Green Cleaning an Alameda business

We recently purchased a cleaning from Green Cleaning at the Otis School auction.

Lorna is a local Alameda business owner and parent who now specializes in green home and carpet cleaning.  With the amount of chemicals in cleaning products and our homes in general

this service is a great addition to having a green healthy home.  One of the first things I noticed after her crew was done (besides the great cleaning job) was the smell.  Or lack of any smell.

There was no overpowering scent of anything.  The house just smelled clean. Lorna showed up on time with her crew gave them the rundown on what they were going to do and we were very satisfied with the job.  I would have to say the most amazing part was the carpets.  With an older dog  a rabbit and about 8 years of accumulated dirt our carpets desperately needed a cleaning.  The machine they use at first glance doesn't look like much, but the technique actually makes sense and does a better job of actually removing the dirt with very little water than any other technique I know of.  With no harsh chemicals just some kind of cleaning solution that according to the FDA is fit for consumption (how green is that) it kind of bounces and blots the dirt out onto a towel which they keep replacing.  The result is very clean carpets that were hardly wet and smelled clean, did I say I loved the smell.  I highly recommend them next time you need a house or carpet cleaning. 

Check out their website. Click here.

More Green cleaning

My wife recently purchased Bac-Out Stain & Odor Eliminator.  We have an old dog that has a hard time controlling some bodily functions and seem to be needing to spot clean the carpet more and more.  We have tried many other products including Simple Green and nothing including products specifically for carpets worked as well as this.  Also does the best job of eliminating the odors left behind.  The label says it has Live Enzyme Cultures & Lime Peel Extract.  Whatever it has it works!

Available at Alameda Natural Grocery.

Kick the Water Habit

Summer is here and so increased water usage. Coming off of several drought years it's important to start not only monitoring and reducing water use but planning on how become more water efficient. Sunset magazine recently had a very good article on how to kick the water habit in 12 easy steps. Read the article click here

Green cleaning the good bad and dirty

One of the ironies about cleaning products we use in our home is that many of the cleaning products use harsh chemical so even though our homes appear clean our own health can suffer. People who have chemical sensitivity know what I mean.

Want to read more about how our cleaning products can be harmful check out this article.
How to green cleaning
Another take on this at LiveScience.com

Make your own green cleaning products at home.
Click to get the recipes

The market has responded and there are now several brands offering envrionmentally sensitive yet effective products.
Seventh Generation
Method
Better Life
Simple Green
Even good old Trader Joe's has their own brand

Bike to Work day

Well Earth day has come and gone but bike to work day is May 14th.
As someone who rides regularly it is nice to have a day to remind people about biking to work.
Biking is not only healthy but you get a different perspective on your commute.
If you are interested in biking and the future of bicycle advocacy in Alameda check out the
bikealameda website

Cycling the start of it all

Well this is sort of how it all started for me.
I love cycling, I used to do Triathlons and then raced mountain bikes for a few years.
Not professionally.
Having a big minivan is great for trips, kids, camping but not so great for the short drive I need to make to my office several times a week.
I decided to start riding my bike for work as much as I can. I have some bags I can put my laptop in and take it to my office (Bayside Real Estate). Tuesdays is brokers tour for us agents in Alameda, so whenever possible I ride my bike for that as well. I also try and do as many errands and shopping trips on my bike as possible.
I figured that after 3 months I probably saved in gas what the bike bags cost me. Not to mention it is more pleasant to see my community from the seat of a bike than my car. A little less auto emissions on the Island as well.

See you on the road.

Go Green again

I started this project with a idea of providing stories, resources and commentary on how we can all go greener. I figured the best way is to start with myself and see where I can personally use less resources, produce less waste and reduce that ever present carbon footprint.
I look forward to producing the blogs to come.