Simple Daily Chores for Kids at Any Age and Stage!

Your goal is to clean home, and we fully support that!  But cleaning a house is too much fo

one person and most agree that the jobs should be delegated out to the whole family; children included. Children who learn to take part in household responsibilities at a young age learn helpful habits that they can take with them into their adulthood as well. But determining what jobs a child can do, isn't always an easy task. So we've decided to share with you some simple daily chores for kids at any age! Of course, keep in mind, that a more mature 8 year old may be ready for some more 'older kid' responsibilities, and a less mature 12 year old, may need to stick to the 9 year old jobs.

Two and Under:

• Get diaper.

• Put toys in bins or drawers.

• Put dirty clothes in hamper (if the top is low enough).

• Help take clean clothes from the dryer.

• Help pick up stray books and magazines.

• Help set the table.

• Hang up towel (on hook).

Three to Five: 

*all the above jobs plus:

• Pull comforter up over bed.

• Put toys and games (and all their pieces) in the proper boxes or bins.

• Place dirty dishes on the kitchen counter.

• Help unload the dishwasher.

• Fill the pet's water dish.

• Take backpack from the car into the house.

• Make the bed.

Ages Six to Nine:

*all the above plus:

• Hang up towels.

• Decide which clothes are dirty and which can be re-worn.

• Feed pets.

• Exercise pets.

• Clean pets' bowls and cages.

• Help make breakfast.

• Do simple cooking tasks such as rinsing vegetables.

• Take out trash and recycling, and remove compostable material.

• Pick up trash in car and empty car trash bag.

Ages 10-13

*all the above plus:

• Pour beverages for meals.

• Help hand-wash dishes.

• Make lunch for school.

• Unload the dishwasher.

• Disinfect kitchen and bathroom counter tops.

Ages 14-17
*all the above plus: 

• Prepare meals.

• Clean coffeemaker.

[ www.clean-organized-family-home.com ]

At Bayes, we want your family as healthy as can be! A healthy family cleans together and chooses healthy cleaning supplies as well, like our Organic Granite Cleaner for kitchen counters! We hope you get the most out of these tips and would love to hear from you as well!  What are your favorite cleaning tips for green families? 

5 Reasons Switching to More Natural Cleaning Products is Good For Your Health!

Green cleaning is a great idea for some, but is it really necessary?  If you want to enjoy better health and keep your children safe, yes.  And if you care about the world around you, another yes. Don't be overwhelmed with the alternatives.  We at Bayes, offer a range of great organic cleaning supplies and you can even make your own cleaning supplies at home!

Here are 5 reasons that switching to more natural cleaning products is good for your health!

Keep Kids SafeWe can’t protect our kids from all the evil in the world, but we can limit their access to harmful chemicals. Using natural cleaning products will reduce the chance of an accidental poisoning. In fact, household cleaning products actually rank as one of the top 5 causes of childhood poisoning cases. So in addition to switching over to green cleaning products, be sure to keep the products stored in child-safe cabinets! (Organic cleaners are still a danger to children! Let's just be thankful that they aren't a chem lab in a bottle!)

Unbelievable Amounts of Chemicals Every time you use a cleaning product, you are inhaling the fumes from every chemical in the mix! There are literally over 50,000 chemical ingredients floating around out there and that’s a scary amount of chemicals! What’s more scary is upwards of 70 percent of typical cleaning products often found in your home contain these harmful agents. Time to rethink those common brands!

Phthalates, Sodium Hydroxide & Ammonia It's only understandable that as you grew up seeing the products your mom used, that you would follow suit and buy the same products once in your own home. But have you looked at the labels of cleaning products under your sink? If there is a label warning you that a product can be harmful to people or pets, then you have a sign that it's time to get rid of it.  Some potentially harmful chemicals you want to watch out for include phtalates (in fragranced products), triclosan (in liquid dishwashing detergent), 2-Butoxyethanol (in multi-purpose cleaners) and even chlorine (in laundry whiteners and toilet bowl cleaners).

