By Pharice Brown


Take a look at your book collection.  What do you see?  What was the last book you read?  Where is it?  Did you purchase a digital copy?  How many of them have you read from cover to cover?

No book is junk.  There are outdated copies, but they still have value and can be used for something.  Remember your favorite book?  Think someone else would enjoy?


Some books that are not current may be a little harder to find a home for.  If after attempting to donate them to a local organization you are not successful try contacting an organization like the Salvation Army and the Purple Heat.  They will let you know what items they accept and what the condition needs to be of each type.  They may also be able to refer you to other organization.  Some Salvation Army Stores collect household items, music, furniture, clothes, etc for thrift shoppers.  The benefit you will get, in addition to the warm and fuzzy feelings or course, you may be able to use your donation as a tax right off at the end of the year.   Check with your local tax professional for more information. 

Don’t forget to ask friends and family if they would be interested in a good read.  This is a great way for books to travel to different readers.  A “community book”, it will never always have the same home it is always being shared. 

So post pictures on your social media page and let others know what you have to offer.


~ Here’s to books having new homes.

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Do you have green or Eco-friendly tips and tricks?  We know you do, send them to us for an opportunity to be a Guest Blogger.  What better way to build your community by sharing your knowledge?

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1st Green Clean prides itself as a premier leader in residential home management services. 1st Green Clean is a luxury service provider we accept a limited number of appointments, we have an exclusive and limited clientele. When you invest in a home, you want a service provider that invests time in managing your home service needs, comprehensive consultation, and the security of reliable service. 

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By: Pharice Brown


So it is 2014 and you manage to make into the new year without cleaning and organizing your home, office, garage, or closet.  Do not think you have gotten away with anything, you will have to face this mess sooner or later. 

For the month of January 1st Green Clean is going to take you step-by-step and get you organized to start your new year off right.  Each day we will post tips and how-to articles to get you moving in the right direction of managing and eliminate the clutter.  As always if your tips and tricks send them to us to be a possible featured blogger.  

 Ask yourself, "Am I junkie?"  Can you relate to any of the following?

1. When throwing out our donating items you happen to find, you didn’t even know you had, gives you strong heart palpitations?
2. Do you notice company will come over to visit, but never stay long?
3. When you return home and the site of things everywhere take your breath away?
4. As you open the bathroom cabinet what you see after everything has fallen out?
5. Is there a collection of random items you think are going to worth money “one day”?

If you answer yes to even one of those questions join us for the month of January to get in all on information that can help set you free from clutter.

~ Here's to clutter free and organized 2014.   Happy New Year!

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Do you have green or Eco-friendly tips and tricks?  We know you do, send them to us for an opportunity to be a Guest Blogger.  What better way to build your community by sharing your knowledge?

1st Green Clean - A Leader in Home Management Services
This holiday season give the gift of a healthier home.

1st Green Clean prides itself as a premier leader in residential home management services. 1st Green Clean is a luxury service provider we accept a limited number of appointments, we have an exclusive and limited clientele. When you invest in a home, you want a service provider that invests time in managing your home service needs, comprehensive consultation, and the security of reliable service. 

P.S. Hurry! Our services are exclusive and strictly limited. Don’t miss out! 

Call now! 866-905-9002 ext. 104

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By: Leo Bauta

“Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” - Albert Einstein

I've written a lot about simplicity and decluttering (I can’t help it — I’m passionate about it!) and I've noticed that a lot of readers share my ideal of having an uncluttered home or workplace, but don’t know where to start.

When your home is filled with clutter, trying to tackle a mountain of stuff can be quite overwhelming.

So here’s my advice: start with just five minutes. Baby steps are important. Sure, five minutes won’t barely make a dent in your mountain, but it’s a start. Celebrate when you've made that start!

Then take another five minutes tomorrow. And another the next day. Before you know it, you’ll have cleared a whole closet or a room and then half your house and then … who knows? Maybe before long your house will be even more uncluttered than mine. We’ll have a challenge!

For those who are overwhelmed by their clutter, here are some great ways to get started, five minutes at a time.

