than $4 on sale. The price will be changed before your card is billed.

      Clean the closets. What a great feeling to start on spring cleaning by doing the small stuff like baseboards and dusting door frames. Only I tend to put off the more time consuming chores for next year. Five years has gone by and my door frames are clean while my closets hide dust bunnies.

      This year takcle the closets first and do one per weekend. Start by sorting through clothes hanging on the rod. Any ill-fitting or clothes that haven't been tried on for the past three years get the boot. If they are keepers then store them in plastic stackable containers with tight fitting lids so the moths can't get to them. The rest either go to Goodwill or a garage sale. 

     Next clear the top shelf. A towel sprayed with diluted all purpose cleaner, CleanEz, makes short work of cleaning the shelves. If you suspect a mold problem anywhere in your closet, first clean the surface with CleanEz then straight food grade distilled white vinegar. Let that set an hour or two so the vinegar has time to kill the mold. Then wipe the shelves with hydrogen peroxide. Get a fresh bottle from the store. Peroxide more than six months old has lost its fizzle. Do not mix peroxide and vinegar together as they neutralize the effect of each other.

     Return the boxes and haul things out of the bottom of the closet. Use your terry towel sprayed with CleanEz and wipe the baseboards and carpet close to the baseboards. Separate any items you haven’t used in some time. Vacuum the floor and replace the keeper items.

     Should you smell mold or mildew on the floor, pull the carpet away from the wall and spray the floor boards and carpet backing as mentioned above. Janitorial supply companies also carry good mold and mildew retardants. Make sure it does not contain bleach and ask for the MSDS sheet. Read the MSDS (material safety data sheet) looking for any caustic chemicals or any number ratings over a “1.” That is why I stick to vinegar and peroxide. They are safe to use.

     If mold or mildew is problamatic, find the source of the problem. Mold and mildew only grow where moisture is present. You must find the source of the moisture. In areas of high humidity a whole house dehumidifier helps. Store items kept on the floor on open shelves so air can circulate to help keep the carpet dry.

This article may only be reprinted giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website at www.goclean.com.  Copyright @2011 All rights reserved worldwide

     Clutter - An Easy Way to Banish It

 

     Many areas of our country are still covered with snow and ice with people cuddled close to a warm fire. The dead of winter is the best time to tackle 'spring' cleaning chores when you aren't yearning to be outdoors. How far did you get on my 'to do' list from my early January post?

 

     In that newsletter I suggested listing everything in your home that needs cleaning to help you organize your priorities and double as a checklist. I encouraged you to pick up the clutter but didn't go into detail as to how to accomplish that task.

 

     So let's talk about ways to declutter your home. I have a feeling many of you, like me, have been pouring over spring seed and flower catalogs rather than tending to spring cleaning.    

 

    Separate and Conquer: Without a doubt you have read other articles that suggest making two piles. One pile of clutter goes either to Goodwill or as garage sale items and the other needs to find a proper place in your home. Only I've changed that to only one pile, which is the pile for either Goodwill or a garage sale. Why one pile? Because you will immediately put away those items you want to keep. Ah, now you know why I encouraged you to clean out the closets and cabinets first. It gives you room to store the things you want to keep.     

 

     The easiest way to de-clutter is to never leave a room empty handed. Yes picking up the entire room at one time is ideal, but time generally doesn't permit this luxury. Grab an armload of 'stuff' and decide immediately if it goes to you one pile or is to be saved. If the item is to be saved then put it away immediately, without stopping to answer the phone or attend to other distractions. It's amazing how quickly the clutter will vanish.  

 

     If the pile has been up against a wall, grab your Mary Moppins Mop and your diluted bottle of CleanEz. Spray a terry towel with CleanEz, clean the wall and dust the baseboards. Spray the carpet lightly with a 50/50 solution of distilled white vinegar to water. Allow the spray a few minutes to dry then vacuum. Vinegar freshens the carpet and is not toxic like most carpet fresheners. It's also far less expensive. If you want a scent in the carpet then add a few pieces of the pith from an orange or lemon.           

 

 This article may only be reprinted giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website at www.goclean.com.  Copyright @2011 All rights reserved worldwide.

     POST HOLIDAY CLEANING

     Remember how I encourage you to walk through your home with pen and paper in tow and list everything that needed to be cleaned? Then to list those chores into a time schedule with weekly must do, bimonthly cleanings, quarterly and yearly jobs? Oops it’s still not done huh? It takes about 30 minutes to complete a “tour de dust” and get your list typed out on your word processor.


     Right now is a quiet time for most households. Christmas or Hanukah and other spiritual celebrations have come to a close. Decorations have been tucked away and it’s time to grab the rag bag.

     To make things easier, I’ll skip cleaning a room in my home each week. When I have larger tasks to do like treating the cabinets I'll skip the guest bedroom or formal dining room to give me time to tackle these chores. 

