Spring Green Cleaning: Kitchen Counter Tops and Sink

If you've been following along with our Spring Green Cleaning series, your kitchen is getting greener and cleaner. This time, we'll focus on getting your counter tops and sink clean and disinfected the green way.

What You'll Need:

Microfiber Cleaning Cloth

Nontoxic Cleaning Wipes (optional)

Nontoxic Sink Cleaner

Eco-Friendly Sponge 

1. Use a microfiber cleaning cloth and water to wipe down your counter tops. e-Cloth has a number of cloths that are perfect for this purpose. If you have formica counters, go for the Kitchen Cleaning Cloth. You can also find specialty cloths for stainless steel and granite.

2. While the e-Cloth does remove up to 99 percent of all bacteria, I like to run over the areas where I cut up food with Eat Cleaner Produce Wipes after I do my initial cleaning to ensure that I've fully eliminated bacteria. This optional step is up to you.

3. Use a nontoxic sink cleaner like Better Life Kitchen Sink Cleansing Scrub

and an eco-friendly sponge like the Twist Naked Sponge

to wipe out your sink and the faucet and handles.

4. Rinse the sink with warm water.

5. Pat yourself on the back for having an even cleaner, greener kitchen!

Spring Green Cleaning: Ovens

The oven is undoubtedly one of the messiest places in many kitchens, but not for long! This installment of our Spring Green Cleaning series will help you get your ovens spotlessly clean.

What You'll Need:

Bucket

Scrub Brush

Microfiber Cloth

Hot Water

Eco-Friendly Towel

1. Remove the racks from your oven and let them soak in hot water for a few hours.

2. Tackle baked on messes first with the help of an eco-friendly scrub brush. The Casabella Maxi Brush Scrubber is great choice because of its size and durable bristles.

3. After you have removed visible burned on food, run over the entire inside of the oven with a microfiber cloth. The e-Cloth Non-scratch Scouring Cloth will provide extra cleaning power to remove dirt that can be difficult to see inside of the oven.

4. Clean the oven racks thoroughly with your scrub brush.

5. Dry the racks with an eco-friendly towel like the Full Circle In the Buff Dish Towel.

6. Close the oven door and give yourself a break! You have a clean oven.

Spring Green Cleaning: Stove Top

With this installment of Spring Green Cleaning, we're going to teach you how to clean your range with ease and without the of potentially toxic metal cleaners.

What You'll Need:

Bucket

Microfiber Cloth

Scrub Brush

Hot Water

1. If your stove has removable grates, take them off and soak them in a sink full of hot water. For very dirty burners, add a bit of natural dish soap to the water. One brand to try is Mrs. Meyers Clean Day, which we have available at LeafyClean.com. 

2. Clean the entire stovetop with a microfiber cloth. Try the e-Cloth Range & Stovetop Pack to make the job easy. Start by cleaning with the special blue and gray striped cloth and hot water. This will remove baked on grime and drips as well as 99 percent of bacteria. Then, use the gray cloth to buff and polish the range.

3. Go to the sink and scrub down the burners with a scrub brush like the Casabella Maxi Brush Scrubber 

or a Scouring Pad like the Casabella Terry Scouring Cloths.

4. Put the grates back in place. You're finished!

Spring Green Cleaning: Inside the Microwave

Last time, we spring cleaned your fridge and freezer. Now, it's time to tackle one of the dirtiest places in the kitchen--the microwave! This process will not only get the inside sparkling but will also help you eliminate any unpleasant odors.

What You'll Need:

Bucket

Microfiber Cloth or Sponge 

Scrubber (optional) 

Hot Water

White vinegar

Microwave safe BPA-free bowl 

Lemon Juice

1. Unplug the microwave.

2. Fill up a microwave-safe BPA-free plastic or glass bowl with white vinegar and microwave it on high for 6 minutes. This will neutralize odors.

3. Fill up a bucket with hot water. Add a splash of lemon juice.

4. Wipe out the inside of the microwave with a microfiber cleaning cloth. For this appliance, I really like the Casabella Superglide Sponge. Its texture helps to loosen debris, and its perfectly sized for getting inside of the microwave.

