Raise your hand if you still have your natural hair color. Anyone? Actually I know quite a few women and men who have maintained or are switching back to their natural hair color. I call my little streaks of grey in my hair my “highlights”. I colored my hair once or twice in my early twenties but I didn’t like the maintenance it required to keep the roots from showing and it was money that I would rather spend on other things.
Let me start by giving credit to my source for this information, “Green Goes with Everything” by Sloan Barnett. It is a very educational book on everything from organic food, cosmetics, energy use, and toxins in our homes. She writes in a personable style and backs up her information with research studies.
In 2001 in the International Journal of Cancer there was a research study by the University of Southern California around hair dyes. They found that women who use permanent hair dye monthly for a year or longer are twice as likely to develop bladder cancer as women who are not exposed. For hairstylists and barbers who were exposed to hair dye on the job for just one year they would be 50% more likely to develop bladder cancer and if they worked in the field for ten years, would experience a 500% increase in bladder cancer compared with people not exposed.
A different study done by the Harvard School of Public Health found that women who used hair dye regularly had twice the likelihood of developing ovarian cancer.
The main suspected culprit in most hair dyes is “PPD”, p-phenylendiamine (which may be known by other names as well), which is found in practically all available hair dyes and is suspected to be cancer-causing. There have been other studies that have shown a more questionable link between hair dyes and cancer so I think each person needs to make their own informed decision and perhaps make some modifications in their choices.
You may choose to have your hair colored less often or try out some of the safer alternatives who have drastically or completely reduced PPD, ammonia, and peroxide. Some of the brands that Sloan recommends are:
- Vegetal Colour www.herbavita.co.nz
- Logona www.logona.com or www.bewellstaywell.com
- Light Mountain Natural www.iherb.com
- Naturcolor by Herbaceuticals www.naturcolor.com
However you choose, make it a choice, not a default. And one final tip that is more of a personal thought is that as we age our skin tone changes and as such if we do color our hair we should begin coloring it lighter so we don’t have that unnatural contrast. (That doesn’t mean you need to go blond, just go to a medium brown if you have been a dark brown.)
Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who cares about the health of the people and planet. As she learns ways we can all live safer lives she likes to share that information here. She does not receive any compensation from any hair coloring company listed in this blog. She does receive compensation if Shaklee products are purchased through her or her website: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com
As Keith and I have travelled back and forth to Tennessee to visit his parents over the last 16 years I can see the incremental changes we have made to create a more environmentally conscious trip. In the process, the trip has also become more relaxing and pleasant for us as well. Whether you are commuting to work or driving across the country, these ideas may help you to also have a more pleasant and green road trip as well.
- Keep the car in good repair. There is no question that a well-maintained car has better gas mileage and lasts longer.
- Do a few last-minute checks on the car including: oil and other fluid levels, and tire pressure. Keith and I travel with a portable air compressor (this would be a good gift for the right person) that works by plugging it into the power outlets in the car.
- Use green cleaners inside and outside your car. You will want clean windows for driving but you will also be inhaling the air of your car for the duration of your trip. Please get rid of the traditional ammonia and butyl cellosolve window cleaners and try some Basic H2. If you want a free sample, send me an e-mail with your name and address and I will give you one to try. You will be impressed at how well it works. My e-mail address is: keithdonnnacopeland@sbcglobal.net
- Plan ahead for meals. We tend to avoid restaurants on our trips to Tennessee for four purposes: 1) Our dog doesn’t do so well being left in the car by herself. 2) It is more expensive to eat in restaurants. 3) With me being gluten-free and vegetarian it is complicated to try to get a well-balanced and safe meal. 4) Restaurants (especially fast food) have a lot of trash and waste that gets produced. Keith and I will take a cooler of food as well as a bag of snacks (nuts, trail mix, gluten-free crackers, fresh fruit, etc) to keep us going on the trip. If we do stop for a meal we usually choose Chipotle because they have a good vegetarian and gluten-free option while being one of the more environmentally-conscious fast food choices at a reasonable price.
