Check out Chemerical!

I'm supposed to be on break, but I just saw a film on Netflix Watch Instantly that I can't wait to tell you about.

Chemerical documents a family of five's challenge to transition from conventional cleaning, cosmetic, and body care product junkies to label-scrutinizing, DIYers. It's sort of like a non-toxic Supersize Me.


This is a great film to share with loved ones who think you're extreme for caring about this sort of thing. The film keeps things educational, light, and mostly positive- focusing on the power individuals and families have to create a safer, healthier home. I imagine it could be the gentle, but eye-opening, push many might need to go green for 2013.

You can learn more about Chemerical and find tools to help raise awareness about the toxins in your community at Chemicalnation.com.

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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Happy Holidays! See you NYE!

I'm taking a little holiday from blogging until Monday, December 31. Merry Christmas, if that's your cup of tea. Either way, I hope you have a beautiful week. 

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 Get a Super Shiny Sink Faucet

The secret to getting a super shiny stainless steel sink faucet is simple: Buff it dry with a dry cloth right after cleaning. The longer you buff, the shiner it becomes.

Hello pink cell phone case reflection!

In terms of achieving a sparkling clean appearance, it almost seems like it doesn't matter what type of cleanser you use so long as you buff it dry. I've cleaned sink hardware with various store purchased and homemade all-purpose spray cleansers, including diluted vinegar, vodka, diluted Dr. Bronner's, Citra-Solve, Earth Friendly Products, toothpaste, and water. The thing that seems to make the most difference in results is remembering to spend the extra ten seconds or so to buff the faucet dry after you've wiped it with cleaning product.

I love microfiber cloths, but cotton cloths, socks, tee shirts-- basically any dry and somewhat absorbent cloth you've got handy-- will do.

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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10 Signs You're a Green Domestic Enthusiast

1. After making a huge meal, you grab your Smartphone to Tweet or Instagram it before picking up your fork. Extra points if you use hashtags like #vegan, #organic, or #local. (Check out Eat It Don't Tweet It on youtube for laughs.)
2. You love Bon Ami like you would a real friend.
3. You are still mourning the loss of ReadyMade magazine.
4. You love your vacuum and talk to people about it when you're not vacuuming. Extra points if it's a Dyson. Even more points if you don't own a Dyson, but have a strong opinion about them.
5. You use baking soda at least four different ways everyday.





6. Your kitchen goes from spotless to shitshow to spotless again at least twice a day.
7. You bring your lunchtime apple cores and banana peels home for composting. Sometimes you carry other people's too.
8. You've jammed fruit from your community garden.
9. You read cookbooks on the toilet.
10. You read the labels of other people's cleaning and body care products when you use their toilet.

Are there any other signs? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading this blog entry. I hope it was fun. Please like Olivia Cleans Green on Facebook, join my email list, subscribe to my YouTube channel and subscribe to my blog posts (by RSS or email) to keep in touch and discover more creative cleaning and green homekeeping tips.

How to Clean Burned Oil from a Pan

I burned my veggie burger and in doing so sealed an enamel-like coating of oil onto my stainless steel pan.

Uh oh.

The oil wasn't budging with regular dish detergent and sponge action. I dusted the pan with baking soda then sprayed it with water to create a paste that I left to dry overnight. Baking soda paste gets grime build up off of ovens, so I figured it should also work on my pan. Right?

fingers crossed.

Wrong. When I tried scrubbing the pan the next day, I still made very little progress. I should note that the scouring pad on my two week old dish sponge is basically non-existent. (The plant-based scrubbers on biodegradable sponges don't hold up too well.) I'm pretty sure a better scrubber would have yielded better results.

I tried heating water in the pan along with some baking soda before scrubbing again. No change. I possibly made things worse because I got distracted and let the water boil for a pretty long time. The pan was smoking again. Argh!

