Recently I posted about Green cleaning with Clorox Green Works products.

Someone email me after reading that blog to thank me for the info but to let me know they clean their house with Vinegar and Water. I immediately thought “Eeew that’s gross” it must smell disgusting and be ineffective. Plus what about your wood will it pull the finish off??

So I did some digging and it turns out that Vinegar is good for some things.

This first idea listed we are going to try at the other house for the walkways because I always hate using those harsh weed killers and I am always up for being ecofriendly:

Idea #1:
Patio, Sidewalk and Driveway Cracks - Cleaning with Vinegar
Cleaning with vinegar will remove the dirt and dark organic material that often accumulates with time on patio stones and will restore their original colors and luster.

As well, it will control the grass and pesky weeds that tend to grow in the smallest of cracks or crevices in your outdoor patio, sidewalk or driveway.

Simply spray or pour distilled white vinegar onto the stones to clean, and into the cracks to kill unwanted weeds or grass and discourage further growth in the future.

The photo below, of a section of a backyard patio, shows how well a vinegar application cleaned the patio stones on the right compared to the stones on the left which were not treated.

This will also discourage ants and other insects from building their nests there.

In these situations, the use of vinegar as a weed killer is very environmentally friendly.

Idea #2
Vinegar as a wallpaper remover
For a professional-looking job, old wallpaper and its adhesive backing must be completely removed before re-papering or painting.

Make up a solution of equal parts hot water and white vinegar, and apply it to a section of the wall with a sponge or a roller or even a spray bottle.
Be sure to completely soak the wall paper and allow it to sit for 20 minutes.

After that, apply more of the vinegar solution and use a wide scraper (putty knife) to peel off the old wallpaper.

Once all the paper has been removed, use more of the vinegar solution to remove any adhesive still remaining on the wall.

Idea #3
Drains – Cleaning with Vinegar
Try this home drain cleaner to clean, deodorize and unclog partially blocked drains in the kitchen or bathroom:

½ cup (125 ml) Baking Soda

½ cup (125 ml) Table Salt

½ cup (125 ml) White Vinegar

Mix the baking soda and salt in a small bowel and pour the powder into the drain.
Next pour in the vinegar. A frothy foam will be produced as the vinegar reacts with the baking soda to give off harmless carbon dioxide gas.After 2 or 3 hours flush the drain with water. I am all for this instead if it works instead of pouring DEADLY Chemicals into our water supply.

Idea #4
Coffee Maker - Cleaning with Vinegar
Over time, mineral deposits from the water you use, build up and clog your coffee maker.Cleaning coffee makers with vinegar once a month will dissolve these deposits and will also allow you to wipe clean accumulated coffee stains.

For a regular 12 cup coffee maker:

• Add 1 cup (250 ml) of warm water to the water reservoir followed by 2 cups (500 ml) of white vinegar, then run the coffee maker through a brewing cycle.
• Discard the vinegar solution and clean thoroughly with water.
• Run the coffee maker 2 more times through the brewing cycle with just plain water to rinse out all the vinegar.

By cleaning your coffee maker regularly, you will not only get rid of clogging mineral deposits, you will also eliminate coffee oils that can accumulate inside your coffee maker and become rancid.There is no doubt about it, a clean coffee maker will produce a better tasting coffee!

I can see myself using some of these ideas & how it would be a cheap option but I still don’t know about cleaning my house with it or washing my clothes in it…YUCK!
I would feel like everything smelled like an Easter Egg….LOL….I just can’t stand the smell.

I’ll stick to my Green Works products since they have a light clean scent and work well on all surfaces and are EcoFriendly.

} The Mrs {

About 2 weeks ago Aaron and I were shopping and I saw an end cap with a new Product or Products I should say called Green Works they are Cleaning supplies made by Clorox using Natural ingredients NO HARSH CHEMICALS and THEY DO NOT TEST ON ANIMALS!!!

