I’m lucky enough to have hardwood floors in my home but between the kids’ spills and pet mess (we have an elderly dog and a new puppy), cleaning our wooden floors is a challenge. At a loss with what to use, I have simply been using plain water in a bucket with a couple of cap-fulls of citronella. For more severe mess, I keep a spray bottle of water with Citrus Magic all purpose cleaner and use that to mop as well once a week.

Yes, there are lots of products around you can buy, one of the best ones is the one pictured above by Method, who I must say make some really sweet-smelling stuff albeit a bit pricey. My next project is to spend a weekend concocting my own brews to care for wood. Here are some of the recipes I found online that I’ll be trying out:

The Daily Green
Vinegar: Whip up a solution of 1/4 cup white vinegar and 30 ounces of warm water. Put in a recycled spray bottle, then spray on a cotton rag or towel until lightly damp. Then mop your floors, scrubbing away any grime.

Green Living Ideas
Furniture Polish: Mix 1 cup lemon juice with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp water; lightly apply to furniture using a soft cloth. Let sit for a couple of minutes, then buff.

Eartheasy
Wood Floors: apply a thin coat of 1:1 vegetable oil and vinegar and rub in well.
Furniture Polish: For varnished wood, add a few drops of lemon oil into a 1/2 cup warm water. Mix well and spray onto a soft cotton cloth. Cloth should only be slightly damp. Wipe furniture with the cloth, and finish by wiping once more using a dry soft cotton cloth.
For unvarnished wood: mix two tsps each of olive oil and lemon juice and apply a small amount to a soft cotton cloth. Wring the cloth to spread the mixture further into the material and apply to the furniture using wide strokes. This helps distribute the oil evenly.

Remember that awful pet food poisoning scare a couple of years ago? Luckily, none of our pets (5 dogs, 7 cats) were victims of the poisoning, but many people I knew lost their beloved pets because of it. One good thing to come of the tragedy though, was that organic and natural pet food sales rose as more people decided to switch.

I am one of those people, and though I often wondered what was in the usual brands like Alpo, Pedigree or Whiskas, I never really bothered to really look. Well, according to Newman’s Own Organics, whose organic pet products I love and use (and their people products too!),it’s pretty disturbing, such as poultry “by products”:

“Ground, rendered, cleaned slaughtered poultry carcass parts such as necks, feet, lymph nodes, undeveloped eggs and intestines (and a small amount of feathers). The quality is very inconsistent between batches. Note: By product meals are often derived from 4-D meat sources – defined as food animals that have been rejected for human consumption because they were presented to the meat packing plant as “Dead, Dying, Disabled or Diseased”.

Ugh. Would you honestly feed this stuff to your cat or dog? If your pets are considered part of the family, as ours are, it makes total sense to put as much thought in their food as you do yours. Yes, it can cost much more to buy organic or holistic pet food, but there is an alternative. Make it yourself. Here’s a great book I found, The Natural Pet Cookbook (pictured above), which will help get you started. Not only will you be happy in the knowledge that you are feeding your pets healthy, natural food, but you’ll also notice the change – healthier, happier pets!

I used to spend a lot of money on commercial glass cleaners. Not only were they expensive and full of toxic chemicals, but they also never managed to do the job too well. Since I started to try and live a more earth-friendly lifestyle, I switched to eco-friendly products, which didn’t have the chemicals but weren’t that cheap either. So I resolved to find some cheaper DIY solutions. Here are my favourites:

Newspaper: Yes, thats it! Crumpled old newspaper. My Mom swears by it. You can use this to dry as well, to avoid streaking.

Vinegar and Water: Two simple ingredients, one cheap and effective solution. The only hitch is that you have to beat with the sour smell for a while – but it does eventually wear off.

The Best Window Cleaner – I found this recipe online:

Make a great all-purpose window cleaner by combining 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent, and 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Combine in a spray bottle. Shake to blend.

If you must buy the stuff, here are some good options:

Eco Products, Boulder Colorado

Natural Collection Products

Eco hip Environmental Products

Ecover

Welcome to Yurto, the blog about eco-friendly living in the home. Inspired by the yurt, an ancient circular dwelling place built in tune with nature, we hope to explore the ways we can all make a change for the better in the world that we live in – beginning from our homes.

Why is it so important to go green? Al Gore, who woke up the world with his now-famous documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, puts it succinctly:

“…Some of the leading scientists are now saying we may have as little as 10 years before we cross a kind of point of no return, beyond which it’s much more difficult to save the habitability of the planet in the future…”

10 years??? Now that’s a scary thought.  If you have children like me, that’s enough reason to stop procrastinating and do something about NOW.

So from plastic to canvas, wasting to conserving,  lets find ways to care for the earth while we can and live healthier, happier lives.