Environmental Information

Jessica Alba- movie star and founder of The Honest Company

Many women are concerned if cleaning while pregnant is safe. But what about cleaning after your kids are born? Many cleaning products are marketed as “green” and “eco-friendly,” but what about kid friendly?

Jessica Alba, a celebrity and mom, had trouble finding green cleaning products that were safe, breaking out into a skin rash after using a supposedly baby safe laundry detergent.

“Not only that, I was sneezing my head off,” she told the NY Daily News. “I was like, how is this laundry detergent safe for babies?”

“Being a mom is the most profound experience I’ve ever had,” she says. The Honest Company provides baby safe products to parents, such as diapers and cleaning supplies. Sold in convenient packages called “bundles” – they even offer free trials!

What do you recycle? Answer on Facebook to win recycled toilet paper! Celebrate America Recycles Day with a $5 OFF coupon for CleaningProductsWorld.com. Use Coupon code: recycle. Expires 11/22/11.

Hi everyone, today I’ll be talking about recycled toilet paper.

I know.
‘Recycled’ and toilet paper should never land in the same sentence. It gives everyone the creepies.

I mean, I’m SURE it’s NOT recycled from actual toilet paper.
But where DOES it come from?
Because if it’s from old newspapers… that’s awesome! You could be wiping your nether region with a politician’s face! Take that!– (Insert republi—democra— person you don’t agree with.. or Charlie Sheen. Either way.)

Or what if it’s a child’s lately recycled art project?
Ghosts and goblins and badly rendered pumpkins…  I’m sure all the glitter is filtered out, but if not? Great. We all need to celebrate more.

"Dude if it’s from People magazine? That would be the most fabulous. Paris Hilton, Brangelina, The whole Kardashian Krew… all the people you love to hate, simply flushed down the toilet forever."

Dude if it’s from People magazine? That would be the most fabulous. Paris Hilton, Brangelina, The whole Kardashian Krew… all the people you love to hate, simply flushed down the toilet forever.

Imagine it’s your supervisor’s presentation, the one that was crap. And the whole thing landed in the giant green recycle bin. And then you slaved over ‘her’ new presentation for the next 48 hours. Yeah you’d enjoy using that recycled product, wouldn’t you?

It’s time to test this 100% ‘Premium Recycled Paper Content’

My family of 5 did their best. We switched to recycled for one week.
I asked everyone how it worked.

Teen Daughter:
(removes earbuds) Mom! (scowl) Ew. Don’t ask me that!
Tween Daughter:
It was awesome mom! (CanIgotoSarah’s housenow?)
7-YEAR-OLD Little Boy:
I didn’t use it. (Mom: What do you mean?! The Whole Week!? Will you go talk to your FATHER, now?)
The Dad:
Better than most hotels, and softer than leaves. (Now mom says, Ew.)
The Mom:
It’s almost as thick as our regular toilet paper but not as soft. For toilet needs it’s totally fine and everyone likes doing their part to help the environment, right?

But would I use it on my face or nose? Probably not. It’s not soft enough.
I’m curious to know if Marcal tissues are softer for your nose though?

The Real Point

“If every home or workplace in America switches to any Marcal product just once this week, together we could save over 1 million trees!” – Marcal packaging.

And THAT is a lot of old Walmart ads gone to good use.

Full Disclosure: Cleaning Products World asked Carissa Rogers to write a review in exchange for Marcal Toilet Paper.
In a former life, she was a molecular biologist. In her current life she is the chief researcher of blogging karma, parenting dos (and some don’ts) and for spice she pretends to be a photographer…a mom of all trades. Please find her on Twitter, she’s happy to talk recycled TP with you!

TOMORROW: See what customers thought of Marcal Pro Toilet Paper.

One of our readers recommended a great resource for our readers. For those of you interested in green construction, a blog has compiled some of the top links from the web. See the Top 50 Forums, and Blogs about Green Construction

My favorite is Inhabitat, which has green information not only in Architecture, but in many areas that apply to daily life. There are compiled blog posts from all across the web, including this technology article, 5 Useful Green Gadgets for Women on the Go.

Thanks for the recommendation, please keep your suggestions coming! We love to hear from our readers, either comment below or e-mail feedback to molly@cicgo.com.

In a recent survey of adults in the U.S., it was found that 84 percent of those surveyed prefer to do business with a company that uses green cleaning products and practices. The telephone poll was commissioned by Cintas Corporation and conducted by Harris Interactive® in March 2011 among more than 1,000 adults ages 18 and older.

