+
Family

Want to make your spring clean more green? Look for these labels.

Knowledge is power. Be a heavyweight.

True
Seventh Generation

Welcome, spring! It’s time to celebrate the return of green things growing, flowers blooming, birds chirping, and baby bunnies frolicking. Oh, and of course, spring cleaning!

Unsolicited spring cleaning tip #1: Don't forget those hard to reach places.


Lots of us use the start of this season as a chance to shake off the winter dust and give our homes a good, thorough deep clean. But, cleaning products often come packed with unknowns, and the labels aren't the most helpful if you don't know what to look for.

Here's how to make sure you know what you're getting in your cleaning supplies, especially if you aim to make your home more Earth-friendly:

1. Be mindful of anything with these three signal words: caution, danger, and warning.

Image by Heather Libby/Upworthy.

The Environmental Protection Agency uses these three words to let consumers know about the potential health impacts of using a product. "Danger" denotes the highest risk, "warning" an intermediate risk, and "caution" the lowest. If the cleaning product label is using one of these words, there should also be a symbol or a description of what kind of health risk the product poses. This can range from eye or skin irritation, a risk of poison if consumed, or a note that the product is flammable or combustible and should be used in a well-ventilated area. For example — the product in the photograph above — a supercharged stain remover — warrants a danger icon as a skin corrosive.

2. Find and follow an expert whose advice you trust.

Image via iStock.

One of my favorites is Lindsay Coulter, the Queen of Green, as she's known to her 25,000 followers on Facebook, who started sharing tips on how to live more gently on the Earth about a decade ago. Her goal is to help people go from thinking "I'm just one person, what can I do?" to "I'm one person, look what I CAN do!”

3. Look for one of these seals of approval.

Image by Heather Libby/Upworthy.

As you might already know, cleaning products aren't regulated with the same level of government oversight as drugs, food, or cosmetics. Eco-labels help companies differentiate their products as safer, greener alternatives to the rest of the stuff on drugstore shelves. The three most popular eco-labels in the USA are the Ecologo, Green Seal, and the EPA's Safer Choice label. There's also a special EPA Design for the Environment (DfE) designation for disinfectant products that also meet the Safer Choice regulations. All of these labels mean that a product has been tried and tested by a third-party organization and has met all of their requirements for safer and sustainable ingredients.

4. Check the number in the triangle.

This container of detergent is made of PETE plastic, classified as a #2. When recycled it can be turned into pens, recycling containers, picnic tables, lumber, benches, fencing, and detergent bottles among other things. Image by Heather Libby/Upworthy.

The world's oceans and landfills have enough plastic already, so if you can, it's great to look for products packaged in recyclable or biodegradable plastic containers. Biodegradability designations show what kind of plastic a product is made of and whether it can be recycled. The abbreviations you want to watch for? PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) and HDPE (high density polyethylene), along with the numbers 2, 4, and 5.

5. Keep an eye out for vague words like "parfum" or "fragrance."

Image by iStock.

The words "fragrance" or "parfum" can mean any number of ingredients — synthetic, organic, or both — that make up a specific smell. Some people with chemical sensitivities get terrible headaches from certain scents (for me, it's synthetic musk). If you're one of those people, one option is to look for products that are up-front about what makes them smell so good.

Your quest for cleaning-product knowledge doesn't have to end there.

In the U.S., cleaning-product companies are not required by law to include ingredient lists on their packaging, but some companies do it anyway. If you're interested in knowing what's in your cleaning products, you can look for products that disclose them. Or you can check if there's contact information for the cleaning company. You might have more questions; they'll have answers.

Here's to a stress-free spring clean!


GIF from "Mrs. Doubtfire."

@thehalfdeaddad/TikTok

Dad on TikTok shared how he addressed his son's bullying.

What do you do when you find out your kid bullied someone? For many parents, the first step is forcing an apology. While this response is of course warranted, is it really effective? Some might argue that there are more constructive ways of handling the situation that teach a kid not only what they did wrong, but how to make things right again.

Single dadPatrick Forseth recently shared how he made a truly teachable moment out of his son, Lincoln, getting into trouble for bullying. Rather than forcing an apology, Forseth made sure his son was actively part of a solution.


The thought process behind his decision, which he explained in a now-viral TikTok video, is both simple and somewhat racial compared to how many parents have been encouraged to handle similar situations.
Keep ReadingShow less
Family

Badass bikers show up for abused children, offering advocacy and protection

They become an abused child's "biker family," and they let the child—and everyone else—know that NO ONE messes with their family.

When you are a child who has been abused by people who are supposed to protect you, how do you feel safe?

That question is the heart of Bikers Against Child Abuse International (B.A.C.A.), an organization dedicated to creating "a safer environment for abused children." With specific training and extensive security checks, the frequently big and burly members of B.A.C.A. serve as protectors of chid abuse survivors, giving vulnerable children people to call on when they feel scared, and even showing up in court when a child asks them to.

Keep ReadingShow less
via YouTube

These days, we could all use something to smile about, and few things do a better job at it than watching actor Christopher Walken dance.

A few years back, some genius at HuffPo Entertainment put together a clip featuring Walken dancing in 50 of his films, and it was taken down. But it re-emerged in 2014 and the world has been a better place for it.

Keep ReadingShow less

When Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi both landed their high jumps at 2.37 meters, they were in the battle for Olympic gold. But when both jumpers missed the next mark—the Olympic record of 2.39 meters—three times each, they were officially tied for first place.

In such a tie, the athletes would usually do a "jump-off" to determine who wins gold and who wins silver. But as the official began to explain the options to Barshim and Tamberi, Barshim asked, "Can we have two golds?"

Keep ReadingShow less

English metal detector hobbyist finds a real treasure near Nottingham.

A retired merchant navy engineer in England has found a treasure that would have made his country’s most popular folk hero proud. Graham Harrison, a 64-year-old metal detector enthusiast, discovered a gold signet ring that once belonged to the Sheriff of Nottingham.

The discovery was made on a farm in Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire, 26.9 miles from Sherwood Forest. The forest is known worldwide for being the mythological home of Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men. A central road that traversed the forest was notorious in Medieval times for being an easy place for bandits to rob travelers going to and from London.

Keep ReadingShow less

"What Do You Know About The Female Body?" from Jimmy Kimmel

When Jimmy Kimmel takes to the street, you know you’re in for a good laugh at just how little we actually know about, well, seemingly anything. That goes for anatomy too. In this case, female anatomy.

In a segment called “What Do You Know About The Female Body?” men try—and hilariously fail—to answer even the most basic questions, like “does a female have one uterus, or two?” much to the amazement of some of their female partners.

Here are some of the very best bits of nonwisdom:

Keep ReadingShow less