How to Shop Smarter for Eco-Friendly Products

Originally posted to Real Simple.com

Not all eco-friendly products are created equal. Some seemingly green options aren’t actually worth the extra money.

Biodegradable Products

Unless you have your own compost pile, or live in a place where there is municipal composting, products marketed as biodegradable won’t actually biodegrade. In order to break down, a biodegradable item needs air, water, light, microbes, and enzymes. And those conditions aren’t readily available in overstuffed landfills. The better choice: reusable materials.

English: Materials in a compost bin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Natural or Organic Cosmetics

If you see the words, organic, natural, or eco-friendly on a bottle of cream, shampoo, or face powder, keep reading. Unless you notice a stamp from a reliable third party certifier to back up these green claims, it might not be as organic as you think. There might only be a single certified organic oil mixed in with 20 other decidedly non-organic ingredients. Look for items that are USDA certified organic, or that carry a Natural Products Association seal, or a BDIH stamp. You can also check out the safety of any cosmetic before purchasing on the Good Guide or The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database.

Antibiotic and Hormone­–Free Meat

It’s a great choice to avoid eating meat that contains either, but without third party certification, you never know what you’re really biting into. Look for the USDA organic seal, which bans the use of both and requires third party certification.

Read more about why you should buy antibiotic- and hormone-free meat at practicallygreen.com.

BPA-Free Plastic

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is an industrial chemical involved in making certain plastics and has been associated with potential health hazards. However, BPA-free claims are also very difficult to verify and a recent study showed that most plastics, not just BPA, are harmful, especially when exposed to heat. If you are concerned about chemicals leaching from plastics into your food, the safest option is to switch to glass or lead-free ceramics for heating or dishwashing.

Reusable Bags

Sometimes there is too much of a good thing. Of course reusable bags are preferable to plastic or paper, but they do require a lot of energy to produce. According to a British government-sponsored life cycle assessment, a cotton bag must be used 171 times before it’s environmentally friendlier than paper or plastic. So the next time you forget your reusable bags, don’t guilt yourself into buying more, rather reuse the paper or plastic you take.

Organic Dry–­­Cleaning

A large percentage of U.S. dry cleaners use perchlorethylene (aka perc), which the EPA says causes cancer in lab animals, and is a possible carcinogen. However, some of the chemicals most so-called organic cleaners use aren’t proven to be tremendously safer than perc. If you can find a CO2 or wet cleaner, that’s much better. Or wash your clothing yourself; it’s amazing how most items labeled dry clean only do just fine in a cold water cycle.

Eco-Friendly Fabrics

Organic cotton is an excellent green choice. The EPA considers seven of the top 15 pesticides used on cotton crops to be possible, likely, probable, or known carcinogens. Unfortunately, too many items, including sheets and towels, are labeled organic or eco-friendlywith no certification to back it up. Look for the USDA organic seal or Global Organic Textile (GOTS) certification.

Labeling for products that meet the USDA-NOP standards (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Your DIY Weekend Ideas!

We love cruising the web and finding different places for different and fun DIY projects for you to embark on!

Here are a few of our favorites from the week:

Easily Recreating The Look of a Classic Wallpaper: Patterned Paint Rollers

From Fresh Home Design & Architecture

 

Jar and Holder Labels for your goods

From homepindesigns.com

 

Acorn Fall DIY Projects

From Mrkate.com

 

Solid Wood Shelves

From design-decor-staging.com

And just before the good weather comes to an end…

DIY Picnic Baskets

From stylemepretty.com

Small Bathroom Renovation Made Easy

Re-blogged from BathFitter.com:

Fear not, owners of small bathrooms! Bathroom renovation for the cozy and compact doesn’t have to be a burden. In fact, it can even be fun and exciting, especially if you utilize this guide to making small bathroom renovation easy. You’ll find suggestions geared specifically toward small spaces, as well as tips that can create the impression of more space and open up your bathroom.

Wainscoting Is for All Size Bathrooms

Wainscoting is an easy process that knows no limits, big or small, when it comes to the size of your bathroom. It is an aesthetic transformation that adds texture to any part of the wall that you choose. There are plenty of options, and it can be a DIY procedure if that’s easiest for you.

