Green Cleaning
Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Finds
Here are some of my recent favorite finds, reader suggestions and sustainable or eco-friendly finds. Enjoy!
Grain, a local (Seattle) design consultancy and studio has developed a really cool Eco-friendly DIY shower curtain. Based on their popular Ty recyclable shower curtain, the Ty D.I.Y. Edition includes a choice of blue, green or black permanent marker for your own personalized design.
Made from 100% High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), one of the most commonly recycled plastics, and nickel plated metal grommets, it is PVC (and smell) free.
A typical vinyl shower curtain contains 108 volatile organic compounds, is hard to keep clean, tears easily, and is not recyclable at the end of its life. Ty and Ty D.I.Y. Edition, on the other hand, are made from a spun-boned #2 plastic material, which unlike typical vinyl shower curtains, is PVC-free and doesn’t off-gas. Additionally, Ty and Ty D.I.Y. Edition are more durable and mildew resistant, while being machine washable and recyclable at the end of their useful life.
With endless potential, I found some inspiration from their local artist competition:
$33.00 from grain
Full Circle is a great place to find eco-friendly cleaning hardware. From fully biodegradable pot scrubbers, to brushes, natural cellulose sponges, loofas and more. Natural, biodegradable, sustainable, are all words I would associate with these products. No oil or plastic is used for these products
Using innovative materials such as Bonterra™, a plastic like substance made from from cellulose and starch from plants, paired with traditional materials like bamboo, you can be sure these products won’t be outlast your dishes.
› Continue reading
Eco Friendly Laundry Detergent – Vaska
I have been interested in the different eco friendly laundry detergents out there for awhile now, mostly what seperates them? Are some better than other for the environment, are some better at cleaning? I set out to find out. I have been using Second Generation and Method laundry detergent for some time now, and from time to time I will buy Ecos, all of which I have been very happy with.
Enter Vaska, fairly new to the scene – they were nice enough to provide me with bottle to try out, so I gave it a shot. The Vaska came just in time to soak a fish oil stain out of a brand new pair of my boardshorts, and it worked flawlessly. I liked the unscented formula although it had a very mild lavender scent due to the botanical solutions being derived from real lavender.
In a washoff against leading brands certified by the major laundry industry group, Association of Linen Management, VASKA outperformed all the brands tested: Seventh Generation, Mrs. Meyers, Ecover, Ecos, Tide and Arm & Hammer. VASKA removed eight common household stains—ketchup, mustard, red wine, grass, dirt, lipstick, coffee and olive oil-more effectively than all of its competitors.
Not only does it clean great, it is also clean when it comes to the environment. Recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Design for the Environment (DfE) program, both laundry detergent formulas are screened for toxins in their ingredients. It is also biodegradable and not tested on animals with only the following ingredients:
* Plant-based surfactants
* Vegetable conditioner
* Water-soluble degreasing agent
* Lavender extract
* Lavender scent (Light Lavender only)
* Filtered water
Aromatherapy Natural Cleaning Supplies
I’ve reviewed several kinds of natural cleaning supplies including Method and DIY cleaning kits, but this one is a bit unique. Aromatherapy Naturals uses aromatherapy from pure essential oils to give your cleaning a fresh natural scent. Developed by Patti Page and used in her own personal cleaning service since 2006 after tiring of years of using harsh chemicals.
Clean without Phosphates, Ammonia, or even vinegar. Aromatherapy Naturals uses only grain alcohol, organic plant based surfactants (coconut, olive or other oils), water and a few other key natural ingredients. Produced and distributed from a small town in Indiana, it is safe for your whole family including your pets.
New Soap, Old Bottle – Reducing Trash with Reuse
A great idea to help reduce the impact of discarded plastic bottles and preventing further unnecessary packaging at the same time.
New Soap, Old Bottle is a company founded by Scott Amron that bottles new bulk name-brand soap into sanitized used old plastic soda bottles, plastic water bottles, and beer bottles.
Packaged in America and finished with a child safe spray, pump or squeeze top, these new-old bottles will perform as well or even better than those you are used to.
New Soap is an eco-initiative. Our goal is to make it easy for companies to offer their products packaged in old bottles, giving the consumer a greener option.New Soap, Old Bottle saves two bottles for each bottle sold. That’s the bottle that would have been manufactured and the bottle rescued.
Biodegradable Natural Sponges
Another Green Festival find were sponges. This may sound odd, but how many of you think of sponges when going green?
Well I have two types of sponges to introduce you to, one is a skincare sponge for your body, the other is a natural scrubber sponge for your dishes and household. Skin and beauty products were well represented at the Green Festival, but the Konjac sponge caught my eye as being a bit unique. It is a product out of Japan that is handmade, bio-degradable and completely sustainable.
› Continue reading
Keep up with us on Twitter and RSS!
Recent Posts
Most Popular
See the latest in green power,
earth friendly energy.
Find Energy Efficient TVs,
Home Audio and Video
Electronics.
Save energy and time with
Format HTML; it will
indent HTML perfectly!
Planning a green wedding?
Look
up local wedding vendors
at One White Wedding.