     First on your to do list is to condtions your woodwork including doors, window sills and cabinets. Winter air and wood stoves dry wood. Then comes the intense rays of the sun in summer all of which contribute to dry, cracked cabinets and wood furniture. Our Wood Care http://www.goclean.com/product-16.php does an excellent job conditioning all your wood furniture and cabinets. Painted cabinets or antique furniture with the original black lacquer finish are the exceptios.

     NOTE: If you have been using a product like End Dust, Pledge or Old English do not switch products. These products contain chemicals when combined with other products can leave a sticky residue on furniture. Other products like Guardsman, Orange Glo etc are just fine when used Wood Care.

     The next several posts will cover more winter time cleaning chores. Don't wait till spring when the weather is nice and you want to be outdoors to tackle spring cleaning. Switch to winter cleaning and I bet these jobs get finished. 

This article may only be reprinted giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website http://www.goclean.com/. Copyright @2011 all rights reserved world wide.

Freight Increases

     My best wishes that the New Year bring you bounty and much happiness. Just a heads up that freight charges are being raised substantially by UPS starting Jan 1, 2011. I am going to wait until Jan 5th before I raise my rates to give you time to place your order. They will go up $1.50 this time. Also my product costs will increase mid January as well. Some will see a substantial increase. So you may want to place an order to beat the freight and price increases.

Happy New Year, Mary Findley

How to Take Wax out of Carpet

In spite of my best efforts to warn people of the dangers of burning candles, I receive a dozen or more emails each year asking how to remove candle wax from carpet. With the holidays quickly approaching let's go over some important points to prevent accidental fires and candle wax from attacking the carpet.

First here are a few candle burning precautions:

NEVER burn a candle near flammable material. They do not belong on window sills, next to walls or near lamps or furniture. Here are a few tips for safe handling:

1) Place all candles, burning or not, on a glass plate. Wax sweats even if it is not being burned and will leave un-removable color stains on furniture.
2) Never move a lit candle or one that has been blown out. Heat sets a stain and the color from hot wax is permanent.
3) Look for candles without lead wicks and made from soy. Soy candles emit less smoke and therefore fewer toxins into the air.
4) People love scented candles. Only the scents could be causing lung and breathing issues as well as allergic reactions. Burn unscented candles and instead simmer a pot of cinnamon sticks, cloves or other fresh herbs on the stove. Or place cinnamon sticks in small bud vases around a room.
5) Avoid the scented air fresheners as well. They numb your sinuses so you can't smell odors, the fragrances are often toxic adding to indoor air pollution and the chemicals in them can cause polyps and sinus infections. Plug-ins and the fresheners that go off when you walk past them are even worse.

How to remove candle wax from carpet:
1) Scrape off what you can with a blunt knife.
2) Grab a hair dryer and several white paper towel - never use a printed paper towel
3) Turn the heat on the hair dryer to medium high and beging heating the wax.
4) As the wax softens, dab it with the paper towel.
5) Continue heating the wax and blotting until all the wax has been removed. If the candle was colored, the heat from the wax has set the color and is nearly impossible to remove.

This article may only be rewritten giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website at www.goclean.com. Copyright @ 2010 All rights reserved worldwide

A List of Holiday Cleaning Tips

 

     During the Holidays people love cleaning shortcuts, how- to tips and safety information. Since I've written past articles around holiday cleaning here is a list of my favorites going back to 2006 through 2008. Yes 2009 is not included. I was home transfering my father to a nursing home for Alzeheimers and caring for my mother who has cancer. The prior years contain dozens of excellent tips. Look to the right, click on the year then the month.  

 

November 11, 2008   Prevent Winter House Fires. Very important to read.

 

December 03, 2008  Safety Cautions for the Holidays from Underwriters Laboratories. Please make certain you read this article.  

 

December 07, 2008 through Dec 17^th. Ten Days of Christmas Cleaning. A simple cleaning schedule for the holidays.  

 

November 11, 2008 Prevent winter house fires – Another article that could save your home from fire.  

 

December 21, 2007 Last Minute Holiday checklist – handy review

 

December 14, 2007 Six Cautions for the Holiday Season – more tips to protect your home from hazards

 

December 13, 2007  Five Easy Cleaning Stress Relief Tricks for the Holidays.

 

Nov 26, 2006 Holiday Cleaning Tips – Handy tips for holiday disasters including how to remove red wine and punch stains.  

 

May your Holidays be filled with great cheer, joy and blessings from Creator. Joy to you for the New Year.

Mary Findley

 

 This article may only be reprinted giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website at www.goclean.com.  Copyright @2010 All rights reserved worldwide

Ten Tips for a Green Holiday 

 

     My stomach turns into knots every year as I take my nightly walk on trash day just after Christmas. Trash cans overflow with non-recyclable plastics from toys and games while piles of cardboard line the streets. A week later Christmas trees are dumped along roads or in parks by people who pay $40 for the tree and refuse to pay $5 to properly dispose of them.  

