Give Your Kitchen an Eco Makeover With These Easy 7 Steps!

It's important to have an eco friendly living space and the kitchen is a great place to start! 

We spend so much time and energy use in the kitchen, so giving your kitchen an eco makeover will actually make a significant difference in your contribution to the environment and your health! 

Here are your 7 easy steps:

Switch to all eco-friendly cleaners and detergents

For dishwashing detergents, switch to ones that are phosphate-free, or make your own solutions using common household items such as lemon juice and baking soda for cleaning the sink and other parts of the kitchen. You can put it in a spray bottle filled with water. Stop by Bayes, as well for our organic cleaning line, including our granite counter top cleaner and conditioner! Making your own eco friendly cleaning supplies or buying them from a supplier is easy to do and well worth the time and investment! 

Audit your units and equipment.

Auditing your units and appliances will not only help you save energy and money - it can also help you get rid of appliances and gadgets that you no longer need. Lean toward products that are made of eco-friendly materials. Support companies that produce kitchenware and products such as cutting boards and food storage containers that are made from totally recycled materials. Cabinets and other kitchen units can also be replaced with more durable ones so they can last longer and can often be found at recycling centers for home improvement.

Go for high energy rating appliances.

If you are considering replacing certain appliances like refrigerators, it is always better to consider the A++-G European Energy Label rating system. Other low energy efficiency rated white goods may be cheaper, but they consume large amounts of electricity. This means that although you save money by purchasing cheap white goods, you’ll end up spending a relatively higher amount in the long run because of high electric consumption. If you don’t want to buy new one, you can either insulate it on the sides or regularly clean the coils at the back so you can keep your refrigerator’s energy consumption to the least amount.

You can also explore other low-energy units such as eco kettles, which boil only the water you need and keep the rest in a tank so it can be used later. It also has the ability to heat water in three different temperatures. So if you need warm water for your herbal tea, you don’t need to waste energy by heating the water to 100°C.

Recondition your oven

Experts suggest the use of convection ovens over conventional ovens. It is due to their ability to circulate the heated air around the food being cooked which takes shorter time and reducing required temperature which tantamount to low energy consumption. On the average, you’ll drop your energy use by about 20%.

Compost and recycle

Another great way to achieve a green kitchen is to make use of a composting and recycling bin. Kitchens can be designed or redesigned in a way that gives it access to a garden compost bin. This way, leftover food can be re-used as fertilizer.

Planning your meals can also help in reducing waste by keeping you from buying food you won’t eat. You can also plan to use leftovers in cooking different food recipes.

Reduce plastic and unnecessary packaging 

Instead of using plastic cling wrap and re-sealable bags to store and cover food, you can use lidded containers. You can also try using reusable plastic containers as long as they are not made of harmful chemicals. In this case, refrain from using plastics labeled with recycling codes 3 – 7 as they are less stable. Rather, consider the use of glass jars instead of plastic containers. Gallon-size jars are also great for storing bulk items. Aside from its reusability, it also won’t allow chemicals to leach into your food.

Use dishtowels instead of paper towels

Try to use cloth towels as much as possible. They are inexpensive, washable, and has less carbon footprint.

Eat more vegetables

Another easy way to make a kitchen more eco-friendly is to try vegetarian food a little more often. Raising livestock has more destructive impact on the environment than putting up a garden with plants and grains. Besides, all the leftover food can be buried in the compost pit you can use for your garden.

Put some plants inside your kitchen

Plants make homes more cozy and inviting. Not only do plants beautify your kitchen, plants also help regulate carbon emissions from your cooking stove. You can also plant culinary herbs in the windowsill!

In the end, what’s more fulfilling than staying in a clean and environmental-friendly space? Achieving this is now totally possible as you can explore several options to go green. Giving your kitchen an eco makeover certainly takes time, effort and investment, but is totally worth it in the end, both for you and the world! Stop by Bayes and join us in our commitment to a healthier, cleaner kitchen!

Cleaner Air, Improved Sleep and Other Reasons Your Health Needs an Air Purifier!

Plants play a great key in air purification, but our busy lives bring in more germs and

toxins than plants can handle alone! Modern air purifiers are strong enough to tackle some of the smallest toxic challenges.  We gathered the top ten reasons why your health needs an air purifier.  Get out the pen and paper. This is important!