- Clean out the fridge. We pay special attention to purchasing perishables and we eat the foods that don’t travel so well. We will also freeze extras that we won’t be able to consume before we go or give the extras to someone who will use them. Once the fridge is empty we put pitchers or bottles of water in the fridge to fill up the empty space because a full fridge uses less electricity and the water will help the fridge to maintain its temperature.
- BYOB. Keith and I also travel with our own water from home in reusable water containers. I like to stop for a cup of coffee and I am working on remembering to bring a reusable travel mug. I will also travel with my favorite tea bags and a thermos of hot water which stays remarkably hot for the 12 hour drive.
- Watch the speedometer. There is a significant increase in gas mileage when you go over 55 miles per hour. Keith and I have found a comfortable speed limit is right around 60 mph. That way you can stay in the right lane and you rarely need to pass anyone (the trip is much less stressful) yet you aren’t going so super-slow that it feels unsafe.
- Bring along cloth napkins, rags, and recyclable wipes. You know there are going to be spills in the car so plan ahead by bringing a few washable napkins and rags and for those things that need a cleaning agent, I love our Basic H wipes because they are so very convenient and great to use in the car. When I get to our destination I put them in a recycling bin.
These are a few tips for you to consider for your next road trip. If you have your own suggestions of what you do to make your road trips more green, I would love to hear them. If you are interested in green driving solutions for more fuel saving tips and strategies, go to: www.GreenDrivingSolutions.com and check out their DVD. Don’t forget to e-mail me if you want that free sample of Basic H2 (please put “free sample of Basic H2″ as the subject line). Drive safely!
Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who is paid a commission by Shaklee when people purchase products through her or her website. She enjoys sharing tips and techniques that she has picked up over the years and sharing them to help make other’s lives safer and more enjoyable. You can go to her website (there is a money-back guarantee on all products) at: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com Donna is not paid in any way by Green Driving Solutions to endorse their products.
BPA, or bisphenol A, is an endocrine disruptor and one of the most disturbing chemicals found commonly in plastics. It has been linked to a variety of diseases and other issues including breast and prostate cancer, diabetes, and attention deficit disorder. (See my post from October 14, 2009 for more details). The good news is that BPA is NOT an essential ingredient in plastic so there are plastics available that are BPA-free. The bad news is that it isn’t only plastics we need to look out for. BPA may be also found in printer ink as well as canned foods and soft drink cans.
I don’t think it is realistic to completely remove every trace of BPA from our lives. To do that we would need to never eat out or in other people’s homes, always contact manufacturers before we purchase their products, and in general live an almost militant existence that will affect every aspect of our lives. Neither do I propose that we throw our hands in the air and say, “It is outside of my control, there is nothing I can do about it.” You need only to look at the plethora of green products that are in the market today (yes, some of them are questionably green, but green is big any way you look at it) to know that we have a lot of control in the marketplace. We get to vote with our dollars and when enough of us start voting against BPA, the manufacturers will take notice and make changes.
To avoid increasing your exposure to BPA from items you may already have in your home:
- Avoid temperature extremes. For heaven’s sake do NOT stick that plastic in the microwave or freeze that water bottle. Those types of temperature extremes have been shown to increase the rate that BPA transfers from the plastic into the food. Just because a plastic says “microwave safe” doesn’t mean it won’t transfer harmful chemicals, it simply means it won’t melt when heated. It is good to remember that distinction.
- Save those canned foods for emergencies. I keep a stockpile of canned vegetables in case of emergency but I don’t use them for everyday meal preparation (although I don’t want you think I am super-human…I do resort to canned foods when the pantry or freezer is bare of alternatives…I guess that is an “emergency”). In general I try to prepare my meals from whole foods that look like what they did when the farmer brought them in from the field.
- Put plastics marked #3 or #7 in recycling and don’t use them any more. Those two numbers are the most likely to contain BPA. Sometimes new #7 will say “BPA-Free” and in that case, feel free to keep them. Sevens are the wild card of plastics.
- Store hot foods in glass or ceramic. There are many great options with lids available. The holidays are coming and that would be a good gift idea.
