5 Easy Tips To More Sustainable Living for Every Family!

Looking for more ways to green up your life? Choosing a sustainable lifestyle is easier now more than ever.  Bayes was founded on the idea that every home deserves natural, organic solutions. So if you are ready for better in health and home, here are 5 easy tips to more sustainable living for every family!

Compost

Most people throw out old food and scraps from the table and never give it a second thought. But when you have a composting system in your backyard, you can turn those old food scraps into fertilizer or even a material that can help repair damaged parts of your lawn. You can also include lawn clippings and leaves in your composting system to create a comprehensive source of organic material. You can create a compost pile in your backyard, or you can invest in a more advanced composting system that will create the materials you need for your lawn and garden.

Conserve Water

In some parts of the world, there are water conservation laws that dictate how residents of those areas can use water. But everyone should be conscious of water conservation and preserve the water we have. Instead of allowing rainwater to flow into the ground, you can develop a rainwater collection system and use it to water your garden or your lawn. This saves you money by allowing you to water your landscaping without using your house spigot. You can save the dishwater from when you do the dishes and use that to water the lawn or clean up accessories around the home. Conserve water and you will save money and help your community.

Conserve Energy

There are many things you can do to conserve energy in your home. Always be sure to turn off lights and appliances when they are not in use. Invest in new doors and windows when the old ones have become drafty and unable to help regulate the temperature of your home. If your home appliances are 10 years old or older, then replace them with more energy-efficient models. You may also want to think about adding alternative energy sources such as solar panels and windmills. An extreme measure is purchasing an electric car and charging station. These alternative energy sources will reduce your reliance on electricity that is generated using fossil fuels, and it will also help to lower your monthly energy bills.

Recycle

Recycling in the home starts with finding out where you can take old newspapers and cardboard in your community to get it processed into new products. Many communities have recycling programs that make it easy for residents to put their old paper and cardboard to good use. If your community does not have an official paper recycling program, then check with a local church or civic group to see if they are running one. You can also recycle old plastic and glass food containers or reuse them by washing them out and using them as storage containers around the house. Before you throw anything out in your home, make sure that you cannot find another use for it and reduce the amount of garbage that goes into your local landfill.

Green Cleaning 

Sometimes being green at home is not about saving money. Sometimes it is about using supplies that are safe for the environment and safe for the family. For example, home cleaning supplies that use harsh chemicals can get into the water table around your home and contaminate your property. Those harsh cleaning supplies can also leave behind a residue that can get on the hands of your children and possibly cause disease. Instead of using those harsh cleaning chemicals, you should use more environmentally friendly cleaning solutions. There are many different kinds of cleaning solutions you can make from household items that have no dangerous chemicals at all. By learning to make our own safe cleaning solutions at home, you are teaching your children a skill that they can use when they grow up to save the environment and keep their children safe as well.

This is where Bayes comes in.  We know that you have a lot of options for better green living, and we want to make sure it's as simple as possible. This is why we developed our line of organic cleaning products. We want you and your home to be as healthy as possible. Stop by today and see what we have made for you!

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!

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!

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?