I don’t want to show off or anything…. BUT we’re very proud to have been nominated for an Argus Eco-Award in the Green Business category!

There are some great eco businesses in our area, so I’m not sure how we’ll get on! But it is just great to be nominated. You can see a full list of the nominees and more info here www.theargus.co.uk/ecoawards

Fingers crossed!

Do you know all the amazing things you can do with plain old Baking Soda? Betcha don’t! I know, I know, how exciting can Baking Soda be? To begin with back in the day it was one of the few products available to all that multi-tasked like no-body’s business. It was used on everything from upset stomachs to brushing teeth. These days of course, a lot has changed, but what we do still do is overpay for a host of products that either charge extra because they contain Baking Soda as an ingredient or do the very same things that Baking Soda can do. The following is a list of 10 1/2 amazing ways to incorporate Baking Soda into your everyday beauty routine.

1. Acne Mask Combine baking Soda with just enough purified water to form a thick paste. Plaster the paste on acne prone areas and chill out for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with cool water. Repeat daily and revel in the results after just 1 week!

2. Smelly Hands Yuck! If your hands have acquired an odor for some reason mix 4 parts Baking Soda with 1 part water add to hand soap. Rub mixture together in your hands with a little bit of water. Rinse, repeat and smell a lot better!

2 1/2. Smelly Feet Double yuck! Soak tired, smelly feet in a basin of warm water mixed with 5 tablespoons Baking Soda. Awe, it’s relaxing and kills the odor!

3. Shampoo buildup on hair Add 1 tablespoon Baking Soda to your usual shampoo. Lather. Rinse. Repeat, and say goodbye to nasty buildup!

4. Callused Rough Skin Mix 3 parts Baking Soda with 1 part purified water to form a thick paste. Massage into callused rough skin in a circle motion. Repeat daily, follow with moisturizer of your choice.

5. Skin Irritations Windburn? Sunburn? Poison ivy? 3 parts Baking Soda with one part water. Create the miracle paste. Scoop and pat onto irritated areas, sit back and let it dry, repeat as necessary.

6. Relaxing Bath Oh its been one of those days! Sit back and relax in a hot Baking Soda soak. Just add 3/4cup of Baking Soda to your bath and relax those stiff muscles away.

7. Fingernail Discoloration If your like me you use your poor fingernails as tools! After awhile they can start to look dingy and discolored. Add 1 part Baking Soda to 2 parts water. Soak your grimy nails in the mixture for 5 minutes. Follow up by dipping your nail brush into the mixture and scrubbing the really harsh stains away.

6. Dentures, Retainers, Mouth-guards Add 3 teaspoons of Baking Soda to warm water. Soak assorted mouth wear until water runs cool.

7. Toothpaste Mix 3 parts Baking Soda with 1 part salt. Add 3 teaspoons of glycerin. Add 10 to 20 drops of your flavoring of choice (I like peppermint or cinnamon oil). When your ready to use it add just enough water to make a paste and scrub away.

8. Odor killing Mouthwash Add 2 teaspoons Baking Soda to 4 ounces of purified water. Swish and gargle in mouth swirling through teeth. Spit don’t swallow!

9. Facial Exfoliant See my post below on the Baking Soda Facial!

10. Facial Scrub Here’s a great weekly face scrub. Mix 4 tablespoons Baking Soda with 1/2 cup oatmeal in your blender. Add enough water to make a paste. Apply to face, gently rubbing into skin in a circular motion!

Ooo I’ve just met the nicest chap. He does eco friendly carpet cleaning.

He was telling me how he’d once had his carpets cleaned and had to evacuate dogs/kids/grown ups until the chemical fumes cleared!

No need for that now that we have the lovely Paul at Scrub to clean our carpets, upholstery and mattresses using only nice things and leaving no chemical residue (it’s all a lot more technical than that, but I’m easily blinded by science!).

He was also talking to me about allergy sufferers and how much having carpets cleaned annually, and mattresses cleaned twice a year can help. Makes sense doesn’t it. (To be honest, I didn’t really want to know about the dust mites in my mattress, or hear Paul’s awful story about the scalp monster that wanders about on our faces at night to drink from our eyes - thanks Paul - I may never be able to sleep again!)

Anyway, check out the Green Mop services page for more info:

http://www.greenmop.co.uk/erol.html#692X0

How to clean your silver using boiling water and Baking Soda.

www.greenmop.co.uk was mentioned in The Guardian last week! They recommended Bio-d loo cleaner and Ecover limescale remover in answer to a reader’s question. Here it is for you:

Your questions answered 

Saturday January 12, 2008
The Guardian

Is there really a way to be clean, green and have time to relax on the couch drinking organic wine? Jaynie Ralph investigates the latest urban miracle.

Supermarkets are full of cleaning ranges that profess to care about our family. These products often contain substances that have a skull and crossbones in the small print. Chlorines (bleaches), phosphates and other dangerous chemical substances are toxins that enter the atmosphere and waterways, causing environmental and wildlife destruction. It’s important to find services and solutions which cause as little ecological harm as possible.

Lynne Edwards, a successful sales director, is concerned about her imprint on the environment – she also wants a spotless kitchen floor that she knows is fastidiously germ free. At the end of a day she wants to relax with a glass of Sancerre and the latest episode of Desperate Housewives, not get out the scrubbing brush. Greenmop is a cleaning service based in Hove, whose ethics are cleanliness, customer service and eco-friendliness. Racheal Hughes started the company after becoming tired of her IT business and deciding to spend more time doing what she loved – cleaning.

“As an eczema, asthma and allergy sufferer, I can feel chemicals and toxins burning my skin, inhibiting my breathing and irritating my eyes,” she says. “The harmful effect the chemicals and toxins have on our homes and workplaces, and on plant life, animals, rivers and oceans simply isn’t necessary. Natural, bio-degradable, non-toxic alternatives are available and are just as effective.”

Doubtful the green products would be as efficient as conventional cleaning products, Lynne was surprised to learn that they were and at a cheaper price. Lynne was delighted with her sparkling kitchen and gleaming slate floor and realised she could now throw away her collection of chemical products to opt for the more natural ones.

“I would like to say that the soda crystals and spray was all that was needed to clean the oven, but Racheal had to use some elbow grease too,” Lynne says. “She finished off the job with a little vinegar mixed up with the soda spray which made the front of the oven positively sparkle.”