Natural Living in the US

Having your kitchen, bedroom and drawing room spic and span may be your first priority, but do you take enough care of your bathroom? Do you consider cleaning your bathroom regularly? The answer may be in the negative, probably because of the accumulation of soap scum and mold on the tiles. Cleaning the frothy soap suds, dirt and molds may look quite difficult. It requires enough hard work to remove them. However, the process can be made much easier if you have the right tile and grout cleaner. Bathrooms are very vulnerable to molds and harmful bacteria. Cleaning them with cheap regular cleaners will definitely not work; instead it may harm tiles and ruin the porous grout. What you need is cleaner specifically used for cleaning tile and grout. A good tile and grout cleaner removes soap scum, brightens tile and cleans grout to the core. Another great aspect of the cleaner is its environment-friendliness. Most tile and grout cleaners are non-abrasive and use harmless and safe substitutes for acids. This ensures a scratch-free tile. Tips for Using a Grout and Tile Cleaner:Cleaning tile and grout can be a daunting task, if you do not use the right cleaner. You also need to follow the correct steps to ensure your bathroom is sparkling clean. Using the tile and grout cleaner, spray on the bathroom surface and let the solution remain there for a couple of minutes. Use a soft sponge to wipe off the solution after sometime. Make sure the sponge is rinsed well in hot water. Let the surface dry and then try on another tile. Using shower track and grout brush can be very handy. First, use the dry scrubber to clean along the areas of the shower track and grout. This will loosen any sticky grime. Next, apply the tile and grout cleaner. Let the solution remain there for some time. Then, use the scrub once more and allow the surface to dry.

Jason Johnson is the mural painter for Sevananda Natural Foods Market located in Little 5 Points, Atlanta, Ga. USA

Becky Bones and her friends Drip, Lucy Lies and Tree are helping to save the earth from global warming. Visit: www.beckybones.com

What does clean mean to you? When it comes to carpet, we might all have different definitions of “clean”, and a variety of objectives for having our carpets cleaned. Many elements of our everyday lives can take a toll on our carpets: kids, pets, bringing the outdoors in, and simply traveling the same familiar pathways everyday within our homes can contribute to stains, dirt and wear on our carpets. Which of the following standards of clean fit your household?

I want my carpet to look clean. I want my carpet to smell clean. I want my carpet to feel clean. I want my carpet to stay clean. I want my carpet to be sanitized. If you’re considering cleaning your carpets, it’s important to define your personal standards of clean and look for the cleaning method or professional that best fits your situation. There is a wide array of cleaning products on the market, as well as professionals who offer a variety of carpet cleaning methods. Know what you want, ask questions and find the best fit for you. For households with babies and young children, the carpet is often where children spend time playing, resting and exploring. Naturally, parents and those with health concerns or allergies want their carpets to be germ and allergen free after cleaning. Some professionals can offer deep cleaning methods that leave carpets sanitized and give homeowners peace of mind. If you’ve invested in having your carpets cleaned, naturally you hope to retain that freshness for as long as possible. An experienced professional will know how to clean your carpet without leaving an unwanted residue behind, which can act as a dirt magnet. Additionally, professionally applied carpet protectors can help your carpets fight off stains and dirt, keeping them cleaner longer. Nothing feels better under bare feet than clean, soft carpet. Certain methods of carpet cleaning can restore the plush feel of new carpet when dirt and grit are effectively removed. Pet owners and smokers might want a special emphasis on having a fresh scent restored to their carpet. For long-lasting results, the objective should be not to simply mask odors, but to remove them along with adding a pleasant scent. Having houseguests or putting your house on the market and need a quick fix for carpets? Most of us want to do away with spots, stains and soiled high-traffic areas when we have our carpets cleaned. The carpet’s brightness returns and the look is lush and new, but in some cases the carpet may only be clean on the surface.

I want my carpet to look clean.

I want my carpet to smell clean.

I want my carpet to feel clean.

I want my carpet to stay clean.

I want my carpet to be sanitized.

If you’re considering cleaning your carpets, it’s important to define your personal standards of clean and look for the cleaning method or professional that best fits your situation. There is a wide array of cleaning products on the market, as well as professionals who offer a variety of carpet cleaning methods. Know what you want, ask questions and find the best fit for you.

