Green Journey

Living Detergent-Free

authorjill — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:32:07 +0000

As I mention in the introduction of my book, my son is allergic to detergents. Not just laundry detergents, but ALL detergents — in dish soap, shampoo, cleaning products… Just about anything that cleans has detergent in it these days. This is what started me down the path to green cleaning. To learn more about detergent allergies and living without detergent, I highly recommend solveeczema.org. It’s been an invaluable resource to me.

Repelling Dust Mites

authorjill — Fri, 09 May 2008 01:14:43 +0000

I’m allergic to dust mites and recently searched the Internet looking for any herbs that might repel them. At home I have it pretty much under control with mattresses and pillows in dust mite enclosures, etc. (BTW, Heart of Vermont is a great source for organic dust mite covers.) But we have a camp on a lake up in New Hampshire that is shut up all winter and when we open it in the spring my allergies go nuts. Eucalyptus is the herb that kept popping up in my searches. I made up a spray of 1 cup water and 25 drops eucalyptus to spray the beds and rugs with while I was up there a couple weeks ago and it seemed to help. Unfortunately, while it might repel living mites, it doesn’t get rid of the “dander” the mites leave behind that is the main source of allergen. So it’s not a complete solution but it helps — fewer mites mean less dander in the future right? I’m experimenting with using Dr. Bronner’s Eucalyptus Castille Soap when I launder my sheets to see if that helps too.

Cleaning Lamp Shades

authorjill — Sun, 04 May 2008 17:56:46 +0000

I had a white fabric lamp shade that had a yellowish stain all the way around it. It had gotten too close to my son’s vaporizer and water had condensed on it… I didn’t want to throw it out, so I decided to try and clean it, even though lamp shades are notoriously difficult to clean.

First I tried white vinegar, but that didn’t really affect the stain at all. Then I tried a light solution of dish soap and water, but that didn’t help much either. Finally I tried oxygen bleach (I use Oxyboost by Natural Choices — see oxyboost.com). Bingo! The stain came right out. I simply put a tablespoon or so in a cup of water, rubbed it in gently with a cloth, and then let it dry.

Remember that lamp shades are often delicate and don’t do well when exposed to moisture. Use this method at your own risk and always test in an inconspicuous spot first!

My Interview on Wisconsin Public Radio

authorjill — Sun, 04 May 2008 17:08:07 +0000

I had an hour-long interview on Wisconsin Public Radio. See the link below (you’ll need to scroll down to the one on 4/25/08 at 6:00 am).
Click Here to Listen to the Interview

My Interview on the Weather Channel

authorjill — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:15:32 +0000

The show “Forecast Earth” on the Weather Channel interviewed me on April 5th.

Click Here to View the Interview

Welcome

authorjill — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 04:00:42 +0000

Hi. This is the blog of Jill Potvin Schoff, author of “Green Up Your Cleanup”. I will try to post updated information about green cleaning when I can. If you have any questions or comments about the book, please post them in the “Comments” section and I will respond.