1. Designate a spot for incoming papers. Papers often account for a lot of our clutter. This is because we put them in different spots — on the counter, on the table, on our desk, in a drawer, on top of our dresser, in our car. No wonder we can’t find anything! Designate an in-box tray or spot in your home (or at your office, for that matter) and don’t put down papers anywhere but that spot. Got mail? Put it in the inbox. Got school papers? Put it in the inbox. Receipts, warranties, manuals, notices, flyers? In the inbox! This one little change can really transform your paperwork.
2. Start clearing a starting zone. What you want to do is clear one area. This is your no-clutter zone. It can be a counter, or your kitchen table, or the three-foot perimeter around your couch. Wherever you start, make a rule: nothing can be placed there that’s not actually in use. Everything must be put away. Once you have that clutter-free zone, keep it that way! Now, each day, slowly expand your no-clutter zone until it envelopes the whole house! Unfortunately, the neighbors don’t seem to like it when you try to expand the no-clutter zone to their house, and start hauling away their unused exercise equipment and torn underwear when they’re not at home. Some people don’t appreciate simplicity, I guess.
3. Clear off a counter. You want to get your house so that all flat spaces are clear of clutter. Maybe they have a toaster on them, maybe a decorative candle, but not a lot of clutter. So start with one counter. Clear off everything possible, except maybe one or two essential things. Have a blender you haven’t used since jazzercise was all the rage? Put it in the cupboard! Clear off all papers and all the other junk you've been tossing on the counter too.
4. Pick a shelf. Now that you've done a counter, try a shelf. It doesn't matter what shelf. Could be a shelf in a closet, or on a bookshelf. Don’t tackle the whole bookshelf — just one shelf. Clear all non-essential things and leave it looking neat and clutter-free.
5. Schedule a decluttering weekend. Maybe you don’t feel like doing a huge decluttering session right now. But if you take the time to schedule it for later this month, you can clear your schedule, and if you have a family, get them involved too. The more hands pitching in, the better. Get boxes and trash bags ready, and plan a trip to a charity to drop off donated items. You might not get the entire house decluttered during the weekend, but you’ll probably make great progress.
6. Pick up 5 things, and find places for them. These should be things that you actually use, but that you just seem to put anywhere, because they don’t have good places. If you don’t know exactly where things belong, you have to designate a good spot. Take a minute to think it through — where would be a good spot? Then always put those things in those spots when you’re done using them. Do this for everything in your home, a few things at a time.
7. Spend a few minutes visualizing the room. When I’m decluttering, I like to take a moment to take a look at a room, and think about how I want it to look. What are the most essential pieces of furniture? What doesn't belong in the room but has just gravitated there? What is on the floor (hint: only furniture and rugs belong there) and what is on the other flat surfaces? Once I’ve visualized how the room will look uncluttered, and figured out what is essential, I get rid of the rest.
8. Create a “maybe” box. Sometimes when you’re going through a pile of stuff, you know exactly what to keep (the stuff you love and use) and what to trash or donate. But then there’s the stuff you don’t use, but think you might want it or need it someday. You can’t bear to get rid of that stuff! So create a “maybe” box, and put this stuff there. Then store the box somewhere hidden, out of the way. Put a note on your calendar six months from now to look in the box. Then pull it out, six months later, and see if it’s anything you really needed. Usually, you can just dump the whole box, because you never needed that stuff.
9. Put a load in your car for charity. If you've decluttered a bunch of stuff, you might have a “to donate” pile that’s just taking up space in a corner of your room. Take a few minutes to box it up and put it in your trunk. Then tomorrow, drop it off.
10. Create a 30-day list. The problem with decluttering is that we can declutter our butts off (don’t actually try that — it’s painful) but it just comes back because we buy more stuff. So fight that tendency by nipping it in the bud: don’t buy the stuff in the first place. Take a minute to create a 30-day list, and every time you want to buy something that’s not absolutely necessary (and no, that new Macbook Air isn't absolutely necessary), put it on the list with the date it was added to the list. Make a rule never to buy anything (except necessities) unless they've been on the list for 30 days. Often you’ll lose the urge to buy the stuff and you’ll save yourself a lot of money and clutter.
11. Teach your kids where things belong. This only applies to the parents among us, of course, but if you teach your kids where things go, and start teaching them the habit of putting them there, you’ll go a long way to keeping your house uncluttered. Of course, they won’t learn the habit overnight, so you’ll have to be very very patient with them and just keep teaching them until they've got it. And better yet, set the example for them and get into the habit yourself.
12. Set up some simple folders. Sometimes our papers pile up high because we don’t have good places to put them. Create some simple folders with labels for your major bills and similar paperwork. Put them in one spot. Your system doesn't have to be complete, but keep some extra folders and labels in case you need to quickly create a new file.
13. Learn to file quickly. Once you've created your simple filing system, you just need to learn to use it regularly. Take a handful of papers from your pile, or your inbox, and go through them one at a time, starting from the top paper and working down. Make quick decisions: trash them, file them immediately, or make a note of the action required and put them in an “action” file. Don’t put anything back on the pile, and don’t put them anywhere but in a folder (and no cheating “to be filed” folders!) or in the trash/recycling bin.
14. Pull out some clothes you don’t wear. As you’re getting ready for work, and going through your closet for something to wear, spend a few minutes pulling out ones you haven’t worn in a few months. If they’re seasonal clothes, store them in a box. Get rid of the rest. Do this a little at a time until your closet (and then your drawers) only contains stuff you actually wear.
15. Clear out your medicine cabinet. If you don’t have one spot for medicines, create one now. Go through everything for the outdated medicines, the stuff you’ll never use again, the dirty-looking bandages, the creams that you've found you’re allergic to, the ointments that never had an effect on your energy or your eye wrinkles. Simplify to the essential.
16. Pull everything out of a drawer. Just take the drawer out and empty it on a table. Then sort the drawer into three piles: 1) stuff that really should go in the drawer; 2) stuff that belongs elsewhere; 3) stuff to get rid of. Clean the drawer out nice, then put the stuff in the first pile back neatly and orderly. Deal with the other piles immediately!
17. Learn to love the uncluttered look. Once you've gotten an area decluttered, you should take the time to enjoy that look. It’s a lovely look. Make that your standard! Learn to hate clutter! Then catch clutter and kill it wherever it crops up.
18. Have a conversation with your SO or roommate. Sometimes the problem isn't just with us, it’s with the person or people we live with. An uncluttered home is the result of a shared philosophy of simplicity of all the people living in the house. If you take a few minutes to explain that you really want to have an uncluttered house, and that you could use their help, you can go a long way to getting to that point. Try to be persuasive and encouraging rather than nagging and negative. Read more about living with a pack rat.

