The Guavalicious Life

Confession: I am a secret hoarder. Out in my garage we have a gigantic stash of used plastics. You see, our city as great as it is, only recycles one and two plastics. So we save up our yogurt tubs and cheese lids and ferry them to Dallas when we visit family. Yep, we are a little bit crazy about recycling. We are one step away from joining the earth liberation army.

Suffice to say, I am a wee bit into green living. So I jumped at the chance to test out Tide Coldwater. We almost always wash our clothes in cold water but I haven’t used a detergent made specifically for cold water laundry. I love my natural detergents but I admit that they don’t always tackle the stains that two five year old girls leave on their play clothes.

And it totally came through. Even without any kind of pre-treatment. I am so looking forward to pulling that off of my laundry shelf and adding less plastic to our garage stash.

Disclosure: I received a product sample and was compensated with a $50 gift card.

So I have been on a green kick this week on the blog with my Scotch-Brite Botanical Wipes giveaway and my Top Ten Green Cleaners. I think it’s because I am in the middle of deep cleaning before my inlaws visit this week. These spurts always get me motivated to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Part of this mantra is our determination to keep our second car going as long as possible. It’s more cost effective and we figure that there will be more “green” cars out on the market the longer we wait.

But that doesn’t keep a girl from day dreaming. So when I was asked to check out the new Kia Optima Hybrid, I jumped on the chance to do a little “window shopping.” Before my current mom mobile, I drove a Hyundai Elantra so I personally know the value and quality that Kia offers. The 2011 Optima Hybrid delivers 40 MPG on the highway and has a starting MSRP of $26,5002. Awesome gas mileage and even more awesome price. Plus it comes standard with a 16-inch alloy wheel design, headlamp design, fog lamps, heated outside mirrors, front and rear lower bumpers and side sills and LED tail lamp design. I think those extras make it look pretty darn sporty. There are plenty of cool options to add on too.

Check it out:

Want to know more? You can view a video series about the Optima Hybrid design, technology, value and battery here, check out the Kia Optima Facebook page to interact with the Urban Myth Busters app, and check out and Infographic about how hybrid cars work. Infogrpahics make my nerdy heart swoon. For now, i will have to be satisfied with videos and infographics. And maybe a test drive. You know, just to see.

“This promotional sponsored post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. I was compensated for my time investment and work on this campaign. Thoughts are my own.”

After my Scotch-Brite giveaway post yesterday, I started thinking about other green cleaners I use when white vinegar won’t do (or I am feeling lazy). Here are my top ten green home cleaners. They make it easy to go non-toxic.

1. Microfiber cloths: You probably already know about these but if not, get yourself a pack and never look back. They make dusting a snap and you don’t have to worry about inhaling a spray. Plus they are completely safe for kids to use.

2. Steam Mop: This household is ridden with allergies so hard floors are a must. Instead of risking build up, we use a steam mop to clean and disinfect our floors. We have Bissell Steam Mop Hard-Floor Cleaner, Green Tea, 1867-7“>this one and we have only had one hiccup in two years (and Bissel sent us a new one!) Unlike the ones with disposable cloths, you can use the mop heads again and again. Just run them through the washing machine.

3. Skoy cloth: Love this wonder cloth. According to the company, One Skoy cloth saves 15 rolls of paper towels. We use them in the sink and wash them in the washing machine to clean them. When we’re done, we just throw them in the compost because they are 100% biodegradable.

4. Ecover Automatic Dishwashing Tablets: I have always had dishwasher issues. But once we started using these tablets our spots have all but disappeared. I love that I can buy them in bulk because I am constantly running out of them. They contain chlorine or chemical residues (so they don’t pollute the water supply) and are safe for septic tanks.

5. Seventh Generation Dish Liquid: Most of our cleaning products are fragrance free but I make an exception for Seventh Generation’s lavender scented dish soap because I hate doing dishes and this makes it so much more pleasant. Plus it cuts grease like a dream. It contains no artificial or petroleum-based ingredients and is Biodegradeable and non-toxic.

6. Method Hand Soap: Since Method came out I have tried and loved most of their hand soaps. They use natural based ingredients, no antibacterials, and smell fantastic (thanks to essential oils.) A current favorite is the Minnie and Mickey shaped soap bottles. They make my kids excited about washing their hands without any gimmicks or weird colors.

7. The Sun: Free and almost always available (unless you live in the Pacific Northwest), the sun is the best stain remover I know. Got a stubborn spot? Stick it in direct sunlight for a few hours and it will be faded or gone.

8. Bon Ami All Purpose Spray: I have raved before about this natural (and great smelling counter spray). It’s nontoxic, hypoallergenic, and safe for kids to use. It works without phosphates or harmful chlorine. and the bottles are made from 100% post consumer recycled pet plastic. Even the paper labels are made from recycled paper.

9. Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrub Sponges: Love that these natural fiber scrub pads are available everywhere now (it’s sometimes hard to find green products in my smaller market.) Since they are made from natural ingredients like wood pulp and nut shells, we can throw them in our compost when they are worn out.

10. Aluminum Foil: I save my aluminum foil that can’t be reused and use it to scrub pans in a pinch. It is one of the best tricks I know. Leaves your pans sparkly and free of scratches!!

What are your favorite green cleaners?

As someone who suffers from an auto-immune disorder, I am constantly on the search for alternative pain relief methods. I carefully monitor my diet and what I put on to my body, since I have found that certain ingredients and foods can exacerbate my vulardynia. The worst symptom are those muscle cramps and aches that seem to come from nowhere. Besides popping ibuprofen like candy, I haven’t really found something that helps. So when Tropricin asked me if I wanted to try out their topical homepathic Topricin Pain Relief and Healing Cream, I was gungho.

Tropricin was originally developed to treat the muscle pain of its’ developer and since going on the market it has been used sucessfully by firbomyalgia patients. It definitely lessened what I call the “stabbies”, allowing me to get to sleep at night. But what I have really found myself using it for is the shoulder and back pain I get from carrying my four year old twins around (I know they shouldn’t be carried anymore but sometimes that’s the fastest way to get them from point a to point b.) I am thinking about snagging the travel size so I could throw it in my purse.

Other stuff I think is cool: the company also has a junior cream for use on kids. I am looking forward to trying it out on them for those “I need a bandaid” moments after they run into furniture or fall down. The rule in our house is no blood, no bandaid and I think the cream could be the answer to the medicine wants while also helping them feel better. The cream has the Heathy Child, Healthy World seal of approval. The company also makes a formula for foot pain. You can find Topricin on their website, Twitter, and Facebook.

Is there a natural pain reliever you use? I’d love to hear about it!!

Disclosure: I received a sampling of Topricin products for review. Opinions, as always, are my own. I only blog about products that I personally have used and feel comfortable recommending.