 

     Let's take a look at easy, affordable if not free ways to reduce carbon footprints and have a very merry and green holiday season.  

 

1) Rather than buy name tags to put on packages, cut a small piece of wrapping paper instead. Close to a billion presents will be given this year. Eliminating that many tags reduces natural resources, energy to manufacture them and fuel consumed to get them to market.

 

2) Packages decorated with yards of ribbons and bows are pretty but they add to landfill waste and consume energy and fuel for manufacturing. This year go green and get playful instead. Children love being outdoors and feeding the birds. Decorate their package with a soot ball they can hang from a tree rather than a bow they yank off the box and toss in the trash. Is there a chocolate lover in the house? Tape a bar on the package and write the recipients name on the bar. Craft persons, wood workers, fishermen or hunters always need new supplies or the latest gadget and those items make a delightful and appreciated addition to a package. Small books are a thoughtful box topper.  Children love finger puppets so add a few to their box.  A recipe for your favorite dish is always enjoyed or perhaps an individual packet of hot chocolate or tea bag. The possibilities are as endless as your imagination.

 

3) Speaking of wrapping paper, young children love reading the funny pages and it doesn't matter to them if they have read them before. The funnies are colorful and the kids can read them as they sit under the tree. Even better, wrap their gift with art paper or coloring book pages and color their gift together. The Christmas my son turned 15, I wrapped his gifts with maps of various cities around our area. One requisite to his getting his driver's license the next year was he had to learn to read and follow a map.

 

4) When placing a phone order or an online order, tell the shipper to put your packing slip inside the box and not in the usual envelope they stick on the outside of the box. Those package envelopes are a huge waste of paper and resources and are not necessary. Remember to think large scope. If 300,000 boxes are shipped in the next two weeks, the reduction of paper is tremendous. Make this a year round habit.  

 

5) Put together a list of things needed for dinners, entertaining etc. and combine trips rather than make last minute darts to the store. Those extra trips consume thousands of gallons of fuel. Then keep up the practice all year.  

 

6) Just because tradition calls for putting up Christmas lights up during Thanksgiving does not mean they need to be turned on. Wait until the 15th of December to start turning on the lights. Then plug them into a timer that shuts off at 10 PM. The energy savings is tremendous.  

 

7) Opt for an artificial tree this year rather than a real tree. Goodwill and other thrift stores carry them and I've seen really nice trees for excellent prices in these stores. Thousands of gallons of fuel are consumed transporting trees to their destinations. Yes artificial trees require natural resources for manufacturing but it is a one time proposition. If you prefer a regular tree cut your own at a local tree farm. Buying local is good for the local economy and good for Mother Earth.  

 

8) This is not just for the holiday. Turn the heat down one or two degrees at night and 10 degrees if you are gone for even half the day. Then set the thermostate to turn up the heat a half hour before you arise or return home.  

 

9) Buy gifts from local craftspeople or local companies. These gifts usually don't come encased in plastic bubble packaging with a ton of cardboard surrounding it. Did I mention the benefits to buying local? 

 

10) This year give yourself a gift of a vegetable garden. It's the healthiest thing you can do for you and your family. If you don't have yard space, large hanging baskets make  excellent containers for salad fixings. Water them daily and feed them once a week.  Planter boxes are great for carrots, beets, onions, garlic, herbs and other small veggies. You will feel better and save a bundle of money at the grocery store. What better way to reduce carbon footprints than to grow your own food. Be careful - it's addictive!

 

This article may only be reprinted giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website www.goclean.com. Copyright @2010. All rights reserved worldwide

Reduce your Heating Bill

 

     Each year heating bills generally increase as the temperatures decrease at the start of winter. Articles start appearing in magazines and newspapers giving tips on how to reduce your heating costs. Most suggest turning down the thermostate, which is a good idea albeit a chilly one. I faithfully did this only found even with layering my clothing, I froze. Last year during one very cold spell I covered my windows and sliding glass door with cardboard because cardboard is a good insulator. It prevented the cold air from drawing my nice warm air outside. The temperature immediately rose in the house and the furnace stopped running non-stop. 

 

     Only you can't see out the windows during the day and taking down and putting up the cardboard every day became a bit much. The hardware stores carry a box of thin plastic sheeting made for going over window frames. It comes with double faced tape that holds the plastic to the windows. The pocket of air created by the additional layer of insulation helps keep warm air inside. It costs around $10 to $12 a box, which insulates 2 large windows. We bought two boxes one for the largest windows and one for the sliding glass door, which had enough left over to do my cold north bedroom window. We turn our heat down 2 degrees, save around $35 a month on heating bills yet we stay warm.  

 

    If you need quick tips for cleaning this holiday season and year round learn to Precision Clean by picking up a copy of my book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Cleaning." My book contains a thorough stain removal guide so keep it handy when entertaining. They are also available at bookstores or on my website www.goclean.com.

 

Keep toasty, Mary Findley