I scrubbed the pan with my scrappy sponge, some Bon Ami powder cleanser, and lots of elbow grease. I did this for about three minutes, then left to go grocery shopping, leaving the damp Bon Ami paste to dry on the pan until after dinner. Four hours later I scrubbed some more, probably a solid five minutes, et voila...

Thanks Bon Ami!

It's about 98% perfect. The few remaining brown specs of oil can be addressed with some more Bon Ami and elbow grease the next time I clean. Almost perfect is good enough for me tonight.

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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What does Fair Trade Mean?

If we're lucky, we see the Fair Trade seal when we're shopping for groceries like bananas, coffee, or chocolate. Most of us know it's something good, but what does fair trade certification really mean?

Fair Trade Certified logo (2012 edition)

I visited GreenAmerica.org for an answer:

Fair Trade is a system of exchange that honors producers, communities, consumers, and the environment. It is a model for the global economy rooted in people-to-people connections, justice, and sustainability. When you make Fair Trade purchases you are:

• supporting a fair price for products paid to farmers and artisans
• investing in communities (scholarships, women's empowerment initiatives, clinics, etc.)
• supporting environmentally sustainable production methods
• increasing the economic power of small scale producers
• supporting direct trade between importers and farming or artisan cooperatives
• supporting the enforcement of fair labor conditions (including a ban on child labor)

Awesome! And fair trade isn't just about bananas, coffee, and chocolate. You can find fair trade tea, wine, vodka, crafts, yarn, body care products, clothes, and more. Just in time for Christmas!

I know locally sourced is supertrendy right now-- I support that-- but there are still lots of things we have yet to ween ourselves from that come from far-away places that could use our economic support to improve their standard of living right now.

For more info on fair trade, check out: Green America // FairTradeUSA // Fair Trade Federation

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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10 Ways to Make Cleaning Fun

Cleaning: It's a dirty job but (eventually) someone's gotta do it. If that person is you, here are ten ways to make it more tolerable, perhaps even fun.

1. Accept housekeeping, or at least the need for it, as a natural cycle of domestic life. Also remember that you're doing it for yourself (and for your loved ones, if you don't live alone).
2. Work cleaning into your schedule so you don't end up resenting it because it's interfering with other plans or so you don't end up not doing it- which means more work next time.
3. Set a timer so you have a definite end point to look forward to.
4. Don't stress out about the results. Enjoy the process. Seriously. You'll have plenty of opportunities in the future to clean every inch of your home perfectly, if you choose. Do the best you can today without going insane.
5. Make sure you've given yourself some care first: eat a snack, drink water, stretch.
6. Have a fun cleaning outfit. Don't wear PJs or ratty sweats you wouldn't be caught dead in. Wear something ceremonial- something that says "I kick dustbunny ass!," literally or figuratively. A kitschy apron, 50s housewife dress (extra points for doing this if you're a guy!), fancy workout clothes, and rad rubber gloves are just a few ways to make a you feel less like a wench when cleaning.
7. Use tools and products you're excited about and are comfortable and easy for you to use. Invest time in nerding out when shopping for cleaning supplies. I once spent an hour picking out cloths. Also, don't feel bad about returning something that doesn't work for you. (Psst... I've shared my favorite cleaning tools in my Amazon shop.)
8. Make your own cleaning products and add your favorite essential oils to them. Here's an easy all-purpose cleaner: In a heat-safe bowl or glass (I use a beer stein), dissolve 2 TBS washing soda, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 5-8 drops total of your favorite essential oils in 2 cups hot distilled water. Once it cools, transfer it to a spray bottle. Add 1/2 tsp natural (fragrance-free) dish detergent.
9. Listen to music or a podcast. I love rocking out to James Brown radio on Pandora or listening to Joy the Baker podcast.
10. If you're cleaning with someone else, make it a contest. Compete to see who can pick up the most misplaced items in 10 minutes.

Do you think it's possible to have fun cleaning? How do you make cleaning fun? How many things can you clean while this video plays? (warning: some adult-language)

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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