- Recycle plastics that are scratched or cloudy.
- Bring your own BPA-Free containers to restaurants for your “doggy bag”. My husband and I started doing this to avoid all the styrofoam containers we were accumulating and then realized the benefit for avoiding BPA as well.
In addition, contact the manufacturers of items you use, such as plastic wrap, and ask them if their products contain BPA. You will be doing two things when you call: 1) You are educating yourself on what products are safe. 2) You are letting the manufacturer know that there are consumers out there who care about things like that. Manufacturers figure that for every person who calls there are ten others who have the same concern who don’t call…pick up the phone and let them know you care.
Most of the information in this article came from Mother Earth News, August/September 2009 edition “Plastics: What’s Dangerous, What’s Not.” There is a lot of information there that isn’t included here. Continue to educate yourself and make conscious choices for your own good, the good of your family, and the good of the planet.
Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who enjoys educating herself and sharing the information she learns with readers of her healthy living tips. Before Donna even knew what BPA was or that it was a danger, Shaklee assured her that their plastics and inks are all BPA-Free. Donna is paid a commission by Shaklee on sales from her website. You can go to: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com She is not paid a commission by Mother Earth News to endorse their magazine.
Filed under: Green Living, prevention | Tags: BPA, dangers of bisphenol A
Maybe you have seen the warnings: “Avoid plastic because of BPA” or “Make sure your plastics are BPA-free”. I don’t remember the first time I heard of BPA (bisphenol A) because it probably went right over my head. More and more I started hearing the warnings but I still didn’t know what the problem was. If you have found yourself in the same boat, grab an oar and I’ll share what I have learned.
Most of my information from this article (particularly any studies mentioned) come from “Mother Earth News” August/September 2009 on page 70: “Plastics: What’s Dangerous, What’s Not.”
Bisphenol A is one of the most widely produced and used chemicals around the world. One of the greatest concerns is how easily it travels from what it started in (such as a plastic bottle) to whatever that surface touches. Some things make it “migrate” faster including:
- Heat
- Acids (any kind including citrus, vinegar, soft drinks)
- Alkaline (the other end of the spectrum!)
- Repeated washing
BPA is found not only in many plastics but in an assortment of the lining of pop (soda) cans and other canned foods, certain dental procedures, inks, and water pipes, to name a few. Because it is in many inks, most recycled paper contains BPA; it sure sounds like a stubborn chemical. To add to our concerns, it can also be inhaled and it can be absorbed into our bloodstream through our skin.
A study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 95% of urine samples had BPA in them. One of my greatest concerns is that the research seems to correlate the side effects of BPA with the increases we have seen in the past several decades with human health. Here are a few things that research has shown are related to BPA:
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Infertility
- Breast Cancer
- Prostate Cancer
- Obesity
- Autism
- Attention Deficit Disorder
- Cardiovascular disease
BPA produces an “estrogen-like” response in our bodies that causes trouble. This is a synthetic estrogen (also called xenoestrogens) that can increase our risk for hormonally-related cancers, make PMS symptoms more severe, and likely affect other parts of our lives and health that we don’t yet comprehend.
I will blog again on how to reduce your own exposure to BPAs. I am on the same path as I am looking at replacing reusable water bottles and finding better food storage alternatives. Think twice before you put that plastic container in the microwave, would you?
Donna Copeland is an Independent Distributor for Shaklee. Shaklee is committed to NOT using BPA, in any form, in our products and packaging. Donna is paid a commission if you purchase products through her or her site. She is not paid to endorse Mother Earth News. You can explore Donna’s website at: http://www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com
You may not know that I had a lump removed from my breast in 2007. My dad had been diagnosed with cancer about six months earlier and I remember walking into the appointment thinking, “I don’t want to be cancer buddies.” Fortunately the lump was benign and falls into the classification of “Fibrocystic Disease”; unfortunately they couldn’t tell it was benign by mammogram or ultrasound.
What they could tell me was verify that they could see a lump where I had been able to feel it. The lump was about the size of a marble and the surgeon told me that is about as small as most women are able to detect. He also told me I could expect more of these in my lifetime because women who seem prone to them tend to get a lot more.
