I purposely don’t buy clothing that needs to be dry cleaned but sometimes, you just need a dry cleaner. I admit I use the dry cleaner closest to my house (and the least expensive).  They are definitely not eco-friendly.  Every time I walk in there, I cringe from the awful smell.  If I can avoid it, I don’t take my kids with me.  It’s that bad.

The leading dry cleaning chemical, percholorethylene, is still used by 90% of dry cleaners. In 1996, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health studied workers at dry cleaners.   In the overall group, those who worked for five years or more with percolorethylene had a higher risk of bladder, esophageal, and cervical cancer, although most of these workers also had exposure to other solvents.

I no longer have an excuse to use the closest dry cleaner.  Through NoDryClean.com, I found an eco-friendly dry cleaner a mile from house. 1 mile.  This great database not only tells you how far the nearest eco-friendly cleaner is but it will also tell you what kind of cleaning the dry cleaner does like silicone cleaning, wet cleaning or carbon dioxide cleaning.

If you are an Android user, you can download their free app and for you iPhone users – there’s one coming soon!

Do you use a dry cleaner?  Are they eco-friendly?  If so, do you find your garments to be just as clean as traditional dry cleaning methods?

I really dislike grocery shopping. I do it because it’s a necessity but I get in and I get out as quickly as possible.  I go about 2 times per month and I do 90% of our grocery shopping at one store – Trader Joe’s.  I pick up our bread and bagels at the local bakery outlet once a month and then make the occasional trip to the nearby (super expensive but totally convenient) grocery store for last minute items.   I’m not much of a coupon clipper because a) most of the items I buy do not regularly have coupons and b) I don’t want to go to multiple stores to use their coupons.

But recently I started following a blog that posts the greatest deals on everything from groceries to school supplies to movie tickets to restaurant gift cards. I’m getting some great bargains on group purchasing sites I’ve never heard of (like Eversave and Homerun) and coupons for Target that I never knew existed - and I love me some Target.

But the thing that I’m really getting curious about is grocery coupons.   She posts the available coupons, the tricks of the “coupon trade”, hosts a database with gazillions of coupons and shows pictures of everything she got.  And I’m telling you – she is a bargain shopper.  She gets tons of stuff for pennies on the dollar. 

I’m starting to wonder if it’s worth my time to get in to the coupon thing to save money but then I would have to visit multiple stores.  I’d also have to spend the precious little free time I have searching for coupons.   I’m also not convinced that there are very many things I buy that have coupons.  Plus, Trader Joe’s has already great prices on the organic food we buy.

So moms, how do YOU grocery shop?  Do you visit one or multiple stores?  How often do you go? Are you a coupon queen?  Is it worth the effort?

Until recently, I had no idea that Bon Ami carried multiple cleaning products.  I’ve used their Polishing Cleanser for years and like I said here, it’s a great safe alternative to Comet or Ajax.   It’s extremely affordable – just over $1 per can.

I’ve been using their other cleaning products for about a month and they are just as good as my favorite Polishing Cleanser (now called Powder Cleanser). In fact, I was actually disappointed when my first bottle of the All-Purpose Cleaner ran out.  It cleans well, has no soapy residue, doesn’t leave any film on my black granite counters and has no smell ( a big plus to me ).

Their Liquid Cleanser is similar to their powdered Polishing Cleanser but easier to use on surfaces like shower walls and tubs.  I’ve been using it in my porcelain kitchen sink because I’m out of the Powder Cleanser and it works just as well.  Tough on cleaning but super gentle.  Gentle enough to use on stainless steel and porcelain without scratching. The consistency is similar to Soft Scrub – so if you’re a Soft Scrub kind of girl – make the switch to Bon Ami Liquid Cleanser - it’s non-toxic and works just as well!

Bon Ami uses safe, simple ingredients that you can pronounce like baking soda, limestone and feldspar – all ingredients in their original formula made in 1886.  They don’t smell fake because they use essential oils for fragrance.

The company has totally updated all their packaging but it’s still got a great classic and clean look (I’m a sucker for cute packaging).  All the cleaning products are also bottled in recycled and recyclable packaging.  Unlike many other green cleaners, Bon Ami is also priced comparably to conventional brands – from just over $1 to $3.99.   You can buy online or find a local retailer.

I’m sure you have at least one (if not all) of Eric Carle’s books.  The Very Hungry Caterpillar or The Very Busy Spider ring a bell?  I had no idea that his collection has over 70 books- we are missing quite a few of these wonderful books in our library! These days, you can find Eric Carle involved with a lot of different children’s products like flash cards and toys, as well.

This week, we got a box of the Eric Carle Eco Series art pads to try out and as soon as we opened the book, we were thrilled!   The covers are beautiful illustrations from his children’s books and the quality of these art pads are top notch.  These are definitely the best art pads we’ve used and will be making great gifts for the birthday parties coming this year.  They are even affordable, from $2.50 – $5.50. 