5. If there are tough baked-on stains, use a green scouring cloth or scrub brush to tackle it. My pick is the Casabella Terry Scouring Cloth, which comes in a pack of four, so you'll have some for doing the dishes, too.

6. Plug the microwave back in and congratulate yourself on having the cleanest microwave in the neighborhood.

Spring Green Cleaning: Cleaning the Fridge and Freezer

In our last edition of Spring Green Cleaning, we looked at cleaning your condenser coils. This time, we'll go inside the fridge and freezer to give it a thorough cleaning and eliminate any unpleasant odors. Here's how to get the job done the green way.

What You'll Need:

Scrubber Sponge  

Cleaning Cloth 

Bucket

Hot Water

Lemon Juice

1. Unplug the fridge.

2. Remove all of the food from both the freezer and fridge. Take the time to read the expiration dates. Set aside items to throw away. Keep the other items closely clustered together in the coolest spot you can find while you clean.

3. Fill up a bucket with hot water and a touch of lemon juice for deodorizing.

4. Start by scrubbing any areas where you can see spilled food. Use a green scrubber sponge like the Casabella Hands Away Surface Scrubber. Be sure to check the door shelves and drawers for spills as well.

5. Use a microfiber cleaning cloth and the water like the e-Cloth General Purpose Cloth to wipe down the entire fridge and freezer. The e-cloth is a great pick because it will lift away odor-causing bacteria as well as debris.

6. Put your food back inside. Remember to keep highly perishable items like eggs off of the refrigerator door. Highly perishable items will last longer at the backs of shelves and at the bottom of the fridge where it is the coldest. The crisper is the best place to keep produce fresh.

7. Plug the fridge back in.

8. Use any expired food for composting or drop it off at a composting facility. Recycle the empty containers.

9. Rejoice! You've cleaned the fridge and freezer the green way.

Spring Green Cleaning: Scrubbing the Fridge Condenser Coils

For this installment of our Spring Green Cleaning series, we're going to tackle a messy and oft-forgot job--those condenser coils on your refrigerator. Cleaning your refrigerator coils is actually important for keeping your fridge running at peak performance, and most experts recommend doing it annually.

I'm going to give you two different methods of cleaning the coils: the low tech way and the high tech way.

Low Tech Green Cleaning for Refrigerator Coils:  

1.     Unplug your refrigerator. 

2.     Locate the coils. They are usually in the back or at the front of the fridge.

3.     Remove the grille or any covering that stands between you and the coils. The owner's manual for your fridge should have directions if you're unsure how to do this.

4.     Use an eco-friendly dish brush with an extra long handle and simply give the coils a good scrub.The Full Circle Laid Back Dish Brush is perfect for this. Keep cleaning until you don't see any dust or debris on the fridge.  

5.     Clean up the floor where you worked with a green floor scrubber like the e-cloth Deep Clean Mop, 

       or use a Bambooee Sweeper Sheet with your static cling sweeper to clean.

     6.     Replace the grille as needed and plug the fridge back in.

High Tech Green Cleaning for Refrigerator Coils:

     1.     Follow steps 1 to 3 in the Low Tech section above.

     2.     Vacuum the coils with a hand-held vacuum like the Vapamore MR-50 or a canister vacuum with a hose attachment.

     3.     If dirt remains, you can use a microfiber cleaning cloth the the e-Cloth Stainless Steel Cloth to wipe it down. Just make sure the coils aren't hot to the touch before you start to wipe.

     4.     Clean the floor if necessary, replace the grille if needed and then plug the fridge back in.

That's all there is to it! You can have the project done in less than 30 minutes and not have to worry about it until next spring.

                                                                               Ahhh-thank you!!

Where Toxins Could Be Lurking in Your Kitchen

You want your kitchen to be filled with warmth, the scents of delicious foods, the laughter of your family, but toxins? No thanks. Unfortunately, the average American's kitchen is home to many toxins, but you can eliminate many of them. Here are the six biggest sources of toxins in the kitchen.

1. Cookware - That Teflon coating that makes your pots easy to clean, also contains chemicals that can flake off in your food.

