http://www.planoprofile.com/planoprofile/contest/caninefinalists10.asp

That “clean” smell unfortunately comes from chemicals, most of them toxic and many not listed on the ingredients of your cleaning product.  You can read about one study below.

http://medheadlines.com/2008/07/26/toxic-chemicals-make-top-household-laundry-products-smell-clean/

Here at Bit a Bliss we use Method products and a diluted solution of vinegar and water with a little lemon juice to clean.  The Method products and the vinegar solution have little smell and no toxic chemicals to burn your nose or lungs.  Your house will smell fresh but a pine forest of toxic chemicals won’t hit you in the face when you walk in.

After a burst of legislation last year, 10 states including Connecticut, Illinois and New York require or encourage “green” floor waxes, window cleaners and other products in schools, according to Green Seal Inc., a nonprofit that certifies the products. Similar bills are expected to be debated this year in at least five states.

Critics say that while the measures are laudable, states should not mandate which products schools and agencies must buy, especially if they increase costs for governments that are struggling financially.

But supporters say the laws protect the environment and reduce the use of harsh chemicals that can harm workers’ and children’s health.

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• Dallas
• Fort Worth
• Arlington
• Plano
• Irving
• Carrollton
• Denton
• McKinney
• Richardson

• Addison
• Allen
• Colleyville
• Coppell
• Corinth
• Crowley
• DeSoto
• Duncanville
• Farmers Branch
• Flower Mound
• Grapevine
• Highland Village
• Lancaster
• Lewisville
• Little Elm
• Murphy
• North Richland Hills
• Rockwall
• Rowlett

Wylie

• Southlake
• The Colony
• University Park

Bit a Bliss Cleaning and Maid Service will be featured on www.groupon.com/dallas on Monday, January 18th.  It’s a great deal, 3 rooms for $30! 

Check www.groupon.com/dallas often for other great deals in the Dallas area.

Sometimes natural earth derived products are called green, regardless of the other properties of the product.  Sometimes a non-toxic product is called green even if it’s man made.

Borax for instance is promoted as a “green” cleaner.  Borax occurs naturally in evaporite deposits produced by the repeated evaporation of seasonal lakes.  Borax is not acutely toxic, however, there are possible effects that everyone should be aware of.

Borax, sodium tetraborate decahydrate, is not acutely toxic. ^[9] Its LD₅₀ (median lethal dose) score is tested at 2.66 g/kg in rats. ^[10] This does not mean that it is safe, merely that a significant dose of the chemical is needed to cause severe symptoms or death. The median lethal dose for humans tends to differ for a given compound from that of rats. Simple exposure can cause respiratory and skin irritation. Ingestion may cause gastrointestinal distress including nausea, persistent vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Effects on the vascular system and brain include headaches and lethargy, but are less frequent. “In severe poisonings, a beefy red skin rash affecting palms, soles, buttocks and scrotum has been described. With severe poisoning, erythematous and exfoliative rash, unconsciousness, respiratory depression, and renal failure.” ^[11]

A reassessment of boric acid/borax by the United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Pesticide Programs found potential developmental toxicity (especially effects on the testes).^[12]Boric acid solutions used as an eye wash or on abraded skin are known to be especially toxic to infants, especially after repeated use because of its slow elimination rate.^[13]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borax

If you want a shocking revelation, go to your cleaning pantry and take out a bottle of cleaning solution. Now take the time to read all of the ingredients. It is probably a long, laundry list of chemicals that many of you have probably never heard of or do not know what the purpose is. There is a way around it though. Green cleaning products are organic and are actually good for the health of your family, home and environment. Most containers are able to be refilled and cost about the same as those with harsh chemicals. 

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Bit a Bliss Cleaning is donating four free cleanings a month, going above and beyond the request of the foundation for two cleanings a month.  Giving back to the community and volunteerism are part of the foundation of Bit a Bliss and its employees.  Long before learning about the Cleaning for a Reason foundation, Bit a Bliss was doing a similar program.  We are continuing our “Giving Back to the Community” program, where we provide free cleanings for any reasonable request.  Our Giving Back to the Community program has cleaned for families that have suffered tragedy and for families that are celebrating.  For more information you can visit http://www.bitabliss.com/bliss-extras

While opportunity cost is a term used in economics, it is also something I apply to my everyday life.   “If I do this, what am I giving up, what could I have done instead?”

It is easily applied to maid service.

It takes one person cleaning an average size house of 1800 sq/ft anywhere from 3-4 hours to clean it thoroughly top to bottom.  Or if you are like most people, that actually gets spread out over a week in 30 minute to 1 hour increments and your house never seems to get clean!

Ask yourself, what else could I have done with that time I spent cleaning.

• Spent time with my family
• helped my child with their homework
• worked on that project I never have time to work on
• had some “me” time just to relax
• called a friend I have been needing to catch up with

The possibilities are endless.

While a financial budget must always be considered when making a decision about hiring a maid service, don’t forget to account for your time wasted cleaning!

Here are some of my favorite tips on using vinegar in your home.

Never use white distilled vinegar on marble. The acid can damage the surface.

Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean.

Clean the shelves and walls of the refrigerator with a half-and-half solution of water and white distilled vinegar.

Cut the grime on the top of the refrigerator with a paper towel or cloth and full-strength white distilled vinegar.

Remove soap buildup and odors from the dishwasher by pouring a cup of white distilled vinegar inside the empty machine and running it through a whole cycle. Do monthly

Get rid of calcium deposits on faucets by soaking a cloth or paper towel in white distilled vinegar and wrapping the area tightly. Let this sit for a couple of hours or overnight.

Kill germs all around the bathroom with a spray of full-strength white distilled vinegar. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.

Clean grout by letting full-strength white distilled vinegar sit on it for a few minutes and scrubbing it with an old toothbrush.

More at www.vinegartips.com