WIWW: Chill-Out(fit) & Mongo Kiss

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This is my new favorite chill-out outfit, a chill-out(fit), if you will. It's got a combination of supersimple pieces that are comfy, easy-to-wash, don't wrinkle, and still look kinda hip.

The perfect outfit for drinking coffee on the stoop with a cat.

Hair: Thank you humidity! // Earrings: Fabulous string earrings sold by NYC Subway vendor (via Mom) // Cubic Zirconia Necklace: Dahlia Kanner Studio // Silver Bracelet: 70s hippie vintage (via Mom) // Top: Urban Outfitter's label (via Anne S.)  // Skirt: Alternative Apparel (via Liz) //  Leggings: random discount store // Shoes: Bass // Coffee Mug: Vintage via Fishs Eddy

Mongo Kiss: I love it, but the cat isn't a fan. Whatever, she doesn't have lips anyhow!

Also wanna tell you about my new lip balm: Mongo Kiss in peppermint by EcoLips. It was a total impulse buy at the Whole Foods Market check out line, but I love it. It's fair trade, made with organic ingredients, and has no fragrances or flavors added besides essential oil. Plus it's made with mongongo oil from Zambia, which I never heard of before but can tell you from experience that it's very, very moisturizing without feeling waxy or oily. Mongo Kiss does, however, have beeswax so it's not vegan. (Eco Lips does make vegan lip balms though.)

Wanna try Mongo Kiss and try your luck? There's a giveaway for a one year supply on the Eco Lips facebook page now through Monday, May 27.

Note: Eco Lips didn't solicit me to write this or provide a free sample. Mongo Kiss is just the best quality and most ethical $2 lip balm I've ever used, so I felt compelled to tell you guys about it.

See what other bloggers are wearing, and share your style, at The Pleated Poppy:



If you're visiting from WIWW, please say hi. Hugs!

Thanks so much for reading this blog entry! I hope it was entertaining. Please like Olivia Cleans Green on Facebook, join my email list, follow me on Twitter, and subscribe to my blog posts (by email, via Bloglovin', or with your preferred RSS reader) to keep in touch and discover more creative green homemaking tips.

Lovefest for BrightNest App

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The crazy banana tip I shared yesterday comes from BrightNest, an informative and inspiring website "on a mission to make homeowners happy [via] tips and tools will shape up your home & simplify your life." What magical tools might these be? Oh, just an awesome free app that sends weekly personalized prompts of projects and tips to your phone. Don't have a smartphone? You can log into the site with your profile and receive them via email too.

Everything about BrightNest is crisp, clear, and clean- from their design to the voice of their expert tips. The website and the app are both just a sheer delight. Check out this screenshot of the app:

BrightNest app screen capture via CNET.

I most love that BrightNest gives users the ability to schedule projects along with estimated time investment. This makes it the perfect tool for procrastinators and time-pinched overachieving weekend warriors alike. (I've been known to be a little bit of both depending on the season and chore!) I also love that their tips are eco-friendly and encourage creative re-use and taking the best care of what we have. I always learn something new from them.

If you love taking care of your home, or feel like you're losing control of your home maintenance, sign up for a free BrightNest account today.

Have you used the BrightNest app? What do you think of it? Leave a comment.

Disclaimer: BrightNest didn't pay or otherwise solicit me to write this about them. I'm in no way affiliated with them besides being a very satisfied user of their free service.

Thanks so much for reading this blog entry! I hope it was helpful. Please like Olivia Cleans Green on Facebook, join my email list, follow me on Twitter, and subscribe to my blog posts (by email, via Bloglovin', or with your preferred RSS reader) to keep in touch and discover more creative green homemaking tips.

DIY Non-Toxic Leather Shoe Polish

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Or "That Crazy Thing I Did with a Banana Cuza BrightNest."

Dusty shoes meet banana.

Ready for a simple, eco-friendly method for polishing leather will knock your socks off?