The art pads are made by Canson on acid free paper made from sustainably managed forests.  90% of the Eco Series line is made from recycled material.   The company even has a “pledge to the environment” which encompasses:

1. Made from sustainably managed forestry
2. Reduced Energy Consumption
3. Low emissions to air and water
4. limited use of harmful chemicals
5. Recycling of waste material

I’m super impressed by these art pads, they will definitely be my first pick when choosing art pads for our kids and their friends!  Environmentally friendly, high quality and affordably priced.

The Eco-School Network is a group of parents in the Portland Metro area who are interested in bringing earth-conscious practices to a school’s operations and a child’s experience there. All members have taken the Agent of Change class, which offers important skills for creating change and a shared framework for consultation on projects within schools.  We will be offering a FREE school-focused class just for moms, from noon to 1:45pm on five Mondays: October 18, 25, November 1, 8 (break), December 6. 

The Green Sprouts Organic Baby and Family Festival is a fun, festive and educational one-day event for the whole family that celebrates and promotes the nurturing of life through nature. From pregnancy to childhood, parents can learn about and explore eco-friendly, community-involved, natural, and healthy options to raising their families.  Sunday, September 26th at Peninsula Park.

Chemical of the Day says that phenoxyethanol is commonly used as a fragrance ingredient so if you don’t see ‘phenoxyethanol’ in the ingredient list but you do see ‘fragrance’, it could be in there anyway.  The Green Beauty Guide says these are ‘nicknames’ for phenoxyethanol:

IS IT SAFE?

Skin Deep considers phenoxyethanol a ’4′ or ‘moderate risk’. 

Numerous studies have shown it to be a skin irritant and the FDA warned consumers not use a nipple cream for breastfeeding mothers because the phenoxyethanol in it “can depress the central nervous system and may cause vomiting and diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration in infants.” 

The Environmental Medical Division at Oregon Health Sciences University reported 3 cases of phenoxyethanol neurotoxicity:

2-Phenoxyethanol, used as an anesthetic for handling small fish at a salmon hatchery, caused three women to experience headache and symptoms of intoxication during use, followed by diminished sensation and strength of hands and fingers, worse in the preferred hand. Persistent neuropathy did not develop in any of them. After 1 to 2 years of exposure, the women manifested gradual onset of symptoms of cognitive impairment with an inability to work. Neuropsychologic testing verified that all three had focal cognitive impairments that persisted. One also had documented labyrinthine hypofunction, which originated during this exposure.

Phenoxyethanol is considered a “safer preservative” so I bet if you look at many of the skin care products labeled ‘natural’, you’ll find phenoxyethanol as an ingredient. I’m constantly looking at the ingredients on products at the store so I see it all the time.   Up until this point, I haven’t specifically avoided it but I probably will going forward, as much as I can. 

Do you read ingredient lists on cosmetics?  What chemicals do you specifically look for to avoid?

Belli Skin Care is all about mothers.  They carry a line of skin care products specifically designed for pregnancy, motherhood and babies.  The founder, a medical doctor, was concerned about chemical absorption through the skin so he designed the line for his (then) pregnant wife so she would have safe products.    Belli Pregnancy products are screened for any ingredient that has been linked to birth defects, using a technology called teratology which searches through 16,000 medical research articles.  The Belli Motherhood collection is screened through LactMed to help exclude any ingredient that may have harmful effects while breastfeeding.

While the Belli line is not exclusively organic, Belli does purchase from organic farmers when a natural ingredient is needed and the entire Belli line is paraben and phthalate free.  The Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database only has 4 of the Belli products in it, rated from 1 to 3.  From looking at the ingredients in some of the other products, I can see a few that are rated higher such as lactic acid and phenoxyethanol.  For answers to other questions about the ingredients Belli uses, check out Dr. Rubin’s FAQ.

I’ve been using the Belli Facial Suncreen with SPF 25 and I have to say that I’m loving it.  It’s super lightweight with just a hint of tint to even out skin tone.  I can’t even tell I’m wearing it.  If they removed the phenoxyethanol, the product would be near perfect! 

Belli is celebrating their 3rd birthday online and through September 3rd, Belli will be offering 30% off store-wide discounts and free ground shipping for purchases over $75.00. Use the code ‘BELLIBASH’when checking out.  Visitors will also have the opportunity to enter a daily drawing for prizes including: Happy Family Foods, Swaddle Designs, JP Lizzy, Lerba, Plain Mary and many more.  Today, you can win a $40 giftcard for Pediped.

I love me some black licorice.  Don’t even waste my time with red licorice, I’ll take black or nothing at all.  My favorite tea is licorice, too.   Just thinking about cold weather and a warm cup of black licorice tea makes me cozy and warm inside.