A Conversion Is the Pathway to Freedom

An easy way to add space to your small bathroom is to perform a tub-to-shower conversion. This allows you the freedom to dictate how big or small your shower will be, since you are not hampered by the tub and the need for space to bathe. In addition, a shower allows for other options that will open up space in your bathroom, covered in detail below.

Shower Doors Should Open Up…The Room

If you’re upgrading to a shower door or getting rid of your old one, think about how you want it to open. Sliding doors don’t need any clearance. If you’re opting for a hinged door, think about making it as small as possible and make sure it opens up in a way that won’t be interfering with anything else in your bathroom.

Clear Glass = More Space

Frameless & clear glass shower doors can give the appearance of more space because they will eliminate visual barriers from the room. You may also want to make sure your shower walls are up to snuff with a new shower surround renovation, since they will now be exposed to the entire room.

Let There Be Light

Opt for lighter colors and more solid patterns. Lighter colors and subtle tones will open up the room, and solid patterns will help create the illusion of more space. Keep this in mind when making design decisions for any aspect of your bathroom: shower surround, wainscoting, wall paint, furniture, etc..

Accessorize the Shower

Accessorizing your shower can allow you to add a design element to your existing space while simultaneously creating more storage within your shower. Maybe it’s time to move certain things from the linen closet to a towel bar or a corner shelf. Even replacing your faucets and fixtures for more simple ones can give the impression of more space. If you have a clear glass shower door, these shower accessories become part of the overall look of your bathroom.

Go Vertical

Go Vertical, whatever that might mean for your bathroom. Utilize the space from the floor to the ceiling. Put a shelf somewhere new. Condense your tub area to a more vertically-oriented shower. Put a storage bin on top of something, even if it’s tough to reach. Before you know it, you’ll have more space and you’ll be wondering why you didn’t think of going vertical on your own.

These are just a few ways in which renovating a small bathroom can stop being a nuisance and start becoming fun. Good luck in your project, and as always, your friends at BATH FITTER are a phone call away to assist you with anything you might need.

One man’s junk…

..is another man’s treasure. Truer words have never been spoken.

The most definitive example of this statement is the age old trend of garage sales. I remember it like it was yesterday; waking up a 4:30 on a SATURDAY with my mom, route in hand, a clean car, wads of cash, and bargain faces on.

There’s no doubt some of the best bargains can be found at yard sales. Items with color, personality, that you won’t find anywhere else are just waiting for you to throw a few dollars down, load up, and give a new shot of life to.

Garage Sale (Photo credit: besighyawn)

But it is definitely an endeavor. After years of doing it alongside my favorite partner, mom, I have some tips to share with everyone that will help them make the most of treasure hunting:

1. Plan your route the night before. Gather your addresses and plan out a smooth route. MapQuest has an awesome route planner that will sort and organize all addresses you input into the system. That way you’re ready to go in the morning with no chance of running back and forth all over town.

2. Bring plenty of cash. This is pretty obvious. You can’t use your card and most people are pretty weary of personal checks. Cash is the boss. Take lots of ones and other smaller bills. Put your cash in separate wads- one for furniture (little higher in amount), one for clothes, and one for knacks. Helps you keep organized.

3. ALWAYS negotiate. If anything you want is over $10, try to reason with the price. The best way to do so is to pull out the amount you’re willing to pay, present the cold hard cash right then and there, and let them decide if they’ll accept. You can always add a dollar or two more, but starting low is the best bet that you’ll get the best deal. One of my moms favorite things to do was grab a lot of stuff and offer one flat price for it. Worked every time.

4. Check the items. Make sure buttons aren’t missing, zippers zip, and pieces are complete. Do a quick once over to assure that any item, from board games to t-shirts, are in the condition you want them to be in.

5. Dig! Don’t be scared or shy. That’s one thing my mom taught me. Boxes, bags, crates, etc, they’re all filled with the things the person WANTS to sell. You never know what hidden treasure you might pass up by not looking through things.

