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Category: Green Home & Garden

Overly-Scented Laundry: Not Just Obnoxious, It’s Toxic Too!
Smell is a potent wizard

that transports you across thousands of miles
and all the years you have lived.

Helen Keller

I have a sensitive schnoz. I can’t take most perfumes, I’m very very picky about lotions, shampoos, detergents. I can tolerate citrus-scented things if they’re not overpowering, but I prefer fragrance-free everything.

I think that since I started actively avoiding fragranced products, I’ve only become more sensitive. Whenever we go to a show or a place with crowds or lines, I’m careful to pack some Advil in my bag, because all too often I wind up too close to someone who got a little too enthusiastic with the perfume or hairspray. I’ll wind up with a headache so bad I can’t see— an awesome situation to be in when you’ve taken the kids somewhere “fun” and have a long drive home.

I always assumed this was just me being me, but apparently my sensitivity might have a scientific explanation.

A recent study researched 25 popular air fresheners, laundry products, household cleaners and personal care products containing “fragrance”— a thoroughly unregulated term; the chemicals that make up a “fragrance” aren’t legally required to be disclosed— and found that:
- the 25 emitted 133 different volatile organic compounds (VOCs), averaging 17 VOCs per product;
- a quarter of those are classified as toxic or hazardous under federal laws,
- some are classified by the EPA as probable carcinogens, with no safe level of exposure, and
- each item tested gave off at least one of these chemicals.
And yes, some of the items tested were labelled green or all-natural.

A second study captured the fumes from dryer vents. When a load of clothing washed in an undisclosed scented laundry detergent (my money is on that headache in a jar, Gain) was put into a dryer with scented dryer sheets, the captured emissions contained 25 VOCs, including seven hazardous air pollutants. Two of those – acetaldehyde and benzene – are classified as carcinogens with no determined safe level of exposure.

The researchers estimate that in the Seattle area, where the study was conducted, acetaldehyde emissions from this brand of laundry detergent would be equivalent to 3 percent of the total acetaldehyde emissions coming from automobiles. Emissions from the top five brands, they estimate, would constitute about 6 percent of automobiles’ acetaldehyde emissions.

It’s not a killer all on its own, but it’s one more way we’re slowly poisoning our air, our water and our bodies, and it’s totally unnecessary.

Just switch to fragrance-free or unscented, or demand that companies disclose what constitutes “fragrance” in their products.

Add a little vinegar to your wash for softening (the smell dissipates upon drying), or try some of those dryer balls to keep fabrics cozy.

Make sure your dryer vents outside and not into your house, or even better, line dry.

I like Sun & Earth detergent, especially since I can refill at the local co-op, and I line dry or use dryer balls (mine are the typical spiky blue ones you get at Target, but when I went to find a link I saw that they can start staining when they degrade, so I’m recommending these felted wool organic ones instead). They’re pretty good about cutting down dryer time and our clothes are reasonably fluffy and static-free— although, to be honest, I don’t recall ever having a static problem.

Anyone else sensitive to fragrances?
What’re your fave laundry products?
August 27, 2011
Tube-Free Toilet Paper

The wrongs done to trees, wrongs of every sort,
are done in the darkness of ignorance and unbelief,

for when the light comes,
the heart of the people is always right.

-John Muir

I heard about this forever ago, but I’ve never seen it “in the wild.” A few days ago we saw a commercial for it at the beach, and no one I was with knew about it, so consider this a post a PSA for the as-yet uninformed 🙂

Way back in October of 2010, Kimberly-Clark announced they’d be releasing a version of their Scott Naturals (40% recycled content) toilet paper that would be rolled without the cardboard tube. And a huge collective gasp came from the green community: huzzah! Brilliant!

Because these are the innovations that make a huge difference. Everybody uses toilet paper. Eliminating the rolls not only conserves the natural and energy resources used to make an estimated 17 billion bath tissue tubes every year (equivalent to 160 million pounds of waste wiping American butts alone), it does so in a way that doesn’t cost any more money and requires no extra effort.

So that maybe people will say, Hey! That wasn’t so hard! And I sort of feel good about it! What else can I do?

I’m also thinking that, if the price is the same, most people will shrug and go with the eco-option for that feel-good feeling. As John Muir says, the instinct of the people is to do the right thing.

Apparently tube-free is being market tested in Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club, which explains why I haven’t seen them in person. I’m not about to make a special trip to buy them, either, but I really hope they do well. The more people buy, the more the price will drop, and the more likely the other brands will see the green light and follow suit.

If you do shop at Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club, there’s a $1 off coupon on the Scott site.