One of the stresses that many couples face in planning their wedding ceremony is when their religious beliefs (or lack thereof) conflict with those of their parents or grandparents. Gone are the days when the God-fearing children of God-fearing parents stood complacently through cookie-cutter ceremonies performed at the local church in exactly the same way (and in some cases by the same minister!) as their parents before them.With more and more couples choosing to marry outside of churches and create innovative ceremonies that reflect their own personal love story, it is often a struggle to balance the more traditional religious beliefs of older family members. Some couples go into total black and white mode-either capitulating to their parent’s wishes or conversely adopting an “it’s our wedding day and we’ll do it any way we please” attitude. Both of these are viable options, but I warn you–the former may have you chastising yourselves for years because the ceremony was not “yours,” and the latter might cause you to be filled with regret down the road for not showing the slightest respect for your parent’s preferences.  For those of you who prefer a middle ground, there are ways in which you can include a religious presence (or as one bride delicately put it, “a nod to a higher power”) without compromising your beliefs. Here are some tips:1.        Use the generic word “God” as opposed to more organized-religion type names (such as Jesus, Yahweh, Jehovah, Heavenly Father, etc,). The term “God” can mean different things to different people, so when you and your spouse-to-be hear it in the ceremony you might interpret it as “the spirit of good within us” and while your grandmother has visions of the fire and brimstone Baptist God or the “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” Catholic God. It’s all Go(o)d.2.        Plan a ceremony that is primarily secular, but include a slightly religious final blessing. As a bonus, have one of your religious family members read the blessing. It will be an honor. Plus it comes at the end, so it’s what will stick in their minds!3.        Add a prayer of thanks to your parents. The officiant can read it and this is a fitting place to insert a God reference.4.        Have your officiant wear a robe that is ministerial in nature. This will send the subtle message that “God is present” without saying a word.5.        Include a traditional religious component to your ceremony, but give it a secular twist. It will have meaning to both you and your folks. For example, the unity candle is a Christian tradition, yet the symbolism of “two lights coming together to form one united flame” is universally poignant no matter which God one worships–or doesn’t. Getting married under the Chuppah will placate many Jewish parents. For you, it can simply be a beautiful arch.6.        Put together a ceremony that is all about you, but when you recite your vows, recite the traditional religious ones with which your parents are familiar. If they are too God-like for your taste, then after the vows are exchanged, have your officiant say “and now John and Mary have prepared some special words that they would like to share with one another”. Then you can speak from the heart and be as secular as you like.7.        Insert one biblical reading into your ceremony. It can be a beautifully poignant one about love, which will appeal to you, while your folks will resonate with the religious roots.8.        If a reading doesn’t fly with you, then try a religious song. If you feel conflicted about the words, then play the melody softly in the background at some point in your ceremony. Your parents will be touched.9.        If you simply can’t abide by any mention of God in your ceremony, then keep it secular and consider adding a prayer or scripture passage on the inside cover of your program.10.        If none of the above work for you, then hope (pray?) that someone sneezes during your ceremony, giving a well-intended relative the chance to save the day by calling out “God Bless you!” Hey! Your folks will take it any way they can get it!If harmonizing two (or more!) religious beliefs seems daunting, here’s a tip to make it easier. When you initially sit down to write your ceremony, ignore the preferences of your family members. Work with your officiant to write it exactly as you want it. Then, go back and implement one or two of the suggestions above. Read it over and see how it feels. Your officiant should allow you to tweak the ceremony until it feels right. (That’s why it’s important to begin the ceremony-writing process at least two months in advance of your wedding day.)And from a fairness standpoint, if your parents are helping with wedding expenses, don’t expect them to foot the bill for the officiant if the ceremony is not in line with their beliefs. Handle this expense on your own. It will also save you from the guilt trip your parents might be tempted to send you on should they end up paying for something in which they had no input. Yes, it’s your day, but as the generous, loving, magnanimous people that you are, you will want everyone to feel at ease on your wedding day. Besides, you don’t want your mom to go into the story of the 23 hours of labor she had with you and how it almost killed her, not to mention ruining her figure for life and…..

Chef Hayashi of the Monadnock School for Natural Cooking and Philosophy, and former Head Chef of Mikasa Onsen in Kobe, Japan, gives a testimonial about one of his students.

Whole Gourmet Natural Cooking – Dicing a Tomato, Cucumber and Onion for an Israeli Salad

some of the products available at my shop.