eco-chic design

100% natural cleaning products for a healthier home and planet

Due to the warm weather lately I’ve been in a bit of a spring cleaning mode. As mentioned before the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that the inside air of our homes is 2-5 times more chemically polluted than the outside air. That’s why I’ve been advocating eco-friendly home cleaners for a while. Now might be a good time to replace your existing ones with natural and eco-friendly alternatives. The greenest way would still be to clean your home with natural ingredients such as vinegar, baking soda, and olive oil. And you can with the Home Cleaning DIY Kit from Eco-Me. The 100% natural and chemical free tool kit helps you make your own cleaning products. It comes with reusable containers, pre-measured mixing ingredients and essential oils. The eco-modern kit makes a fun educational project for kids. But I’ve to admit that I’m a bit of a lazy environmentalist as so beautifully described by Josh Dorfman. I prefer the convenience of a pre-mixed bottle like the 100% natural all-purpose cleaner Bill. It contains no colorants or dyes, no chemical preservatives, no synthetic fragrances, no sulfates and no phosphates. This means fewer toxins in your home and the environment since they won’t get washed down the drain. As a big fan of design that makes a greener life-style more fun I like Eco-Me’s colorful packaging and bold silhouettes of people like you or me. The Eco-Me family line of products is a healthy addition to any eco-modern home.

green your home with household products from New Zealand

Yesterday an article in the NYT mentioned that niche brands fare better within the green household market than green versions of conventional brands. In my eyes smaller niche companies are more truthful to their green values like ecostore and this shines through in their products. I was fortunate enough to visit the amazing ecostore retail shop in Auckland that also carries a wide selection of other sustainable brands. It ranges from Living Nature Skincare, Apple & Bee cosmetic bags to Merino Kids Cocooi Babywraps. Then of course, there’s also the complete line of ecostore sustainable household and personal care products. 

The current ecostore range has more than a 100 products that are all made in New Zealand with the earth and human health in mind. Lately I was finally able to try their plant based laundry liquid. Until then I was hesitant to try a green detergent made overseas. But my other favorite eco-friendly  detergent brand Vaska was sold out which was a great excuse. The super-concentrated ecostore laundry liquid contains no nasty chemicals such as toxic petrochemicals or phosphates and is highly biodegradable. It’s also grey water safe for gardens, lawns and trees. What I’m really curious about though is ecostore’s new range of skincare products. It just launched in New Zealand and I love the line drawings on the labels designed by artist John Reynolds. They embody the less is more approach of ecostore’s product formulations. And you know how much I love great modern design combined with sustainability.

botanical laundry detergent for eco-fashionistas

It’s no surprise that vaska botanically based laundry detergent was created by a fashion designer with a passion for textiles. Not only are the all-natural products better for people and the planet but for fabrics as well thanks to the absence of harmful chemicals. Julia Fry founded the Berkley-based company in 1999 as an eco-modern alternative to traditional laundry detergents. The sleek packaging made of 50% post-consumer content caught my eye at Duane Reade a few weeks ago. Especially since I like to discover chic household items that are designed with the environment in mind. Vaska’s line includes laundry detergent, chlorine-free oxygenbleach, fabric softener and stain remover. So far I tried vasca’s herbatergent with a light lavender scent that uses real herbs and botanical cleaning agents. I personally love the scent but the herbatergent scent free version and the oxygenbleach received EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) certification. It’s comforting to know that they have been screened for potential health and environmental effects. After all you wear your clothes all day long. All products are biodegradable, gray water safe, and hypoallergenic. Vasca’s website lists some good reminders on how to reduce your energy consumption while doing laundry. Use cold water whenever possible and try to hang your clothing to dry instead of putting them into a dryer. It’s better for the colors of your clothes plus the environment will thank you too.

fun cleaning for modern eco-homes

What happens when a chief idealist and a mad-skilled scientist decide to clean their home in an eco-friendly way? They develop their own line of green cleaning products called Better Life for a safer home and a cleaner planet. The owners Tim Barklage and Kevin Tibbs were nice enough to send me their cleaning starter kit that comes in a collapsible six-compartment bag from Green Bag America made of 100% polypropylene. It’s perfect for storage and contains four different cleaners plus biodegradable Twist Sponges. I absolutely love the whimsical labels on Better Life’s bottles, since they make cleaning fun.

The glass cleaner says “I Can See Clearly, WOW!” and that’s exactly what happened after I cleaned my windows facing a busy Avenue in Manhattan today. Their all purpose cleaner “what-EVER” performs really well and has a clean crisp smell that’s naturally scented using only essential oils of Clary Sage and Citrus. Other products include the “Simply Floored!” ready-to-use floor cleaner and the “Even the Kitchen Sink” gentle scrubber. All Better Life products have an ingredient summary on their labels that I’ve only seen on some organic or natural skincare products. It’s no surprise since Kevin Tibbs comes from a natural skin care background. I always wondered what effect touching home surfaces has on my skin and health. It’s comforting to know that all Better Life products are free of petrochemicals, volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), solvents, dyes, synthetic fragrances and other harmful substances. Welcome to a greener home!

go green with your spring cleaning

Always eager to discover the story behind eco-friendly companies I was glad to see J.R. Watkins at the Go Green Expo in New York. Especially since I’ve always loved their beautiful packaging. The company has been a pioneer in natural living since 1868 and originally started as a home-manufacturer of spices and natural remedies like their Original Pain Relieving Liniment.