“Today’s consumers are environmentally-conscious and expect the businesses they patronize to use green cleaning practices,” said Mike Thompson, Senior Vice President, Cintas Facility Services. “This research affirms that using environmentally-friendly cleaning products and practices has a positive impact on the environment and can help drive repeat business.”

Has your business switched to green cleaning practices? Here are some of the articles from our 30 Days of Green to help you get started:

Green Cleaning Terms & Definitions

Green Cleaning Benefits

Evolution of Green Cleaning

Let’s face it: green cleaning can be confusing. From acronyms to certified products, interpreting what environmentally green cleaning terms actually mean can be a challenge. Buying cleaning supplies is easy with this Green Cleaning Glossary to help you understand even the most unclear green cleaning terms.

LEED: Stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a certification program for green buildings. The LEED program has four levels: certified, silver, gold, and platinum, and aims toward encouraging architects, builders, and maintenance personnel to design, construct, and maintain buildings in a way that is energy efficient as well as environmentally friendly. A variety of products, such as green toilet paper, can help a building qualify for LEED points and lead toward a certification as a green building.

A flushable bathroom cleaner

Biodegradable: A biodegradable product is one that will decompose naturally when exposed to the elements. Biodegradable products are environmentally friendly, and include items such as Scrubbing Bubbles Flushable Bathroom Cleaner Wipes.

Carcinogen: A carcinogen is any chemical that is known to cause cancer. Green cleaning products are known to contain fewer carcinogens and thus are healthier than nongreen products.

HEPA: Stands for High-Efficiency Particulates Air filters. HEPA filters are a common green cleaning feature on vacuums, and help reduce the number of particulates that pass through the filter, thus improving the overall air quality. HEPA vacuums such as the Saniataire Model SC5845 Bagless can be purchased at CleaningProductsWorld.

Post-Consumer Products: This term refers to products that have been discarded by a consumer and subsequently recycled into a new product. Post-Consumer Products include Sunrise Paper Towels and Green Heritage Jumbo Roll Tissue.

VOC: Stands for Volatile Organic Compounds and are given off by a variety of cleaning products including degreasers, disinfectants, and pesticides. VOCs can cause a multitude of health risks; however, many green cleaning products contain low VOCs.

FSC Certified: FCS stands for Forest Stewardship Council, an organization that ensures that all products with its certification are made from trees in FCS certified forests, controlled sources, or are recycled from post-consumer waste. Products carrying an FCS certification include Kleenex Hand Towels.

Let us know if there are any other terms you need defined!

Go Green in your Laundry Room!

Using a green laundry detergent such as Seventh Generation Liquid laundry detergent combined with the reducing water and energy usage make doing laundry a more environmentally friendly process. Many times a green laundry detergent will be better for sensitive skin because no artificial dyes or brighteners are used. Try these tips for a greener laundry day that will be better for the environment and your wallet!

Use cold water- 90% of the energy used in laundry cycles goes toward heating the water. The Department of Energy approximates that if every household switched to using cold water to wash their clothes, 34 million tons of carbon emissions would be eliminated. Simply switching from the hot water cycle to the warm cycle can reduce your energy usage by half.

Dry your clothes outside – Drying your laundry outside when the weather is nice rather than using the dryer can save you about $75 a year on energy bills. This cuts energy costs as well, and will leave your clothes smelling fresh and airy.

Wear your clothes more than once– There is nothing wrong with wearing a pair of jeans more than once. Other items such as pajamas, sweatshirts, and sweaters can be worn several times before a washing is needed. Not only will the clothing last longer from less washing, you will have less laundry to do overall, saving water, energy, and time!

Use a front-loading washing machine – Front-loading washing machines use 7,000 gallons less each year than their top-loading counterparts without compromising clothing cleanliness. When you can get your clothes just as clean and help save water and energy, switching to a top-loading washer is a no-brainer!

Fill it up! – Every time you do a load of laundry, ensure you fill it completely with clothing. For example, don’t just wash the socks; wait until you have a full load of whites to run the washer. Washing machines will use the same amount of energy regardless of load size.

The benefits of green cleaning have long been discussed in janitorial supply company circles, among cleaners, and even among moms. It is not new knowledge that using green cleaning products expose those who use them and those who use the areas being cleaned to fewer chemicals. This is probably the most well-known fact in support of green cleaning, besides the obvious environmental benefits. We’ve compiled a list of some of the other benefits of green cleaning in both public buildings and the home.