I spoke to my doctor and we did a few things with my supplements (like increase my vitamin D) and I am thankful that I haven’t had another lump appear since then (knock on wood).
Last night I was at a very interesting presentation of the Metro Detroit Chapter of Holistic Moms (www.HolisticMoms.org) where they had a speaker from Therma-Scan of Birmingham (Michigan) speak on using Infared Mammography (also called Thermography and Thermology) speak about using that tool to detect breast cancer. I will do another post on breast cancer and Thermology. Today I want to address breast fibroids.
One thing that was said last night is that fibro-cysts (it appears there are about a dozen words for the same condition…benign breast lumps) is that there has been an increasing incidence of these lumps in the past thirty years. The reason? Xenoestrogens. These are synthetic estrogens that are in our environment that stick around in our bodies and wreak havoc.
How do we get exposed to them? Here are a few ways:
- Plasticisers
- Chemicals (in the air and food)
- Antibiotics (not all)
- Oral Contraceptives (not necessarily all)
- “New Car Smell”
You might think that because these imitation estrogens are foreign our bodies would expel them but it appears the opposite is true and they actually hang onto them for very long periods of time. I think there is a lot we can do to support our bodies in getting healthier including trying to avoid exposure to more xenoestrogens, increase our intake of pure foods, pure water, and pure supplements, and help our bodies detox through our various natural detox systems (another blog).
In the meantime, chew on this: The presenter shared that breast cancer appears to get its start in a person’s body about 14-20 years before it actually is visible by mammogram or ultra sound. Consider what choices you were making 14-20 years ago and understand that having a family history of breast cancer accounts for very FEW cases of the disease, most women diagnosed with breast cancer have no significant family history of the disease.
The good news is the same things we would do to prevent breast cancer we can do for all types of cancer. Stay tuned for more information and consider Thermology for early detection (which, by the way, CAN tell the difference between a benign lump and a cancerous lump). You can find more information at: http://www.thermascan.com
Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who enjoys sharing healthy living tips she picks up from a variety of sources with you. You can check out her Shaklee products (yes, she does get paid a commission by Shaklee if you go to this site and purchase products; she isn’t getting paid by Holistic Moms or Therma-Scan of Birmingham) www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com
Filed under: Green Living | Tags: energy conservation, how to conserve energy
When I speak to people about energy conservation I often get one of three responses:
- Is it really an issue? Why should we conserve energy, I don’t think global warming is an issue.
- I know I should be doing more but I’m not sure what to do or where we should put our efforts next.
- We practice energy conservation techniques and would love to connect with you about what you do, we could always learn more.
So to start with, whether or not you believe in global warming, everyone knows that there is a finite amount of fossil fuels that the earth has to work with. The faster we use them up, the harder we make it on the people who come behind us. Imagine for a moment that you are at a large wedding reception. The food is being served buffet style and there are these huge containers of all kinds of food. There is enough food for the 500 guests present.
Now imagine that the people in line take way more than they are going to eat and as they are going through the line they randomly throw large spoonfuls of food on the floor or on neighboring tables. By the time the 400th guest is going through the line the pickings are pretty slim and there is a huge mess to be cleaned up. That is one way to look at wasting our natural resources.
“How” to conserve energy gets more challenging as there are so many considerations around budget, return on investment, daily living comfort, inspiring other members of your household to buy-in, and making daily conscious choices. Today, more than ever, there are simple and inexpensive things you can do that will make a big difference on your bottom line. The greatest challenge is that many people don’t track their bottom line so they have no idea how much energy they are currently using. Aren’t you glad the utilities do? Here are a couple simple steps to implement:
- Know where your starting place for the various seasons of the year has been in the past (not for cost of your bill but actual uses of individual units of energy).
- Meet as a household unit and determine what people would be willing to support trying to see if it makes a difference. Encourage everyone to do at least one thing and it doesn’t need to be the same thing for everyone. (See some suggestions below).
