How to Get Kindle Books from the Brooklyn Public Library

I enjoy Kindle books from BrooklyPublic library.

The Brooklyn Public Library is my favorite place to get books so I can nerd out on green cleaning, organizing, crafting, blogging, and pretty much anything. Being in Providence makes it kind of hard to check out physical books, yet my nerdry continues. Did you know that anyone with a Brooklyn Public Library card can check out e-Books? Here's how:

1. Go to http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/.
2. Select "Downloadable Media" from the menu on the left. 
3. Find a book that interests you. You can either browse or use the search engine. I like to use the search engine and refine the search so that it retrieves only Kindle books, instead of the default "All Formats."
4. When you find a book you want in your desired format, click "Add to E-Cart."
5. At this point you can choose to either continue browsing for another 30 minutes or proceed to checkout.
6. Once you're ready to check out, you'll be prompted to first log-in with your library card number (on the bar code of your library card) and your supersecret pin.
7. Suddenly you're at checkout. See what's in your e-Cart. Click "Confirm checkout".
8. Download screen pops up. Click "Get for Kindle"
9. Amazon will open in a new window or tab. The header reads "Get Your Digital Library Loan." Use the button on the right of the screen to "Get Library Book."
10. A "Thank you" screen will appear. Alright! Now all you have to do is turn on the WiFi on your Kindle and the book will be there for you. (You can also choose to download it to your Kindle via USB at this point.)
11. Yay! Read your book. You've got it for 2 weeks. Don't worry about having to remember to return it or facing fines. The book will automatically be removed from your Kindle the next time you connect to WiFi after the due date. (Tip: If you want to borrow the book for longer and renewal isn't an option, just don't connect your Kindle to WiFi until you are ready to return the book.)
12. Hooray! You just saved about $10. Consider using your savings to make a donation to the library which not only offers books, but valuable resources like literacy programs, business development programs, and cultural events to the community for no charge.

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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Home for the Weekend: Pet Portraits, Hand Wash, and Hot Sauce

A few interesting green home and lifestyle related things I stumbled upon this weekend.

Robert Lucy's Sweet Painting of a Dog

Robert Lucy Animals: My friend creates awesome fine art paintings and colored pencil drawings of your beloved animals. Art can really make a house feel like a home and so can a pet, so obviously a pet portrait makes for the homiest of homes!

I suck at laundry. That's why I'm happy to have Leslie Reichert the Green Cleaning Coach in my life. At least now I know what I should be doing, including to add the soap to the water before I put in the clothing. Oops! Read Leslie's blog post to learn to hand wash like a pro.

Ruby's Red Wash

Speaking of hand washing: Has anyone tried Ruby's Red Wash, an enzyme-based green cleaning product designed to remove menstrual blood stains? I used it once on a little accident. It worked, but the blood wasn't dried yet so that wasn't much of a test. Can't wait to do a more thorough trial! Well, sort of.


JoJo's Sriracha is on Lucky Ant from Lucky Ant on Vimeo.

My friend Jolene makes amazing sriracha with locally sourced chiles and without refined sugar or any other wonky ingredients. Consider buying a bottle and supporting her efforts to raise money for professional equipment so she can take her hot sauce to the next level.  (More info here.)

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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How I Stopped Being a Total Slob in 10 Steps

My coffee table is bananas!

True story: I used to be a total slob. I mean a seriously smoking hot mess! Luckily, loved ones intervened and got me literally cleaned up. A family friend cleaned my apartment. Twice! This first cleaning didn't stick, but the second one did because I did the following:

1. I started using a hamper. I put the hamper in my bedroom, where I got undressed, which made it really practical for me to use it. I lined the hamper with my laundry bag, which made it supereasy to grab dirty clothes and carry them out to the laundromat. I also used a small hamper which meant I couldn't go weeks without doing wash.
2. I began to wash dishes immediately after I used them. The longer I wait to do dishes, the more gross and less my responsibility they seem. A full tummy makes the chore feel like an act of gratitude.
3. I stopped bringing junk mail into the house. Instead, I'd sort my mail over the recycling bin outside.
4. I put a small trash can in every room of my apartment.
5. I stored cleaning supplies in the kitchen and in the bathroom.
6. I began to pick up dust bunnies whenever I saw them instead of just planning to vacuum.
7. I started inviting people over more often, which gave me extra motivation to clean up.
8. I got rid of a lot of my belongings and stopped buying as many things, which mean I had less stuff to keep clean and organized.
9. I got a file cabinet with drawers. This made it totally easy to keep and find important papers. It also defined limits for what papers to keep and which to recycle. If something wasn't important enough to be filed, I decided I didn't need to keep it at all.
10. I started actually using my planner. I'd jot down details of upcoming events, addresses, and contact info instead of keeping a pile of flyers and business cards. This proved to be more effective in getting stuff done. (Now, I use Google Calendar along with my iPhone notes and contacts.)

All this worked because I decided it was important for me to keep my apartment clean. I realized it made me happy to have a clean, orderly home. Sometimes keeping house is less of a priority to me than other times and I totally respect and love that about myself. My goal is to always be aware of how my choices affect the way I feel and to choose happiness. Sometimes happiness is a glowing floor. Sometimes happiness is drawing all day. And, fortunately, other times happiness is a little of both those things and more.

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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How to Clean with Essential Oils

My collection of essential oils

Adding essential oils to your green cleaning kit is an easy way to make your homekeeping routine more effective and enjoyable. I love essential oils because their aroma therapeutic benefits make the chore of cleaning way more tolerable, even healing. I also love essential oils because many of them have antimicrobial properties which are great when dealing with really gross messes.

I don't have a huge budget so I stick to these five essential oils. I find them to be more than enough for both household use and personal care.