I read all the bottles and smelled the Products. Which by the way for any of you who have Fragrance allergies because they are made from Plant and Mineral Based ingredients they barely have a scent at all. Aaron was actually suprised when I put one of each in the cart and said “when we get home I am throwing away ALL of the cleaning supplies in the closet!” His mouth dropped and said “you mean to tell me your giving up your scents?” I replied “Yes, I am”. And YES I DID, the very minute we unpacked all of our shopping bags I pulled the trash can over to the closet and tossed EVERY cleaning agent I had. That will be the last time I will EVER make that kind of deposit into a Landfill or subject my Family to any of those HARSH, DEADLY Agents again!!!

Traditional Cleaning agents use Chemicals believed to be causing:
Cancer, Infertility, Learning Disabilities, Respiratory Illness, Alzheimers, and much more

Here is what Green Works Products Offer by Providing Nautral Cleaners:

Use Renewable Resources: A natural resource qualifies as a renewable resource if it is replenished by natural processes at a rate that’s equal to the rate of consumption by humans. The plant and mineral-based ingredients in Green Works™ cleaners use materials that come from a resource that is renewable.

Make it Biodegradable: A biodegradable material is something that has the ability to safely and relatively quickly break down biological into the raw materials of nature and disappear into the environment. Much of the ingredients used in Green Works™ natural cleaners are biodegradable helping to minimize the impact on the environment.

Product Ingredients Sustainable: A sustainable product is something made from renewable resources, which means they can grow back quickly and can be harvested with minimal harm to the environment. Our goal with the entire line of Green Works™ natural cleaners is to use materials that are renewable.

Petrochemical Free: Petrochemicals are chemical products made from raw materials of petroleum. Green Works™ natural cleaners minimize the use of petrochemicals and are 99% petrochemical free.

NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS: Animals were not used to test the safety and efficacy of Green Works™ natural cleaning products. (this of course is my FAVORITE feature!!)

Currently on the Market and in my closet at home there is:

All-purpose Cleaner: Can be used from Kitchen to Bathroom, Counters, Appliances, Stainless steel, Sealed granite, Chrome, Cooktop hoods, Sinks and Toilets.
Ingredients: Lemon Oil, Coconut Based Cleaning Agent, Filtered water, Corn Based Ethenol, Contains No Phosphorous or Bleach

Glass & Surface Cleaner: Can be used on Glass Mirrors, Appliances, Stainless steel and Sealed granite. Ingredients: Same as the All-purpose cleaner with the addition of Soda Ash which is like a baking soda. This Product I can honestly say NEVER leaves streaks on my mirrors and I have a TON of Mirrors in our house & Lacquer including our entire bed unit in the Master Bedroom.

Bathroom Cleaner: Its names pretty much tells you its uses and its ingredients are the same as the All-Purpose cleaner.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Need I say more, with 3 bathrooms this really comes in handy and works very well!! Ingredients: Lemon Oil, Filtered Water, Coconut based cleaning agent, Xathan Gum (thickens), lactic acid (from Milk) & Citric acid (from Fruit). This product is essentially great for those of you who have experimenting toddlers and Dogs who like to partake of Bowl water from time to time because the chemicals you use now do not completely wash away they hang around in the ring etc….

Dilutable Cleaner: GREAT for Non-wood Floors, Counters, SInks, Stoves, Garbage Cans, Diaper Pails etc….Think of this as a new generation of Pnesol without the Harsh Smell or Chemicals. Ingredients: Same as the All Prupose Cleaner but has Potassium Citrate & Carbonate for Enhanced Cleaning!!

This Month they are coming out with a Natural DIsh Detergent which I am sooo Excited about. Now if they would just make Laundry detergent we would be set!!

Unfortunately these Products do not yet Disinfect but the Clorox Scientists are working on that and hope to have something developed in the next year or so. Until then our Home will have to stick with our trusty Clorox wipes to clean up after Chicken and such or when someone is sick….

Some people may think the Green Works Products are Pricey but really they cost less in the long run because they actually last longer since you use Less of the Product for the same jobs!

