I'm very excited to announce the launch of our new magazine - Clean Green Living!

You can see it here:

Make sure to follow us on facebook, twitter and instagram to learn more about living clean and green. Join us for an incredible journey!

Sara Snow Is My Guest On Clean Green Talk

Join me as I interview green living expert, Sara Snow. Sara understands healthy and natural living in a way few of us do, and it’s her mission to help impart that knowledge and experience to people all over the world so they too can live a greener lifestyle. Learn how Sara’s family and upbringing shaped her and how that experience earned her the title of “green living’s real deal.” You can call and ask her questions at 1-866-50clean (1-866-502-5326) or join the conversation on my facebook pagewww.facebook.com/greencleaningcoach

Nuts & Lavender For Your Laundry

I just wrote a new article for eHow.com about using bags of nuts and lavender to clean your clothes! Yep, that's right, NUTS! Once the article is posted, I'll add the link here so you can read it. One of the questions I know your going to ask is "where do I get these nuts", so I thought I'd let you know that you can purchase these totally organic soap nuts right at my store. The brand I especially like are Yore Organics. They are packaged  right here in New England by a mom who was trying to solve a family problem and ended up creating a business. http://www.backdoorvac.com/yore-organics-organic-laundry-soap-soap-nuts-1744.html

The other item I talk about in the article is using lavender in a muslin bag to scent your laundry. You do this by putting the lavender bag in the dryer. It makes the entire laundry room smell wonderful while the clothes are drying AND the clothes smell just as nice when they come out! All this and you are avoiding toxic chemicals in those dryer sheets. http://www.backdoorvac.com/just-bee-dryer-bags2.html

Four Tips for Keeping Your Bathroom Cleaner

http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/designer-bathrooms#slide-1

A question I received yesterday was "How can I create a schedule to keep my bathroom cleaner?"  Really what you need are a few routines to cut down your actual cleaning time. Here are a few tips for the bathroom:

• Swish the toilet every morning with your toilet brush. This will keep the bowl cleaner so you don't have to clean as often.
• Use an "eco-sponge" in the shower while you are in it. The sponge uses the technology of friction to clean off soap scum. It's great for glass shower doors too.
• "Dust" your bathroom every day with a dry microfiber cloth. This will keep the buildup to a minimum and make actual cleaning a cinch.
• Keep a small battery operated vacuum in the bathroom and run it every day on the floors. This will keep the hair and lint to a minimum.

Learn How To Clean Your Windows - With Just Water

Here is one simple tool that can make cleaning your windows a snap. I only wish I had found this while I had my house keeping service! I never agreed to clean windows because they are so hard to do correctly. We'd spend hours spraying glass cleaner and trying every kind of paper towel so we could avoid streaks and lint. This blue cloth does it all!

A Review Of My Book By The Healthful Truth

Here is a review of my book by the Healthful Truth. Thanks Lily!

The Joy of Green Cleaning

Posted on December 2, 2012

I have a dream…that one day my home will be completely free of harsh chemicals! I was raised to use these toxic chemicals. My mother says “If you’re not using Clorox, it’s not clean!”. My mother even uses it in her dish water especially when someone gets sick in the home. I thought this was how it was done! (Sorry Mom!) Now I cringe when I smell bleach. Lysol All Purpose Cleaner gives me a raging headache.

What is my “why” when it comes to green cleaning? I didn’t actually start to make green, non-toxic changes until I became pregnant and started thinking about my daughter’s health. I thought about how she would be crawling on the floors absorbing toxic chemicals through her skin and mouth. They would be present on her clothes and inhaling these chemicals that kill brain cells, cause cancer, and irritate your skin. If you have kids you know that their skin is very sensitive and their guts are very permeable and these chemicals would quickly get in to her blood stream and wreck havoc. Not only did I think about the cleaners but also the baby products like shampoos and lotions. Another reason

why, is that we over do it when it comes to anti-bacterial products. We have been raised to think that killing all bacteria is good for us…WRONG. Most people don’t realize that there are good bacteria and bad bacteria. Antibacterial cleaners kill everything leaving the strongest bacterias to survive and get stronger. This results in the creation of super bacteria that become resistant to the antibacterial agents you use to kill them. You may actually be doing more harm to yourself by using these harsh chemicals to kill them then what the bad bacteria you are trying to kill may do to you.