Tea Tree: This Australian essential oil is a cleaning superstar with a strong kung fu kick of antiseptic! I love adding a few drops of it to a spray bottle filled with diluted Dr. Bronner's in order to clean bathroom and kitchen surfaces. It's also helpful with dealing with mold in the bathroom.

Lemon: I swear, one whiff of lemon and I'm ready to do practically anything with a smile! This refreshing and uplifting essential oil also has antibacterial properties. Green Cleaning Coach Leslie Reichert shares a recipe for simple all purpose cleaner with lemon in the video below.

Recipe for How to Clean With Lemon Essential Oils -- powered by ehow

Peppermint: This energizing and calming oil just makes me want to get up and do things! Honestly, I just take a whiff when I need to get motivated. I just discovered today on eHow that peppermint oil is also useful for pest control, including that of mice. As someone who lives in a really old house with a lazy cat, this is incredibly useful information for me.

Eucalyptus: Everyone seems to agree that eucalyptus essential oil is the perfect cover up for the funky smell of vinegar so I add a few drops of it to vinegar when cleaning for clients. I add this to my bath salts when I'm congested. GreenLivingTips.com recommends at least a dozen other uses, including: Add 1-2 teaspoonfuls of eucalyptus oil to your load of washing for a fresh scent along with the antimicrobial benefits.

Lavender: Lavender is an antimicrobial that was used in Medieval times to ward off illness. Despite this, I don't use it much for cleaning. I guess because I associate the smell with sleeping. I save this calming essential oil for adding to coconut oil or aloe for my hair. I also add some to epsom salts for my bath.

Notes: My herbalist friend Liz, of Raganella.com, always points out that essential oils should be used mindfully, as it takes a tremendous amount of resources to create them and because they are really strong. According to RealSimple, one drop of peppermint oil is as potent as 30 cups of peppermint tea!

If you'd like to continue nerding out on essential oils, visit AuraCacia.com for detailed profiles of over 50 essential oils, including aromatherapy benefits, safety info, recipes for household and wellness uses, and more.

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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How to Make Your Own Wood Polish

Reclaimed parquet furniture by Weald Handmade

Polishing wood furniture occasionally will keep it from cracking. Many commercial brands of wood polish contain harmful chemicals like petroleum distillates, which may irritate your skin, eyes, and respiratory tract (your throat, lungs and wind pipe). If ingested, conventional furniture polish can cause nausea, vomiting, and medical help should be sought.

Why not avoid the drama and make your own? Here's how:

1. Mix equal parts walnut oil and white vinegar in a bottle. Shampoo and conditioner bottles are great because the lids have a smaller opening.
2. Add a few drops of lemon essential oil.
3. Cover. Shake.

To use:

1. Shake bottle before using.
2. Apply polish to a folded cloth.
3. Rub mixture into furniture. Go with the grain of the wood.
4. Fold the cloth again so that a clean side is exposed. Buff and polish the furniture.

Notes:

• You can substitute olive oil for walnut oil.
• Don't do this too often because oil attracts dust and that just sucks!

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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How Long Can You Keep Spices?

Label jars to easily identify purchase date.

I think my mom had the same tin jar of McCormick ground cloves for my entire childhood, but according to Chow.com dried whole spices will stay fresh for three years and dried ground spices will keep for just one year!

As keeping tabs on when I purchased a jar of spice is as much a priority for me as it was for my mother, I devised a way to make it obvious when to replace a spice: I label the jar when I purchase it. So simple!

If you purchase bulk spices at the coop, you could even peel the label off the bag and put it on the jar you'll store the spices in. You are storing them in a jar, right?

Friends at the Park Slope Food Coop might recognize these bright yellow dots!

If you haven't been labeling your jars, don't feel bad. Start with the next jar of spices you purchase. For now, you can test the potency of your stock of spices to see which to keep. First, check out a spice's color. Next, rub it between your fingers. How does it smell? How does it taste? If the aroma and taste are weak then toss it.

Other spicy tips:

• Store spices in an air-tight container. Dark glass containers are great!
• Store spices in a cool, dark place. Not on the fridge or stovetop, which both release heat. Not in direct sunlight, which is obviously also hot. Cupboards are awesome!
• If you don't cook often, buy tiny jars of spice. Larger jars may be cheap per ounce, but if you end up throwing most of the ounces away you aren't really saving money.
• Old herbs and spices can be composted.

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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Home for the Weekend: DIY Pillow, Kitty litter, Beignets, and Food Swap.

This is the first of a feature that I hope will be a regular one here every Saturday on Olivia Cleans Green. It's just a list of a few green home and lifestyle related things that I discovered earlier in the week and think are awesome. Maybe you'll like them too!

Image from A Beautiful Mess

DIY Paint-By-Numbers Pillow at A Beautiful Mess: Like most of their projects, this is pretty awesome!

Beth Anne's Finest: This all natural cat litter is made from corn and it comes in a paper bag, so it really is a 100% biodegradable product. I can't wait to try it and see how it compares to World's Best, which is truly the best cat litter I've ever tried so far.
 


The Poor Porker from Indie Atlantic Films on Vimeo.

The Poor Porker: A cute, hip couple that sells New Orleans-style beignets and chicory coffee at an even cuter stand in Lakeland, FL. Watch their story. Read their blog to scope co-owner Robyn Wilson's adorable style, good recipes, and creative furniture the couple makes from savaged pieces of wood and metal.

Last week, my friends at Krrb partnered with BK Swappers and Local Roots NYC to host the first Food and Kitchen Swap in Williamsburg. I am so jealous that I missed this. Also really happy that they shared tips on how to organize your own food swap. Food Swap PVD? I like the ring of that. Who's in?

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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