Green Cleaning | Inhabitots

Jessica Alba and Christopher Gavigan Launch The Honest Company, Green Diaper & Baby Product Delivery Service

by Beth Shea, 01/20/12

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7 Must-Have Green Diaper Bag Accessories for Summer

by Jennie Lyon, 08/08/11

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5 Ways to Green Your Home for Baby’s Arrival

by Beth Shea, 01/14/11

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Sleepy Time Vintage Fabric Lavender Owls

by Jennifer Chait, 12/10/10

Pure. Owl. Bliss. For little ones who have trouble drifting off to dreamland, these amazingly cute Lavender Owls may help speed up the process. Made by Etsy shop Pouch, each of these adorable owls is chemical-free and handmade with vintage fabrics, French lavender and non-allergenic stuffing. You can slip one under a tot’s pillow, place one in a drawer or even hang them in a closet to repel moths. We think Lavender Owls make a perfect eco-friendly stocking stuffer too! Beyond these cute owls, Pouch designs a vast range of eco-friendly products made with vintage fabric, such as bags, purses, accessories and housewares.

+ Lavender Owls $12.50

+ Pouch

Win A $300 Electrolux Vacuum in Our Spring Greening Giveaway!

Spring is in the air, and we all know what that means… it’s time to clean! We want to put a graceful smile on your face as you glide through your home on a mission to vacuum, dust, mop, launder, scrub and clean your carpets! So we’re giving FIVE lucky Inhabitots readers amazing spring cleaning supply packages to help keep your family’s home environment clean!
One GRAND PRIZE winner will receive a $300 Electrolux Vacuum and $72 worth of Arm & Hammer Spring Cleaning Supplies!

Non-Toxic Bath Time Learning Shapes from SugarBooger

Make bath time a fun, learning experience for baby with the colorful, educational Bath Time Learning Shapes in the SugarBooger collection from O.R.E. These toys feature creative themes that entertain little ones and teach them about numbers, letters, shapes and colors. And when your tot is not scrubbing up in the tub, he can use these Learning Shapes as a fun puzzle board. Learning Shapes …

Sweet Little Barnyard Soaps for Bath Time Fun

Bath time should be fun and non-toxic, which is where these adorable little barnyard soaps come in handy. Each small barnyard animal is sure to bring a smile to your toddler’s face and result in some bubbly good times. The soaps are handcrafted by Susan Ryhanen and the rest of the Saipua soap company team. …

3 Eco-Friendly Baby Wipe Choices

Diapers are usually given the most attention and thought when it comes to greening baby’s changing regime. But baby wipes are equally important in terms of caring for baby and the health of the planet. Most disposable baby wipes contain alcohol and potent perfumes that can be very irritating to a baby’s delicate bottom. Many brands of baby wipes are also saturated in liquid solutions which leave excessive moisture on baby’s bum… and where there’s moisture, diaper rashes may soon follow. Here are 3 great, eco-friendly choices of baby wipes, which will be kind to your baby and easier on the earth.

EcoLeeko Organic Terry Bath Buddy Hand Mittens

EcoLeeko Organic Terry Bath Buddy Hand Mittens are a sustainable choice for bath time fun. Made of hand dyed organic cotton French Terrycloth, sewn with organic cotton thread, and packaged in printed recycled paper sleeves, these pals are perfect to have on hand while getting baby squeaky clean.

AIRPOD: HEPASilent HEPA Air Purifier

For most pediatricians and doctors, the winter season is the busiest time of the year. Parents typically report the flu and/or cold as the culprit. Quite often, poor indoor air quality is responsible for prolonged illness, difficulty sleeping, and respiratory discomfort, although it is often overlooked as the cause of these symptoms. With a high efficiency silent HEPA-Air filter, such as the wonderfully designed Airpod by Blueair, you can filter out at least 99.97% of impure airborne particles in your indoor environment, which will in turn improve your family’s health.