So all this non-toxic talk brings me to my latest blog post which is really a book review of The Joy of Green Cleaning.  I absolutely love this recipe book! It’s a great handy resource book for green cleaning.  It was written by Leslie Reichert aka Green Cleaning Coach whose mission is to teach and encourage others in the art of home-keeping and green cleaning. In her book, Leslie explains what is the big deal about greening your cleaning. She says that most regular cleaning can be done without any toxic chemicals. It is true that you can clean with non-toxic items already in your pantry such as baking soda, vinegar, sea salt, lemon juice, and hydrogen peroxide.

Read more here...

Little Cleaning Box~Review and Giveaway

Brittany from Blabs from a Scam reviewed my Little Cleaning Box and LOVED it! She what she had to say about it here:

Over the last few months I have weeded out all unnatural cleaning products in my house.  No more chemicals or harsh smells in my house now!  I got the chance to try the Little Cleaning Box a few weeks ago.    When I first made the switch I was nervous that they wouldn't actually clean.  This is a perfect way to try out green household products to see if they really do work.  My box included:

• Modern Mermaid-All Purpose and Glass Cleaner
• Mrs. Meyers Dish Soap in Lavender, Basil, Geranium, and Lemon Verbena scents
• Grab Green Laundry Detergent
• Skoy Cloth
• Just Bee Dryer Bag

The Modern Mermaid All Purpose and Glass Cleaner really does what it claims. I cleaned off our end table that is perpetually sticky from our daughter's juice boxes.  I also used it to clean off the windows behind our couch.  Anyone that knows what a dog's nose prints can do to a window knows how hard it is to clean.  It cleaned off the funk with no issues!  This is just as good as any non-green cleaner out there.




Up until recently, I only used the dishwasher to do our dishes.  But lately I have been washing my daughter's cup by hand.  So Mrs. Meyers Dish Soap was the first green dish soap I have tried.  I was curious about the different smells, fearing they might be overpowering.  But I found the scents mild and soothing.  The dish soap really works and it seemed like I didn't have to use that much soap.  

The Grab Green Laundry Detergent smells downright fantastic. I have never used a pod laundry detergent before and I really liked it.  You don't have to measure; just pop one in with the dirty clothes.  Really easy!  It got all our clothes clean with using any harsh chemicals. 






The Skoy cloth was my favorite thing I tried!  They are reuseable paper towels that can last for a full year!  You can throw it in the dishwasher or micromave to clean and disinfect it.  After a few washes they are better used as cleaning cloth or rag.  I absolutely hate using paper towels and this is a great, equally effective alternative.  I plan of buying a lot more of these!


I have never even heard of natural dryer bags before.  But man was I missing something!  These leave your laundry with a light but wonderful scent.  Each bags lasts up to ten loads of laundry.


The box is only $10 and is well worth it.  Unlike other higher priced boxes, this one is really a great value.  You get eight samples and they are samples you can use more then once!  If you find a product that you really love, you can order the full sized products on their website with free shipping.

Leslie Reichert is offering a free PDF copy of her book, The Joy of Green Cleaning, to anyone who purchases their own Little Cleaning Box!  Just let me know in a comment or email(britibee@gmail.com) that you made a purchase and I will have them send you the book!  

You can buy it here.

Also check it out on Facebook and Twitter.

Julia Child - Cleaning Up In The Kitchen

Everyone is writing, cooking and eating to honor the 100 birthday of the wonderful Julia Child. I have been a fan of hers from the very start of her TV career. I remember watching her TV show when they were being aired for the first time. Yes, that would be the early 1960’s and even as a  5 year old child, I loved her. I also remember what the Washington Post wrote about her style. “It wasn’t that she could do no wrong – it was that she made doing wrong so right!”  I love her!

So in honor of Julia’s 100^th birthday, I pulled out my copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and started to see if there was SOMETHING I could make so I could be a part of the celebration. It’s been three years since my husband bought me her book, hoping that someday I would get motivated and make something French for dinner. To date that hasn’t happened. I opened the book to the introduction and read her outlook on life. I especially liked the part about -  “have a good time!”  