“We don’t need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants. Not wanting something is as good as possessing it.” - Donald Horban

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Do you have green or Eco-Friendly tips and tricks?  We know you do, send them to us for an opportunity to be a Guest Blogger.  What better way to build your community by sharing your knowledge?

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Imagine how much better you will feel to have a pristine and healthy working environment and all you did was make a phone call.  1st Green Clean can transform your life.  1st Green Clean is a professional firm here to manage with a superior level of detail to the cleanliness of your business.  You can also brag to your customers about your commitment to their health, office experience, and supporting the environment by going chemical free.  We work with a goal of exceeding your expectations and increasing your value. 


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Vegetable- and plant-based oils, such as olive and sunflower, dislodge dirt, diminish scratches and imperfections, and “hydrate wood that has aged or dried out from exposure to the sun,” says Hunter.

Price: About $7 a pint at supermarkets.
Use Them to Clean Your…

Cast-iron pans: Make a scrubbing paste with vegetable oil and a teaspoon of coarse salt to combat cooked-on debris, then rinse with hot water.

Hands: To get paint off your skin, rub with vegetable oil, then wash thoroughly with soap.

Leather shoes: Wipe away dirt with a damp sponge, then apply a drop of vegetable oil to a soft cloth and rub the surface to remove scuff marks. Buff the shoes with a chamois to a shine.

Rattan and wicker furniture: To prevent rattan and wicker from drying or cracking, lightly brush them with vegetable or sunflower oil and gently rub in with a cloth. Warm the oil on the stove first to thin it and make it easier to apply.

Stainless-steel surfaces: For extra sparkle, pour olive oil onto a cloth and buff.

Wood furniture: Make your own polish by mixing 2 cups olive or vegetable oil with the juice of 1 lemon; work it in with a soft cloth. To smooth out scratches in light-colored wood, rub them with a solution of equal parts olive or vegetable oil and lemon juice.

1st Green Clean prides itself as a premier leader in residential home management services for both large and small homes. Our concept of providing a comprehensive program, with exceptional management support is what separates 1st Green Clean from our competition.

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It is that time of year again -- back to school! The kids are compiling their “must have” lists for back-to-school supplies, and parents are wondering what happened to last year’s binder and backpack and how much of what’s on the list is really needed. With so much to consider already, how do you also make sure the supplies your children will carry to school each day and use throughout the year are safe and environmentally friendly?

There’s help. The Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ) recently released its fourth annual “Back-to-School Guide to PVC-Free School Supplies,” which looks at environmental and health risks associated with common school supplies.

According to the downloadable guide, lunch boxes, binders and even school bags are often made from vinyl/PVC-- an unnecessary toxic plastic that is dangerous to children’s health and the environment throughout its lifecycle: from production, to use, to disposal. This unique plastic contains chemical additives such as lead, cadmium and phthalates, recently banned in children's toys by Congress. The levels of phthalates in children’s school supplies uncovered intesting commissioned by CHEJ in 2012 would be illegal if these products were toys. Even small exposures can be a risk to children.
 
