Friday, September 28, 2012

Drying Catnip is So Easy!

I must confess, I'm not great about preserving bunches of fresh herbs. In fact, I am terrible. I use as much basil, rosemary, parsley, or mint as I can tolerate until it goes pale green or black, then toss it in the food scrap bag for future composting. Yes, I know this is terrible behavior as I am wasting environmental resources and money.

Catnip hangs to dry in the company of monkeys.

Yesterday, we got fresh catnip in our CSA share yesterday. My cat Lucy went bananas! She loves catnip so much!

Seeing how much joy Lucy got out of her farm fresh catnip, I knew I couldn't let it spoil. I decided to dry the rest of the bunch. It was already bundled together with a rubber band so I just tied a string to the bundle and pulled a label through the string. According to You Grow Girl, it's important to hang the bundle in a well ventilated area, out of direct sunlight. I hung my bundle from a random hook in the corner of my living room.

If all goes well, I'll have mold-free dried catnip in two weeks. (I'll be sure to let you know what happened.) In addition to watching Lucy go wild, I'm looking forward to drinking warm mugs of catnip tea before bedtime this winter.

According to WedMD, Catnip is known to be a gentle sedative for humans. It's also used to treat headaches, colds, fever, and indigestion, among many other health conditions.

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning 

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Thursday, September 27, 2012

Organizing a Creative Space

As you may know from personal experience, creating art and crafts requires quite a bit of stuff. Even folks like me who get a little crazy when we have too many things might find ourselves with an abundance of basic art supplies to keep in order.

I have managed to fit most of my arts, craft, and office supplies into 24 square feet. (It's the New Yorker in me!) Here are some photos illustrating how I've organized my creative workspace.


A lot of my craft things are stored inside and on a $15 IKEA bookcase. I keep all my crafting books a single the shelf.  On the shelf below, in a little "dresser" (behind the yellow bird bank), I store tiny random ephemera like buttons and shells. On the same shelf, embroidery thread is stored in two mason jars. I keep a pin cushion stocked with needles and pins nestled in the mouth of one of the jars. I have one pencil holder for colored pencils, another for markers and scissors.

No creative space is complete without a lucky cat!
One level lower, I've used a huge tub of Modge Podge and a glass candle holder chock full of brushes as bookends. On the fourth shelf, I store oversized tubs of paint and gesso along with glue atop an tin full of ribbons. (I'm actually looking for a happier storage space for the tubs since they're a pain to move when I need ribbon.) On the bottom shelf, I store Martha Stewart magazines in holders next to a box of thread and a box of jewelry tools and tissue paper.

Boxes and magazine holders from IKEA. Mel Gibson is a constant inspiration.
I use labeled boxes and a fun 70s suitcase stored on top of the bookcase to organize even more craft goodies. The suitcase contains a Caboodle full of old jewelry, sequins, and googly eyes. Also there is a half completed needlework project I found in a free box a few years ago thinking I'd complete it. (Maybe that needs to go in the trash. LOL!)

These are paperboard boxes from IKEA. Not the sturdiest things but they've survived three moves.
Next to the bookcase is my #likeaboss station. It's just a cheapo plastic container with drawers. On top is a desk organizer that holds my brilliant ideas notebook, scratch pad, a folder for dreams needing to be realized and those in action, and the book I'm currently reading. I also have memos for important accounts there. You know, businessy stuff.

Next to the #likeaboss station is my paper recycling bin that sometimes doubles as a cat bed. You might recognize it as a re-used Amazon box.
I use the inside to hold office supplies (paper, writing pens, tape, stamps, thank you cards, etc). When I first organized this, I labeled the drawers so I could remember where things belong. It also helps my boyfriend and guests find things.

I organized the top drawer by using check boxes as drawer dividers. Yay free!

I'm really proud of all the stuff I've crammed in here!
The shelf, I think, is really cute, but my creative space is not all adorable. On the floor (left of my desk-- a beat up vintage card table) the bulk of my supplies are stored in plastic boxes. This is not so good looking, but it's really nice having everything easily accessible.


I have a box labeled "Draw" and inside that are tins of charcoal sticks, a mug of drawing pencils and good pens, crayons, and colored pencils. In the "Paint" box, I store tubes and flats of watercolors, acrylics, and gouache, as well as mixing palates. In the "Sew" box, I store surplus needles, thread cutters, and other notions. The megabox on the floor holds my boyfriend's oil painting supplies. I keep art projects in progress on top of that box.

