Monday, March 29, 2010

Seventh Generation

Here at the mansion we try our best to be eco-conscious, and while we've got a long way to go, I firmly believe that every little thing that we do to reduce our carbon footstep is one LARGE step in the right direction.

It can be a struggle finding products that are green and perform as well as their non-green counterparts without spending an arm and a leg (or driving out of your way, wasting gasoline to buy "whole" products from the overpriced natural grocer). One of the things that we almost ALWAYS do, is buy Seventh Generation paper products. The reason isn't what you think. Mr. S. went to prep school in Massachusetts and his school happened to be near a paper processing plant. The smell of bleach permeated the air around campus, and ever since then, he looks for natural paper products (like brown napkins and paper towels).

One of my biggest concerns about using natural cleaning products is that they just don't seem to clean as well as the more traditional cleaners.  Seventh Generation uses thymol (which is made from the herb thyme) in their disinfecting products that can be used on all hard surfaces (like toys, countertops, plastic cutting boards, etc.) and kills 99.99% of germs in a natural manner.



I received a nice cleaning kit from Seventh Generation recently (including Disinfecting Wipes, Multi Surface Cleaner, Bathroom Cleaner, paper towels and more) and have been using the products for about a week now. I'm finding that the cleaners are doing a good job of keeping my counters, etc. clean and I like the consistency of the cleaner when you spray it out of the pump. Mr. S is in charge of the wipes, since it's they're so convenient and he actually cleans up after himself when there are wipes available. My kit came with a plastic tote to hold all of my cleaning supplies as well as the book The Conscious Kitchen: The New Way to Buy and Cook Food - to Protect the Earth, Improve Your Health, and Eat Deliciously.

It has some GREAT tips to help you keep a green healthy kitchen including



* Change is Good
Choosing cleaning products without indoor air pollutants like volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, is a simple and effective way to reduce your indoor air pollution. If you’re not prepared to switch everything overnight, start by swapping out the one product you use the most, and moving forward from there.



* Think before you spray
Residues from cleaning products can last on a surface for longer than we we’d like to know and travel to areas that we sometimes don’t intend them to. Don’t contaminate your food by prepping it on a surface that may contain harsh chemical residues - rinse cleaning products from food preparation surfaces carefully or use botanical disinfecting cleaners that do not require a rinse step.


* Home is Where the Clean Is
Your standard cleaners are good for removing soils and dirt from kitchen surfaces, but to tackle germs you need a cleaner that is effective against microbes like bacteria and viruses. Many cleaners contain ingredients that have antimicrobial properties such as vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, but the germ killing power of these is not necessarily guaranteed. To be sure you are killing germs, use an EPA registered disinfectant. Seventh Generation tapped into the disinfecting power of the common garden herb thyme, to provide a disinfecting cleaner that kills germs* naturally.


* Make the Old New Again
Think twice about the items that you’re using to clean and dry your kitchen equipment and dishes. Use rags (like old t-shirts and washcloths) instead of paper towels. If you aren’t prepared to kick your paper towel addiction just yet, use only recycled versions that are unbleached or haven’t been whitened with chemicals containing chlorine and see how long you can make a roll last.


* The Writing is on the … Sponge
Be sure to read the fine print on sponges and only purchase those that do not contain antimicrobial pesticides. Remember to store sponges in a dry place and frequently clean them by popping plastic sponges wet in a microwave for two minutes or boiling sponges for three minutes in water.

* Mom Was Right, Wash Your Hands
Wash your hands with soap and water before and after prepping food, and always before eating. So much of what can be potentially harmful in a kitchen can be reduced by this simple act that doesn’t require any harsh chemicals whatsoever.

So, now in addition to buying their paper products, I'll be adding some of their cleaning supplies (especially the Disinfecting Wipes) to my shopping list.

Thank you to Seventh Generation or sending me these products and information as well as this giveaway through MyBlogSpark. I was in no way compensated for this post and all opinions are strictly my own.
GIVEAWAY
Enter Daily




Extra Entries

  1. Blog about this giveaway on YOUR blog!
  2. Follow Champagne Living - on the sidebar
  3. Check out "B's" new blog and subscribe at I Pity the Blog
  4. Subscribe to Champagne Living for FREE
  5. Link to this giveaway on your Facebook page
  6. Follow me on twitter
  7. Twitter this giveaway
  8. Add our badge to your blog/site
  • Be sure to leave a comment letting me know if you've done any of these (if you already subscribe or have our badge - please note that in the comments as well).

* This giveaway is open to US residents, 18 and over and ends on April 14, 2010 11:59 EST.
* The winner will be randomly chosen and their information will be sent directly to the sponsor for fulfillment.
* Good Luck


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Widget by Hoctro | Jack Book

76 comments:

SheilaBee said...

Following on Google Friend
I subscribed to I pity the Blog
Subscribed to Champagne Living
Twitter following you as sheilabran
Tweet-http://twitter.com/SheilaBran/status/11289603857

Anonymous said...

email subscriber

denise_22315 at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

I follow you as wiscmom24 on Twitter.

denise_22315 at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

I tweeted.

http://twitter.com/wiscmom24/status/11305051199

denise_22315 at yahoo dot com

rbailey1958 said...

Tweet

http://twitter.com/pkbailey01/status/11309490183

pkbailey@charter.net

rbailey1958 said...

Newsletter subscriber

pkbailey@charter.net

rbailey1958 said...

I follow you on twitter[pkbailey01]

pkbailey@charter.net

Elphie said...

