And with this new birth comes my desire to bring at least some of that energy to my home. Step #1: Spring Cleaning.It’s not a new concept but spring cleaning if taken too seriously and on too grand a scale can seem daunting. To help you on your way I’m going to be posting a few blog articles a week with a few short helpful tips to keep you going.So here commences my first tip. Everything around you is turning green. Why not make your cleaning products do the same? Since you are going to be using a lot of different cleaners throughout the cleaning process, you will want to use something that isn’t going to make you feel less than up to the task. Signs that your current cleaning products may be negatively effecting you can include breathing problems like asthma attacks, headaches, rashes, or even a propensity to become sick and recover slowly. I have a friend who was diagnosed with Lupus because of a severe rash she had, but later she discovered that the cause of her rash was just left over detergent in her clothing. As a result she switched to a green detergent and has been better ever since.If you are concerned about financing the switch, I find that the cost actually comes out to be more affordable. Though the cleaning products may seem tocost more, they last longer. By making the switch you are not only sparing yourself the chemicals but you are also helping the environment. It’s the best way to celebrate the coming of Spring, by doing your part to ensure that the season will be just as beautiful in the years to come.

Make a Plan

The best way to make sure everyone is working is to have a plan. This will keep everyone on track. If you have children who are prone to comparing their workload, ensure your kids have their own tasks. Then they can complete them without comparing time.

Have the Right Tools

By making sure that you have the right tools you can make your tasks much simpler as well. Vacuuming will be easier with the right attachment, steamers will get dirt out of grout and showers, microfiber mops and clothsmake water the only cleaning solution you need, and using a cycle in your dryer to get the dust off of your curtains will save hours of washing. The microfiber cloths especially work perfectly for young children. Just hand them a spray bottle filled with water, one of the cloths, and set them to work washing any glass doors, windows, or mirrors. It’s a simple but useful task where they won’t get hurt or make a mess

A “Ten Minute Tidy”

If you can’t coerce your family into a whole day of cleaning, you can use one of my favorite techniques, the “ten minute tidy.” I get every member of my family to clean the same room for ten minutes. Each person has their own tasks, and since I have five in my family, it’s just like I cleaned for 50 minutes. It takes a lot of time off of my workload.

Counter Cleaner
Vinegar is a powerful natural cleanser that kills many foreign elements you won’t want making it into your food like mold and germs. Combine equal amounts of vinegar and water and use that solution to clean your counter. If you can’t abide the smell, mixing some oil fragrance with the vinegar before adding the water will improve the smell.

Glass Cleaning Solution
Combine rubbing alcohol and water in equal portions. It will make whatever you wish to clean shiny and works well for appliances as well as windows.
For Copper
If you scrub the bottom of a copper pan with a mixture of lemon juice and salt, your pot will shine with that reddish glow once again and you won’t even have to go shopping to get new soap.
Scouring
Baking soda is perfect for this. It is gentler than regular solutions and safer. If you want to increase the power, you can mix it with other household items like sea salt or borax.

Leslie’s also offers a unique service called the Little Cleaning Box. When you purchase a membership to the Little Cleaning Box, every three months,you will receive a box of GREEN cleaner samples. Leslie has personally tested all of these products and sends them with her approval. Her goal is to help you find products that you feel good about using and know will work when you purchase them in full-size containers. Along with the GREEN cleaners, Leslie includes some of her tried and true cleaning tips and a few of her special recipes.

For my review, I received a Little Cleaning Box. Inside my collection of goodies, I found a Grab Green 3-in-1 laundry detergent pack with 2 cleaner pods (h-e friendly), four samples of Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Liquid Dish Soap (four different scents), a Just Bee dryer bag, a sample of Modern Mermaids All Purpose & Glass Cleaner, and a Skoy cloth.

I really was excited to try all of the products but, the Just Bee dryer bag interested me the most. The Just Bee dryer bag looks just like a tea bag. My mind wandered and I wondered if I had been overlooking another use for tea bags…back to the Just Bee dryer bag. I just happened to have a load (or 3) of laundry waiting to be washed. I tossed the clothes into the washer along with one of the Grab Green laundry pods. About 30 minutes later, my clean clothes were ready to go into the dryer along with the Just Bee dryer bag. After another 30 minutes or so, my clothes were ready for the test….they smelled and looked great!

Once you have tried all the products in the Little Cleaning Box and found some that you want to add to your cleaning kit, you can shop in Leslie’s store to purchase those products in full-size containers.