Since then Watkins launched a line of USDA Certified 100% Organic Spices in 2006 and officially launched J.R. Watkins Natural Apothecary and J.R. Watkins Natural Home Care in 2008. Makes a lot of sense since what you put on your body is as important as what you put into it. If they can relieve minor muscle aches naturally, I trust that they can remove grease stains in my kitchen in a safe way. I love that their ingredients originally came from the garden to the kitchen in the form of spices and now to personal care. The gorgeous labels of their products reflect the company’s long history and heritage through their modern take on old-fashioned lettering. The J.R. Watkins Natural Apothecary line of personal care contains only natural, environmentally friendly ingredients without chemicals like parabens, sulfates or phthalates. The same principle of using natural ingredients is true for their natural home care. It comes in great scents like lavender or aloe and green tea. Something I unfortunately can’t smell these days because of my seasonal allergies. But please go ahead, spice up your home with an eco-friendly spring cleaning and let me know which scents you like.

detoxify your body, mind and mat

Still new to yoga I finally bought my very own eco-friendly mat before my trip to a yoga retreat in the Bahamas last week. Now I’m back here in Manhattan trying to give my mat its first cleaning. Part of me still wants to hold on to the smell of the ocean breeze. But let’s face it: pranayamas (breathing exercises) are much easier without any distracting odor from previous sessions.

The yoga and fitness cleaner from Stirlen does just that thanks to its natural and plant-based ingredients that are citrus scented but won’t linger. The proprietary blend contains coconut surfactants to remove body sweat, body oils and floor dirt, citrus oil to remove body oils and deodorize and potassium sorbate to extend the life of your mat. Not only are the ingredients non-toxic and break down when released back into the environment, but also the wipes are 100% biodegradable and the packaging is recyclable. I love how clean and simple the bottle design is – it gives you room to breathe. And luckily with the Stirlen Chi Mat Cleanser you can make that a deep breath.

get into the green holiday spirit

I wish I could redesign my apartment with sustainable furniture for the approaching New Year, but for now a good eco-chic cleaning might have to do. Luckily there’s Minneapolis based Caldrea with its line of earth-friendly products to clean your home without harsh chemicals or harsh fragrances.

Instead they use finest plant-derived ingredients and essential oils to create their signature scents. Their products are biodegradable and not tested on animals. The packaging looks gorgeous and is recyclable. To give your home a festive scent for the holidays you might want to try Ginger Pomelo, which has hints of citrus and ginger. This bright, juicy citrus family has cheering and energizing qualities in aromatherapy – a spirit that might come in handy for the holidays.

clean design for dirty dishes

San Francisco based method was founded by the two partners Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry with the goal to create environmentally friendly cleaning products. In 2002 they teamed up with industrial designer Karim Rashid, known for turning mundane objects into cutting-edge designs to create their signature bottles. Most of his original designs evolved since then, but I still applaud method for adding fun designs to everyday objects.

I’m a big fan of their dish soap in French lavender, which almost looks more like a fragrance bottle that happens to clean dishes while being eco-conscious. It’s naturally derived, biodegradable and ultra-concentrated which is great since it lasts longer. Its manufacturing process uses renewable energy. Other scents include cucumber or pink grapefruit.

for green domestic gods and goddesses

I’ve always loved doing laundry since it makes me feel productive. You take something dirty, put it into the washer and hope it comes out clean. In the future I’ll love it even more since I just discovered eco-friendly The Laundress.

The company was founded by Lindsey Wieber and Gwen Whiting and offers a luxurious detergent and fabric care line with their uniquely formulated scents Cedar, Baby, Lady and Classic. All products are made with biodegradable, non-toxic, plant-based ingredients and are allergen, dye, phthalate, phosphate and paraben free. Who wouldn’t rather have plant-based ingredients instead of petroleum take care of their dirty laundry? The packaging for the detergents looks classy and I love the black and white stripes on some of their other items like The Laundress Dryer Sheets. All products use recyclable plastic, paper and packaging.

clean earth day

Thanks to earth day I’ve been bombarded with earth-friendly products all day long. I get my daily fix on chic through daily candy and I was delighted to see that their newsletter offered a discount on Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, which will coincide perfectly with my spring cleaning this weekend.

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day offers environmentally friendly, biodegradable cleaning products that are aromatherapeutic. The line includes general household cleaners, pet products, and laundry detergents. What I love most is that you can shop these products by fragrance on their website ranging from basil, lavender, lemon verbena, rhubarb, and geranium to baby blossom. Once you look up basil, which is supposed to give you an extra burst of energy several products will come up ranging from dish soap to laundry detergent. What a great concept!

The packaging was designed by werner design werks in Minneapolis and feels retro-modern. It reflects the same no-nonsense attitude as the actual products, which are affordable and hardworking. Just like the founder’s mother who raised nine children and is of course the original Mrs. Meyers.