Solution: Invest in stainless steel, cast iron or ceramic cookware and an eco-friendly dish scrubber and dish sponge. It may require a little elbow grease to clean, but you won't be exposing yourself to toxins.

 TWIST DISH DUMPLING SCRUBBER                  TWIST NAKED SPONGE KIT

2. Plastic Dinnerware - Much of the plastic dinnerware on the market contains BPA, melamine, phthalates and other nasty chemicals that have been proven to be toxic.

Solution: Switch to certified nontoxic nontoxic plastic and stainless steel dinnerware for you and your kids. Products from thinkBaby, Green Sprouts, Green Toys and Preserve are all great solutions.

 THINKBABY BLUE FEEDING SET                  GREEN SPROUTS WARMING PLATE

3. Wooden Cookware - Many people automatically think that wooden spoons, cutting boards and other utensils and essentials are safer to use than plastic, but unfortunately, many of these products are glued together using toxic formaldehyde-based adhesives.

Solution: Replace your wood with Bambu bamboo cooking utensils that are made with nontoxic adhesives and are more sustainable than wood.

                                      BAMBU BAMBOO KITCHEN BASICS SET

4. Produce - Unless you only buy organic, the fruits and veggies that you use to cook with are major sources of toxins.

Solution: Clean your produce with Eat Cleaner wipes or sprays prior to enjoying them fresh or in recipes.

  EAT CLEANER PRODUCE WIPES           EAT CLEANER WIPES -  GRAB N' GO PACK

5. Clean Products - Chemical-based cleaning products can contain a host of toxic chemicals.

Solution: Use Microfiber green cleaning cloths that lift away bacteria and dirt with the help of just plain water.

                                 E-CLOTH GENERAL PURPOSE CLOTHS - 4 PACK

6. Food Storage - BPA and other nasty plastic additives are found in many of the Tupperware containers and similar storage solutions for food on the market.

Solution: Use tempered glass or nontoxic plastic products like Wean Green, Fit & Fresh and Green Sprouts.

    WEAN GREEN GARDEN PACK           GREEN SPROUTS FOOD STORAGE CUBES

                               FIT AND FRESH LUNCH SET - REMOVABLE ICE PACK

Spring Green Cleaning: Tackling Your Kitchen Cabinets

Since spring is traditionally the time for major cleaning, we will be providing some simple tutorials for various cleaning tasks around the house throughout the month. For our first project, we'll be cleaning your kitchen cabinets, so get ready to get organized!

 What You'll Need:

 Eco Friendly Sponge 

White Vinegar

Hot Water

Bucket

Eco Friendly Reusable Towel 

Microfiber Cleaning Cloth

Optional: Nontoxic dinnerware to replace items with BPA 

Dish Sponge for washing any dusty dishes 

1. Start by emptying everything out of your cabinets. This is the perfect time to check any plastic dinnerware that you might own to ensure that it's not one of the three varieties known to contain toxins: PVC, PS and polycarbonate. When you take out your plastics, check the bottoms for the 3, 6 or 7 symbols. If you see any of these, the items may contain BPA, so you should consider replacing them. We have many nontoxic dinnerware options in our collection if you need replacements.

2. If you have any dishes or glassware that you don't use frequently, soak them in the sink to remove any dust, and then give them a good cleaning with a dish sponge like the Casabella Smart Scrub Soap Dispensing Sponge Brush.

3. Mix equal parts hot water and vinegar and wipe down the insides of your cabinets using a natural sponge.

4. Dry the cabinets with an eco-friendly reusable towel like the Full Circle in the Buff Green Dish Towel.

5. Put your dinnerware back inside.

6. Close the cabinet doors and wipe down the exterior with a microfiber cloth. We like the e-Cloth Furniture Pack, which is made especially for wood. The cloths remove up to 99.9 percent of household bacteria and can be used with just plain water.

