Competition Winner

Back in the early months of the year, we ran a competition asking all our newsletter subscribers to email us with their preferred choice of colour for our new Bamboo/Cotton Towels. We had a huge response, some rather interesting suggestions, but remarkably most feedback requested our chosen colour... we then went ahead and produced our best selling towels in Charcoal.

Congratulations to Daniel who was our lucky winner. Daniel will receive a set of Charcoal Towels shortly.

Bamboo Towels are very soft and absorbent. Unlike bamboo bed linens, a bamboo towel is generally a bamboo/cotton blend. The added cotton does not increase absorbency, but gives a feeling of loft. Our bamboo towels come in bamboo bath sheets, bamboo bath towels, bamboo hand towels & bamboo face cloths

Bamboo is 100% sustainable, making our bamboo towels some of the most eco-friendly towels on the planet.

Towels will be on sale online from Monday 20th October 2014.

Controlling your garden bamboo

Even though I love bamboo as a plant, garden screen and an environmentally responsible raw material, the strength and tenacity of this plant can also be its downfall if it’s in your garden and you do not wish to harvest your bamboo for mass textile production for products such as linens and towels.

Controlling your garden bamboo

While bamboos are usually a good, ornamental plant, here are some of the problems encountered and if grown without caution, can become problematic and take over your patch:

Bamboo shoots may pop up anywhere in the garden: neighbouring land or even through solid barriers, such as in patios and conservatory floors. Most weed-suppressant groundcover fabrics will not stop bamboo spreading

The problem tends to be with the invasive types of bamboo. These bamboos spread via long rhizomes, which help the plant to colonise new areas

The clump forming bamboos can also grow out of control, but do not tend to spread as much as the running bamboos

Digging

Non-chemical methods involve digging out clumps of bamboo and restricting the size. This can be difficult with very large plants, or on heavy soil. Use a sharp spade to dig up the entire clump or to remove sections from the edge of the clump that have grown beyond the limits. Sever the rhizomes as you go, lifting and removing them with a fork or trowel. If you wish to keep the plant, consider planting it inside a physical barrier like a pot or raised bed.

Chemical control

You can use a weed killer to remove unwanted growth, or the whole plant. The larger the plant, the more difficult it will be to completely kill it, and it may take several applications of weed killer to succeed

Removing the whole plant

With very tall bamboos, which can be difficult to spray, cut down canes to soil level in late winter and then apply a suitable to the young growth in late spring and early summer. Several treatments may be needed

Alternatively, cut canes to ground and treat with a stump and root killer. Treat foliage of any regrowth as soon as possible.

Respect your bamboo… it has a mind of it’s own.

How clean is your bathroom?

Poor bathroom hygiene can present a health risk to the entire household. When not cleaned properly and often, a dirty bathroom becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and germs that spread illness through the house.

Following some basic hygiene rules can prevent germs from spreading. It involves keeping surfaces clean and dry and removing possible 'breeding grounds' for germs. The regimen is not just healthy; it's considerate to all family members. The dirt and germs you leave behind can linger and spread illness to other family members.

Personal Hygiene
 Teeth Brushing
Overall bathroom cleanliness begins when you clean yourself. Replace your toothbrushes every three months. Don't let your toothbrush hang in the holder with other family members as germs can easily spread this way. And never share a toothbrush with anyone. That's the quickest way to spread infections.
 Hands
Wash your hands thoroughly each time you use the bathroom. Germs spread quickly by touch. Instruct all family members to wash their hands with warm, soapy water after using the toilet. Educate young children early about the importance of toilet hygiene.
 Drying off
Use disposable towels to dry your hands instead of a cloth towel that everyone would use. By using disposables, you'll be throwing away germs instead of spreading them. Communal towels contain bacteria and viruses that cause illness.
Bath towels should be changed and washed regularly. Hang them up to dry after use; the longer they remain wet, the more germs will collect on the towel. Try using bamboo blended towels which are not only anti bacterial and anti-fungal, but are soft and luxurious as well. And most importantly, environmentally totally sustainable.

Surfaces

All bathroom surfaces should be cleaned regularly. These include the door handle, faucets, toilet, sink, floor and shower/bathtub.

Shake water from the curtain after showering to prevent buildup of mould and mildew. Always leave the curtain open so water evaporates. Clean the curtain liner once a month.

Occasionally remove your showerheads and soak them overnight in vinegar or a commercial cleanser. This removes the build-up and dirt that clogs the head and contaminates the shower water.

Be especially careful when cleaning the toilet, especially if a family member is sick. All toilet parts should be cleaned regularly including the seat, rim, lid, bowl and flushing handle. Always wipe the toilet seat with tissue before and after using.