- Attend an energy conservation training or look on-line for energy conservation techniques. You may want to do this before your household meeting. Try to involve as many members of your household as you can.
- Track your results and celebrate the difference you have made.
- Repeat steps to add another way to conserve energy.
Possibilities for energy conservation:
- Turn down the thermostat (or for A/C, turn it up).
- Turn down the thermostat on the hot water tank.
- Insulate the hot water lines.
- Take four minute showers (or turn off the water in between getting wet/soaping/and rinsing).
- Install a low-flow shower head.
- Unplug electronics when not in use, especially charging stations and laptops.
- Increase recycling efforts (recycling typically takes less energy than creating that product from raw materials).
- Invest in alternative lightbulbs. I am excited about LEDs becoming more popular and seeing their cost come down in the future.
- Shop at your local farmer’s market.
There are so many more possibilities to look into. One resource that is in my backyard is a storefront called “Energy Outlet” in Ypsilanti’s Depot Town on Cross St. They are open most days 11-6 and have a variety of energy conservation devices as well as offering lots of inexpensive classes. Their website is: http://www.cec-mi.org/ and they have all kinds of information on classes, tax incentives, and other programs.
Together we can all make a difference. Thank you for doing your part to make sure that there is enough for future generations. By the way, if anyone is looking for holiday gift ideas for me…the Energy Outlet has a very cool solar computer bag that you can recharge your laptop with the bag that would be a lovely gift 
Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who enjoys sharing her journey and lessons learned to make the world a better place. One of her reasons for choosing Shaklee as her company is the green-ness of Shaklee’s corporate mission and values. You can choose to support companies that are truly green and vote with your dollars. Find out more about Shaklee at: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com
Filed under: Green Living | Tags: Green Living, reduce energy consumption
This past weekend I had fun at an alumni reunion for Camp Fire and Camp Wathana. While there we had a discussion about some of the various ways we have all “gone green”. One woman shared a really interesting and compelling story. She said that her school district (she is a teacher) decided that they were going to work on decreasing their energy consumption. There were procedures put into place to have people turn off computers, unplug electronics, and turn off lights when not in use, and such. Over the year, the school district saved OVER $700,000! Every little bit that you and I do makes a difference.
If you would like to lessen your impact on the planet AND your energy bills…read on!
To start with, one thing we can all do is consider what time of day you are doing your most energy-rich activities (i.e. running the clothes dryer, using the vacuum, running air conditioning) and try to do those activities outside of normal business hours (8 AM – 6 PM, Monday-Friday). The reason is that we don’t store electricity as it is made and during business hours there is naturally an increase in how much electricity is being consumed by all the offices and manufacturing facilities across the country. So imagine how much power must be produced to keep a factory going and then imagine in the evening when the factory is idle all that electricity is still being produced but not used. It is much better for us to do our high-energy activities during those off-hours.
All of the usual considerations about turning off lights when not in use, unplugging electronics (especially battery chargers that are not currently charging any batteries), those all still apply. Here are a few more to consider:
- Look into LED lights instead of CFLs. There are a couple challenges with CFLs which include the lifespan sometimes doesn’t live up to the expectation AND CFLs contain a small amount of mercury which requires special disposal so the mercury doesn’t end up in our ground water or harm the earth. LEDs do tend to be more expensive but their lifespan is supposed to be even longer than CFLs. I think you will hear more about these and other alternative lightbulbs in the years ahead and hopefully the price will decrease as well.
- Give gentle reminders to others. No one likes having friends and family “police” them but you can be helpful by saying something like, “Can I turn off the light in the hallway for you? Are you done in there?” There isn’t judgment in those words, you are offering to be helpful and reducing energy consumption at the same time.
- Consider motion detectors for your outside lights. Now sometimes they are over-sensitive and that becomes another problem but for your safety you want your porch light to automatically turn on when someone, especially you, walks up to the door.
If you have your own suggestions that have worked for you, I would love to hear them. In the meantime, consider what an impact we can all have on the environment and our pocketbooks by reducing energy consumption. Good luck!
Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor. One of the reasons she chose Shaklee as the company she represents is their corporate commitment to reducing energy consumption and other forms of waste. If you would like to purchase products (or become your own Independent Shaklee Distributor) from a company that is green through and through, go to: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com
There are many places to “go green” in the kitchen, it is difficult to know where to start. You may already be doing many of these things…if so, good for you, good for your family and good for the planet. If you aren’t doing much green in your kitchen right now, this may give you an idea of where you can start. I don’t think it is effective for someone to try to change everything at once, maybe try to add one new thing and get that habit firmly established in the household and then add another.
To “go green” in the kitchen, the first thing I am going to do is to encourage you to actually use your kitchen more for what it was intended. We Americans eat out an awful lot and that is hard on the environment. Many restaurants do not recycle either their cans and boxes or their food waste that could be composted. Plus there can be a lot of throw away plasticware, table cloths, and other packaging.
In addition, your kitchen was intended for cooking, not just opening a package of lunchables and washing it down with a Diet Coke. I know I am getting a bit preachy here and I apologize if I have offended you. I know not everyone had the benefit of a mother who cooked and encouraged cooking skills in her children. If you don’t know how to cook, check out some cookbooks from the library that seem simple. It is really just a matter of following directions.
As I mentioned about the restaurants, if you recycle your packaging AND compost your food waste (no oil, dairy or meat products can go in the compost), you will be doing a tremendous amount to help the environment.
Speaking of recycling, consider what kind of packaging you are purchasing. Instead of getting individual servings of fruit cocktail or getting juice boxes, could you be creative and get a full-size can of fruit cocktail an entire bottle of juice? Instead of buying the sliced and cored pineapple, buy the whole pineapple and cut it yourself, storing it in a reusable container.
While we are speaking of pineapple, consider how far away your food has to travel to get to you. The closer your food has been grown, the less shipping costs and environmental factors PLUS your food didn’t have to be picked completely green and then ripen en route.
Look at the cleaners you are using in your kitchen. Bleach is terrible for the environment AND for you. Simple dishsoap will take care of a lot of the germs created in general food preparation and day-to-day living. If you have splattered raw chicken across the counter, use a germicide but make it one that is environmentally friendly (note: you will want to rinse off the area with fresh water rather than just leave the germicide sit there).
Phosphates are still permitted in dishwash detergent and they cause a variety of problems in the environment. I am running short on space here but trust me, they aren’t good for the environment and it is questionable that they are any good for us either. Do yourself and the planet a favor…look at your dishwash detergent (especially you automatic dishwash detergent) and see if it contains phosphates. If it does, please get some that doesn’t.
We haven’t even touched on purchasing organic foods (good for you AND the planet) or cooking with a crockpot instead of the oven (uses significantly less power) or reducing your meat consumption (good for you and the planet).
If any of this strikes a cord with you, try taking on the one that seems the simplest or makes the most sense to you. Try implementing the habit until it actually feels like a habit. Make sure you talk to your family members and/or roommates to make sure they are on-board too. Good luck!
Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who cares about the planet and the people living there. You can find awesome green cleaners at her website: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com
It’s that time of year again that we start thinking about all the pre-winter projects we want to get done before our homes are closed up tight for the next six (plus) months. As you prepare to shampoo your rugs or clean your lawn furniture, consider what products you are using and how they may impact your family and/or the planet.
Here are a few suggestions for common household fall projects:
- Shampooing carpets and rugs. Instead of using the toxic carpet shampoo supplied at the store, use 1/8 – 1/2 oz Basic H2 per gallon of water (and pre-treat spots with diluted Nature Bright). No worries about walking on the carpet while it is still wet or inhaling the fumes while cleaning; safe for all members of the family, both furry and human.
- Lawn furniture. Before putting away your lawn furniture for the year, use a mix of 1/4 teaspoon Basic H2 to 16 oz (2 cups) water and either spray on the furniture and use a rag or sponge to wipe down or use a bucket with the cleaning solution and dip in and out of that. You will be impressed how well it cleans and any drips that fall on the ground are completely safe for the earth.
