It’s March and that means it’s time yet again for spring cleaning. So here’s some pointers for the most effective and quickest ways to tackle this yearly event!

1. Start from the top and work down! Beginning with the top story of your home. Bedrooms and offices first bathrooms last. Begin each room from the top as well. Blinds and ceiling fans are first then down to the furniture and baseboards and finally the floors. O..so Orange Furniture Frappe is the best for all of your wood, engineered wood, and leather in your rooms. Spray some on a damp cloth or mop and get going!! Ahhh…. it smells so fresh and clean!

2. Now it’s time for the bathrooms….Get your Arctic Blast and spray down all the surfaces. Showers, sinks, toilet, and mirrors. Let the shower (or bathtubs), and sinks sit a bit then wipe away! If you need more scrubbing power shake on the Peppermint Power Cleansing Powder. Use it in the toilets too. You can also use pure Arctic Blast Concentrate for stubborn dirt as well…just spray or pour it on and let it sit a bit before scrubbing down. Works like magic!!! And smells sooo…. refreshing too… not to mention the peppermint oil gives you ENERGY… and a mood boost !

3. Now if you have multiple floors move down to the next and repeat

4. When you get to the kitchen spray down your surfaces, counter tops, and sinks, with Arctic Blast and wipe with a damp cloth. From there use your damp cloth and Arctic Blast to clean your fridge, microwave, and stove. Now its time for the floors. Arctic Blast sprayed on your damp mop pad or 1/4 cup added to your gallon bucket of mop water is the best! If you have wood, engineered wood, or cork floors spray your damp broadcloth mop pad with O..so Orange Furniture Frappe and mop away. It just leaves a clean glow with no sticky residue and the best part … it’s non toxic !!!!

Here’s to Happy Healthy Green Spring Cleaning !!!!!!

Herb’n Organics International Headquarters in located on a quiet street in downtown Tempe, AZ, about 4 blocks from Arizona State University and 5 blocks from Tempe City Hall. Our headquarters used to be the guest house on the property and one of my dearest friends re-christened it during her last visit. That wonderful scent greets us every time we walk through the door. I walk 50 yards to our green clean world, Candice walks 3 blocks. Life is good.
And life is made even better by having the Peppermint Palace nestled into the fabric of an evolving urban farm. There are 3 hens in residence-Lucy, Blanche and Irma -who do weed and bug patrol and gift us with3 eggs a day. There are a series of gardens producing lettuces, spinach, eggplant, bok choy, swiss chard, a wide variety of herbs and an abundance of flowers, both edible and providing passive pest control. Since the property is flood irrigated, the gardens are raised up above the flood level-which also protects them from our 3 lively dogs. We have a fruit orchard with peaches, figs, apricots, nectarines, plums, and six varieties of citrus. Big old pecan trees arch over the gardens from 2 sides.
Where we work is an extension of our commitment to making our carbon footprint as small as possible and keeping our stress level as low as possible. We love what we’re doing and are very grateful that we are able to survive and grow in this economic climate.
Namaste. Diann

It’s that time of year again. Time to air out the house and freshen your world. This is a ritual that dates back who knows how far. It always conjures up images of rugs draped over clotheslines being beaten with wire beaters. (I’ve never really seen anyone do that, but it’s my primary image.) Anyway, it’s that time of year! Before you get started, there are a few things you should be aware as you plan your strategy.

I just read a wonderful article in Andrew Weil’s “Self Healing” newsletter dated April 2008, and I’d like to share some information with you. Be aware that many typical household cleaning products have ingredients that are known to be health risks. Of special concern are artificially scented products and air fresheners with “fragrances” listed on the ingredients list; most are potential toxins such as phthalates-all are chemical compounds and you have no idea what they really are. A 2009 US study found that routine household cleaning can trigger upper respiratory symptoms and if you suffer from asthma, it could be worse. Another study done in 2007 involving 3,500 men and women in Europe, it was found that there is a direct correlation between the use of chemical household cleaners and the new onset of asthma in adults. And the more they cleaned or varied their products, the more the health risks increased. (And remember, there are children at home and pets, too.)

The article goes on to point out that the cleansers used were popular household brands and contained ammonia, chlorine-releasing agents, glycol ethers, and terpenes. Glycol ethers, found in some floor waxes and tile cleansers, and terpenes, common in pine-scented cleansers, emit toxins when they interact with ozone in the air–of great concern here in the Valley. Dr. Weil goes on to recommend that you use simple formulas made from familiar-and safe-ingredients like vinegar, baking soda and essential oils.

That sure makes Candice and I feel wonderful about our Herb’n Organics products!! For cleaning the basics in your home, all you need are our Arctic Blast, Peppermint Power and Oh, So Orange Furniture Frappe! That’s it! Just the BIG 3!! And you’ll love the fresh clean scent of aromatherapeutic peppermint essential oil.

You know, our grandmothers and mothers knew how to clean without chemicals. It all changed after WWll when the petrochemicals came home needed a market. They became fertilizers and pesticides. (Remember Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” told that story.) Then they became detergents and household cleansers..invading the home. And TV told us those products were necessary. (That was the main job of soap operas.) Now it’s time to get rid of all those nasty bottles hiding under your sink and lurking in the garage. You’ll have a lot more space and you’ll feet much, much better!!