Now if I can just get them to provide refills in Biodegrable Cartons we would have the bottle recycling issue under control because we wouldnt have to toss the Plastic just refill it!!

Go forth and Create a Better, Healthier Environment for your Family,

} The Mrs {

As some of you may know we have been Celebrating Earth Day all week…..

Without getting all Geeky about saving the World or doing without things we have become accustom to I thought I would share with you some of the ways the Anderson Household is making Changes as part of our never ending Strive to Pay-it-Forward….We may indulge in some ways that may be harmful to the planet but we continue to try and make smart choices the best we can and so can You!!

ATT: All Shoppers

Wal*Mart has their Simple Choices…Big Difference Campaign Focusing on products that themselves may not be eco-friendly but their companies are making donations and efforts to make right was has been wronged over the last 100 years visit www.Walmart.com/green to see how you can make a difference just buy making smart choices when you shop.

Nicktoons Network and Wal*Mart have teamed up to show children how to have fun, make smart choices and help save the Planet too. Next time your child wants to ‘play’ on the computer take some time and visit www.BigGreenHelp.com with your kids and start teaching them that the Planet is not a luxury, it is our and their duty to take care of it!!

ATT: People Who LIVE AND BREATH in NJ, PA, DE, NY, Massachusetts & Vermont….

Make a Recycling Stand in your TOWN/CITY & YOU MAKE MONEY DOING IT!!!
RECYCLE BANK Rewards you for Recycling!! Get this you can email them and request service. Our Town started this about 2 years ago….

“Our recycling rate has increased by more than 50% and we’ve saved over $11,000 dollars in tipping fees,” adds Clayton Mayor Patricia Gannon. Everyone can cash in, but no one has to separate paper from plastic, from glass. All of that goes into one container in what’s known as single stream recycling.

Clayton, New Jersey pays Recyclebank per household. Recyclebank pays participants up to $35 dollars a month in Recyclebank credits, redeemable at both local businesses such as Barbara Ann’s Downtown Cafe and national chains, such as Starbucks and Rite Aid. Also get a bonus to go to the movies, to the mall,and more just from recycling your trash!

The company provides recycling containers, encrypted with a bar code. The recycling truck reads the code and weighs the container. The information goes into the participant’s account, accessible online for reward coupons.

“In the first 9 months we’ve had Recyclebank, we’ve collected over $400,000 in coupons that the people of our town have cashed in and this is a definite economic impact,” says Clayton Environmental Officer Joe Abate.

The sign on the recycling truck says “Oink if you love recycling.” And it appears that the townsfolk of Clayton, New Jersey, population 7,100, are Oinking all the way the the Bank!!

ATT: COMPUTER & GADGET GEEKS YOU TOO CAN HELP SAVE THE EARTH by eCycling!!!

T-Mobile^® Handset Recycling Program
T-Mobile USA is committed to the recycling and reuse of old wireless devices, wireless accessories and wireless batteries that might otherwise end up in landfills or incinerators. T-Mobile USA is one of the proud partners in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Plug-In to eCycling Partnership. The campaign, “Recycling Your Phone, It’s an Easy Call,” is one of many new efforts under the EPA’s Resource Conservation Challenge which seeks to increase the nations recycling rate. The campaign aims to get the word out about opportunities to reuse and recycle unwanted cell phones, and to build momentum for even more reuse and recycling programs. T-Mobile USA offers consumers an opportunity to drop off their old wireless device, wireless accessories and wireless batteries at over 1,400 stores across the country or by printing a pre-paid postage PDF from T-Mobile.com.

Their Commitment to the Planet
In general, a wireless phone handset consists of 40% metals, 40% plastics, and 20% ceramics and other trace materials. The goal of Handset Recycling Program for T-Mobile USA is to recycle old phones for further use if possible, or if not, to dispose of them in an environmentally friendly way. By recycling your old equipment, you can help protect the environment.

Become a Force for Recycling Gadgets at Work, Church, School….
>>>click on Cure Recycling below< <<