- Outside grill. Use Scour Off (sand and cherry pits) for those stuck on parts along with water and of course, Basic H2 1 and 1/2 teaspoons with 16 oz (2 cups) of water for fighting grease. It works like a charm!
- Siding. Use a combination of 1/4 teaspoon Basic H2 and 16 oz of water (2 cups) – just double or triple for the amount needed – and sponge on the wall. No worries about hurting any flowers or plants that are below the wall.
- Windows. What a great time of year to do your windows! Mix 2 drops (yes, 2 drops only) of Basic H2 in 16 oz of water and spray on windows. Make sure the cloth you use to wipe it off has not been dried with any dryer sheets or exposed to fabric softener (it will streak). You will be amazed at how well it works and it is so safe you can have your kids help you!
- Washing produce before canning, dehydrating, freezing, or simply eating! Use a basin of water and just a couple drops of Basic H2 and let the produce soak for a few minutes. Rinse off and continue with whatever you were going to do with it…no expensive fruit/veggie washes needed.
If you have other fall projects in mind and you would like some tips or suggestions for cleaning, please contact me at keithdonnacopeland@sbcglobal.net or leave a comment on the blog.
Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who isn’t a big fan of cleaning but since it must be done anyway…best to do it in a safe, healthy, and EFFECTIVE way. You can find out more information on the cleaning products mentioned here by going to: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com and click on “shop” then “healthy home.”
Filed under: Green Living, Uncategorized | Tags: cleaning with vinegar, green cleaners
Sometimes I will be at a green fair and ask people if they would like information on green cleaners and they say, “No thanks, I only clean with vinegar.” If they are close enough I may ask them a follow up question, “Do you only use vinegar on your dishes, laundry, and carpet too?” They will look at my as if to say, “Of course not.”
Don’t get me wrong…I am not against vinegar. I will often throw it into a load of laundry to help keep it fresh and I love using baking soda to get stains out of my tea mugs during dishes or to remove odors from the fridge. There is no ONE item that absolutely cleans everything, removes every stain, and conquers every mess. That is why so many people have a pile of cleaners under their kitchen sink, many of them toxic.
I am a HUGE fan of using natural cleaners and if people are happy with their vinegar, more power to them. Vinegar does have it’s limitations though. For one thing, it smells like vinegar. For another, it doesn’t actually LIFT the dirt from the surface you are cleaning, it simply changes the PH of the dirt. And, of course, as I mentioned above, it cannot be used for cleaning dishes (especially in a dishwasher) or for cleaning clothes without the addition of a laundry detergent.
If you are a vinegar user, I applaud you and appreciate how you support a healthy environment both for your family and for the planet.
If you would like to clean more naturally but think that:
- Green cleaners don’t work (you would be right a good portion of the time).
- Green cleaners are really expensive (you would also be right a good portion of the time here).
- Green cleaners do not always seem to be green (you would also be right here sometimes too).
A friend of mine once worked for a household cleaning company who switched to “green cleaners”. She started reading labels and discovered all kinds of warnings, plus the odors seemed similar to the old cleaners. She went to her supervisor and asked about it and he said, “They are green cleaners because they are super-concentrated and we are shipping less product and adding our own water.”
Sad as it may be, that is the case sometimes.
If you would like to try green cleaners but aren’t sure of where to start…go to: http://donnacopeland.myshaklee.com/us/en/category.php?main_cat=HomeCare and check out a “Get Clean Kit” it has everything you need to take care of your dishes, laundry, all-purpose cleaning, soap scum in the bathroom, and burned food in the kitchen (and kitty puke on the rug!). It is a tremendous value, significantly less expensive then you would pay for traditional cleaners like Windex and 409 plus you get two additional things:
- A money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied in any way.
- Me…you can call me and ask questions plus I will come to your home and help you open your box of products and show you how to use them properly (or your cleaning person).
Thank you for considering making a clean switch, creating a better world for yourself, your family, and the planet.
Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who loves that Shaklee was green when green was still a color (biodegradable, plant-based cleaner in 1960!). Check out some of Shaklee’s other products and the Shaklee business opportunity at: http://www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com