Gets rid of volatile organic compounds

Volatile organic compounds or VOCs are chemicals that at normal room temperatures have high vapor pressure. Some VOCs are harmful to human health, especially if accumulated. Anthropogenic VOCs such as that found in paints and other coatings are especially harmful. Persistent exposure to VOCs, especially indoors, has been found to be linked to increased incidences of cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma. Thankfully, air purifiers are able to remove VOCs as well, keeping our living environment safe.

Removes common air pollutants

Here are only a few of the common air pollutants you may find in your living environment:
- Pet allergens
- Dust Mite Allergens
- Plant spores
- Bacteria
- Fungi and mold
- Pollen
The most common air purifiers use HEPA or High Efficiency Particulate Air filters to remove common air pollutants. These filters are able to remove 99.7% of all particles that are as small as 0.3 microns. These include all of the above-listed common air pollutants.

Gets rid of insects 

One not so commonly known benefit of air purifiers is that they are able to remove mosquitoes and other pesky little insects that may otherwise be difficult to get rid of without toxic sprays.

Removes germs

There are some air purifiers that come with germicidal filters – these will help get rid of common germs.

Removes odors

Some air purifiers come with carbon filters – these help absorb odors and leave your house smelling fresh. This is especially helpful for those who live with smokers in the house and for those who want to cook with an open kitchen.

Improves mood

Personally, I found my mood improving significantly after I got an air purifier. It feels good to be able to breathe clean air. I found myself getting agitated less and became much better able to control my temper.

Reduces stress

The corollory to the previous point is that your cortisol levels will also decline, helping to reduce stress and leaving you more relaxed throughout the day. This in turn improves your productivity, allowing you to get more done.

Improves sleep quality

Your sleep quality will also improve with an air purifier in the house. Air purifiers typically generate some white noise – I have had no issues with this and in fact found it very helpful in aiding sleep.

Better air circulation

Ever had that unpleasant feeling of sitting in a stuffy room with poor air circulation? Air purifiers, depending on their ADR or air delivery rating, typically fully circulate the air in the room up to 5 to 6 times per hour.

Negative ions

Negative ions are usually found in nature. They naturally clear the air of common air pollutants by attaching to positively charged articles. They also have a relaxing effect, and create the feeling of being in a rainforest. Ionic air purifiers generate the same negative ions and allow you to experience these benefits even at home. {Thank you, Janet Miller, from www.sustainablesuburbia.net} 

The quality of air in your home is a vital ingredient to your health. With new home chemicals, old home VOC's and all the toxins in between, make sure you choose one that's right for your family. At Bayes, we are committed to your health. We provide top quality organic cleaning materials for the whole home.  From us to you, we salute to your health!

Simple Composting Tips for the Green Living Family

Have you ever thought to compost your leftover food in the kitchen? It may seem odd at first

to save old food and trimmings on your kitchen counter. Traditionally we called that garbage, but new efforts to educate the public have now trained us in waste reduction and reuse of organic items. Composting kitchen waste can be as simple as burying the food scraps in the dirt or using a 3-stage composting bin or tumbler. The end results are nutrient rich soil additives that increase porosity and help hold important moisture in the soil.

The items that break down the quickest in kitchen composting are leafy greens. It helps to cut down the size of items for compost to no more than an inch cubed. Smaller pieces compost fastest. The slower items are meats and dairy products, though most sources do not recommend meat for composting. Compost piles must be at the proper temperature and moisture balance to ensure break down of these types of items. You will also need to cover any composting kitchen scraps so animals don’t dig them up.

Here are some simple composting tips for the green kitchen:

Composting Methods In the Kitchen

It wouldn’t really be stretching the truth to say all you need are a shovel and a patch of dirt for kitchen waste composting. Dig the scraps at least 8 inches down and cover them with dirt so animals aren’t tempted to feast on them. Chop up the scraps with a shovel or spade. Smaller pieces have open surfaces for anaerobic bacteria to attack. This makes composting a faster process.