1. Eat a banana. (Yay potassium!)
2. Rub the inside of the peel on your shoes, couch, wallet, or other leather item.
3. Buff with a cloth. Be sure to wipe all banana crud off so you don't attract flies or smell like someone who cleans her possessions with fruit.

All polished up! Now all I need is for my feet to get some sun. LOL!

This tip comes from BrightNest. I'll be sharing my review of the app and website tomorrow. Oh, and if you like my leggings, they're by PVD-based artist Muffy Brandt; get your own on Etsy.

Do you have any home remedies and DIY tricks involving bananas? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks so much for reading this blog entry! I hope it was helpful. Please like Olivia Cleans Green on Facebook, join my email list, follow me on Twitter, and subscribe to my blog posts (by email, via Bloglovin', or with your preferred RSS reader) to keep in touch and discover more creative green homemaking tips.

WIWW: Saying Goodbye to My Favorite Outfit of the Season

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Monday I wore my favorite cool weather outfit. I predict it's the last time I'll get to wear it until Columbus Day. I'm feeling a little bittersweet about that.

 

Hair: Efforts of many days of just going with it post twist out. LOL! // Earrings: Aye' Shanti Designs  // Cubic Zirconia Necklace: Dahlia Kanner Studio // Silver Bracelet: 70s hippie vintage (via Mom)  // Dress: by Maeve via Anthropologie (sale rack, but you already know!) // Shirt: Free People (I've had this shirt for 15 years and it's still in good shape. Free People clothing is totally worth the price!) // Tights: HUE knit  // Shoes: Sam by Dansko

This is my favorite outfit because of the marriage of color, texture (cord dress & knit tights with red french knot nubs to die for!), pattern (birds, nests, butterflies & blooms print shirt and on earrings), and shine (bracelet and wee cubic zirconia on necklace). Color, texture, pattern, and shine are four elements of a great outfit, at least according to What Not to Wear. There's a fifth element, but I can't remember what it is. Does anyone know?

 See what other bloggers are wearing, and share your style, at The Pleated Poppy:



If you're visiting from WIWW, please say hi. Hugs!

Thanks so much for reading this blog entry! I hope it was entertaining. Please like Olivia Cleans Green on Facebook, join my email list, follow me on Twitter, and subscribe to my blog posts (by email, via Bloglovin', or with your preferred RSS reader) to keep in touch and discover more creative green homemaking tips.

How to Remove Cat Fur From Tights

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Don't waste paper and money using disposable lint rollers to remove pet hair from your clothing. All you need is a simple pair of rubber gloves. Actually you don't even need a pair. One glove will do!

Removed cat hair from my cotton tights with a rubber glove.

To remove pet hair from clothing:

1. Put on a clean rubber glove.
2. Rub garment in one direction with the glove. Repeat as necessary. 
3. You'll notice all the pet hair clumps on the glove.
4. Any stray hairs that were missed can be removed with a lint roller. One sticky sheet should do it, as opposed to the 3 or 4 usually required. (I find Casabella makes the best lint rollers, but they are not cheap so between that and saving the planet, I like to minimize use.)
5. Rinse, wash, and dry the glove as you would after normal use. (Sprinkle some baking soda in there to keep it fresh too.) 

Watch this video to see Green Cleaning Coach Leslie Reichert do it!

Lucy 2.0

We're sitting Lucy 2.0, our downstairs neighbor's adorable long-haired kitty, this week. She was kind enough to lend infuration for this post.

My mom has a long-haired mini dachshund and uses this technique on her couch. I bet it works with a variety of pet hairs and fabrics.

Try it and let me know how it works with your pet hair situation. Also tell me, what's your favorite pet hair remover trick or product?

Thanks so much for reading this blog entry! I hope it was helpful. Please like Olivia Cleans Green on Facebook, join my email list, follow me on Twitter, and subscribe to my blog posts (by email, via Bloglovin', or with your preferred RSS reader) to keep in touch and discover more creative green homemaking tips.

Meatless Monday: Vegan Pizza

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This is my second #MeatlessMonday post. Pizza is something practically anyone can make, even vegan pizza, even me! You just need patience with the crust and creativity for combining toppings.

