Monthly Archives: June 2009

Compost and Garbage

I was watching the news last night.  Metro Vancouver is in a heated debate about what to do with their garbage.  The Vancouver Sun says, “The Metro garbage debate is likely to keep raging until September — when the region releases a draft of its new solid-waste management plan — and beyond.”  

A deal was signed with Fraser Richmond Soil and Fibre Ltd. to take 50,000 extra tons of organic material and turn it into soil and mulch.  This soil is extra rich and will naturally help to grow greener, lusher lawns, firmer vegetables and brighter flowers. 

It looks like we will be starting kitchen composting as early as February 2010.

Some tips for getting a jump on this ruling.

1.  Look for a ceramic jar with a lid or a metal pail to put your compost in.  Plastic pails will start to stink very quickly, but a ceramic jar or metal pail won’t smell as bad.

2. Most organic scraps can be added to your kitchen compost bin.

Vegetable scraps, onion and potato peelings, apples cores, lettuce cores, banana peels, rinds from cantaloupe or watermelon…

3.  Chop or shred the pieces into small pieces so they’ll break down and decompose faster.

4.  Coffee grounds and tea bags are also great to add to your compost bin.  They are rich in vitamins and nutrients which will help to reduce odors produced by rotting organics.

5.  Paper and cardboard is also great to add.  It will contribute to a richer compost.

6. Add a teaspoon of Bin Fresh-N to the compost bin a few times each week.  It will absorb the methane gas and carbon dioxide released as the organics decompose.

7.  When you mix your organics from the kitchen with your garden compost, dig, bury and cover the kitchen organics to create a richer soil.

8.  Mix the compost into your garden and spread over your lawn.

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Sweet n’ Sassy Home Parties

Sweet n' Sassy Home PartiesFor all the Mom’s out there! Fresh-N Home Products is now proudly sold through Sweet n’ Sassy Home Parties.

When you’re looking for fantastic products for your newborn, your kids or yourself you’ll want to check out this great new party plan company.  Christie loves that Fresh-N Home Products are all natural, eco friendly, remove smell in the home, are renewable, are non-toxic and safe to have in the home around pets and babies.

Christie Bowbeer is the head of the new home party company. She is a mom, she teaches birthing classes, is a doula and wanted to bring some great products to the great women she builds relationships with.

Coming soon will be her website. Sweet n’ Sassy promises to offer fantastic products to mom and kids!  

Sweet ‘n Sassy home parties is located in Southern Ontario.

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5 Tips to a Healthy Home

1. Test your Indoor Air Quality.

Heating and cooling systems, cleaning supplies, and other Volatile Organic Compounds products and materials can be regularly evaluated to improve indoor air quality. You may also use a Carbon Monoxide monitor to test CO levels in your home.

2. Improve ventilation.

Take advantage of Spring! Leave windows and doors open. Also remember that using exhaust fans in bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms significantly improves ventilation, and helps eliminate moisture and toxic chemicals.

3. Control household humidity levels.

Keeping humidity at the optimum level is important in controlling the growth of toxic mold and other biological contaminants. This can be done by eliminating water leaks and sources of standing water, as well as installing a humidifier.

4. Have your HVAC system cleaned.

Regularly cleaning, servicing and maintaining your HVAC system is crucial for healthy indoor air quality. This will prevent the build-up of dirt, dust and toxic molds, guarantee the efficiency of your HVAC system and decrease energy costs.

5. Be aware of chemicals found in products.
Dramatically improve indoor air quality by replacing toxic and high in Volatile Organic Compounds cleaning products with eco friendly ones.

Did you know that….

  • Fresh air is one of the top natural cleaners around. Best part about it is it’s free of chemicals, and costs nothing to use; just open the windows!
  • If your furnace’s blower is not cleaned regularly, it can become a breeding ground for dirt, dust mites and toxic molds.
  • Your air conditioner drip pan can potentially hold standing water and grow mold, which would then be blown directly into your air ducts and out through the vents of the entire house.
  • Condenser coils can rust and contain build-up of corrosion, which is not only harmful to the air quality but also decreases the efficiency of your HVAC system and increases energy costs.
  • Avoiding the use of conventional cleaning products isn’t always possible. Remember: keep your house well ventilated when using them, and help preserve your indoor air quality by storing harmful chemicals and volatile compounds (such as paints, solvents, cleaners and pesticides) away from occupied spaces and air ventilation intakes.
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Spring Cleaning

Every once in a while I look in the fridge and think, “It’s time”.  Out comes everything.  The kitchen counter is loaded with ketchup, salad dressing, marinades, jams and other sundry jars and bottles.

The crisper drawers are pulled and washed, all the shelves get washed, expiry dates checked and cultures of unknown food thrown out.

One thing that has changed is the smell.  Fridge clean outs used to happen when something died in the fridge.  Cucumbers used to climb into the back of the fridge and go soft, mouldy and liquefy (only occasionally), but that was the signal that the fridge needed an overhaul.  Or there would be spaghetti sauce that should have been in the freezer, but ended up in the fridge as one of the kids did cleanup.  If you’ve ever smelt dead cucumber or moldy spaghetti, you know what I mean.

Since we’ve put the Fridge Fresh-N in the fridge, we don’t smell anything.  I’m finding that I’m more aware of the contents of the fridge – because I have to be.  Quite a while ago, a rogue cucumber climbed into the back of the fridge and lay there, right next to the Fridge Fresh-N pouch.  When I moved the tupperware in front of it a while later, I was amazed to find the the cucumber had dissolved into a science project, but there wasn’t a smell.  The Fridge Fresh-N pouch has absorbed the moisture from the cucumber as well as the smell.

Maybe I shouldn’t share my cucumber stories, which does point towards my lack of kitchen skills, but really, it’s only the cucumbers and the occasional tub of spaghetti sauce that rots in my fridge.  I haven’t managed to poison anyone and my daughters are 6 feet tall at 15 and 5′9″ at 12, so I’m must be feeding them quite well.

I remember using the baking soda boxes and being very annoyed (I toned down what I really wanted to say) when someone pushed something on a shelf and the box went over and spilt down the back of the fridge.  I also could never remember when I had last changed the box, so it really never seemed to work.

Now, when I’m inspired to clean the fridge, usually a few times a year, I take my Fridge Fresh-N pouch and place it in the sun to re-energize it.  Then the pouch returns to the fridge for several more months.

For more info on the Fridge Fresh-N pouches and to order yours, go to our Kitchen Products page and place your order. You’ll be happy you did.

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Remove the smells inside the car.

Now that the sun it out – it’s 34 C here in Vancouver – all the smells that have lurked and grown in the car during the winter months come out to play.

We have animals and kids in sports.  I remember the smell of damp dog and thinking NOTHING would remove it.  Now we have dog hair on the seats, but no dog smell.

Remember the smell of spilt milk from having a child throw a bottle?  Or how about the latte that somehow was dumped?  I spilt a latte in the back of my cross-over just prior to getting on an airplane.  I placed my Car Fresh-N pouch over the damp spot and left.  No smell lingered on my return – YEAH!

Hockey gear is nasty, and much to my surprise, my daughter’s softball catching gear can have the same, knock you over, smell.  I’m so thankful that we have the Car Fresh-N and also the SportzGemz in her bag.

For more info, go to our Car Fresh-N product page.

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