Alternately you can invest in a 3-bin system where the first bin is raw compost or fresh kitchen scraps. The second bin will be partially broken down and well turned. The third bin will hold fully composted material, ready for your garden. You can also just make a pile in a sunny location and layer the scraps with leaf litter, grass clippings and soil. Turn the compost material every week and mist with water when composting kitchen waste.

How To Compost Your Food Scraps

Composting requires warm temperatures at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit, moderate moisture, and space to turn the pile. You can really make kitchen waste composting as simple or as complex as you which. The end results are finer with multiple bins or with a rotating tumbler whereas piles on the ground or mixing into garden beds yields more robust and chunkier compost.

Kitchen composting can also be accomplished in a worm bin where the little guys eat their way through your debris and deposit moist worm castings for fertilizer and soil amendment. {www.gardeningknowhow.com}

At Bayes, we not only support green business but we are one as well. We have created a line of organic cleaning products that not only leave your home in sparkling condition but pampers your health as well.  Be sure to check out our top selling granite counter cleaner today!

Enjoy Your composting journey!

DIY Organic Cleaning Tips: Wine Spills, Duct Tape Residue, and More!

We've all been in that situation where we panic faced with a potential stain or cleaning chore that we have no idea how to remove!  That's the moment where grandma's miracle cleaning solutions come in to save the day! As this is so common, we've compiled a list of some of the top emergency miracle cures for life's messy little disasters. 

Here are some DIY organic cleaning solutions for everyday emergencies:

Wine spills
You've got to take action right away on this one, as with more time, the wine sets deeper into the fibers. First blot as much away as possible. Mix one to two- white vinegar to water and saturate the spill. Blot the area again. Then mix 1/4 tsp of liquid dishwashing detergent with four cups of lukewarm water, pouring a small amount of the solution onto the carpet. Work it in with gentle blotting. Use water and a clean cloth to blot spill and it should remove the rest of the stain.  You may even want to keep this solution pre mixed and available.  If there's any further color left, dilute about 2 TBSP of hydrogen peroxide with 1 TBSP of dishwashing detergent and repeat the process using this solution. Keep in mind that peroxide is a bleaching agent and should be used with care. 

Duct tape residue
Residue sticking around? Place another piece of duct tape on the old residue and blow dry.  The heat will fuse the old residue to the new piece quickly and efficiently. Other options include Eucalyptus oil (simply work into the residue, let sit and wipe clean) and peanut butter.  Don't laugh, it's true! The oil breaks up the glue and the peanut is just slightly abrasive enough to scrub the stubborn areas off. Regular butter and oil can work as well, but you'll have to put in more effort. 

Liquid makeup
Makeup is a blessing to the face but a nightmare to the clothing. First of all, don't rub it in! For powder foundation, It's easy to dust off excess powder, but a ground-in stain is harder to deal with. Instead, mix up a solution of white vinegar and water to remove the smudge — test it on an inconspicuous spot first for colorfastness. This concoction also works well to get rid of dried-up stains on the bathroom countertop. For liquid foundation, you'll be interested to know that shaving cream can do the trick. You can add a splash of rubbing alcohol if it needs that extra boost as well. Once you've loosened it up pretty well, throw it in the wash for that last cleansing effort! 

At Bayes, we know you want your life clean but also clean of harmful toxic chemicals. We make a wide selection of cleaning products that we are proud to be able to share with you. From our family to yours, we wish you great health! 

Easy Green Energy Saving Tips for Staying Warm During Winter!

It may not be very cold now, but winter is coming and we want to leave you with some energy saving tips to staying warm in the winter.  You not only want to save money on your heating bill, but also to make sure your mark on the environment is a small as possible. That can be hard for many when you're cold and just want to be warm.  Check out these ideas and see think of which ones will work best for you and your family. 

Set Your Thermostat: Set the thermostat to 68°F when you’re at home and awake, and lower it when you’re asleep or away.  Each degree that you lower your thermostat cuts your heating bill by 3 to 5 percent.  Turn the temperature down further at night and when you’re away for more than four hours.  

Wear Your Warmth:  Clothing is one of the most efficient forms of insulation.  Wear a sweater and thick socks around the house.  Long underwear keeps you toasty and can be found in smart fabrics that are light and non-bulky. Keep house shoes and slippers close by to keep your feet warm as well. 

