Going green can be intimidating. You know it’s what’s best for you and your family, but there’s just so much out there. Organic or no? It’s more expensive but at least I’m not ingesting pesticides. Locally grown or no? Just because it’s local doesn’t mean it’s clear of pesticides, but at the same time it’s supporting a local company/family/farm and it has a smaller carbon footprint when it comes to transportation and containment costs. And that’s just for food!

The first step I took to “going green” in our house was to start cleaning green. It may seem like a strange first step, but I was always adverse to stinky, harsh, chemical-ridden cleaners anyway, so it was natural for me to start using all-natural cleaners, like those made by Seventh Generation and Mrs. Meyer’s. I love the fact that I can clean my house and not harm the environment all the while making it hospitable and safe for my young family.

If you want to learn more about cleaning green, check out Adam’s excellent article on How to Clean Green. He has some great tips on how to make your own green cleaners, on commercial green products, and how to make your home a happier, more inviting place by going green–at least in the cleaning department.

New article of the day: How to Bake a Chicken at How to Cook Meat

Nasal congestion getting you down? Yeah, it’s that time of year, isn’t it? The weather is getting just nice enough that we’re spending a lot of time out-of-doors. We’re loving the sunshine and the (finally) green grass, and then that night (or the next morning) wham! we have some nasty nasal congestion.

Whatever the cause, take a look-see at this awesome article on how to get rid of nasal congestion. Unclog those sinuses the natural way with a little help from Miss Erin. Breathe deeply. It’s always a good thing.

This is why editing and revision are so important: “Verdict typo frees man from cocaine conviction”

All right, people. It’s summertime. That means tight clothing, sun, sweat, and the ensuing body odor from the combination of tight clothing, sun, and sweat. It happens. Get over it. But deal with it. If you ignore it, people might start to ignore you. Not good.

There are some easy solutions to getting rid of body odor, and Eric outlines them in his article How to Get Rid of Body Odor over at How to Get Rid of Things. He talks about proper hygiene, what to eat, what not to eat, and some of the underlying medical reasons for body odor, which should be checked by a doctor immediately.

Eric is also great to us eco-friendly folks by outlining some great natural deodorants for getting rid of body odor, including apple cider vinegar (that stuff is amazing!), lemon or lime, baking soda paste, and Thai Crystal Deodorant Stones.

The article is definitely worth a solid read-through, especially with the hottest months of the summer coming up soon. And we all appreciate your willingness to fight off the stinkies.

I’m completely devastated. One of the best places in Midtown Detroit (actually, in Brush Park), Zaccaro’s Market, closed two weekends ago. It tried to fill a need for Detroit–a food marketplace–one that the city desperately needs, and it couldn’t be sustained in the current economy. You will be missed, my delicious friend.

I’m constantly gathering information on all things “green.” It’s not so much that I’m a tree-hugger–though I love my planet as much as the next environmentally conscious person–but it’s more so that I don’t like to put a ton of weird chemicals in/on/around my body. I think I consumed enough odd and most likely debilitating substances in the 80s and 90s thanks to steroid-ridden beef and fruits and veggies drenched in pesticides and herbicides to mess up my body for good. But now that we as a people are getting the hint that consuming all those nasty chemicals might not be the best thing for us, we are starting to look at the world around us and trying to find alternatives.

All this “green” rambling has brought me to Nature’s Treatments: Witch Hazel. A friend and colleague of mine recently wrote this for a website I help edit, and I was pleased to read all the different benefits witch hazel has because I’ve been using witch hazel for years, mostly as an astringent for my face. It does help clear up pores, which means acne is kept at bay. I love witch hazel, though it stinks like crazy. I put it on minor scratches and abrasions (as I am the klutziest person on the planet–just as my husband), and it doesn’t burn nearly as much as hydrogen peroxide and it cleans just as well (as I can see, though I’m no expert). I learned that I’m only using it for a couple of its possibilities around the house! If you’d like to take a gander at all the uses it has, check out the article here. It has made me love that stinky, natural substance even more!

New article of the day: How to Get Rid of Spots at How to Get Rid of Things