I'm following Champagne Living
chirpatme at rocketmail dot com

Elphie said...

email subscriber
chirpatme at rocketmail dot com

Elphie said...

I tweeted here:
http://twitter.com/fureez/status/11318019291
chirpatme at rocketmail dot com

CherylS22 said...

RSS feed subscriber (Google Reader)
megalon22 at yahoo dot com

traci smith said...

i am a follower

traci smith said...

i subscribe to you

traci smith said...

i follow you on twitter as tracisme123

littlelatina said...

enter me thanks

littlelatina said...

sounds very good

Lynn said...

Subscribe to I Pity the Blog
Champaign Living
Facebook fan
Broads email

Peggy said...

Follow Champagne Living
matternu@gmail.com

Peggy said...

subscribe at I Pity the Blog
matternu@gmail.com

Peggy said...

Follow on twitter
velvet1116
matternu@gmail.com

Peggy said...

tweet
http://twitter.com/velvet1116/status/11429018230
matternu@gmail.com

Peggy said...

Posted to Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=feed&story_fbid=114265121918702&id=587886633&ref=nf
matternu@gmail.com

Amy W. said...

I'm following your blog. :)

Amy W. said...

I'm following you on Twitter - ATennelle

Anonymous said...

I use vinegar instead of the name brand window cleaner

Keita said...

Following on twitter.
keitadonna at hotmail dot com

Liz said...

I follow you publicly on Google Friend Connect.
mysticraindropss(at)gmail(dot)com

Liz said...

I follow zipporahs on twitter as mysticraindrops

mysticraindropss(at)gmail(dot)com

Liz said...

Tweet:
http://twitter.com/mysticraindrops/status/11671379498
mysticraindropss(at)gmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I blogged about the giveaway. http://bit.ly/aQxFeY

Anonymous said...

I follow Champaign Living.

Anonymous said...

I checked out "B's" new blog and subscribe at I Pity the Blog.

Anonymous said...

I subscribe to Champaign Living.

Anonymous said...

I linked to this giveaway on my Facebook page. http://bit.ly/c5mk0n

Anonymous said...

I follow you on Twitter.

Anonymous said...

I tweeted about the giveaway. http://twitter.com/lian0503/status/11794861869

Anonymous said...

I added your badge to my site. http://bit.ly/bmSUXh

Virginia C said...

Please enter my name in the drawing.

GFC follower and subscriber

gcwhiskas at aol dot com

Deb said...

I follow Champange Living

Deb said...

I follow I Pity The Blog

Deb said...

I follow on twitter

Karen said...

Count me in please :)

ktgonyea at gmail.com

julis55 said...

I use vinegar instead of the name brand window cleaner

terri142 said...

I am now following your blog with google friend connect.

terri142 said...

tweet!

http://twitter.com/terri142/status/12072428069

Falon H. said...

Subscribed to champagne living

falongoesgreen @ gmail dot com

Falon H. said...

subscribed to I Pity the Blog

falongoesgreen @ gmail dot com

Falon H. said...

Following on twitter

falongoesgreen

falongoesgreen @ gmail dot com

lisa said...

Blogged: http://stephie-stephsblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/spring-cleaning.html

msmith572@yahoo.com

lisa said...

I follow your blog. msmith572@yahoo.com

lisa said...

I subscribe to I Pity the Blog in Google Reader; didn't see email option. msmith572@yahoo.com

lisa said...

I subscribe to your blog via email. msmith572@yahoo.com

lisa said...

Posted on my Facebook wall: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1299731843

msmith572@yahoo.com

lisa said...

I follow you on Twitter(samasam). msmith572@yahoo.com

lisa said...

Tweet: http://twitter.com/samasam/status/12110912109

msmith572@yahoo.com

lisa said...

I have your button here: http://stephie-stephsblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/spring-cleaning.html

msmith572@yahoo.com

K said...

I follow!

romancingthestork (at) gmail (dot) com

vegan4life said...

nice to use around the house ty.
vivianbl@olg.com

Brian E. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Brian E. said...

Tweeted: http://twitter.com/brianpiero/status/12152969570

senorpiero [at] yahoo [dot] com

Brian E. said...

Thanks for the giveaway...Following you via Twitter: @brianpiero

senorpiero [at] yahoo [dot] com

EmmysBoosAndRawrs said...

I follow you on twitter as @boosandrawrs

Julie said...

I follow your blog as jelaws5

aunteegem@yahoo.com

Julie said...

email sub

aunteegem@yahoo.com

Kathy P said...

following your blog as klp1965

Kathy P said...

email subscriber

Kathy P said...

following on twitter klp1965

Kathy P said...

http://twitter.com/klp1965/status/12180973027

Kathy P said...

http://www.facebook.com/KathyLPease#!/KathyLPease?v=wall&story_fbid=113542578666098&ref=mf

barbara said...

Thanks for the great contest!
bahjeep@aol.com

Unknown said...

follower

Unknown said...

subscriber

DEBIJOT said...

follow you on twitter - debijot

DEBIJOT said...

google reader subscriber

tina reynolds said...

i follow your blog

Bonita12 said...

blog follower thru GFC
bwalker1123 at gmail dot com

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
 
Custom design by Revka Stearns of Berries and Cream Blog Design
© 2008 - present Champagne Living. Content May Not Be Reproduced Without Permission. | Contact Zippy | Privacy Policy |
Clicky Web Analytics

Champagne Living has moved!

You should be automatically redirected in 6 seconds. If not, visit
http://champagneliving.net
and update your bookmarks.