I think a Little Cleaning Box membership would be a fun and unique Mother’s Day gift. You can find the Little Cleaning Box on their website.

In this economy money can get a little tight and everyone is looking for ways to save money. Besides making your own cleaning products and washing your own “dry clean only” clothing, there is one more way to save money, and that is to spend smart. There is one appliance that I believe everyone should spend a little more on and that is your vacuum cleaner. While spending more money upfront seems counter productive, here are a couple reasons spending more money on a vacuum cleaner may be one of the best cleaning decisions you ever make.

If your vacuum cleaner has a good filtration system it can remove all of the pesky elements that have been making you sick year round like the flu virus, mold, mildew, and dust. If you are someone who has lots of allergies, a good vacuum will help you battle the allergins lurking in your carpet.

In the Long Run, You Save Money

People don’t like to spend a lot of money on their vacuum cleaners. In fact, most spend less on their vacuum than they do on a week’s worth of groceries. The truth remains, however, that you get what you pay for. Poorly made vacuums may have to be replaced in as little as one year while a high quality vacuum can last for more than twenty years. I bought my Miele (made in Germany) 21 years ago and it works just as well as when I first bought it. If you divide the price over all the years I’ve used my vacuum, it’s only cost me about $25 per year. Others who don’t invest in a vacuum cleaner spend $90 buying a new vacuum every year. In the long run, it saves to pay.

The next morning was so easy except for hauling all my stash for the demo – everyone thought I was going to the airport! No- just bringing all my props!

I got to sit in the Green Room with the editor of Eating Well Magazine and gaze out at this beautiful scene.

And then it was time. The crazy thing was I wasn’t nervous at all!? I had everything set up and the hosts - Sam Champion from Good Morning America and Audra Lowe were wonderful to work with. It just seemed like I was having them over and talking about some different tips they could share with their friends. I had a lot of fun cleaning Sam’s leather shoes with a banana peel. I sure home they show that!

I want to invite anyone who is interested to come to the Metacomet Land Trust’s Annual Meeting. I will be the guest speaker and will go over some

of the benefits of green cleaning not only in the home but also in the environment. The meeting is April 19, 2012 and will be held at Willowbrook Restaurant located in Mendon, MA and will begin with a short business meeting at 6:30 pm. At 7:00 the evening will continue with the speaking program (me) and then some refreshments. If you’re interested in learning more about the event or about Metacomet Land Trust you can visit www.metacometlandtrust.org. I hope to see many of you there.

As you make batch after batch of coffee, the inner portions of your machine can build up mold that makes your coffee bitter or just start collecting residue from the coffee grinds that can get in the way of the flow of your coffee into the pot. Now cleaning your coffee maker doesn’t mean that you have to get down into the creases of the machine. To clean you are essentially going to go through the motions of one of the things you know how to do best, making coffee. Your ultimate weapon against inner coffee grime is Full Circle Coffee Machine Cleaning Powder. This all-natural biodegradable product hits that oily residue hard and will kill any mold that might make your coffee taste bitter. Just mix the powder with some water, pour it into the reserve in the machine, and then run it through as though you were making a nice cleaning brew. The mixture will come out dirty into the coffee pot. This is what it looked like when I used it. The water was completely clear when I put it in the machine. It really proves exactly how much grime your machine starts to accumulate.

After it’s emptied you can clean the coffee pot out without even scrubbing it. This coffee pot had a film around it before. After going through one process of the Full Circle Coffee Machine Cleaning powder I didn’t even need to scrub.

I recommend cleaning out your coffee machine once a week. It only takes the amount of time it would take you to make a cup of coffee, it requires no attention, and the quality of your coffee and the ease of your machine will be better. In fact, for those of you having difficulty with your Kuerig machines, this is bound to clear up those clogged passages that are inhibiting your machine from working properly. The best way to avoid mechanical problems is maintenance. If you take just a few minutes a week to keep your coffee pot running smoothly, not only will your coffee taste better, but your morning schedule will run better without the hassle of a rebellious coffee pot.

Make sure your laundry is toxin free

Some recent news has once again reminded us of why green cleaning is so attractive. When using green products or creating your own home cleaning products, you have the power not only to monitor exactly what is going into your home and coming in contact with your skin and lungs but also to eliminate anything that is deemed harmful or dangerous. There is no mystery when you combine all the ingredients by hand to make your own laundry detergent or when you use simple baking soda to get your cups white.