Author: Laura Toursoulopoulos Follow us on Google+

Squeaky Clean

My search for good quality bamboo products continues. This week I have tried Bamboo Charcoal soap. Thinking I was onto something new, I discovered after brief research that Bamboo soaps have been around for many years and have incredible healing properties. Have I been wasting pots of money on expensive luxury face washes when all I needed in my oily spot-prone teenage years was a bar of bamboo.

My first face wash felt a bit like using any other bar of soap. I enjoyed the lather and feeling of ‘soap & water’ on my skin, however was waiting for the taut, paper-like feeling that you get after a ‘soap-and-water’ wash. Instead, I got soft, clean skin that felt as though I had already moisturised it.

Thankfully I no longer have acne prone skin; however it seems that this healing soap can cure most forms of acne. Bamboo charcoal has high mineral contents such as potassium, calcium, iron, and sodium. For many years, people especially in Japan uses bamboo charcoal for many purposes, from households, kitchen tools, and medicines. This would explain why the soap seems to have medicinal purposes for most skin types.

So with my bamboo charcoal soap firmly positioned on my bathroom shelf, I wait eagerly to try other bamboo soap such as Bamboo Vinegar. Unfortunately my supplies are few and far between as sourcing this from abroad. Hopefully we get some of this good stuff locally soon. In the meantime, though, it’s worth browsing other bamboo  products such as linen, towels and blankets.

'Green' up your act!

With Summer behind us, kids back at school, we turn our focus to all things home. I’ve been sorting out old clothes that don’t fit anymore, selling and giving away toys that have been collecting dust and generally making space for a cleaner, clearer, more organised lifestyle.

Along with these changes come a feeling of energy and enthusiasm to keep things ‘green’ and eco friendly where possible. Small changes and that make a big difference.

The kinds of changes I’m thinking are things like using biodegradable cleaning products and changing from plastic to re-usable calico shopping bags. Nothing that will complicate my life, only make it greener.

Another area of waste that I’ve decided to tackle is food. Throwing out over ripe fruits and veggies is wasteful. Preserving them or baking with them is an easy option and being mindful of only buying what you need in the first place. Beware Multi Buy deals!

Limiting the number of washes can also help reduce water waste. Fewer, larger washes are what we should aim for… and don’t forget the biodegradable detergent.

With regards to spare time, most of us default to a TV, pc, ipad, ipod, electronic device of some sort. I really enjoy times when we switch all gadgets off… with the exception of a light depending on the time of day and even then a real treat for the kids is using candle light, and playing games together or reading to the kids until bed time. This not only reduces our energy bill but also improves family time and quality of relaxation over weekends.

My other areas of improvement are walking or cycling rather than driving… obviously this is not always possible, but buy it’s amazing how many options we have around us when we look or when we occasionally find ourselves without a vehicle.

If shopping for new home goods, be sure to look for green options, such as bamboo linens and home wares. For a great selection, go to 100bamboo.com. And of course, don’t forget to recycle!

Bamboo Baby Towels : New Colours Coming Soon.

Alongside our premium Bamboo Bed linen and Towel range, 100% Bamboo Ltd offers premium baby towels. Our Bamboo Hooded Towels  have become one of our best-selling items and we're increasing the range of colours to include Pink, Blue, White and Yellow

These towels are a 50% blend of organically grown Bamboo and Cotton, offering the loft of cotton and all the health and environmental benefits of bamboo as well as superior absorbency and a soft luxurious feel for baby's sensitive skin. Bamboo fibre is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal  and is completely sustainable.

Our towels are a generous 90 x 90 cm with a hood on one corner to make bath time comfortable for baby and convenient for parents. Intended for birth to 2 years, however, they seem to last well beyond this unless your child is particularly tall.

Colour options include White towels with the choice of Pink, Blue, White or Yellow Trim.

To purchase visit www.100bamboo.com

Get Knitting this Fall

Sleek, soft, 'drapey' and airy, bamboo fibres are obtained from the pulp of the bamboo plant and ideal for cool breathable lightweight knitted garments.

Bamboo fibers are relatively short, which means that 100% bamboo, unless it is super tightly spun or in a ribbon, tape, or other special construction, sheds a lot. The fibers don't pill because they don't have the scales or barbs on them that animal fibers do which causes them to cling to each other. Rather, bamboo just develops a pretty thick fuzzy halo quickly and with very little abrasion.

Bamboo is therefore commonly blended with other fibers, probably to help minimize the fuzzing issue, but also to lend bamboo's positive attributes to the other fibers. Sheen like silk but less expensive, relatively cool to wear, and it does have antibacterial properties. One trait strongly in bamboo's favour is its sustainability as a harvestable crop. Bamboo has an extremely rapid growth rate, making it a very sustainable material.

With many of the best names in the knitting industry having their own bamboo blends on the market, it is easy to get knitting with this wonderful product.

If knitting is too time-consuming and you’d rather just order a nice cosy blanket online, have a browse of the bamboo blankets at 100bamboo.com