Yard Sale Northern California May 2005. This image is in the public domain. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

6. Tip: YARD SALES HAPPEN RAIN OR SHINE. You might score some sweet deals by venturing out in less than desirable weather. My mom once bought a sofa worth at least $200 for $40 once because of bad weather.

7. Go early, stay late: The best deals happen first thing in the AM and just before things are put away for the night. In the morning, you’re there early and they’re ready to unload. In the afternoon, go back to any ones you left desired items at hours before and see if they are still there. If they are, you’re probably going to score a sweet deal, as many folks just want to get rid of stuff and pack up.

8. Interact: This was my moms key to successful yard sailing. She made friends with the other shoppers and the yard sale host. Chatted about items, families, and the weather. It helped her drive harder bargains, make new friends, and ultimately spice up the experience. Yard Sales are not dog-eat-dog environments. Its a fun way to spend the morning and use the recycle system. So make it fun!

9. Pack snacks. You don’t want to waste precious time stopping for food. Bring a batch of fruit, nuts, and bars to help you stay energized during the peak yard sale hours.

10. Dress modestly. Again, it helps with the bargain negotiations that you’re not wearing super expensive clothes. It may be a harsh point, but its one I’ve seen make a difference.

These tips will hopefully help you not only find better deals, but make going to yard sales something you look forward to not just for the things, but for the overall experience. Happy sailing!

8 Affordable Essentials for a First Bathroom

Got a bird that just left the nest? College time is always difficult for parents. Riddled with worry, excitement and a little bit of sorrow, seeing your “kids” off to their newest venture in life definitely tugs at your emotions.

The golden question tends to be:

“Are they prepared?”

Well you can help them with that.

Apartment Therapy posted an awesome list of 8 essential things to buy your youngsters breaking out into the world that all come in under $40 per piece.

Everything from shower curtains to the easily forgettable shower/bathroom cleaner. Check them out and rest at ease, parents.

Of course, we recommend a great shower head as well!

Tell your kids to shop at places like Target, IKEA, and Bed, Bath & Beyond to get quality but affordable products. You don’t want to break the bank, but you also don’t want to leave them with items that become useless in the matter of months.

Also consider asking grandma, auntie, or big brother to purchase things like hand soap, toothpaste, and toilet paper as little gifts to help the first stocking of supplies.

Now go study!

30 DIY Projects for the 3-Day Weekend: From Apartment Therapy

Reblogged from Apartment Therapy:

Seeing that long holiday weekends always give us some extra time to fiddle about and create creations, we found a super awesome post on Apartment Therapy that features 30 various projects ranging in price that you can DIY during the weekend.

We know you’re not supposed to the laboring, but we figure that for cool projects like this, exceptions can be made. Check ’em out!

30 DIY Projects for the 3-Day Weekend

Some of the projects include:

1. Make a grill for your budding Top Chef – How To Make a Toy Grill for $20
2. Make a place to stash your pens and pencils – DIY No-Sew Colored Pencil Roll
3. Clean your bedroom – The Ultimate Guide to Green Cleaning Your Bedroom
4. Make your kid fly – How to Make Your Baby Fly
5. Create a charging station – An Upcycled Plastic Bottle Charging Station

 

And more!

…they even include a shower head switch out. Something we’re a fan of.

 

Have a wonderful 3 day weekend!

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/30-diys-for-the-3-day-weekend-171742?utm_campaign=topblock&utm_medium=web&utm_source=main-entry

Purge your junk!

We all need a good cleaning from time to time. Usually the start of Spring/Summer is when we get to it, but with busy lives, hectic work schedules, and so many better things to get out and do during those times, you don’t realize how piled you are in excess things until it’s absolutely time to purge!

We’re all about managing junk and cleaning out the garage- but without taking everything and unloading it into the dump.

Typical advertising mail (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So simplify your life and use tech to get it done! Here are some apps and sites that allow you to dump the junk:

1. PaperKarma: Apparently, this is the app to end the age old junk problem- junk mail. PaperKarma allows you to take photos of the junk mail you wish to stop and they automatically contact the Mailer and remove you from their distribution list.