You May Be Poisoning the Water Supply

Since various household cleaning agents can contain toxic chemicals like ammonia, phosphorus, alkyphenol ethoxylates and petroleum, it's important to remember that when you wash your clothes, do the dishes and even flush toilet bowl cleaner you may be sending these chemicals back into the water systems, nearby rivers, lakes and streams. This could not only make its way back into your water, but it can also have a negative impact on wildlife and the environment.

Keep the Air CleanMany household products, especially sprays and aerosols, can contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can both long and short term negative affects on your central nervous system, liver and kidneys. When you use a spray, the chemicals can linger in the air long after the initial mist dissipates. 

Your health and the health of your family is important to take care of. That's why we are committed to making clean products that are organic and safe for you and the environment. Please stop by Bayes and see what we can do for your home!

Feeling Sick? Get Rid of The Common Toxic Ingredients Lurking In Your Home!

The average household contains around 62 toxic chemicals. We are exposed to them constantly, from synthetic fragrances to oven cleaners, they are luring. Many of these common ingredients have been linked to asthma, cancer, hormonal imbalance, neurotoxicity and reproductive disorders. 

Of course, the manufacturers are arguing that these ingredients in small amounts, aren't a problem. However, most people who use these products use them regularly, not to mention in combination with other chemicals as well.  It's not possible to accurately measure the risks.  Yes, some products produce reactions right away but others develop over time, creating a "toxic burden" in the body. 

You don't deserve to have your health compromised. So if you're feeling sick, get rid of the common toxic ingredients lurking in your home! We all have to start somewhere!

• Chlorinated phenols found in toilet bowl cleaners are toxic to respiratory and circulatory systems.
• Diethylene glycol found in window cleaners depresses the nervous system.
• Phenols found in disinfectants are toxic to respiratory and circulatory systems.
• Nonylphenol ethoxylate, a common surfactant (detergent) found in laundry detergents and all-purpose cleaners, is banned in Europe; it has been shown to biodegrade slowly into even more toxic combinations.
• Formaldehyde found in spray and wick deodorizers is a respiratory irritant and suspected carcinogen.
• Petroleum solvents in floor cleaners damage mucous membranes.
• Perchloroethylene, a spot remover, causes liver and kidney damage.
• Butyl cellosolve, common in all-purpose, window and other types of cleaners, damages bone marrow, the nervous system, kidneys and the liver. The list could fill a book. And it’s a book that would include thousands of other chemicals — some so dangerous that they’re found on lists of chemicals associated with Superfund toxic waste sites and in the toxins section of the U.S. Clean Air and Water Acts. [gaim.com]

At Bayes, we are committed to creating organic cleaning products that are not only good for your home, but for your health as well.  We invite you to choose better ingredients for your quality of life!  Start today with our Granite Counter Top Cleaner and see where else the ingredients lead you from there!  

Cheers to your health! 

5 Easy Ways to Save Money While STILL Shopping Organic

Many people would like to buy organic quality goods but are afraid of the cost.  But shopping organic doesn't have to mean spending our life savings on our daily fruit intake!  It is possible to buy locally and organically grown food and natural products without draining your budget.  Isn't that music to your ears?  Today, we'd like to share with you some little ways to save money while still shopping organic. 

buy by the ingredient.
Ok.  Maybe this is obvious to some, but not all. Do your meal planning based on ingredients rather than recipes. One idea to have a list of staples you use each weak, like bananas, apples, spinach, broccoli and zucchini.  Get your staples and then choose a few other veggies or fruits that are on sale that week and find a recipe online based on that ingredient. Usually, the things on sale are the foods that are in season. Great news for you? You'll be eating affordably and in season; double healthy points! Don't have every last item?  That's ok.  Get creative. I'm sure you have a great replacement and you will surprise yourself at your ability to make affordable, organic and edible pieces of art!

