The green living lifestyle has taken this country by storm. With a plethora of options, the everyday person can make the smallest changes to better themselves, their loved ones, and the planet. This page is dedicated to the quest I’m on to change my life for the better.
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The Story
I haven’t really explained (prior to now) why I’ve begun to change my ways, but I know that it has a lot to do with my passion for chemistry and the environment. Being a chemist, and working in a research lab around synthetic organic chemicals, in addition to inorganic chemicals has opened my eyes to the danger that is around us if we aren’t cautious enough, and educated enough to understand how our body works and the effects chemicals have on our delicate biological system. When I started running across names of chemicals that I work with in the lab (complete with warning labels “caustic”, “harmful to the environment”, “may cause damage to liver and kidneys”) in my food stuffs, I had an “ah-ha” moment of sorts in which I decided that I shouldn’t be putting this stuff in my body. For that matter, I shouldn’t be putting these chemicals on my skin. I wear goggles, gloves, lab coat, etc., when I’m working in the lab doing research to protect myself from the potentially harmful effects of these chemicals, to then go home and either ingest, or otherwise apply said chemicals to my skin or hair, is clearly illogical. Thus, I determined, for myself, I needed to start to change how I go about my daily life and take stock about what I’m actually doing to my body.
I have always been concerned about the environment. I remember when I was in first grade, and my bff at the time, Carrie, and I asked our teacher for garbage bags because we wanted to clean up the litter in the playground during recess. We were really inspired by an Earth Day movie, or television broadcast to clean up the world around us. I guess, ever since then, the idea of taking care of the planet has stuck with me. I made the mental connection (because everything is connected) that in order to take care of the planet, I need to take better care of myself. Meaning, that in order to take better care of myself, I needed to create a lifestyle that allowed me to live longer and do more good. I adapted a vegetarian diet (I started for a lot of reasons…but that’s for another post) and began to slowly switch over to using all organic products (I try to buy organic and certified fair-trade, but the latter is hard to find). I still haven’t completely made the transition, I am a work in progress, but I hope to spread the word about green living and how if everyone changes one aspect of their lives to do improve the planet, we as a people could accomplish so much more, and we as a society can advance into something greater than before.
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Our House
Photo from: ourhouseworks.com
This is my first product review on my blog, so what better place to start than with green living. I’ve been using Our House products for about a month now and I am completely converted. The website offers hand soap, dish soap, laundry soap, Odor Control, Critical Care, and Metals/Minerals Cleaner in addition to the set of four cleaners I have (Shiny Surface Cleaner, Sanitizing Surface Cleaner, Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner, and Heavy-Duty Cleaner).
The cleaners come in 2 oz. concentrate bottles, to which you dilute in a 16 oz spray bottle provided for you in a kit. The active ingredient in the Our House cleaners is Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) which has a concentration of ~3% weight by volume (when diluted to 16 oz). The website provides MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) information for 7 of their products and gives an ingredient list for all of their products. These products are environmentally safe as well as “people” safe. There aren’t any caustic chemicals found in these products (to be told, I work with more dangerous chemicals in the research lab) and three of the products have been granted Green Seal certification.
The Shiny surface cleaner can be used on any major surface in the home. The product leaves every surface in my house so shiny and clean without any residue or strong smelling odors! It’s way better than anything I have ever used (I even think it’s better on glass than Windex!). When I e-mailed the company to ask if the product could be used on wood, they responded straight away and said “the product is designed to work for wood surfaces as well”. I would recommend, however, that you don’t use the product on unfinished or unsealed wood.
The heavy-duty cleaner is great for grease stains on the stove, cleaning the shower or bathroom, or any other deep cleaning needs you may have. It smells like oranges which is so pleasant compared to the other shower cleaners available. This, teamed with the Sanitizing surface cleaner, is a great way to clean and disinfect your bathroom or entire house.
The Carpet and Upholstery cleaner is fantastic for cleaning up pet stains or dirt tracked inside from the outdoors. It leaves the carpet and furniture smelling great and dries rather quickly after cleaning.
The best way to get a feel for the products and the company is to check out the website that I have linked above. Try the products and you will fall in love with cleaning again too!
-OM
