Healthy Home

When I worked at Body + Soul magazine, one of my favorite jobs was going to the Natural Products Expo twice a year. Not all of the companies who went to the show were truly "natural" or organic, but you could tell the real believers by their product labels. Household cleaners do not have to disclose all their ingredients, but the ones who do are the ones that care more about your health. Petrochemicals, bleach, chlorine, and other solvents are not considered healthy, and they're in everything, from dryer sheets to dishwashing liquid. 

You'd be amazed by how clean you can get your house with just liquid soap, vinegar, water, and baking soda. At Body + Soul, the company asked the cleaning people to switch to natural cleaning products and the cleaning people actually reported feeling better and had less headaches. Here are some of my favorite brands:

• Trader Joe's: a unique grocery store.
• Sun & Earth
• Seventh Generation
• Life Tree (I use the lavender-scented bathroom cleaner to wash the floors and kid toys!) Purchase through MotherEarth.com.
• Ecover (the stain remover is amazing!)
• Earth Friendly Products (Uni-Fresh lavender air freshener is great!)

In most cases, avoid anything that says antibacterial, especially something like hand soap. It perpetuates super germs. Some herbs, however, are antibacterial by nature, such as melaleuca (aka tea tree oil), and that's great to use as a cleanser.

For more information:

The Green Guide: "consumers' go-to source for green homes tips, product reviews, environmental health and wellness products information, and green living advice."

Health House: clean air assessment, tips for improving indoor air.

Healthy Home

Organized Home: Turn chaos into calm with Cynthia's home organization tips, free printables, and more.

Pantry Makeover by Whole Foods Market.

Safer Products Project

US Environmental Protection Agency: Learn about Chemicals Around Your House (okay, they missed the plug-in air fresheners that give me headaches, but it's a cute introduction to the subject)

Use low-VOC paints such as Benjamin Moore EcoSpec or AFM Safecoat. 

Every time you use your dishwasher, put your sponges and scrubbies in too. Or replace your sponges with dishcloths instead. They're easy to toss in the laundry, not in the landfill.