Green Clean

Since I feel like I have been cleaning for two months straight getting ready for the home tour, I thought I’d share the green products I clean with. I’m a clean/neat freak so as much as I try to just clean with vinegar and water, I do have some tried and true favorites I use around my house. I wanted to create a nice product collage for you guys but since I’m still learning as I go in the blogging world and haven’t figured that out yet, you’ll just have to settle for real pics of my real products! (But I digress…)

Kitchen/Bath

I love Bar Keepers Friend! This is an eco friendly alternative to Comet that is biodegradable and bleach free. When you need your white porcelain sinks and tubs back white, this does the trick!

Floors

Most of the time I just steam with my Shark steam mop. About once a month I use Method Floor Cleaner. It cleans well, smells good and doesn’t leave a residue.

Multipurpose

I do use vinegar and water most of the time for windows or any glass or metal surface. When I want to get mysterious “goo” off of something, I use Method Multipurpose Cleaner. As you can see, I’m a big fan of Method products. I feel they do a good job and the price is comparable to non eco products.

Dishes

Seventh Generation Dish Liquid. Method Dishwasher Pods. Not much to add here, they work and I like them.

Stains/Smells

My favorite, all time product for getting stains and smells out of anything (even RED WINE on my WHITE couch)…Nature's Miracle!!! This is the best stuff for just about anything!! I’ve used this for at least 8 years and haven’t found a replacement for this product. Great for pet stains and accidents too!

Laundry

Tea Tree Laundry Soap by SigNature Suds. I just started using this laundry soap about six months ago and I love it!! It’s handmade, works great and smells really nice. We used Tide Original powder as recommended by our cloth diapers and my husband still uses it for his restaurant stained clothes but for linens, kids and other clothing, I use this. http://www.signaturesuds.com/Products.html

Wood Furniture

When I worked for Earth Fare I was lucky enough to sample many eco products for the home. Howard’s Naturals Wood Cleaner and Polish was one of my favs. They smell really fresh and the products go a long way!

Most of these products can be found at Target and some grocery stores. Nature’s Miracle can be found at Whole Foods, Earth Fare and most pet stores. I provided the link for SigNature Suds above. Hope this helps you keep your home clean and green!

Buzz!!!

Cab Rehab

For months I’ve had a vision in my mind for a bamboo china cabinet. My china has been sitting in the original boxes since my wedding (seven years ago) along with two additional sets from each of my grandmothers. My dinning furniture had been in storage too through our series of moves. The china was packed and protected and I figure it was safe until I found the perfect home for it. My dinning furniture was my grandparent’s and the style is midcentury contemporary.  When we moved into our new home I was set on finding a cabinet in the same style but then thought that with the floors everything was too monochromatic. Then I saw I high gloss lacquered redo of a vintage bamboo china cabinet and a light bulb went off!! That was what I HAD TO HAVE!!  I soon found out it was easier said than done! I found a few on Etsy, Ebay and Craigslist; but of course they were on the other side of the country. My mom, Aunt and I scoured at least 12 antique and consignments shops during my last trip to the beach and I stopped at any store I passed for months. Then on whim about a month ago I checked craigslist and there it was! It was exactly what I was looking for, local and great price! I picked it up and brought it home; again, with every intention of painting it a high gloss like these examples. 

 

Once I got it in to meet it’s friends table and sideboard, it fit right in, as is! I did give it a good cleaning with wood polish, shinned up the brass finials and applied wallpaper to the back. 

Viola! Here it is and look, all my china is finally unpacked!

Buzz!

Catching Up

WOW! It’s been a while and I apologize, we’ve been busy and I just haven’t had a moment it seems in months to write. Since my last post was about getting back into shape I’ll start there. 

I completed my second half marathon on April 14th; 30 minutes faster than my first!! I was very proud since I almost bailed after being sick for a total of three weeks toward the end of my training. I finally told myself, “If all else fails, I’ll just walk”. Much to my surprise I ran the entire way and improved my time. My next half will be in October, I’d love to break 2 hours but we’ll see!

I also mentioned in my last post that we just moved into a new home.  I love historic homes and historic districts. I feel it’s the ultimate form of recycling!!  Luckily, after much searching, we found such a place! Our new home is a 1927, brick tutor in a small historic district of NC.  The previous owner did a wonderful job of renovating the house while keeping it true to it’s original character. Since moving in we have made some cosmetic changes such as paint, but basically the house was move-in ready. The most exciting part of our new house is that today we were part of a historic home tour. The tour will use the proceeds from the ticket sales to purchase historic markers for each home with the name of the original owner and the year the house was built. The docent at each home on the tour was a family member of the original owner who shared historical information about the house and the area. It was very nice to meet so many people who had stories to share about our home and it's history!

Stay tuned for a new series of posts about Bhive Home! Here I'll share improvements and projects we take on around our hive! BUZZ