We created the Dharma Collection of Room, Linen, and Pillow sprays upon requests from our yoga instructors. We were asked if we could come up with a spray to freshen up the air, energy, and mats after power yoga classes that did not contain synthetic fragrances which can be huge respiratory and allergy irritants. OF COURSE WE COULD!!!! We already use only essential oils in all of our Herb’N Organic products precisely for those reasons so we got out the beakers and the droppers and began experimenting. First up was Monsoon… so named because the scent reminded us of the air right after one of our delicious Arizona desert storms with it’s sensuous blend of pettigrain, lemon grass, thyme and rosemary. Next came the tranquility of Shanti (peace in sanskrit) with a blend of lemon grass and lavender sooo….serene and refreshing! And finally the Yogis choice Asana a relaxing yet invigorating blend of lavender, lemon, rosemary and eucalyptus.
Paavana ( Sanskrit for “cleansing”) also part of the Dharma Collection is our naturally effective hand sanitizer and sports spray that also softens the skin with the addition of natural vegetable glycerin.

The big news now is that we are going to be changing the names and bottles of The Dharma Collection to a more cohesive look and sound with our other Herb’N Organics products.

Monsoon will remain Monsoon but with a new white bottle and label

Shanti will be known as Peaceful Days

Asana will be Restful Nights and Paavna will be become Hani Sani

The formulas remain the same . Look for them soon on the shelves at Whole Foods and on line as well!!!!
We hope everyone loves the changes as much as we do…. Let us know! Namaste.

Mark Ahn did a GREAT job with the photos as usual ! Thanks Mark !

I just read an article in the Sunday New York Times about 2 guys who decided to make the healthiest pizza in New Orleans-all natural, reduced calorie, multigrain, probiotic pizza. And it tastes unbelievably good! (Check out the reviews @Yelp.com) They’re now so successful that they’re looking at franchising across the country. Look for ‘Naked Pizza’ in a neighborhood near you soon! A company with a vision to change the pizza world.
Just goes to show that you can do good by doing good!
As the company said “we’ll use this pizza to have a larger conversation with you about the food supply”. We at Herb’n Organics hope that by using our all natural, chemical-free products, we can have a larger conversation with you about the importance the emerging green economy and our human role in slowing global climate change.
Peace.
Diann

Diann and I had a great time in Tuscon today at both the WFM’s on Speedway and on Oracle. We met lots of friendly nice people who were really happy to get their free samples. Can’t wait to hear from some of our new customers! It’s fun to be in Tuscon!!! Happy Healthy Cleaning! – Candice

My mom brought be some furniture and bathroom cleaner. I love the stuff! It really cleaned the bathroom great! My question is; Will the peroxide kill the bacterias in a septic system? It’s the stuff that breaks down the solids in a septic system that needs to be there. Anyhow, thanks and if this is Dianne, LOVE IT!!! WTG!!!!

Hi Rita- I did a little research and it appears that the normal usage of cleaning products don’t pose a threat to a septic tank.Also when you are using Arctic Blast mixed properly it’s one part concentrate to 3 parts water so it is not pure Hydrogen Peroxide you are using. You wouldn’t want to pour a gallon of pure concentrate down your drain but I can’t imagine why you would want to! LOL! Hydrogen Peroxide is even used in some instances in a cleaning process performed by professionals but not recommended unless done by a professional. Here’s some info. I found for you to look at.

Thanks for the praise and the question! Happy Healthy Cleaning – Candice

Will hydrogen peroxide damage a septic tank?

Answer

Probably Not unless a large amount was put in. The tank uses bacteria to digest the solid waste and it would take a large amount to sterilize the tank. Also with chlorine bleach it is best not to use large amounts.

I love my Tom’s Shoes!  They are simple slip on flats, no arch support, cool fabric-all cotton…and my buying these shoes enabled Tom’s to provide another pair of shoes FREE to a child in a developing nation who would otherwise be going without.  That’s their mission: 2 pair of shoes;one for me and one for a child in need somewhere.  I bought the mission; I bought the shoes.  

And I find myself doing that more and more frequently.  I buy fair trade organic coffee from Cartel Coffee Lab here in downtown Tempe because Jason knows the coffee farmers in Guatamala who grow for him and he helps support their community.  The fact that it’s the best coffee in Arizona is a definite plus!  (Denis, the Frenchman in my life,  says it’s the only coffee in the WORLD he doesn’t need to add sugar to and it’s strong enough for his taste…he calls other commercial coffee ‘cat piss’.)

I was in Whole Foods Market looking for body lotion  and came across ‘Everyday Shea Moisturizing Body Lotion’, unscented (Yes!), handcrafted with fair trade, unrefined shea butter (Yes!) paraben free, fragrance free, no animal testing (Yes!).  And on the back of the bottle, their mission.  Read it (www.EveryDayShea.com).  I bought it and I love it.  Every time I slather it on after a shower, I feel better about our rapidly changing world.

When we come out of the current economic funk, I believe that it’s going to be a new economy, a more sustainable economy where we purchase according to our values and with respect for the planet and in support of those who are doing good by doing good.  We can do the right thing, we can look a little deeper and read the mission and make our choices accordingly.  

Peace.

Diann

The entire product line is scheduled to be on the shelves wed. 8/5/09. Thanks Dean!