So when American Licorice Company asked if I’d be interested in testing out their new Natural Vines Licorice line, I did not hesitate to say YES, YES, and yes PLEASE!

Fortunately for me (and them), it did not disappoint.  Since the bite size pieces are only 17 calories apiece, we ate the black licorice in about a day.  It was soft, chewy and delicious.  Since I only like black licorice, the rest of my family scarfed up the strawberry licorice.   De.lic.ious.

The primary ingredient difference between the standard Red Vines Black Licorice and the Natural Vines Black Licorice is that the Natural Vines contains sugar (instead of corn syrup) and natural flavoring.  For those of you that like the traditional Red Vines Original, the difference is greater.  The original contains corn syrup, artificial flavorings and Red 40 (that does NOT sound like a food!).   The Natural Vines Strawberry Licorice has sugar, natural flavoring and beet juice for coloring.

You can pick up a bag of Natural Vines at Whole Foods or online at the Candy Cabinet!

Are you a lover of black or red licorice?  Have you tried any of the other natural brands of licorice?  Do they live up to the original?

My husband has asthma and while he hasn’t struggled seriously with it, I am hoping our children will not get it.  So far, I think our daughter is in the clear but time will tell whether or not our son has it.  I’ve done many things to reduce their risk including keeping harmful cleaning products out of our house, using organic dairy products, keeping pets out of our house and using allergen free products on our beds. 

I’ve also kept them out of chlorinated swimming pools.  Don’t worry, our kids aren’t deprived of summer fun in the water.  There have been plenty of pools and sprinklers, but we’ve limited their swimming in chlorinated pools to the occasional pool party or vacation pool. 

Several studies have found a link between chlorine in swimming pools and asthma in children.:

•  Science Daily reported that a study in Norway found that children with mothers who had asthma or allergies have an increased risk of wheezing if the child takes swimming lessons before 6 months.
• A study in Belgium found that teenagers who spent more than 100 hours swimming in chlorinated pools were up to six times more at risk of having asthma than other teens.
• The European Respiratory Journal reportedthat children who start swimming ( in indoor OR outdoor pools ) before the age of 2 may be at increased risk of bronchiolitis, and those who developed the infection were also at increased risk of developing asthma or respiratory allergies by kindergarten.

 All that being said, 20% of the U.S. Olympic swim team have asthma and they are obviously talented athletes, despite having asthma.

Alternatives to Chlorinated Pools

In the U.S., chlorine treated pools has been the norm for a long time but that is slowing changing.  Ozone and UV treated pools, common in Europe, are slowly making their way across the pond.  There are a couple salt water pools in our city, as well.  While many of these alternatives do use chlorine, the chlorine used is a lot lower.  The best way to find out how pools are treating their water is to call and ask!  The best way to avoid chlorine is to visit the great outdoors where you can find fresh water swimming opportunities at the beach, in the river or at the lake.

If you have your own pool, there are several purification systems that market themselves as chlorine-free including the Ecosmarte Pool, Carefree Clearwater, and EClear.

Now that my daughter is 3, she’s in swimming lessons, in a chlorinated pool.  With her age and interest in water, I think it’s important for her to have swimming skills for safety, exercise and lifelong enjoyment.  From current research findings, it sounds like she is also past the point of highest risk.  We will likely keep our son out of chlorinated pools until he is 2 or 3 and then enroll him in swimming lessons, too.  Hopefully by that time, we will have the opportunity to put him in a lessons in a pool treated with chlorine alternatives.  

Do you have chlorine-free pools in your area?  Are you concerned about chlorine in your pool’s water and the link to asthma?

This is part of the Healthy Child Blog Carnival about Clean Water and Air Solutions  – an effort by Healthy Child Healthy World to help inspire a movement to protect children from harmful chemicals.

We have some yummy strawberry jam stored in the freezer to be used all winter until next June when we can pick those juicy berries again.  That’s the only canning I do but I know people that do it year round.  Just like any food storage products,  you want to make sure you are using BPA-free canning lids.  Last fall, when we found out that canning lids had BPA in them, we could only find one alternative.  Since then, a few more have popped up.  Here’s those that make the list:

Tattler Reusable Canning Lids – You can use these with any standard mason jar and metal screw band.  If they wear out, Tattler will replace them for free.  They are plastic, infinitely reusable and dishwasher safe.  Made in the U.S.A.

Weck – Weck is a German company that makes beautiful all glass canning jars and lids.

Ball Plastic Freezer Jars – These are great for freezer jam or sauces.  They are plastic and come in 3 sizes. Top-rack dishwasher safe.

Lehman’s Reusable Canning Jar Lids – These plastic lids can be used with any standard metal band in pressure canners, water bath or vacuum sealers. The company states that these leads “do not contain BPA, lead, mercury or phthalates”.

Have you found any other companies that make BPA-free canning lids?  Let us know in the comments!