freeze it up.
If you found a particularly good deal on a food item, go ahead and grab it to have on hand at a later date and simply freeze it until you're ready to use it again.  Here's how to efficiently freeze your items: Dice the vegetables or fruits, cut up meat into portions and slice or separate baked goods.  Then, place them on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet.  Stick them in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours on sheet pan.  Once they are frozen, transfer to freezer bags. (Always double bag them.) Easy as pie, right?

use those coupons wisely.
More and more, Natural food stores are releasing coupons for organic products. This is great news! You will save the most money when you pair coupons with a store sale. This way, you get the store’s lower price, plus you get a greater cost reduction by using a coupon. If you can stack a store sale with a manufacturer’s coupon and a store coupon, then you will be making your purchase at the absolute lowest price. Keeping your coupons and their expiration dates clearly organized is the key to strategically using those little slips of paper to save big on your grocery bill.

compare prices for bulk items online.
Find the best prices on prepackaged snacks, organic varieties, and even produce when you price match online. This is a great strategy for moms looking for affordable school snacks for the kids. The best shopping strategy for a wholesale club is to purchase items there that you typically don’t see featured on sale, or that do not offer coupons. (Think: gourmet coffee and cheeses, produce, organic products, nuts and dried fruits.) After purchasing in bulk, dole out smaller portions into zippered snack bags. Packing your own snack-size options not only cuts down on spending, but it provides you with healthy, ready-to-eat snacks in appropriate portions.

make it from scratch.
We tend to shy away from cooking from scratch because we think of it as an inconvenience. But it actually doesn't take that long and doesn't have to be complicated! From cakes, to cleaning supplies, making your own DIY goods is far more easy and affordable than you may have thought.  Ease into cooking from scratch by starting with something simple, like chocolate chip cookies or a delicious marinara sauce. For cleaning, make a simple all purpose spray. You’ll avoid the extra costs of prepared goods by avoiding unnecessary packaging and ingredients. 

At Bayes, we strive for excellence in health and home, which is why we are committed to making quality organic cleaning products especially for your needs and budget.  Everyone deserves a healthy home and we want to start with you. 

5 Simple Tips to Making Your Home More Eco-Friendly!

Green living isn't as intimidating as you might think!  There are many simple ways to make your home more eco-friendly and today, we'd like to share just 5 of them with you!  Be on the lookout for more! 

• Don't heat an empty house! During the winter, turn down your thermostat to 68 degrees F when you're home and 55 degrees F at night and while you're away.

• Turn off the lights when not needed, even as you go from room to room in the course of your day (or evening) According to ENERGY STAR, as much as 20 percent of a home’s energy use comes from light bulbs. Using a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) requires about 75 percent less energy than incandescent, but lights that are turned off save the most energy of all.

• Wash clothes in cold water (and honestly, the new cold-water detergents do the job just fine) According to the US Department of Energy, a washing machine uses up to 90 percent of its energy to simply heat the water in a laundry load, and the higher the temperature, the greater the cost to you and the environment. Keeping your cool will save energy and make your clothes last longer, by using cold water.

• Clean the lint filter in your gas or electric clothes dryer, to realize big savings. Tests have shown that keeping the lint trap clean may provide savings of up to $34 in energy costs each year (ENERGY STAR). 

• Better yet, use a clothesline or clothes ‘tree’ and keep the dryer shut off. An outdoor clothesline costs only a few dollars. You might also want to consider buying an indoor drying rack, so you can keep up your energy efficient ways even when it’s raining. 

Start with those simple tips and you'll quickly be on your way to a more green way of living! As a bonus, even your energy bills will be lower!  We do what we can because we care for you and the environment.  This is why we at Bayes have created our quality line of organic, non-toxic cleaning supplies!  Have a look, get in touch and let us know how we can make your home a cleaner place! Have a green, clean day!