Public Buildings

Research has shown that buildings that switch to green cleaning products have:

• Healthier employees – when exposed to less chemicals employees are less likely to become sick.
• Lower operating costs
• More access to government monetary motivation plans, such as the EPA Energy Star program and earning points toward becoming LEED certified.

Homes

• Less family sickness – no one will have allergic reactions to detergents, and no one will be exposed to carcinogens, making green products ideal for use around children and the elderly.
• Lower chance of encountering other living things – some toxic cleaning chemicals do not kill bugs and rodents, rather, they cause disease and mutations among living ones – not something you want living in your home.
• Longer lasting home – green cleaning products won’t eat away at your wood furniture, damage your chrome fixtures, or fade your upholstery like the chemicals in non green cleaning products will. A key tip is to always use products that are biodegradable.

Switch to green cleaning products today!

 There are many ways to reduce the energy usage in your home, putting less strain on the environment and in the long-run saving you money at the same time.  It is understandable that not everyone has the time or money to make drastic updates like placing solar panels on their roof, or replace all of their windows with energy saving windows.  However, there are cheaper alternatives to making your household green.  Below are 5 practical ways to help you cut your energy usage in the home.

 Check Your Insulation – All insulation is rated by an R-value, or how well it can trap heat.  The average recommended R value for insulation in North America is 12.   If yours is lower, upgrading could dramatically reduce your heating and cooling costs.

 Plant a Tree – Properly sited trees planted around the house can reduce your cooling and heating costs by up to 30 percent!  Also, they may increase your property value as an extra bonus.

 Use Low Flow Toilets and Showerheads – Older showerheads are likely pumping out more water than you need, today’s standard showerhead uses 2.5 gallons a minute or less and would help cut your water bill.  Additionally, new standard low-flow toilets use 1.6 gallons per flush or less compared to much higher amounts in older toilets.

 Recycle Paper and Used Recycled Paper Products – Recycled paper uses far less resources than non-recycled paper.  One ton of recycled paper uses 17 fewer trees than non-recycled paper, and recycled paper products require less energy consuming to produce.  In comparison to producing non-recycled paper, every ton of recycled paper produced saves enough energy to power a 3 bedroom house for a year!

 Bank Online and Pay Bills Online – The amount of paper saved if every home in the U.S. paid its bills online would reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by a staggering 2.1 tons.

 A person doesn’t need to spend thousands of dollars to reduce their own energy costs and consumption – do you have tips for going green in the home?  Share them in the comments section!

You’ve come to the end of a roll of toilet paper or paper towels. You have a decision to make.

Thanks to coreyjune12 for the picture!

You can

There are hundreds of ways to reuse the cardboard roll that is left behind after a roll of toilet paper or paper towels is used; here we highlight some of the most creative and most popular.

Planters – Cut cardboard rolls down until they are about two inches tall and insert into potting soil. Sprinkle seeds inside of the cardboard circles and emerging plants will be protected by a compostable support system.

Plastic Bag Storage – Forgot your reusable shopping bags when you went to the grocery store and now you’re stuck with a bunch of plastic shopping bags? Use a paper towel tube to effectively store plastic bags until you’re ready to reuse them.  Stuff them in one-by-one on one end and pull them out in the same fashion on the other and you have yourself a handy plastic bag holder and dispenser!

Extension Cord Control/Storage – Trying to store electrical cords, extension cords, or Christmas lights and the cords end up incessantly tangled? Wrap the cords into a small circle or oval and then slip a cardboard toilet paper or paper towel tube over one end. Cords will maintain their shape and position and will not get tangled with themselves or with other cords.

Rodent Play – Paper towel tubes and toilet paper tubes are the perfect hiding places for mice, gerbils, hamsters, and other pet rodents. The paper nature of these tubes allows for them to be easily disposed of when soiled or dirtied, suppressing the need to clean plastic versions of such play tubes.

Packing – Need help separating your underwear, socks, jewelry, and other small items in your suitcase? Cut toilet paper rolls in half for an easy and convenient packing solution. Place cut rolls vertically in your suitcase and insert items inside to keep them secure and easy to find. Also works great for storing items in drawers.

Art Project for Kids – Toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls are a popular medium for toilet paper roll art for both adults and children alike. From pencil holders to firecrackers to animal sculptures, there are tons of different creative projects that can be made from a toilet paper or paper towel tube. A simple Google search results in a myriad of results with instructions, or just let your children use their imaginations!

Donate – If you have no need, use, or creative idea for reusing toilet paper and paper towel rolls, you can always donate those you have left over to senior centers, day cares, or elementary schools, all of which are bound to find a crafty way to reuse them!