Let the Sun Shine In: Open the drapes and shutters on sunny days to help warm your home. Close the drapes at night to help insulate the house from the cold outside air.

Clean or Replace Your Furnace Filter: Inspect, clean, or change your system’s air filters regularly (monthly), following manufacturers’ instructions.  Dirty filters hamper airflow and overwork the furnace.

Tune up Your Furnace: A heating system can waste up to 50% of the energy it uses if it’s not operating efficiently. Gas furnaces should ideally be tuned up every two years.  A simple tune-up can improve a furnace’s efficiency by 5%, saving about 9 therms of gas per year, with a corresponding drop in emissions.

Close Fireplace Dampers: For safety, be sure the fire is out and the ashes are cold before closing a damper. Consider installing a glass door because the fireplace is a major source for heat loss in the home.  Try not to use the fireplace and heating system at the same time. Fire needs oxygen and will draw warm air from the rest of the house and replace it with cold air from outside through any leaks that may exist.

Seal the Cracks: The gaps around the windows and doors of the average American house add up to 10 inches by 10 inches.  Use weather stripping and caulk to seal leaks around windows, doors, heating ducts, and plumbing.  Check any interior utility closets to see if there is cold air coming through them into your home.

At Bayes, it's important to us that you, your family and the environment are taken care of and are healthy.  That's why we developed our extensive line of organic home cleaning products that are not only safe, but beneficial for your home.  Stop by and see what we have for you!

Stay warm!

Granite Counter Tops: Why They A Great Choice for a Green Kitchen

There are a lot of choices out there when it comes to counter top options and the information can be overwhelming.  You want something that is environmentally conscious and able to stand the different stressors that kitchen use usually involves. But today, we want to encourage you to choose granite counter tops.

Here are three reasons why granite counter tops are a great choice for kitchens everywhere. 

1) Durable - Granite Countertops are one of the best types of countertops for any home. The abuse from children, heat or other elements found in the kitchen or bathroom will not be able to harm your granite countertops. Granite is a hard, durable surface that has already survived many of the elements on earth today. It is very hard to scratch granite and granite will not burn.

2) Uniqueness - Granite Countertops can easily update or freshen the look of any home. Each granite countertop slab is unlike the next. Although there are many granite slabs of the same granite color -- slab color can still vary in pattern, lightness or darkness of color, or veining. Your granite countertops will be unique to your home, easily matching your decor and being the envy of your guests.

3) Affordable - With us, we are not just a granite countertop installer -- we import, distribute, custom fabricate and install the granite countertops for your kitchen. This entire process cuts out any middle man or subcontractor, allowing us to give you the most discounts on your granite countertops. Granite Countertops used to cost many thousand dollars for just one simple kitchen remodel, but as the times have changed, the average granite countertops kitchen costs around or under $2000. 

On top of that, we at Bayes, have made it so that these great counter tops are incredibly easy to clean! Our organic counter top cleaner both efficiently cleans and gently conditions the counter tops to keep it in the best condition possible.  We hope you found this helpful and can't wait to be a part of your green home!

Green Roofs Are Amazing! Here's What You Need to Know!

Have you ever thought of installing a green roof?  They are a great option for the family that wants to have a more environmentally friendly home.  If part or all of your roof is flat or nearly flat, installing a green roof may cut your heating and cooling costs during the winter and summer, respectively, and give you a relaxing spot of outdoor space up off the ground! Green roofs are generally more aesthetically appealing than traditional roofing systems, and may help improve local air quality. If you live in an urban area, taking this step will also help mitigate the urban heat island effect which results in higher temperatures over urban areas that retain heat better than surrounding areas which are more vegetated. Increased temperatures not only mean elevated power consumption, but can also negatively impact air quality and public health in general. Here are some things you should know about green roofs: 

Green roofs are mere slabs of nature placed exclusively on the rooftops of corporate skyscrapers and couture-designed architecture?  Think again! Green roofs are practical constructs that should and can be added to all buildings – tall and short, residential and commercial – in various ways, as they provide numerous benefits to not only the environment, but to the architectural soundness of the artifice and even to your health.
 
Regular gardening soil will not work the same way on your green roofing, even if you plant the same flower or vegetable from your backyard. Soil used on green roofs is specifically formulated to make the most out of your green garden-scape without weighing down on the roofing structure or insulation, which is something regular gardening soil can’t provide.
 