I then started browsing through the forward and found her advice on cleaning:
“Use all the pans, bowls and equipment you need, but soak them in water as soon as you are through with them. Clean up after yourself frequently to avoid confusion.”  And again “have a good time!”

Who knew that Julia not only was an expert at cooking but also had great tips for cleaning. (Although if you watch her show she usually threw things right on the floor!) Really, every good cook has to clean up their own mess, unless of course you’re a celebrity chef and have a staff to do that.  Sometimes I think that cleaning up is the real reason I don’t like cooking!

As I continued into the pages of her book I found a “recipe” on page four under A Note on Copper Pans. Julia writes: … there is the cleaning problem, as copper tarnishes quikly. Ther are fast modern copper cleaners available. A good homemade mixture is half a cup of white vinegar and ¼ cup each of table salt and scouring powder. Rub the mixture over the copper, using steel wool if the pot is badly tarnished, then rinse in hot water.  Alias, the woman we celebrate for her cooking skills also knew how to clean and realized its importance.

So in honor of Julia’s 100 birthday, I suggest you mix up this copper scrub, find a pot that needs attention and get to cleaning! While you’re cleaning that pot, sing happy birthday to Julia! It will be a great way to avoid confusion and to have a good time!

Happy Cleaning, Julia! 

Dusting Tips on Martha Stewart Living Radio

If you missed Morning Living on Martha Stewart Living Radio today, this is what we discussed. 

Dusting or Polishing

There is a difference between dusting and polishing. Dusting is something that removes the dust from surfaces while polishing is actually treating the wood. We have tried to combine the two by using polishing sprays while we are dusting. What's happened is that we are doing a poor job of both.

picture from http://multimenage.webs.com/dusting.htm

Dusting should be done once a week with just a clean microfiber cloth and a touch of a light spray. I mix up my "light dusting spray" and put it into a spray bottle.(Never spray anything directly on the furniture). Then just go over the piece and remove the dust. This is easy and quick. The less oily polish you use the longer it will stay dust free. The oils collect dust and make it harder to remove it.

Polishing should be done every 3-6 months. This is a lot of work, but keeps the furniture looking new and also keeps the wood and finish moisturized. I use my recipe - Lemony Furniture Polish - when I'm going to polish the furniture. And make sure you use a high quality microfiber cloth.

How to dust

I always say to myself "top to bottom, back to front" because i always want to go to the dusty thing i see first. Instead, start as high up as you can reach and work you way down to the floor. Also work in a circle around the room and you'll never miss anything. Make sure you get the tops of door jambs and all the wood trim. You can use a feather duster to knock off some dust, but for flat surfaces - use a cloth. You can also use a lambswool duster - high quality ones are able to be washed in the sink with a touch of dish detergent

Other ways to dust

Removing dust from pillows - use your dryer

Removing dust from knick-knacks - use your dishwasher

Removing dust from tight places - use a stiff paint brush and a vacuum

Safe Germ Killers

Bleach is a household cleaning product for one reason. It is very effective in killing that bacteria on your countertops or other surfaces in your home. However, not only is bleach toxic to those micro-invaders but it is also terrible for you and your family, especially when it finds its way from you countertops to your food. There are better, safer ways to protect yourself from salmonella, e-coli, and other scary bacteria. Below is the link to watch part 2 of my 10 part video series to help you get a safer, green cleaning home.

http://www.greencleaningcoach.com/ar/safe-germ-killer

Not only will the tips in this video save you some money as you will be able to use common home ingredients but you will have the added benefit of knowing that the cleaning supplies you are using aren't harming the health of you and your family. The fact that creating your own cleaners can be fast, fun, and easy is just a bonus.

How to clean dust off your ceiling fan

The other night I was staring up at my ceiling fan.  All I could see was the unsightly dust buildup that has been hiding on the top of the blades and has starting flowing over the sides.
This is a very common problem. The fan is a place we forget to clean. Out of sight, out of mind. I have a very simple solution to the problem. Use a pillowcase to wipe away the dust. Anything that falls will be caught in the pillowcase, safe to be shaken out outside. This will keep everything under the fan nice and clean.

This is what the fan looked like before the clean.

This is how I used the pillowcase. Simply put the case over the whole blade and the wipe away.

And TADA! Your fan is as good as new with no hint of that invading dust.