And if you don’t, here’s an easy green step you can take today: recycle those TP rolls with your paper. According to a survey Scott Naturals conducted, more than 85% of people throw them out with the trash, which seems insane.

Have you seen ’em? Will you buy ’em?

August 16, 2011
Green Cleaning Carpets & Floor
Have I mentioned that we adopted a new puppy? ‘Cause we did.

Have I mentioned that she really really likes rolling around in the dirt? ‘Cause she does.

Have I mentioned that I spend the whole day walking her, following her around the house to make sure she doesn’t pee, and cleaning up pee because I can’t watch her 24/7? ‘Cause I do.

Yeah, so our carpet has never been pristine, but damage control now dictates that we’re cleaning the things a lot more frequently than we were pre-puppy.

Conventional carpet cleansers are full of not-nice, unpronounceable ingredients like Hydrofluoric Acid (OK, that one’s not so hard to pronounce), Nitrilotriacetate, Perchloroethylene, Tetrachloroethylene and Tributyltin. Not good for you to be handling or inhaling, and not good to be leaving trace amounts of in your carpet for your kids and pets to crawl around on.

So, here’s how we clean floors around the Elton homestead:

Green-Cleaning Carpets:
- Maintenance is key. Vacuum frequently to keep dirt from getting ground-in.
- Once every two weeks or so (probably more now with the new dog) I sprinkle baking soda on the carpet before bed to soak up odors, and then vacuum up in the morning.
- We have one of those giant steam cleaners, which is totally boss on carpet, but heavy and sort of a pain to get out of storage. We only break it out when we need the big guns. (And by “we,” I mean Jeff. I don’t know how and when these roles got assigned, but the kids and I do day-to-day and he mans the big guns.)
- So on big gun day, first we do the baking soda bit, then follow up with the steam cleaner. We use vinegar instead of conventional cleansers, and then rinse with hot hot water. Yeah. That’s it.
- If something really stubborn needs spot cleaning, Jeff swears by OxiClean. We have the same big bucket that we moved from our old house six years ago, so a little goes a loooooong way. And OxiClean gets the best possible score for the health-consciousness of its ingredients.
Green-Cleaning Bare Floor:

We don’t have real wood floors or anything fancy that requires special treatment— at the moment it’s just that interlocking fake wood laminate and laminate “tile.” One day, when we no longer have young kids and young dogs, we’ll replace the floors with cork or bamboo or something else suitably eco, but for now just sticking with what we have until it’s worn out seems like the most environmentally-responsible thing to do.
- I keep a bottle filled with a vinegar & water solution for multi-purpose use, and this is one of the purposes. One kid sprays, another kid ties a rag onto the Swiffer and wipes it back up. Kid #3 plays supervisor and points out missed spots. (This, by the way, is absolutely the most effective way to ensure a clean floor. They all get to be supervisor sometime and they all milk it to the max. Really hot day, or have younger kids? Tie old towels around hands, knees, feet and backside and have them mop the floor that way.) No need to rinse, and the vinegar smell dissipates upon drying.
- If someone is coming over and I don’t want the vinegar smell at all, I’ll dilute a sweet-smelling storebought multi-purpose cleaner. The brand varies depending on my mood, but faves include Ecover (lemon fragrance) or Sun & Earth (super yummy citrus). Sun & Earth is local to me, so they get extra-special bonus points.
….And that’s all, folks. We like to keep it simple. And cheap.

BUT I admit I’m totally eyeing up this “Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose Compact Earth-Friendly Deep Cleaner.” It’s small, so I could use it as needed rather than having Jeff lug up the big machine. The description says
- A compact, multipurpose cleaner that has been redesigned with a 95 percent reduction in PVC.
- Manufactured with tanks made of polypropylene, a material that is more recycling-friendly.
- The brush block is made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic and the solution tank also contains parts made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic.
- All Styrofoam has been eliminated from the Little Green’s packaging, and the carton and inner packaging are made from a minimum of 75 percent recycled corrugated materials.
It comes with an “earth-friendly cleaning formula” but that’s irrelevant for us, since we use the vinegar. But as always, I’m pleased as punch to see a company move towards eco-packaging and materials, closing the recycling circle. It means they’re listening, so keep talking, with your words and your dollars.

How often do you clean your carpets & floors?
What do you use?

Hey— there are affiliate links in this post, meaning if you click through to Amazon and decide to purchase something I get a little something-something. Just wanted to make sure you know.

Update: I submitted this post to Healthy Child Healthy World in answer to a call for blog posts on safe carpet cleaning. Check them out for tons more on greening up your cleaning and your life!
July 25, 2011