Sign us up!

2. Diggerslist.com: This site is cool! Dubbed as the Craigslist for DIY, Diggerlist has a rapidly expanding site that allows you post home improvement items and furniture that you don’t want. Post, sell, SOLD! Everything from heavy equipment to kitchen appliances can be found here, and its all listed by city/area.

And they have a killer blog filled with decorative ideas and home projects. It’s so sweet it gives us a toothache.

3.  Freecycle: This is an app that claims to be totally grassroots and an entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns. With 9 million members worldwide, its hard to imagine that there aren’t many treasure as junk items to discover!

4. Unroll.me: FINALLY. Those pesky email chain letters that you subscribed to eons ago just to get a 15% off coupon are taken care of. Unroll.me is the free and easy way to end unwanted subscriptions and “rollup” the rest into an organized overview made just for you.

Organize the newsletters and make them actually interesting and easy for you to indulge in!

 
So there you have it. Get the junk out of everywhere- well, except the trunk.

Bath Crashers Showcases Super Cool Tubs and Showers

For all you bathroom lovers out there, if you’ve never caught an episode of the DIY Network‘s Bath Crashers then you are in for a real treat now that it’s on your radar.

Just like DIY shows House Crashers and Yard Crashers, host Matt Muenster ambushes homeowners while they’re home improvement shopping. He uses his expertise to identify the ultimate bathroom challenge, and follows the lucky homeowner home and totally overhauls a bathroom in need of repair. It’s super cool.

The show has seen some phenomenal bathroom transformations and recently, the DIY Network’s website put together a smashing slideshow of the most amazing tubs and showers to grace the camera’s lens.

This is by far one of the coolest/handiest things we’ve ever seen done to a tub. Cleanest reading and TV viewing you could ask for!

There are plenty of other awesome ideas if you just follow this link right here:

Amazing Tubs and Showers Seen On Bath Crashers

photo originally from DIY Network.com

Creatively Saving

We’re all about savings. That’s why we make showerheads that conserve water. There’s a plethora of effective but easy ways to save just about anything in your home. From conserving water, to minimizing your trash, and even just saving some space to keep your life a little less crowded, here some cool ways people have re-used and re-done to conserve a bit of anything!

 

It’s amazing how doing something so simple can go miles when it comes to saving space. By attaching things to the wall or using mounts, you can save a ton of counter and shelf space in almost any room in the house. One of our favorite looks for this concept is in the photo below where a couple mounted their paper towels, oils, and spices on the wall. Sure saves all that space a bulky spice rack would have taken up!

(image originally from Indystar.com)

The Environmental Protection Agency reports that nationally, lawn care and landscaping accounts for more than 30 percent of water use in the United States. That’s a lot of aqua going needed to keep your garden lush and green. But if you could harness the power of all the drainage water and use it to feed your greens, wouldn’t that be fantastic? Say hello to your next summer project! Collect and re-use all the gutter water by making this contraption out of a garbage can + lid, your gutter, and a spout and hose. Make your extra water last and keep your lawn luscious. Win-win!

(Image originally found on Pinterest)

Snack attack! Chances are if you’ve got kids you go through garbage bags like running water. Kid snacks are typically individually wrapped….several times over. It creates piles of trash and not just in the house; parks, cars, school, etc. Instead of buying the individually wrapped snack items your kids love, think about buying in bulk and making one of these handy eco-friendly snack bags! We originally saw this on Craftstylish.com and think it’s an idea any parent should invest in. A little cloth and Velcro and you’ve got it.

(Image originally found on Craftstylish.com)

When the warm weather hits, we’re all about gardening and growing green. But rather than spend our money in buying endless amounts of planters and pots, we’ve found there are unique ways to add some spice to our urban gardens and clean out the attic. We saw this photo first on poppytalk.blogpost.com and fell in love. Now we’re using tins, vases, glassware, and other items we dug out of the garage to add some spice to our planters. Try it yourself!