What's not by in this space?

My vintage sewing machine. I keep it in my dressing room, which is just off my office. I don't have sewing table yet, so it's stored on the floor of my closet. Occasionally I carry it to my desk, but usually I just sew on the floor because it's heavy and I'm lazy. I've gotten really good at using my knee on the foot control!

I keep oversized papers in two portfolios behind the sofa in my office. One is full of pads of drawing paper waiting to be used. The other contains sheets already painted and drawn on.

I gift most of my finished arts and crafts via curbside free box or holidays, but I store some completed projects and sketchbooks in an underbed storage box in the attic.

My creative space at night. I promise it's much more cheerful in the daytime.
So this is my little work-and-play space. What does your creative space look like? How do you keep your supplies in order?

(This is my response to the Daisy Yellow blog's Daily Paper Prompt 54 & 55: Organize Ephemera. I highly recommend visiting this wonderful website for prompts to jump start or add spice to your creativity.)

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning 

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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

How to Create Brilliant Blog Content

Once you've created your website, you'll need to constantly fill the blog with brilliant content. No pressure! Here are seven tips for creating the most interesting blog content you possibly can.

Drawing of my desk, where the blog magic happens.
  1. Be yourself! You are the world's most precious resource of you! You are amazing and there is no one else like you. That is your advantage. Always aim to write content that expresses your unique perspective with your unique voice. Don't try to be like someone else and don't ever copy content from somewhere else. Confession: I've c&p'd stuff early in my blogging game here and my content was as dull as dry, white toast and it made me feel that way about myself too. Learn from my mistakes.
  2. Be friendly! Be mindful that you're writing your blog to connect with other human beings who are interested in the same things you are. Be grateful that they are reading even if they aren't commenting. Always create a safe, loving space for readers. If you don't have readers yet, write as if you do anyway. At some point, someone may read your post. Also it's nice to invite people to read your blog too, just don't be a jerky spambot about it.
  3. Make sure that your blog is about a narrow and focused topic. It's best if the topic is something you view as an important part of your life. This will make it enjoyable to spend several hours a week performing a (mostly) thankless job. It also keeps readers who are interested in learning about your topic happy and coming back for more.
  4. Always look for ways to weasel diverse topics into your blog through the sieve of your main topic. This will keep things interesting and fresh for you, It will also help new readers discover you. For example, I'm writing about how I created my website because regular readers have asked. I'm betting that folks searching the internet for info on blogging will enjoy this post and maybe even some of my cleaning posts.
  5. Pay attention to your life. Good blog content is everywhere. What are you wearing, hearing, eating, doing, reading, buying, wondering, thinking, smelling, touching, breathing, embarrassed by...? Always ask yourself how you can use your experiences to share something and connect with the people who visit your blog. I keep a running list of blog topics in my iPhone.
  6. Take pictures! Pictures are engaging and easily generate discussion. They're a great source of unique, original content. They prove you're a real person living out the adventures in your blog. They allow people to share your blog posts via Pinterest. They help people searching Google images to discover your blog. At the very least, they illustrate your point for people who are too busy to read. And if you can find a way to justify getting a cat in your photo, your post just might go viral!
  7. Learn from the best. I highly recommend Leonie Dawson's *FREE* Biz + Blog Star Workshop, especially as you get started. She is so super sweet and encouraging! Lindsay's Blog Better category at ShrimpSaladCircus.com has been helped me improve my website as it grows. (She uses Blogger platform too so all of her advice is directly applicable.) Kira's Primp My Blog page, at HerNewLeaf.com, is has great design and social media ideas.

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning 

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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

How I Created My Website Using Blogger and $11

Many people have asked me how I created OliviaCleansGreen.com. I hope this post can answer technical questions and show how easy it is to create a blog as website for your small business (or just for fun) using Blogger.

Me, blogging from Boneshakers many moons ago.
I created Olivia Cleans Green using Blogger. Blogger is fabulous and free with your Google account! It's also astonishingly easy to use. If you know how to write an email then you can make your own website! Check out the Getting Started Guide to get started today and become besties with Blogger Support.

Even though I use Blogger, my web address doesn't end with the suffix ".blogspot.com." This is because I purchased the custom domain OliviaCleansGreen.com for $11 a year. I purchased my domain through Blogger, but you can use one that you already own through another source like GoDaddy.