7. Let the cabinets dry and feel good knowing you accomplished your first spring cleaning task the eco friendly way!

Paperless Kitchen Tested: Bambooee Sweeps Review

Here at Paperless Kitchen, we've carried Bambooee paper towels since we opened our store, and they've always been one of our best selling products. Now, Bambooee has released something brand new--Bambooee Sweeps. I got my hands on a roll and decided to take them for a test drive. Here's what happened:

The Basics: 

Bambooee Sweeps are alternatives to disposable cleaning cloths used on dry sweepers like the Swiffer. Each sheet can supposedly take the place of 100 of the disposable sheets, and they can be laundered in the washing machine between uses. The sheets come in a roll of 15, and they are made from organic bamboo.

The Inspection:

To test out the Bambooee Sweeps, I put one on my Swiffer and got ready to clean the kitchen floor. I was impressed by the feel of the pads. Swiffer pads feel like dryer sheets. They're flimsy, and I've had them tear before I even put one on the head of the sweeper. The Bambooee Sweeps are much thicker. I even tried to tear one, and I couldn't get the rip started. I was also struck by the scrubbing dots on the pads, which really gave the Sweeps a unique texture.

The Cleaning:

It was pretty easy to get the pad onto my Swiffer. I generally think they're a pain to get set up, and the Bambooee pads weren't any harder to put on. In fact, because they are thicker, it seemed to be slightly easier. I was really impressed with how the pad worked. I could feel it creating friction on my hardwood floors, and the pad had way more dirt on it than I expected.

The Wash:

After cleaning, I went ahead and laundered by Bambooee Sweeps pad, following the instructions, which say not to use fabric softener. The pad came out wrinkled but still in great condition, and it went right back onto the Swiffer with ease.  

The Takeaway:

I don't clean with my Swiffer often because I don't like the idea of using the disposable sheets, but the Bambooee Sweeps may change that. They definitely work well and are probably the next best thing to a full mop down. The pads can be used wet as well and can clean up spills because they're absorbent like a paper towel.

                         d

Paperless Kitchen Tested: A Vapamore MR-100 Primo Steam Cleaner Review

I've read about the benefits of steam cleaning over vacuuming and using chemical based upholstery and rug cleaners, but I have never had the opportunity to try out a system for myself. That's why I was so excited to get the opportunity to test drive the Vapamore MR-100 Primo and report my findings to our community. I wondered if it would really simplify cleaning and produce professional results at home. Read on to learn about what I experienced.

The Basics:    

The Vapamore MR-100 Primo is a steam cleaner that comes with a variety of attachments for cleaning everything from hard surfaces to carpeting to upholstery. I was impressed with how light in weight the steamer was and how easy it was to fill using the instructions provided. The only thing that disappointed me during my initial inspection and review of the product was that there weren't a lot of instructions about how to actually use the steamer for various cleaning jobs. I wasn't sure if I should be moving quickly or slowly, so I had to do some trial and error during my tests.

The Stain:

My white carpeting has seen better days and has a lot of very noticeable stains. I decided to tackle them with the cleaner. One thing that concerned me was that there wasn't a separate tank for cleaning up the water, which is what I've seen with steamers that you rent and use at home. I was worried that this would diminish the cleaning benefits. Once I figured out a good pace at which to move the steamer, those fears were alleviated. I could see the dirt dissolving from the carpet and it instantly looked brighter. The stains lightened, but didn't disappear completely; however, when I got down on the carpet and brushed the pile with a scrub brush, more of the soiling disappeared. Now, the stains are barely visible and the entire carpet is much brighter.

The Sofa:

I have a cat, and sadly, I also have an allergy to cats. My kitty likes to sleep on one spot on the sofa, and it seems that no matter how many times I vacuum it, if I sit in the spot, I quickly develop itchy eyes and begin to sneeze. Since Vapamore says that the steamer eliminates allergens, I decided to try and use it on my cat's sleeping spot. The couch dried quickly and looked a lot cleaner when I was finished. Once it dried, I popped in a movie and sat right in the dreaded spot. I didn't sneeze or sniffle once, and the sofa seemed much fresher and cleaner.

The Summary:

Based on the results of my two tests, I would highly recommend the Vapamore MR-100 Primo. You may want to spend some time watching videos on YouTube before taking on specific cleaning tasks because as I explained, the steamer's instruction manual is not very detailed in the actual operation of the device. Still, the steamer is an excellent investment, and I was able to clean my carpeting and my sofa on just one full reservoir of water.