Simple & easy ways to go green in your home

Hello!  I hope this post finds you well :)

It's a snowy morning here in Connecticut after topping the thermometer here at nearly 60 yesterday - crazy!

As it's been a fairly mild Winter here in the Northeast, we typically spend quite a lot of time indoors.  Like most people, you consider your home to be one of the safest places for you and your family, right?  You keep things tidy and as dust free as possible - but did you know that indoor air can be more "polluted" than outdoor air?

I came across a company's web site called GreenGuard with some information that was a bit shocking to me.  After reading it, it made sense, but like a lot of things in life - you really don't view things or realize things that seem like common sense until you read it!

For example (straight from GreenGuard's web site):

Facts You Should Know

Children breathe in a greater volume of air than adults relative to their body size.

Children's organs and respiratory, immune and neurological systems are still developing.

Children are much closer to the ground, and as a result, breathe in more of the heavier airborne chemicals than do adults.

Infants and young children breathe through their mouths, more so than do adults, which increases their risk of pulmonary exposure to particulates and fibers, that would otherwise be filtered out in the nose.

So of course, I wanted to share and write about this (in case you're just like me and have an A-Ha! moment or a OMG I should have known that!).

There are some incredibly simple and easy ways to keep your home as green as possible by doing just a few things differently in your home - which thankfully we already do, but it's never too late to start!

1. Take off your shoes - we have a no shoe policy in the house.  Think of ALL the places you walk during the day - public places, public bathrooms (blech), sidewalks, shopping centers, etc.  Do you really want those traces of these places tracked throughout your home?  Methinks not.  Not only does it keep toxins and grossness out of your home, it keeps your floors cleaner, also.
2. Get some green - Add some green houseplants to your home. Plants are amazing at removing toxins in the air and replacing it with cleaner air.  Here's a post from TreeHugger that I found on the best air filtering plants.  I personally love Gerber Daisy, Bamboo and the Peace Lily plants.
3. Don't be smelly - Steer clear of scented air fresheners, candles, harsh perfumes and other "smelly" products that you may use in your home.  They can inject harmful toxins into the air.  Try using things that are fragrance-free. 
4. Use non-toxic cleaning products - I am quite the clutter-bug, but I do love having a clean home.  Foreverrrrr, I thought clean meant brands like Clorox, Lysol, Windex, etc.  But harsher chemicals does not equal cleaner things.  I still use the "strong stuff" for certain places such as disinfecting the kitchen sink and the toilet where the germiest things may be - but everywhere else I use "green" products or natural products wherever possible.  A few products I love are Bona Floor Cleaners, ActiveIon, Shark Steam Mop and Seventh Generation.  You can also go to The Smart Mama for more information on making your own cleaners from Vinegar, Baking Soda, Lemon and more. 
5. Just be more aware - Read the ingredients and just increase your awareness.  Simply opt for bringing products into your home that are as natural as possible - use safe laundry detergents, soaps, shampoos and other products that you put on, in or near your body.  

One last resource I love is the Environmental Working Group and their Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.  You can search thousands and thousands of products in tons of categories for harmful ingredients and they rate them on their safety scale.

Thanks for reading and stopping by and please feel free to share this with your friends and family!
~Carly

What to do with those "banned" cribs?

If you're like, oh, say most households today, you've got one of those now "banned" drop-side cribs not in use for one of many possible reasons.

Either you decided to stop using it (right choice), you gave it away awhile ago before the banning, you no longer have a baby that needs the crib, etc., etc.

Either way, it's probably taking up valuable storage space somewhere, right?  Now, you are unable to donate it, sell it or do much of anything with it.

So, if you're crafty (or think you're crafty, like me) I've found two solutions of what to do with those cribs.

I must of course thank Pinterest and my love of crafty blogs :)

An old crib turned into a work bench - via Apartment Therapy and created by A Little Learning For Two

Image courtesy of A Little Learning
For Two of the finished project

I could totally see my two kids sitting there nicely together!  Coloring. Using the dreaded Play-Doh. Reading books.

According to the original post from A Little Learning For Two, she created this space and did not lose the ability to turn it back into a crib should she require it again - which is amazing.

As you can see from the picture, the end result features a large work space that doubles as a chalkboard and has little hooks and nooks to hang scissors or any other accessories your little ones will require to be the creative beings they are.

This is just beyond adorable and looks quite easy to make.  They show you step by step in the blog.  I think one of the best parts is you don't even have to take the crib completely apart to make it.

I totally want to attempt to make this.

But then - just when I think I want to make one thing from the old crib, I come across another idea that I seem to love.

This project is an older antiqued headboard (not a crib) salvaged and re-purposed as a bench!  It comes from Scissors & Spatulas.   However, even though it was not a crib - the parts they used can easily come from your old crib.

For the record, my style is not country - at all.  But this bench just screams "I'm so country and cozy! Sit on me!"

Image courtesy of  Scissors & Spatulas blog

The pillow, the distressing of the white paint, the added swoop detail at the bottom - I love it ALL.

When I make this bench make my husband make this bench for us (he-he) I would likely make a cushion to go length-wise over the bench - and of course have a pillow, too.

I'd also grab some baskets to stick under it for extra storage.

Oh, the ideas just keep coming :)

Darn you, crafty people of the world and Pinterest!

So, there you have it.  Two great, yet different, ideas for re-purposing that old crib that's taking up space (or making you get that baby lust!)

But whether or not you choose to be crafty with your crib or are need of searching for a new one - have no fear.  I'll be here to help you!

Thanks for stopping by!