Customizing your blog doesn't require special skills or help from a designer. If you go into Blogger Dashboard > Layout, you can add all sorts of flair to your blog. Blogger offers a lot of cool basic gadgets (aka widgets). I added the Search this Blog, Popular Posts, Subscribe, Picture, and HTML gadgets, to mention a few. I also added a Twitter widget using what's called "third-party code" provided by Twitter.

If you see a widget or feature on another blog and want something similar on your own, see if there is any branding next to it. That's how I discovered LinkWithin, the widget that appears under each post, showing related posts from my archives. If the widget can't be supported by your platform (Blogger), search for something similar using Google.

If you look at the menu under my website header, you'll notice you can read other things via my website besides the blog. For example, there is a page of info on my Small Business Services and a green cleaning goodies shop. They're there because I added pages. The difference between those pages is my Small Business Services has a URL within my website and my shop links to an Amazon page outside of my website. It's free and easy to add both types of pages

If you want something on your blog but aren't sure how to get it there or even if it exists, just ask Google. If the question doesn't bring you results that are helpful, try rephrasing the question. The answer is out there!

Tomorrow, I'll share some tips and resources for creating brilliant blog content.

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning 

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Monday, September 24, 2012

Love Animals? Boycott Animal Testing & Clean Green!

Did you know that most conventional cleaning products and/or their ingredients are tested on animals? These test aren't just done on rats and mice, but also beagles and bunnies. 

Rocket was rescued from a laboratory. Please vote for him as FuzzyNation SuperModel! He promises to use his title to be a voice for dogs still trapped in labs across America and the world!
Here are a few facts about the testing of consumer chemicals on animals:
  • Animals are caged, poisoned, then euthanized. 
  • Draize test, a substance is dripped or similarly applied to an animal's eyes or skin then any subsequent damage or irritation is assessed. 
  • LD50 test, "lethal dose test" or the "fifty percent test." Examines the toxicity of a chemical or other substance by assessing the dosage needed to kill half of the animal test subjects.
  • Performed to determine safety and toxicity data-- and to dodge lawsuits.
  • Roughly 5,000 animals undergo testing for a single chemical. 
  • Companies test a product when a formula is changed. The addition or removal of chemicals or new quantities of an old chemical are often cause for even "classic" products to be tested.
  • Results don't accurately represent real world application. This is for various reasons, including the fact that we are not exposed to single chemicals at a time or even just the chemicals cocktail in a product. Instead we are all exposed to thousands of chemicals from our environment, medications, and consumer products. Animal testing can't address how these chemicals will interact with each other in our bodies and the environment.
Please be a friend to animals by choosing cruelty-free cleaning, personal care, and cosmetic products.

Leaping Bunny Seal
If a product is tested on animals, you can bet the manufacturer isn't going to confess to this on its packaging. Animal abuse isn't really a selling point! Look for the Leaping Bunny seal to easily identify cruelty-free products when shopping. The seal certifies that a product meets the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics' ethical standards. According to their website, The Leaping Bunny Program provides the best assurance that no new animal testing is used in any phase of product development by the company, its laboratories, or suppliers.

Another way to find cruelty-free products is to contact the folks who make it. Lots of industrious guys and gals on Etsy make green cleaning products, but they may not have become cruelty-free certified. While it's unlikely that a small indie company is testing on animals, reach out to them to find out about the sources of their ingredients and if they are developed without animal testing.

Making your own cleaning and personal care products is the best way to know what's going into them. It's important to keep in mind that just because a product isn't tested on animals doesn't mean that it is necessarily safe, natural, or healthy to us or the environment. Similarly, products that are tested on animals are not to be assumed safer or healthier. If you make your own products, you can be sure that they are healthy, eco-friendly, and cruelty-free!


Better Basics for the Home is full of a wide range of wonderful recipes for household and personal care products that are easy to follow. Author Annie B. Bond has a delightfully friendly tone. She shares helpful hints that make the book more than just a bunch a recipes, but a valuable tome on non-toxic living in general.

Additional Resources:
Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning 

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Friday, September 21, 2012

How to Remove Stickers Easily

Produce stickers have a way of getting stuck to my kitchen floor, sink, and counter. I won't complain about how they get there. Instead, I will share a magic potion that removes them easily. Ready?

A perfect pear. *Badum-Ching!*

Rubbing alcohol. Tada! Alcohol is great for removing stickers and other sticky stuff like price tags and chewing gum.

I keep some rubbing alcohol in a handy little mister bottle. That way when I see an errant pear or other produce sticker I don't flip out. I just spray it, peel it, and toss it into the trash can- which is where it should have gone in the first place. Grrr!

Then I breathe love and remind myself of the compassion my boyfriend has for my bad habits, like not buying groceries until we're down to a bag of frozen peas! 

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning 

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Thursday, September 20, 2012

How to Remove Rust From an Old Bike (sort of)

Fourth floor walk-up apartment + huge-and-heavy-as-luck Schwinn =  I left my bike outside for 2 1/2 years. Of course, it became damaged and rusty. The folks at Legend Bikes were good enough to take care of the repairs, but I was on my own with the rust.

Handlebars, before

Seat springs, before
I went to the hardware store and they recommended a product that might as well have had a skull and crossbones on it. The guy behind the service desk told me the product was an acid that basically melted away rust. Acid? Bing! I have acid at home, I thought, as I remembered the aging lemon in my fridge. I did purchase some steel wool on my way out.

I always like to try the path of least resistance first, so I tried just rubbing off the rust with the steel wool. The rust basically flew off the handle bars instantly. It took a little more elbow grease to remove rust from the seat springs, but I got most of it off- at least from the parts I could reach. I failed to remove the rust from every other spot that I tried. Basically, I learned that if steel wool doesn't make a difference after two minutes of rubbing, it will never work.

After steel wool scrub session.

Small improvements to the places I could reach after steel wool session.

I grabbed the lemon from the fridge, quartered it, and covered a wedge with salt. I wasn't getting ready for tequilla shots. Two folks on the internet said that this was another way to remove rust. (Actually they both said lime, but I didn't have a lime so lemon it was.)

Salt + Lemon = Rust Remover?
I rubbed the salted lemon wedge onto the brackets holding my basket. These things were really rusty! I left them alone for a few hours. I then came back and noticed the rust appeared darker, almost black, but maybe this was because it was wet. I reapplied the salty lemon and rubbed for forever with the steel wool.

Now, this post could also be called "How Not to Remove Rust From an Old Bike." Some of the rust did come off, but not much. The brackets are still spotted with rust on the top and there was no change on the vertical part. Maybe they were just too rusty to be helped.

A minor improvement post lemon and salt (sorry about the glare)
When green cleaning fails, this is the point where you have to ask yourself how committed you are. Are you committed to this object? Are you committed to its appearance or cleanliness? Are you committed to your health? Are you committed to the environment and to animals? Will you turn to a toxic chemical or will you just turn away?

I decided there is no way in hell my health is less important than removing rust from a bicycle. If I discover another natural method of rust removal, I'll give it a go. In the meantime, I'll be totally green and a little rusty around the edges.
 
Lucy is a stunt cat. Don't try this at home.
Thanks for reading this blog entry. I hope it was helpful. Please like Olivia Cleans Green on Facebook, join my email list, and subscribe to my blog posts (by RSS or email) to keep in touch and discover more creative cleaning and green homekeeping tips.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

How to Clean a Filthy Microwave

Do you or your roommates reheat spaghetti, soup, or other saucy and oily foods without using a cover? Do you make microwave popcorn?  If so, your microwave is dirty and it smells gross. Here's a tip that will make it supereasy to get even the dirtiest microwave clean.

This old microwave stays clean because we always use a splatter shield.
Put a halved lemon in a microwave-safe bowl with about 1/4 cup of water and nuke it, uncovered, for two minutes or longer.

Don't have a lemon? Ok. Fill a microwave-safe cup with about 1/4 cup of either white vinegar or bottled lemon juice and 1/4 cup water and nuke that instead.

The acidy-delicious steam that results from this will cut funk and make it easier to scrub off baked-on oily foods. Spray all-purpose cleaner onto the walls of the microwave and wipe them clean with a sponge, preferably one with a loofah or gentle nylon scrubby side in case you need a little more abrasiveness.

If somehow you still have to fight pretty hard to remove funk and stuck on food, nuke the lemon again, but for a little while longer. Squeezing a little of the lemon juice into the water can help too.

I have cleaned some of the grossest microwaves in NYC and this technique always works!

Of course, when I see a dirty microwave I always want to tell people to just use a splatter shield. Who wants to deal with this nastiness between visits? That's no way to live! I got my splatter shield at the dollar store ten million years ago, but you can find them at most home goods stores. I store the splatter shield in the microwave so that it's easier to use it than to not use it.

If you don't want to buy a hunk of plastic- and I don't blame you- you can always just place a saucer over a bowl or a bowl over a plate.

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning 

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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Trying the Oil Cleansing Method for Clear Skin

My skin kinda sucks. Somehow it manages to be both oily and dry. I have at least one little pimple a day and an impressive accumulation of little, dark acne scars. I'd like to improve it, but the problem is I'm cheap and lazy. I don't have interest in investing much time, money, or energy in improving my skin. I also don't want to change my lifestyle. This rules out buying fancy skin creams, getting regular facials, consulting a dermatologist, and eating completely clean. So what's left?


Oil Cleansing Method supplies: Shot glass, tea tree oil, castor oil from drug store laxative aisle, olive oil, spoons, and washcloth.
Last week, my friend Amy suggested something new to me: The Oil Cleansing Method (OCM), which basically means cleaning my face by rubbing oil into it. Rubbing oil into my already oily skin? Crazy! So crazy it just might work. Of course, I had to try it. Here's what I did:
  1. I mixed together 3/4 teaspoon castor oil, 1/4 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, and 1/16 teaspoon of tea tree oil in a shot glass.
  2. I wet a washcloth with lots of filtered water, but squeezed out the excess so that it wasn't dripping wet. I then placed it folded in a Pyrex baking dish and nuked it for three minutes.*
  3. I poured a bit of the oil into my palm and massaged it into my face while the washcloth heated up. OMG! It felt amazingly luxurious!
  4. I then draped the warm, damp washcloth over my face and took a welcomed rest on my sofa. 
  5. Once the washcloth was cool, I used it to gently wipe my face.
  6. I then splashed my face with cold water.
  7. If you can find a small, dark glass bottle, God bless you. I couldn't so I store my shot glass of oil covered with wax paper held on with a rubber band in my bathroom cabinet.
  8. I scrub my washcloth clean with a generous sprinkle of baking soda. I then soak it in boiling water (in the same Pyrex dish from earlier), rinse, and hang it to air dry.
*You may not need to heat your cloth in the microwave, but the water in my tap takes a while to heat up so this was helpful to me. If you do use your microwave, make sure you just get your cloth just hot enough to make steam. Obviously, you don't want it hot enough to burn your face.

According to TheOilCleansingMethod.com, this technique works because the oil used to massage skin will dissolve the oil that has hardened with impurities and found itself stuck in pores. Also, applied oil prevents the skin from over-compensating in oil production (as it would if oil-free, drying cleansers were used). The steam from the hot cloth opens pores, allowing the oil to be easily removed when wiped.

Goodbye blackheads? Adios acne? I don't know. I've only been doing it every day for a week. Thought my sweet boyfriend did say my skin looks great today, it's really too soon to tell. I'll follow-up with you on my progress in a month. Just so we know what I started with, here are some extreme close-ups in my terrible kitchen lighting. I think these pics show every premenstrual bump and blemish possible!

Before OCM, right
Before OCM, left
In the meantime, here's what some other bloggers (and their readers) think of it:

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning 

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Monday, September 17, 2012

How to Clean Your Oven with Baking Soda


Commercial oven cleaners are considered one of the most toxic products people use at home. Oven cleaners are associated with negative effects on the respiratory system and can cause skin damage. The good news is you can clean your oven with just baking soda and water!

You'll need:
  • newspaper
  • cloth
  • dustpan and mini-broom
  • at least 1/2 cup of baking soda*
  • water in a cup
  • mixing bowl or container, that can hold at least 1 pint
  • spoon or mixing spatula
  • old, but clean, paint brush, at least 1" wide
  • rubber gloves (recommended, but not necessary)
  • pumice stone or scouring pad (maybe)

Here's what you do: 
  1. Spread newspaper around your oven. This will get messy.
  2. Brush out any crumbs or other debris that is easy to remove with a brush or a cloth.
  3. Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda into the mixing bowl. Slowly add water, about 1 TBS at a time, mixing as you go. Your aim is to create a paste that has a consistency similar to cake frosting. If you accidentally add too much water and the mixture becomes runny, add more baking soda.
  4. Using a paint brush, spread the mixture across the bottom and walls of your oven. Avoid letting mixture fall into the holes of your oven. You don't want to destroy any important mechanisms in there!
  5. If your oven racks are really dirty, paint them with the mixture too.
  6. Leave paste to harden and dry on the surface overnight, or at least 4 hours. The baking soda will absorb all the oil and grease and funk as it dries.
  7. With a dry cloth, wipe away as much dried paste as possible.
  8. Now, wet the cloth and wipe off remnants of the paste. Rinse cloth and repeat as necessary.
  9. Do the same thing with your oven racks. Use pumice stone or scouring pad to remove baked on deposits of food.
*If baking soda did not work and/or your oven is superdirty, try washing soda. It is stronger.