Healthy Child Healthy World, an organization dedicated to empowering parents with the tools and resources to protect children from harmful chemicals shares these safe-shopping tips:

1. No lead for lunch. Lunch boxes made from soft plastic vinyl may contain lead. While many manufacturers have responded to consumer concerns by removing this dangerous metal from their products, the safest bet is a metal lunch box or reusable fabric lunch bag.

2. Learn the ABCs of PVC. In addition to lead, polyvinyl chloride, the soft flexible plastic found in everything from those lunch boxes to pencil cases and binders to backpacks and rain gear commonly contains phthalates, a toxic hormone mimicker. Vinyl is identified by a recycling symbol with the number “3” inside it, or the letters “V” or “PVC” underneath. Select PVC-free items instead.

3. Ban the BPA. This potent endocrine disruptor is a common component of the polycarbonate plastics used to make reusable water bottles. And those bottles will add it to whatever they hold—beverages, soups, and more. Look for options made from uncoated stainless steel or those labeled “BPA-free.” Keep in mind the latter isn’t a third party certified claim.

4. Stock up on safer supplies. Many markers and glues contain unsafe chemical additives like phthalates and volatile solvents, which are inhaled when kids use them. Strong fumes and odors are a key clue. Look for scent-free, water-based pens and white glues and glue sticks.

5. Reuse! Keep in mind that you may already have all the pencils, pens, folders, notebooks, calculators, and other things your children need waiting in last year’s scholastic leftovers. The less you purchase, the more you’ll save. And we’re not only talking about money!
 
Do you have any tips on choosing safe school supplies for children?


1st Green Clean prides itself as a premier leader in residential home management services for both large and small homes. Our concept of providing a comprehensive program, with exceptional management support is what separates 1st Green Clean from our competition.

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A quick nontoxic disinfectant for any surface, a mist of vinegar, followed by a mist of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide: Spray and air dry.

Safe Cleaning Products for Pets

By Kimberly Hawthorne, eHow Contributor

According to a booklet written by the EPA and the CPSC (EPA Document #402-K-93-007), the insides of homes are up to 100 times more polluted than outside the home. This is largely due to household cleaners and pesticides. People and pets are affected by continual exposure to chemicals. EPA Document # 400-R-92-012 states that household chemicals may be the cause of increased cancer in humans and animals. One of these toxic chemicals is alkylphenols, the chemicals that make cleaners sudsy.
Do you have a eco-friendly tip?  Send it to us to be featured in our blog.



1st Green Clean prides itself as a premier leader in residential home management services for both large and small homes. Our concept of providing a comprehensive program, with exceptional management support is what separates 1st Green Clean from our competition.

1st Green Clean - A Leader in Home Management Services
(866) 905-9002 ext.104

Proudly serving the Washington, D.C. Metro Area since 2007.

Don't miss the timely information and tips we share in our blog and newsletter. Sign up today! http://www.1greenclean.com/our-blog.html

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Castile soap means soap made only from vegetable oil instead of animal fat.

Diluted castile soap can be used as an all-purpose cleaner, laundry or dish soap, spot remover and body wash.

Buying in bulk is a great idea because castile soap is so versatile.

Look for “Pure Castile” that is non petroleum-based and does not contain detergents.  The greenest choices use organic ingredients and come in 100 percent post-consumer waste recycled packaging.

If you have green or eco-friendly tips, please forward them to us to be featured.

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More working Americans are spending  more of their time in their home office!

Keep your workplace a healthy, happy, attractive and productive workplace. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation service quote and start experiencing the 1st Green Clean difference for yourself today.

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Tea Tree Oil
Soap and Water
Lavender Oil
Vinegar

Tea Tree Oil – an anti-fungal and antibacterial that has been used for centuries. It is potent a little goes a long way. To make a strong anti-mold spray needs only 1 teaspoon tea tree oil to 2 cups of water. Look for “100% pure essential oil” rather than fragrant, aromatherapy or perfume oil, which may mean synthetic. The bottle should be glass of a dark color to lengthen shelf life.

Soap and Water – reduces surface tension of water and creates a thin film around dirt molecules, bacteria, and even viruses. Look for vegetable based, non-petroleum, fragrance, and detergent free soaps. Use warm water for fighting germs. Soap and water can effectively clean everything from your body and tabletops to carpet and fabric stains.

Lavender Oil – If you don’t like the smell of the tea tree oil, you may want to use lavender. Lavender scented cleansing products give you the added benefit of calming and mood-lifting aromatherapy. A few drops in the vaporizer to fight colds and infections. You can dilute with water and make an antibacterial spray.

Vinegar – Although not an EPA registered pesticide, studies show that distilled white vinegar kills 99% of bacteria, 82% of mold, and 80% of germs. Keep a spray bottle of straight vinegar handy to clean up any problem area quickly and easily.

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