• Last updated 4/17/13 by Monica S

With spring upon us and Earth Day right around the corner, many of us are thinking about how we can green our cleaning routine this year. Last week we ran a Spring Cleaning Contest and asked Mothering members to share eco-friendly ways they found to keep things clean. Below you'll find some of the great ideas our members shared, as well as awesome green cleaning products our community has recommended.   Photo by Suzettesuzette via Flickr.   Soak orange peels in vinegar "I love cleaning with vinegar, but not the vinegar smell.  So... read more

• Last updated 12/6/12 by Melanie Mayo

      Contains organic ingredients Made with nontoxic ingredients 100% Natural Plant Based Natural Botanical Ingredients Made with plant extracts Contains organic essential oils Earth-friendly Environmentally safe   Do these claims look familiar?  You now see them all over a wide variety of packages, from salad dressings to moisturizers.  They’re meant to lead us consumers to believe that we are buying a better and safer product than other options, and they work really well at doing just that!  Unfortunately, very few of products with such... read more

• Last updated 11/1/12 by Melanie Mayo

Actress and The Honest Company co-founder shares her non-toxic, eco-friendly vision of the future.   By Sharon Kehoe   Mom always said honesty is the best policy, and the story behind The Honest Company is no exception. One day, actress Jessica Alba, mother and co-founder of The Honest Company, had an allergic reaction to a baby-friendly laundry detergent. Surprised by this, she began researching the ingredients found in conventional baby products, but didn’t find enough information to make her feel comfortable using... read more

• Last updated 10/24/12 by Melanie Mayo

  With fall and winter fast upon us, our time spent outdoors is going to diminish from what it’s been during these nice last days of summer.   Our windows will close up, and the heater and fireplace will turn on.  Now while I absolutely adore sitting by a roaring fire, cozied up on the couch with my little loves, I also realize that the health impact from those seemingly benign luxuries are not what I’d like them to be.   When I think of air pollution, I often think of the Southern California sky where I grew up.  On the vast majority of days throughout... read more

• Last updated 11/1/12 by Cynthia Mosher

It’s not your imagination, it actually is hotter than it used to be.  Climate change has kicked in and we are breaking heat records left and right.  It was a spring for the record books and we may be in line for another record breaking summer.  No matter what state you live in, it is hotter on average now than it was forty years ago.  Of course one response to this heat is to crank up the A/C.  But unless you select a renewable energy  option from your utility (an option not everyone has), that response would actually cause more coal to be burned, and... read more

• Last updated 11/2/12 by Cynthia Mosher

I’m a lover of all plants in all of their forms, but do seem to be on an essential oil kick lately.  They are the most potent form of herbs, and when used appropriately can do wonders.  So to continue on my essential oil rant, here’s a list of do-it-yourself cleaning products that are not only safe and super easy to make, but work just as effectively, if not more so, than anything that you’ll find at a store.   All Purpose Spray 1/4 cup white vinegar (kills germs, cuts grease, deodorizes & dissolves mineral deposits) 2 cups water,... read more

• Last updated 1/7/13 by Melanie Mayo

By Annie Berthold-Bond My friend Rachel is pregnant with her second child. Like many pregnant women, she is distilling all of society's free-floating anxiety about exposure to toxic chemicals into nine months of serious worrying. Rachel asked me to teach her how to do nontoxic cleaning, and she was pleasantly surprised to find out how easy and effective it can be. There are five basics that I use for nontoxic cleaning: baking soda, vinegar, a good soap or detergent, washing soda, and tea tree oil. I believe you can clean everything in the house with these items. Rachel... read more

• Last updated 11/2/12 by Melanie Mayo

This week I’m going to answer a question that many moms get asked at least once a week. Imagine the usual scenario:  Your little darling is screaming in the check out aisle.  He won’t let go of the magazine that he just grabbed somehow with his sticky hands, and, oh, he just ripped the magazine.  Wonderful.  And he NEEEEEDS that chocolate bar, and also the cough drops hanging from that clip.  You are keeping a smile pasted on your face.  You try reason.  Fail.  You try ‘toddlerese’.  Fail.  You try bribery, but not even that is working today.  And the lady... read more

• Last updated 11/3/12 by Cynthia Mosher

It was almost eight hours after my son was born that I first had the presence of mind to ask my husband if I could see the certificate that the birth center had made us to celebrate the birth of our son.  The ‘name’ slot was blank still at that point (my husband later filled it in), and the only identification was a beautiful tiny footprint.  It still makes me smile to think of that tiny footprint.    As I looked at my son’s footprint for the first time, the last thing that was going through my mind was our ecological footprint – which is a measure of... read more

• Last updated 11/9/12 by Melanie Mayo

I wanted to take some time this week to fill you on the information I have about bamboo! We see this fabric everywhere, but many of you wonder what the rage is? And is it founded? Here are some basic bamboo facts! • Bamboo is grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers • Bamboo requires no irrigation • Bamboo rarely needs replanting • Bamboo grows rapidly and can be harvested in 3-5 years • Bamboo produces 35% more oxygen that an equivalent stand of trees • Bamboo is a critical element in the balance of oxygen and... read more