Here are a few tips to keep your oven clean:
  • When baking, place a baking sheet on a rack below whatever it is you're baking. This will catch any overflow or crumbs, instead of having the mess fall on the floor of your oven.
  • When stuff does fall to the floor of your oven, clean it up as soon as the oven cools. This will be much easier than having to deal with an accumulation of superbaked on mess weeks or months later.
  • Never place aluminum foil on the floor of your oven. Nowadays, aluminum foil is not only made with tin metal, but it also contains plastic- plastic which could potentially melt at high temperatures and destroy the floor of your oven. I don't think it's worth the risk.

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning 

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Sunday, September 16, 2012

Home for the Weekend: Boston & Business


I'm writing this blog post from the Boston Commuter Rail. On my lap sits a copy of The Right Brain Business Plan by Jennifer Lee. I'm excited to go to the Boston Public Garden to make art with Sherry, an internet friend who has been participating in art challenges with me via Daisy Yellow ICAD & Daily Paper Prompts this Summer. Equally excited to get guidance on how to grow Olivia Cleans Green in new ways that are inspired by my creativity.

How are you spending your weekend?

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning 

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Friday, September 14, 2012

Educate Yourself About Green Cleaning

Here are three of my favorite free resources for information about green cleaning.

This cute kitten has nothing to do with green cleaning.
Back in April 2009, Real Simple magazine featured an article called Back-to-Basics Cleaning, which ignited my burning desire to learn about green cleaning. The tips featured in that article are generously made available on their website: 66 All-Natural Cleaning Solutions.

Care2.com describes itself as "the largest online community for healthy and green living, human rights, and animal welfare." I love poking around their healthy home section. There are lots of reliable DIY cleaning solutions and recipes.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has a great website. One awesome feature is the Guide to Healthy Cleaners. The guide highlights both supersafe and supertoxic products. It also features ratings and reviews more than 2,000 cleaning products with grades A to F based on the safety of their ingredients and the information they disclose about their contents. There's info on how to read and understand labels on cleaning products. Start using it today by searching for your favorite cleaners to how they hold up!

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning 

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Please share your favorite free green cleaning resources in the comments.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

How to Recycle Plastics at the Park Slope Food Coop

NYC's curbside recycling program only accepts plastic jugs and bottles. The rule is the opening must be smaller than the base for a plastic container to be acceptable. This means you've got to find something else to do with all your take-away food containers and yogurt containers.

Recycling collection at the Park Slope Food Coop

One place to take your plastic is the Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn. Did you know anyone can recycle plastic through the Park Slope Food Coop? Yep! You don't have to be a member. You don't have to live in Park Slope. You don't have to wear clogs. You've just got to follow the rules.

Save clear #1 and #6. This usually includes containers coffee shops serve iced coffee in, condiment containers, and berry containers. 

Save all #5 tubs, cups, and lids. This is usually yogurt, hummus, and take out containers. Be sure to peel or cut off labels.

Brooklynites eat so much yogurt!
The coop also accepts clear film and bubble wrap.This includes the film that seals hummus containers and clear produce bags.

Save yourself time, energy, and a scolding by inspecting your plastics before you arrive. Make sure everything is clean and dry. Make sure the plastic has a number on it.They won't accept plastic without numbers!

Show up on time and at least 15 minutes before the end of plastic collection hours.

We're all in this together, so don't mess up and put anything in the wrong bag!
Put the plastics in the right bag at the collection site.

Check the Park Slope Food Coop website for updated rules and policies. The rules seem like a lot, but it's really quite easy to follow them. When we lived in Brooklyn, contributing my plastic waste for recycling was a fun thing to do after visiting the Saturday Greenmarket on Grand Army Plaza and before having brunch at Alchemy. We just fit it into our lives.

