the haystack needle

eco-friendly cleaning cloths + wool dryer balls

Check out what I added to my cleaning caddy. I headed to Green Depot the other day to pick up some eco-friendly paint for a dresser that's in the middle of a makeover. And I walked away with two finds that I'd never seen before: wool dryer balls and reusable cleaning cloths that are the perfect replacement for papertowels.

When I was working on the Green Swap series, I'd definitely heard about replacing papertowels with more eco-friendly cloths that you can wash and reuse again and again. But standard microfiber cloths just don't feel hefty enough to me for handling spills and all those random cleanups where I want a papertowel. So I've been using Seventh Generation papertowels (if I'm going to use papertowels, it's going to be recycled paper.) I'm excited to switch to these Green Depot cleaning cloths. They were affordable, too: you get 8 cloths for $6.95. Not bad, considering one Method microfiber cloth will set you back $5.

And I couldn't pass up a few wool dryer balls. These natural dryer balls shorten your drying time, beat out wrinkles, and make your laundry feel softer. Fantastic — I love the idea of skipping dryer sheets altogether. I always leave with damp towels after the standard 30 minute drying time in my building's commercial dryers. So I'm especially excited for fluffy towels that are actually dry!

If you're in New York, I'd definitely recommend a trip down to Green Depot. Besides all the building materials, paint, and flooring, there are many green houseware finds you just don't see everywhere.

green swap: best odor remover + giveaway

I know, thinking of stinky smells is not a glamorous topic, but this product line must be shared. Since we're talking green you should know Fresh Wave's products are natural and don't emit VOCs into the air. Before finding Fresh Wave, I'd been using Method and Caldrea's room sprays for a freshening spritz — these sprays have a great fragrance + no VOCs. Super, but they still just covered up the smell.

What Fresh Wave does is pull the odor out of the air, literally. Something about odor molecules being electro-statically charged + neutralized is how it works — and you're left with a real (not artificial) fresh pine scent. No more spritzing air freshener to try and mask an odor. My favorites:

+ all-purpose cleaning additive: This liquid is super duper concentrated. I love to pour a little down my bathroom sink and tub drains so they smell fresh. This is also a miracle worker for a stinky garbage can (if you've ever had food fall down the side and get left behind — gross.)
+ home spray: Makes the loo instantly smell fresh. I'm a total convert — this is my spray of choice.
+ crystal gel: I placed one in the closet that holds our shoes (teeny closet + stinky shoes = stinky closet.) We had nowhere else to put shoes, but I feared my cute silk tops would start smelling like Converse. This little can of crystal gel removed the shoe odor in about four hours when I checked back in my closet. It dries up in about 2 to 3 months and then will need a replacement. So worth the money. Also great for cat litter boxes + tucked by your trash area.
+ their candles are great in the kitchen — made of soy wax (of course, being green.)

Fresh Wave is not sold in the usual spots you'd think. You can't shop for the line at Target or your local pharmacy. I've found Fresh Wave at the hardware store — many Ace Hardware stores carry the line and you can buy Fresh Wave online.

Good news, Fresh Wave is offering a giveaway here! I'm finalizing details, but I should be ready to post the giveaway tomorrow or Friday — so check back in for a chance to win a free Fresh Wave kit.

sea salt scented cleaner

Caldrea has a fresh fragrance for its earth-friendly cleaners: Sea Salt Neroli. I got a whiff of the new scent, and I loved it. The fragrance blends uplifting lemon verbena, a tang of salt, a musk scent and a few more bright notes. Cleaners that use natural essential oils, like Caldrea, have a noticeably different scent than artificial home fragrance. Plant-derived cleaners are not overpowering — you don't cough from a harsh antiseptic scent. And yes, these green cleaners work. I especially love Caldrea's dish soap and laundry detergent. At $9 for a dish soap, Caldrea is a little indulgence. But cleaning is a chore, so sometimes I like to treat myself to make cleaning a smidge more pleasant.

cleaning list

Our apartment's in major need of a deep-down cleaning. How's your chore list looking?
My ambitious weekend list...

1. steam clean the kitchen, bathroom, and hardwood floors

2. clean the windows: the best solution for cleaning windows is actually a couple drops of dishwashing detergent in a bucket of warm water to cut grease and make them shine. Seriously — skip the glass cleaner.

3. vacuum, vacuum, vacuum

4. laundry: We're still in Laundromat mode here in Brooklyn, which is probably for the best since I'm super particular about sorting laundry after researching the best methods for many laundry stories. One sure-fire way to keep your clothes in better shape is to sort by color and type (so heavy jeans aren't tumbling around with delicate camisoles.) Here's how I sort:
whites: just pure whites (towels are separate, because fuzzy towels will lint on clothes in the wash)
light colors: pinks, fluorescents, and light reds move into the dark color pile
dark colors: darker color clothes — except jeans (fleece jackets + sweatshirts go with dark towels)
towels + sheets: separated into two piles, whites and colors, because even light colors can deposit color on your whites (terry bathrobes that need a wash go here)
tea towels + microfiber cloths: cleaning stuff gets separated from clothes for obvious germy reasons
jeans: we're suckers for the fancy dark jeans (bought pre-economic crash), so I take extra special care of our favorite blues. They get washed every so often in a separate delicate cold wash (jeans turned inside-out) — and then they're hung up to line-dry.
delicate bunch: camisoles, cashmere, lace unmentionables and the like are all hand-washed by me.
And yes, I know I'm bonkers about laundry — but our clothes seriously look good longer for it.

5. get myself cleaned up for a sweet Valentine's dinner!

p.s. Don't you love the photo above? This "clean up" shot is one of many cool spring-themed photographs you can find here. And be sure to check out Abby's lovely photo-driven blog.

{photo by abbytrysagain, of course!}

clean shower, clean air

My friends know that I'm pretty passionate about cleaners, as I've grilled them about what's in their caddy. I made the choice for a mix of green cleaners after researching and talking to experts about what's actually in cleaners — the findings definitely changed what I brought home. Bathroom cleaners can be the worst offenders, because obviously our bathrooms are small, enclosed spaces. Mix in some irritating chemicals and you're creating a nice bath of indoor air pollution. Just check out the warning on one of the more common mildew-fighting shower cleaners on the market. Does it work? Of course. But I know that I can't clean my shower while holding my breath.

That's why I love my Method daily shower spray. The spray keeps my shower curtain from turning into a mildew mess — which is quite a feat considering our teeny bathroom lacks a proper vent. If you already have a mildew problem, here's an alternative to toxic mildew cleaners: try the Sonic Scrubber with this shower spray to clean grout faster. I'm a big fan of Method and I've been using their shower spray for years. I love the fresh way the shower smells after a spritz (the ylang-ylang scent rocks.) And it takes just a minute to spray post-shower — easy. I'm still working on my mom, who has a caddy of cleaners with scary warning labels. But just so you know, there are alternatives for making your shower sparkly-clean.