(Image originally from http://poppytalk.blogspot.com/)

Spare change seems like more of a hassle than useful, doesn’t it? Clanking in your pockets, heavy in your purses, and almost impossible to scoop out when you actually need it. But, in browsing the net for a way to keep our change but not continually buy wallets, we found a way to solve both problems with our juice cartons! Using the top of the carton, you can fold it into a wallet, cut a hole for the spout, and walla, you’ve got yourself a change wallet with recycled material. Thanks vetsforpets.net for sharing the photo and sparking our creativity to reuse!

(Image originally found on vetsforpets.com)

Top 5 ways to green your bathroom

This was originally posted to She Knows by Melissa Dunlap

In honor of Earth Day on April 22, we rounded up several ideas for making your bathroom more eco-friendly to the planet. Get inspired to give your bathroom a makeover that’s bright, cheery and green.

BATHROOM MAKEOVER FOR EARTH DAY

When building or renovating a home, it’s easy to install energy-efficient appliances and embrace green design. Jack Thomasson, house planner of the HGTV Green Home, suggests using green design tricks that embrace modern-day comforts. For example, the master bathroom in the Green Home is luxuriously designed with two shower heads, making morning routines a breeze, yet they are spaced far apart so one person can’t run both at the same time (because wasting water is decidedly not green).

Other eco-friendly renovations like swapping out your commode with a dual-flush toilet or installing sustainable bamboo cabinetry for the vanity are easier to undertake if you’re doing an all-out remodel; this time, we want to share some easy budget-friendly ways to green your bathroom that are totally doable on Earth Day.

5 Ideas for a green bathroom

Shower head swap

By now you probably know that taking a hour-long shower while belting out your favorite Adeletunes isn’t the most eco-friendly way to start the day. Besides the obvious choice of taking a shorter shower, consider swapping out your shower head for one that is more efficient. The Oxygenics Power Massage is a combination handheld and wall-mounted shower head with 35 pressurized spray combinations. The company claims that users save the same amount of water that 30 people can live on for an entire year, so you can install the shower head on Earth Day and feel good about helping the planet all year long. As a bonus, the handheld can double as a mic during that encore rendition of Rumor Has It (after you’ve turned off water off, of course).

Trade in those towels

Embracing a sustainable lifestyle is about using what you have and avoiding unnecessary buys, but if your towels look more like shredded tissues than an absorbent cloth, we give you permission to donate them to the next car wash fundraiser and splurge on new organic ones. Towels made from organic cotton or bamboo not only help keep harmful chemicals often found in conventional crops out of the soil and water, they are safer for the workers who harvest the plants. These hypo-allergenic bamboo towels by Pure Fiber come in a variety of bright shades to match your bathroom decor.

PVC-free shower curtain

A study by the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice (CHEJ) found that the toxic chemicals in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic shower curtains are “significant contributors to indoor air pollution” and pose serious health threats — yikes! PVC-free shower curtains are increasingly easier to find in major retail stores like IKEA or Target, but this fun waterproof Singin in the Rain shower curtain from High Fashion Home would be a great way to start the day. An alternative is to pair anEVA vinyl shower curtain liner like this one from Pottery Barn with an organic cotton shower curtain.

Green paint

Green paint isn’t just a hot color trend in decor right now, it’s also becoming a way to give your walls an eco-friendly facelift. Paint is one of the most affordable ways to give your bathroom a complete makeover — just be sure to choose a nontoxic, zero-VOC paint. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says volatile organic compounds (VOCs), may cause adverse health effects. Both Benjamin Moore Natura paints andMythic nontoxic paints are zero-VOC paint options.

Clean green

Once you’ve freshened up your bathroom with the ideas above, keep it looking sparkling clean with eco-friendly cleaning products. If you’re a DIY diva, consider making your own green products by cleaning with vinegar or other simple kitchen staples like baking soda and lemon. If you’d rather leave the baking soda for baking, there are plenty of green cleaning products on the market now.Method and J.R. Watkins are both popular nontoxic products.

This Earth Day, consider taking one of these small steps to green your bathroom until you’re ready to fully embrace green design and give the bathroom a full eco-friendly overhaul.