Know What You Are PlantingThe types of plant you place on your roof are usually what determine the type of soil you use. Because green roofing structures aren’t able to support plants with expansive root systems, short plants like grass, flowers and easy-to-handle vegetables are perfect for the shallow soil depth that most green roofs are able to sustain. Small, local plants are a great way to take further advantage of being an eco-friendly roof. Larger plants like fruit trees and other small arbors should be placed in their soil pots to prevent crowding root space and over-absorption of nutrients.
 
What to Look For If there is one thing you need to understand about green roof-engineered soil, it’s that is needs to be lightweight. No heavy gardening soil, period! Though some roofs have structures that can handle a bit of extra weight, most will not, particularly residential roofs. It is wise to not take the risk of using regular soil and watching your roof cave in or experience leaking from oversaturation.
 
With that in mind, here are some other things to look out for when soil shopping: water permeability and retention, rot resistance, nutrient saturation, and balanced aeration. Do not be intimidated, as these are all simple concepts that are quite easy to understand once you move past the terminology.
 
No standards exist in the U.S. for green roof soil specifications, but they are generally determined by the depth and weight of plants, climate and roof irrigation. The latter is particularly important, as an imbalance in its structure could lead to all sorts of problems for the rest of the building.
 
So be choosey about your soil!  It can make or break the project!  Green roofs are a great step toward sustainability and green living!  And at Bayes, we are dedicated to green living, which is why we have designed our line of green home cleaning products to suit your family's need for organic options in green living. Come by and see what we have for you today!

Green Family Living: How To Get The Kids Involved!

We all want to work together to save the environment but how do we get the kids involved? Being green is a family affair and works better when everyone contributes.  But it can be overwhelming when you don't know where to start! We know all about green family living, so we'd like to give you a few ideas on how to get the kids involved! 

Reduce, reuse, recycle:  Teach your children to limit waste by getting them reusable lunch boxes and snack storage containers, how to reuse plastic bags, and show them how to separate recyclable items.  Also, bring a reusable shopping bag when you take them shopping with you and ignite their creativity by asking them for ideas about how to reuse old items. Teach kids to turn off lights when they leave the room and to turn the water off while they are brushing their teeth.

Plant a garden: It doesn’t have to be a major yard remodel; you can start small by planting veggies seeds, flowers, or herbs in pots- any of which kids will beam with pride as they watch them grow.  Let kids dig in the dirt and experience all the fun things the nature has to offer. 

Get outside: Take kids for a walk in nature and talk about everything you see, and how important it is that we take care of the environment.   Let them explore the beauty of nature with a hike by a stream, creek, or flowering trees. 

Go to the farmer’s market: This is a double bonus as you may also get kids to eat more veggies by letting them pick out what foods they’d like to try.  You can explain along the way that the vendors are local farmers, the food available is grown close to their house, and every produce item there has a particular season for growing and cultivating.  

Volunteer together: Is there a local beach or park clean up available? A  neighborhood recycling drive? It’s a fun family activity to do together while teaching children the importance of giving back. You can also check out opportunities to volunteer with Habitat For Humanity; a non-profit that helps build homes for families.
Read books together about the environment:  There are several children’s books out that talk about the environment, and are great to read together.  Some books to choose from could be:

The Trouble With Dragons by Debi Gliori
Hey! What’s That Nasty Whiff? By Julie Jarman and Garry Parsons
The Wombles to The Rescue by Elizabeth Beresford
The Lorac by Dr. Seuss

Get rid of clutter: If you’re still overwhelmed with a mess of a holiday or birthday presents, decide on a day to get rid of old toys, clothes, and other clutter lying around the house.  Take the items to a donation center together or have a garage sale.  Explain to your children the importance of only buying things you actually need.
You Be the Example: The “do as I say, not as I do” doesn’t really fly if you want your kids to pick up healthy behaviors.  They are watching you, so lead by example adhering to green habits yourself!  It will be fun when you all do it together!

Being green together is the best way to make for a better future! We are dedicated to creating a cleaner future for the world, which is why we at Bayes, created our line of organic cleaning supplies!  Please stop by and let us be apart of your green world!