Epicuren Baby: Holistic Skincare for Baby’s Skin Stages

What may seem to be the simplest of gestures, such as a parent bathing their baby, giving an infant massage, diaper changing… has such a profound impact on the development of that baby. Quality time and skin-to-skin contact are essential for your baby. Epicuren Baby skincare incorporates a patented Episencial aromatherapy blend into their products to maximize the bonding experience with your newborn and establish a healthy skincare routine as they grow. As babies explore and come into contact with more bacteria and viruses, it is important for them to safely develop and maintain good hygiene without dosing their hands and still fragile bodies in harsh chemicals (a.k.a common cleaning agents on the supermarket shelves).

Make Sure Your Carpets Are Green-Cleaned!

I recently contributed to an article for Fit Pregnancy Magazine about safe and healthy flooring for eco-friendly nurseries, and I was quite shocked about what a little bit of research yielded regarding the potential toxins in various types of flooring; particularly carpets. I know that many parents view carpeting as a wise choice for a house with small children because it is warm, provides good sound insulation, and is a soft surface to cushion falls. Despite these superficial upsides, however, traditional carpeting has a lot of downfalls in terms of toxins, ultimately contributing to poor indoor-air-quality, the collection of dust, dander and other allergens which can contribute to asthma, respiratory problems, and other health issues for children. The EPA has stated that 80% of human exposure to pesticides happens indoors. That’s because everything that enters your home on your feet settles in the carpet and lingers there for years. However, since most people can’t readily change their flooring without a serious renovation — I want to hold this thought for now to concentrate on an issue with carpets that is easy to fix: carpet cleaning.

HOW TO: Make Your Own Eco, Kid-Safe Cleaning Supplies

Why should you take the time to make homemade cleaners? Well, first of all, plenty of studies show that toxic, conventional cleaning supplies are bad for your health, your child’s health, and the planet’s health. See the following posts for more information…

Organic washcloth puppet pals by Under the Nile

Make baby bathtime more fun and eco-friendly with these adorable organic cotton wash mitt critters from Under the Nile. What better way to entice a reluctant baby into the bath than with a talkie froggie puppet? And as you would expect from eco baby brand Under the Nile, these washcloth-cum-hand-puppets are as environmentally friendly as they come. Not only are they fair-trade and made from the softest organic cotton and water-based dyes, but the biggest green factor comes from the multi-functionality in allowing you to wash, entertain and play with your baby all with one little charming design.

Home Laundering Cloth Diapers

In today’s tricky economy, things are getting more expensive and costly all of the time. A great way to save money for the family is by home laundering your baby’s cloth diapers. We are all for the DIY spirit when it comes to doing-it-yourself with eco-friendly methods. Granted not everyone has the time to do household chores from start to finish, but if home laundering is something you want to fit into your busy parenting schedule, consider the following helpful tips to make the most out of your green laundering experience.

Finding the Right Cloth Diaper for You

Let’s face it, we are all trying to do the right thing these days, both as parents and as environmentally conscious consumers. For some, disposable diapers is the best route to go, for others – cloth diapers are the obvious choice. We are certainly not about preaching ‘the diapering gospel’ here at Inhabitots, but for those of you who opt for cloth and are confused about which cloth diaper to buy, here you go!

I have had the opportunity to test several different types of cloth diapers, and I have put together the following list of benefits and drawbacks of each of these options, along with my personal brand choice for each category.

MomSpit: It’s not gross…Really!

You’ve seen it thousands of times in playgrounds: A kid consumes a snack, stray bits of food get stuck between his upper lip and nose, and his mom – without giving it much thought – licks her thumb and wipes away the offending schmutz. Gross? Well the gals behind MomSpit are betting not.

5 Eco Friendly Reasons to Choose Cloth Diapers

Mention the word ‘cloth diaper’ to a modern, harried urbanite and you are likely to be met with a look of shock and horror. When I tell my friends about cloth diapering, the response is usually, “But isn’t that SOOO messy and time consuming? All that laundering and poop scraping?” Despite a prejudice in our culture towards the quick-fix disposable, cloth diapers are really the only green choice when it comes to diapering. Not only are cloth diapers healthier, more economical and eco-friendly than their plastic cousins — but their ease of use and convenience has significantly improved over the last decade. Here are five great reasons to go cloth: