The "Ick Factor"

One of the hottest amenities in travel is hypoallergenic rooms. We've been offering them for years to guests with sensitivities, but also to people who don't want to be exposed to whatever bacteria and bugs came with the guy who slept there the night before.

In addition to being super-clean and free of dirt-holding carpeting and upholstered furniture, our self-catering holiday homes and vacation rentals are purified by steam-cleaning the floors and tile at 120 degrees, changing the anti-microbial HEPA air filters, no use of aerosol spray cleaners or fresheners, disinfecting with hydrogen peroxide, sun light and fresh air, and fragrance free cleaning. Mattresses and pillows have dust-mite covers and no VOC paints and finishes keep toxins out of the air. These methods also cut down on dust, pollen and other irritants.

As Practical Traveler, Michelle Higgens wrote in the NY Times, "This much cleanliness is a bit neurotic. But its not enough for hotels seeking health-conscious consumers to just offer organic food..." She also notes that most hotels offering these amenities charge a 5 to 10 percent premium.

Resources for pure vacationing:

Smoke-Free Hotels

Asthma and Allergy Foundation

Indoor Air Quality Association

Canadian Centre for Occupational and Health Safety

Special Offers at Smoke Free Hotels

Bloomin' Wonderful Resolutions-- Dana's Five W's

What's your green resolution? The holidays brought a sea of appliances, electronics, packaging, and gift cards into my relatives homes and left me awash with mild shock about how my world is filled with plastic--even if I do carry my own shopping bags and gave up trash bags in 1988. Noodling on how to take it easy on me and momma nature in 2009 produced five simple things I can do that have big impact. I sometimes need mnemonics to remember things, so these are my "Five W's."

1. Wallet. No lectures about spending on lattes, I'm talking about the 10 billion gift cards, library cards, ID cards, membership cards, and other PVC cards that add 75 million pounds of plastic to our waste stream every year. Inspired by the cashier at Home Depot who is collecting thousands of gift cards to be recycled at her register, along with a Starbucks employee who drops cards off by the bag full--in 2009, I’m going to ask businesses if they use Earthworks recycled cards. And I will recylce my used and expired cards by mailing them to Earthworks.

Send your PVC cards to:

Earthworks System, LLC33200 Bainbridge Road, Suite Esolon, OH 44139

2. Water. Yeah, you know about plastic water bottles filling the dumps and possibly leaching toxins into our bodies, so I'm not going to go over that again. I'm concerned about my water filtration system using plastic parts. By mid-year my water filtration supplier promises plastic-free water filtration products will be available and if his molds don't work, I intend to research ones that do.

3. Wash. Research cleaning with a steam cleaner. Judy Garbutt, co-owner of a green cleaning company in St. Augustine, cleans floors, tiles and tubs with a steamer. Eliminates mold, germs, and doesn't use toxic cleaners. She recommends the EuroFlex SC, available on Overstock.com for less than $100. Does it use more water than mopping? Add to electricity use? More research on the wonder cleaner forthcoming.

4. Wear. I'm going to save money and energy drying my clothes and linens using the clothes line more and the dryer less. It saves money on the second-biggest electricity using appliance in my home (frig is first) and cuts down on fabric softener (full of toxins and expensive!).

5. Worry Less. In 2008, I eliminated rental cars on my travels by ride sharing, walking, and using public transportation. It wasn't easy. I have lots of luggage. I'm usually on a tight schedule. I have the tendency to be overly responsible, which can create anxiety.

On a trip to attend a wedding, I borrowed my mother's hybrid and was terrified something would happen to it while I was driving. Not the mood I wanted to be in for celebrating nuptuals. On a trip to Sedona, the shuttle ride from Phoenix to Sedona added three hours to an already long drive. That wasn't easy on my back and I was car sick. But it was cool how many people were amazed that I didn't have a car. It seemed incomprehensible to people that a successful person would walk when they could drive. Americans love their cars.

This resolution is to make greening my travel less stressful this year than it was in 2008--worry-free. See if I'm able to come up with anything when I share my green travel resolutions in January.

World of Good Launches at eBay

Earlier this year I toyed with the idea of online selling the hip, green furnishings that our guests love to buy from our vacation rentals.

But my market research didn't support launching an effort with only 100 guests a year. My research did show it was a good idea for a business with a broader audience. And eBay must think like me cuz they just launched a beta site for socially responsible sellers.

If you wanted me to sell through EcoLuxury Lodging, I encourage you to try it. As for you shoppers, I'll keep you posted if I see the fab wash cloths, soft linens, green cookware, and other stuff we stash in our vacation homes for sale on World of Good, especially if it seems eBay has worked out the kinks in the beta site. You can shop for green gifts, fair trade handicrafts, delicious gourmet foods, unique arts and more at eBay's new WorldofGood.com online marketplace.

Lean and Green: Money and Earth Saving Tips

No, I'm not going to give you yet another suggestion to change your light bulbs. I get that eco-fatigue has some of you wishing you could donate to Bono's causes or buy those $200 organic sheets, but you just can't afford it. And yet, other greenies will ride their bike to work no matter which way the winds of the economy blow. I swing back and forth depending on my mood, cynical one day, optimistic the next. But whatever my inclination, I always love saving green. I love a sale, a deal, and every bargain.

Here's how I'm cutting back on spending and helping Mother Nature at the same time. Feel free to add your ideas.

Saving With Solar. For many years, adding solar panels was too expensive for me to install. But new leasing programs like those offered by Solar City help people with utility bills over $150 save money switching to solar, as NBC points out in their recent coverage. As a penny pincher, I get very excited watching the dial spin backwards on my utility meter. Take that APS!

Throw in the Towel. The average American has $497 worth of cleaning products in their house and only uses three of them more than once a year. Paper towels and tissue costs go up every few days. I've given up 80% of my cleaning products and paper towel use.

Dura-hooked microfiber clothes and hot water can replace chemicals and cleaners. I didn't believe it until I tried it, but it cleans better than abrasive cleaners or fume-filled sprays for most cleanups. As for getting rid of the unused products, if I have just a small amount of cleaner left, I wash or flush it down the drain with lots of water. For large quantities, I check Earth911 to see how to dispose of it. My neighbor sold her cleaning products at a yard sale! Didn't help the planet to keep those products in use, but in the long run Mother Nature wins because she won't be buying any more cleaners.

Give it Up. Cutting back on spending for me means less cash to donate to my favorite causes. Instead of feeling guilty, I'm cleaning out closets and clutter to recycle unwanted, unused household items through Freecycle.org. Artwork that no longer fits my decor and jewelry I no longer wear goes to the local silent aution.

I gave up shopping alone and joined a warehouse club with friends. BJs, Sam's Club and Costco can take a big bite out of shopping expenses. They also allow member's to bring a guest. I drive and shop with my friends for more fun, less gas, and lower fees. I also pick up tips about coupons and specials and new items by shopping with someone else.

The nearest health food store is 20 minutes away from my house by car. I've cut back on driving by buying in bulk from Amazon.com. Shipping is free when you sign up for auto delivery.

Cut the Plaque. Research makes a connection between poor dental health and heart health. Realizing that keeping your teeth clean now might prevent bill health care costs in the future, some health insurance companies have started offering inexpensive dental plans. Steve and I spent $600 on routine cleanings on our last visit to the dentist. All of that is covered in our new plan for $10 a month, no co-pays. We have to use the HMO providers, but there were two green dentists on the list which made going HMO easier to swallow.

All Washed Up. I switched from my expensive, organic soaps to Kirk's basic bar and saved $4.97 a bar. Available for $1.57 a bar on Amazon. But watch the shipping, if you're not in the Subscribe and Save program, the shipping is a ridiculous $6.00.

Check what food is in season locally and therefore, usually less expensive. Lime.com has a map for the entire US to help you find it.

For me, eco luxury is about making life easy on me and the planet, it's not about one or the other, it's both.

Study Shows Toxins in Laundry Products

This is why we use only green products to launder the linens at Eco Luxury Lodging. And I always ask if "green cleaning" at other lodging includes laundering. Often, it does not.

SEATTLE—A University of Washington study of top-selling laundry products and air fresheners found the products emitted dozens of different chemicals. All six products tested gave off at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws, but none of those chemicals was listed on the product labels. “I first got interested in this topic because people were telling me that the air fresheners in public restrooms and the scent from laundry products vented outdoors were making them sick,” said Anne Steinemann, a UW professor of civil and environmental engineering and public affairs. “And I wanted to know, ‘What’s in these products that is causing these effects?’”

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Do "Green" Cleaners Really Work?

After my August 13 post about the dangers of house cleaning, a few of you, including one of our house cleaners, asked me if green cleaning products really clean, can green cleaning sanitize surfaces like toilets and countertops? I say yes, because our homes can't be sterilized anyway, no surface stays santized for long.

If that's not enough for you, consider the alternatives. "Disinfectants can be poisonous--they're regulated as pesticides..." says Lori Bongiono, author of Green, Greener, Greenest.

~Water evaporating--air drying, is actually a good way to get rid of germs. I clean with hot water to increase the odds. Studies show air dried dishes have 74% less bacteria and germs than towel dried dishes.

~A super-hooked microfiber cloth and hot water is an affordable choice that works on 90% of household messes. Rubbing alcohol and baking soda work on tougher stains.

~I confess, I keep a caustic cleaner on hand, outside in the shed, for the remaining 1% I can't remove with my green cleaning methods. But almost all of the time, my house is fragrance and chemical free.

~The toilets get baking soda for scrubbing and vinegar for sanitizing.

How to Protect Your Health--Beware Deadly House Cleaning

Staying in a clean vacation rental, classroom, office, or home should not increase our risks of sinus problems, asthma symptoms, reproductive harm, damage to our lungs, and exposure to carcinogens (causes cancer). But it does.

Toxic Teddy Bears? Everyday, we use products that expose us to toxins that impact our health, indoor air pollution, and water quality. For me, going green means making better choices about how I take care of myself and in turn, my loved ones, which includes the planet.

The Law of Diminishing Returns. I focus 80% of my green choices on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). I avoid smoke of all kinds, VOCs, toxic cleaning products, chemical pesticides, and toxic building materials.

Toxic Building Materials. Many conventional building materials contain formaldehyde, carcinogens (cause cancer), and radon. I stay away from the biggest offenders, granite counter tops, paint and all other finishes with VOCs, carpet and flooring glues, treated wood, drywall. I use "no VOC" paints and finishes, glues, and flooring adhesives. If I have to use drywall or thinset mortar for tile installation, I make sure the house is unoccupied for the period of time the material is outgassing icky formaldehyde and other poisons. Check with the manufacturer for specifications--usually tile related materials take 48 hours. Carpet and other glues can take up to one year.

Fuming Furniture. The majority of affordable cabinetry and furniture available at Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, Ikea, and similar stores is made of MDF, Medium Density Fiberboard which is loaded with toxic VOCs. While it is exciting to find the low prices on these prefab bathroom vanities, dressers, bookcases, and entertainment centers, we end up paying a higher price with our health.

VOC-free MDF is available, but none of the stores I've checked can determine if their manufacturers use it. Tony Spinelli, of Cabinets by Sun Ray informs me that his supplier carriers a VOC free MDF for about the same cost as the toxic MDF. I can't wait to get my new kitchen cabinets now that I found a source that won't break the bank.

Clean Green Breathing Machines. The U.S. EPA’s Indoor Air Quality Program states that aerosol sprays, cleaners and disinfectants, moth repellents and air fresheners contain dangerous VOCs.

All purpose cleaners, glass cleaners such as Windex, tub, tile, grout cleaners and sealers , degreasers, carpet cleaners, stain removers, floor strippers and cleaners, metal polishes, and oven cleaners contain endocrine disrupting chemicals such as butoxyethanol and other glycol ethers.

Laundry detergents like Tide, multi-purpose cleaners, floor care products and carpet cleaners, non-chlorine sanitizers, toilet bowl cleaners and deodorizers contain harmful APEs. Look for products that use alcohol ethoxylates (sometimes listed as ethoxylated alcohols) instead.

Alkyl phenol ethoxylates (APEs) are surfactants found in laundry detergents, stain
removers, and all-purpose cleaners, which have been found to reduce embryo survival in fish and alter tadpole development. APEs contaminate rivers and streams, and have also been found in household dust.

Over Exposed. School children and janitorial and domestic workers show a much higher prevelence of asthma than those who are not exposed to cleaning chemicals on a daily basis according to numerous studies. Monoethanolamine (MEA), a surfactant found in some laundry detergents, all-purpose cleaners and floor cleaners is a known inducer of occupational asthma.

Ammonium quaternary compounds, disinfectants found in some disinfectant sprays and toilet cleaners that have been identified as inducers of occupational asthma.
Phthalates, carriers for fragrance in glass cleaners, deodorizers, laundry detergents and fabric softners, and are linked to increased allergic symptoms and asthma in children.

A 2004 report from the National Center for Health Statistics states that the incidence of asthma among preschool-aged children rose by 160% between 1980 and 1994, accounting for 14 million missed school days each year and $3.2 million in treatment expenses.

Air fresheners usually contain VOCs such as xylene, ketones and aldehydes as well as benzene and formaldehyde, both of which are known carcinogens. Air fresheners may also contain fragrances--irritants associated with watery eyes, headaches, skin and respiratory irritation, asthma and allergic reactions. Exposure to phthalates, which carry the fragrances in these products, usually aggravates asthma and is linked to reproductive harm, specifically reduced sperm count in men.

UW engineering professor Anne Steinemann analyzed of some of these popular items and found 100 different volatile organic compounds measuring 300 parts per billion or more -- some of which can be cancerous or cause harm to respiratory, reproductive, neurological and other organ systems.

Some of the chemicals are categorized as hazardous or toxic by federal regulatory agencies. But the labels tell a different story, naming only innocuous-sounding "perfume" or "biodegradable" contents.

"Consumers are breathing these chemicals," she said. "No one is doing anything about it."

Industry representatives say that isn't so.

"Dr. Steinemann's statement is misleading and disingenuous," said Chris Cathcart, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Consumer Specialty Products Association, in a statement.

"Air fresheners, laundry products and other consumer specialty products are regulated under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act and subsequently have strict labeling requirements," he said. "Companies producing products that are regulated under FHSA must name on the product label each component that contributes to the hazard."

Okay, so the label may tell us it's toxic and researchers have numerous reports of people -- particularly those with asthma, chemical sensitivities and allergies -- having strong adverse reactions. I'm one of those people. That's enough research for me!

When restaurant owners and airplane cleaners use air fresheners, or when vacation rentals wash towels and sheets in scented laundry supplies its a problem for me. And even when the concentrations are low in individual products, I'm exposed to multiple sources on a daily basis. That's why at home and on the road, I do my best to hang out in healthy homes owned by people who:

~Change HVAC air filters at least once every three months
~Use Permanent or high allergen filters
~Open the windows for a minimum of 45 minutes a day for fresh air
~Eliminate or minimize use of products with synthetic fragrances. This includes "essential oils." Being an "essential oil" does NOT mean it is healthy. Most oils have synthetic fragrance additives.
~Don't bother with HEPA filters on vacuums and other equipment unless you change them regularly. Most filters don't work, especially when they're filled with dirt.
~Never allow smoking of any kind.
~Eliminate or reduce materials made of MDF, particle board, glued woods, carpet, or vinyl
~Eliminate pans with Teflon
~Ventilate and leave the house for at least 48 hours after applications of StainMaster, StainGuard products and installation of drywall and other building
materials.
~Use no or low VOC paints, sprays, adhesives whenever possible
~Cross ventilate or exhaust fans in use to minimize mold growth
~Do not allow pets on soft materials, upholstery where dander cannot be removed
~Burn only unscented, beeswax or chemical free candles. Many wicks contain lead and candle waxes have carcinogenic scents and additives.

Photo by Steve Beinhorn