Apr
2
Written by Beverly Sugarman
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is a government agency that is charged with the job of protecting the consumer from injuries or death as the result of faulty consumer products. This agency has set up guidelines to ensure that products that you may want to purchase for your baby are safe. By doing a few simple checks you can provide your baby with the safest environment possible.
When purchasing a back carrier, there are several items that you should check to ensure that you have chosen a carrier that will be safe for your child. You should check to make sure that the style that you have chosen has a restraining strap to secure your child. You should also check the leg holes to ensure that they are small enough to prevent the baby from slipping out but large enough to prevent chafing on the baby’s legs. The frame of the carrier should have no pinch points, and should have a padded covering in the area around the baby’s face. As long as the carrier that you want to purchase has met all these requirements, you should have no problems with it in the future. Read more
Mar
30
Housekeeping Channel
Filed Under Cleaning, Home | Leave a Comment
The Housekeeping Channel contains most everything you need or want to know about maintaining your household. From bathrooms to flooring to pets, this site has a ton of information about cleaning and household repairs. While you’re on the site, check out the 5 Tips for Green Cleaning.
Jan
30
Story of Stuff
Filed Under Green Living | Leave a Comment
The Story of Stuff is an educational, short (20-minute) video that looks at global production and consumption:
From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world.
The video was put together by the Tide Foundation and Funders Workshop for Sustainable Production and Consumption. Accompanying the video are links to additional resources and a blog.
Jan
30
Microfiber Mop
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I love finding a new product that simply works brilliantly with little fuss. With three cats in the household, they have become absolute masters at tracking kitty litter throughout the kitchen despite the all the mats in front of the litter boxes (that came with sure claims of trapping the litter). Every morning used to be a chore of sweeping up the litter and then having to mop to clean up the invariable clumps of other unmentionables that managed to find their way out of the boxes as well. Real Simple makes a fantastic mop with microfibers that, unlike traditional mops that simply push debris around, grabs hold of kitty litter while you mop. You can use the mop wet or dry and without chemicals to remove dirt and debris from your floor. The mop is fantastic in the bathroom as well, grabbing hold of hair. When you plunge the mop into a bucket of water, the debris releases from the mop head into the water. Best of all, when you’re done, you can easily pull the mop head off the mop handle and throw it into your washing machine. The head cleans easily in a warm water wash and then can be air dried. The mop heads are easy to attach and detach with a velcro like fastener - no trying to insert a clumsy mop head into metal anchors like a traditional mop. The mop is relatively cheap retails for $14.99 at Target. Additional mop heads are about $6-7 each so you can buy extra to use on your tile and hardwood floors.
- Microfiber Squeeze Mop - from Real Simple Products
Nov
28
Non-toxic Homecare
Filed Under Green Living, Home | Leave a Comment
If you’re concerned about reducing toxins and pollutants from commercial cleaners, check out this guide to non-toxic cleaning solutions, polishes, and other home care solutions you can make yourself. Be sure to explore the rest of the EarthEasy site, to find recipes, tips on energy saving, gardening, lawn care and low-environmental-impact recreation.
Oct
26
Ordinary things for organizing
Filed Under Home, Life Hacking | Leave a Comment
Real Simple Magazine has 22 ideas for using ordinary items to declutter your life. “Get Organized Using Everyday Household Items” features such ideas as using nail polish to identify keys, using vases to store toilet paper, and using toilet paper rolls to organize cords.
Sep
21
Do Not Call List - Time to re-register
Filed Under Home | Leave a Comment
If you were among the first people to sign up for the national registry to prevent telemarketers from calling your telephone numbers back in 2003, then your time is quickly expiring next year. Numbers registered are only placed on the Do Not Call list for five years before expiring and becoming available, once again, to telemarketers next June. The explanation by the Federal Trade Commission which oversees the list, is the five-year sunset date for registration was to allow for telephone numbers no longer used by the original person to re-enter the system. Signing up for the Do Not Call list prevents unsolicited telemarketers from calling your number. Being on the registry doesn’t prevent political, charitable and companies that already have a business relationship from contacting you.
To register, call (888) 382-1222 or visit http://www.donotcall.gov to register your landline and cell phone numbers.
Sep
10
How to clean your home in 19 minutes
Filed Under Home, Life Hacking | Leave a Comment
Ha! That’s what I have to say about this fantasy article from CNN. That said, it does have some really good pointers.
Aug
28
There are numerous products sitting around every household that are super heroes of the natural cleaning world. Most people just don’t realize that they don’t need to go out and buy so many cleaning products, because their kitchen pantry is filled with natural alternatives.
Natural cleaning has several benefits, it is better for the environment, it cuts down on harmful chemicals in the air we breathe and it keeps more packaging products (plastic bottles…) out of our landfills. It’s also cheaper, why spend money on a separate cleaning product for every task. The benefits go on and on, grab a good book about natural cleaning and find out more of its benefits at your local library. Read more
Aug
28
Los Angeles Now Accepts More
Filed Under Green Living, Los Angeles | Leave a Comment
The Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation which oversees the collection and processing of waste and recyclables from its citizens will now allow more items to go into the Blue Bin for recycling. After having expanded its recycling program on July 1st to accept polystyrene foam aka “Styrofoam”, you can now place plastic grocery bags and hangers into the bin as well.