Gooey leftover homemade vegan pizza. Yum!

 You have two options for delicious crust.

1. Make your own with yeast. (Quick and easy, and popular, pizza crust recipe.)
2. Buy a bag of pizza dough at the supermarket. You can find it in the refrigerator and freezer section. There's usually a multigrain and white flour option. I recommend leaving it out of the fridge a few hours before you work with it.

Homemade or from the market, you've got to make the dough into a crust somehow. Watch this video "How to Toss Pizza Dough, and Why You Should" from CHOW featuring World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani.

Now, what are you going to bake it on? Three options.

1. Do you wanna make deep dish style pizza:? Use a cast-iron skillet. Check out what Emma did at A Beautiful Mess.
2. Are you fancy? Then you probably have a pizza stone. (I wanna eat at your house!) If you're thinking about getting fancy, this HowCast video explains how a pizza stone can help distribute heat evenly and make for a crispy crust.
3. Are you just a regular person who bakes occasionally? Then you probably have a cookie sheet. Put your pizza dough on that.

Whatever you do, I recommend baking the dough a little bit before putting on sauce and toppings then baking it some more. What kind of stuff goes on a vegan homemade pizza? Whatever you like. That's the magic of homemade! Here's what I like:

• Muir Glen Organics Pizza Sauce- it's the best of the canned stuff and good for lazybones. I aspire to one day make homemade pizza sauce; this recipe from Simply Scratch has me drooling into my keyboard.
• Vegan cheese. Use Daiya Cheese or Teese. Don't waste your time with anything else. 
• Sauteed veggies and mushrooms. 
• Roasted garlic.
• Roasted sweet potato. (Try it!!!)
• Tofurky Italian Sausage

Vegan Pizza: All the kids are eating it! Good looking recipes at:
No Meat Athlete
Oh She Glows has a million pizza posts
Vegan Yumminess

Do you make pizza at home? What do you use: stone, cast iron skillet, or baking sheet? What's your favorite vegan cheese for pizza? Let's talk!

Thanks so much for reading this blog entry! I hope it was helpful. Please like Olivia Cleans Green on Facebook, join my email list, follow me on Twitter, and subscribe to my blog posts (by email, via Bloglovin', or with your preferred RSS reader) to keep in touch and discover more creative green homemaking tips.

How to Clean a Blender

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Dirty Vitamix? No bigs!

It's almost sinful how easy it is to clean a blender: Just rinse the container, make a soap smoothie, and rinse again. Done!

How to clean a blender.

I bet this technique would work with immersion blenders that are dirty post-smoothie too. Just fill the glass you used with soapy water and let the wand do the magic.

This tip comes courtesy of Melissa Danielle, aka The Bad Ass Blender Woman. Check out my interview with her for more tips on making smoothies.

We just got our Vitamix this weekend but I'm certain this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship. My blender makes it easy for me to eat more healthy foods and still be a lazybones. I hope my juicer doesn't get jealous! (Juicer baby, you're not that hard to clean either.)

Surprisingly good!

I can't resist bragging about the smoothie I had for breakfast: frozen kale, romaine lettuce, frozen peaches, almond milk, flax seed meal, and coconut oil. It knocked my socks off! I just threw stuff I thought was healthy in the blender. I was not prepared for how good it would be!

Update 5/14: If you blend something fatty (coconut oil/ nut butter), this technique may not get everything off but it should be clean enough to make another smoothie. For best results, add a little baking soda along with the soap. Blend. Empty container, but don't rinse it. Wipe container with a sponge or dish cloth. Now rinse. Unfortunately, Vitamix containers shouldn't go in the dishwasher.

Thanks so much for reading this blog entry! I hope it was helpful. Please like Olivia Cleans Green on Facebook, join my email list, follow me on Twitter, and subscribe to my blog posts (by email, via Bloglovin', or with your preferred RSS reader) to keep in touch and discover more creative green homemaking tips.