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning 

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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

How to Clean a Toilet

I know the toilet is everyone's favorite cleaning chore! Here is how to do the job without using irritating, toxic products like chlorine bleach.

You'll need:

Bac-Out Bathroom Cleaner. Image via Alice.com

Here's what you do:
  1. Use a bit of toilet paper to wipe up any hair or dust from toilet surface, including the base.
  2. With the lid closed, spray entire outside of toilet with cleaner. Then lift the lid and the seat. Be sure to also spray the floor near the toilet base, especially if you live with a guy!
  3. Squirt a bit of liquid soap or detergent in toilet bowl. 
  4. Spray the rim of the toilet bowl, then the underside of the seat. Put that down, spray the top of the seat. Then spray the inside of the lid. Close the lid.
  5. Go do something for 10 minutes. This is a good time to clean bathroom mirrors, shelves, or the inside of the medicine cabinet.
  6. Lift toilet seat. Sprinkle Bon Ami above the water. Scrub entire bowl with toilet brush. starting with a bit of dry brushing above the waterline, then scrubbing the entire bowl. Leave brush in the toilet and flush. Tap brush dry and return it to its caddy. Close toilet lid.
  7. Using a paper towel, wipe down the entire outside of the toilet, starting with the reservoir lid and working your way down to each part of the seat, then the bowl rim, the base of the toilet, and the floor.
*I feel like paper towels exist for toilet cleaning. You can compost them afterwards. Obviously, you can also use a cloth and just launder it really well.

If your toilet bowl is really stained, you could follow the lead of Sarah at Naturally Domestic blog and make a toilet bowl volcano with baking soda and vinegar. She also discusses the use of pumice stone, which I also hear from professional apartment cleaners is really useful for scrubbing toilet bowls.

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning 

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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

5 Reusable Alternatives to Swiffer Dusters

Swiffer dusters are made of thousands of fluffy fibers coated with a "Dust Lock Adhesive." Truth be told, these are the best dusters I've ever used. Most of my clients preferred the results of these to other dusting methods too. Still, I've always been a little weary of them. I wondered, "What is this magical dust lock adhesive?"

According to the manufacturer (Protor & Gamble), the only ingredient in the unscented variety is mineral oil. Mineral Oil is a petroleum byproduct. Not super green or politically correct, but compared to most other commercial cleaning products it's not very concerning (if that's really all that is on there).

Still, the waste is something to think about. I used about 2 dusters to clean a small apartment every other week. In one year, that's 52 dusters sent to the landfill from just one little home!

I've decided machine-washable reusable dusters are the way to go!

OXO Duster. Image via DIYHouseHelp.com

OXO makes a microfiber hand held duster wand.

OXO extendable duster. Image via AOL Shopping

OXO offers a microfiber duster with an extendable handle that reaches up to 54" which I own and love! It's great for dusting ceiling fans, window blinds, and vents, as well as the tops of door,window frames, and cabinets. It's also awesome for reaching baseboards without having to bend over! Both OXO duster heads come off with a snap.

OXO Cleaning Mitt. Image via Amazon.

For more gentle dusting jobs, consider the OXO cleaning mitt for wet and dry dusting. I've never used it, so I can't verify its quality. Still, I have enjoyed every OXO product I've ever tried so I assume it's also awesome!

(These microfiber dusting gloves and budget brand dusting mitt don't look too shabby either and have good Amazon ratings.)

I found my OXO duster and additional duster heads at The Container Store, but you can also buy them on Amazon via my links or at OXO.com.

When using the dusters, occasionally tap the duster on the side your foot to shake excess onto the floor to be vacuumed later. (Always vacuum after you dust!) It's a good idea to have additional duster heads on hand so you can switch to another when necessary.

To clean duster heads, shake off excess dust outdoors (or out the window) and toss in the wash with the rest of your cleaning cloths. Place them in a lingerie bag, if you have one.

Richard's lambswool duster, stored next to drum sticks for maximum manliness :-P
Other Swiffer duster alternatives include traditional lambswool dusters and ostrich feather dusters. I generally avoid animal products, so I don't use them. Still, they have the benefit of being completely natural and biodegradable, unlike microfiber dusters and Swiffers which are synthetic. My boyfriend loves his lambswool duster. It's one of the few cleaning tools I've ever seen him use!

P.S. Yesterday, I wrote about green alternatives to Swiffer Sweeper and Wet Jet. You might wanna check that out too! 

Olivia Lane is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning 

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