Four years ago Loren LaVoy founded Green Clean, an environmentally friendly home- and business-cleaning service. LaVoy, who grew up in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, loves spending time outdoors: “I’ve always been very green-oriented—it makes sense and it’s better for everyone’s health,” he says.

The company only uses cleaning products that are certified by the nonprofit Green Seal. “Most of our cleaning products are hydrogen peroxide-based and are hospital quality,” says LaVoy.  Many are also unscented, so don’t be alarmed if the “fresh and clean” smell is absent after the crew leaves.

A typical cleaning costs between $100 and $130 and takes a little more than an hour. Green Clean offers services in Maryland, DC, and Virginia and does a lot of business for new mothers: “We’ve had many people call us from the hospital and say they are having a baby today and would like us to clean their home.”

Green Clean’s office uses recycled paper, soy-based ink, and powers itself with solar and wind power. Crew members wear uniforms made of organic cotton and soy-based dies. The company also tracks the carbon emissions of its vehicles and offsets them by donating money to organizations like Planktose, which releases carbon-eating plankton into the ocean.

Want to clean green on your own? MOM’s (My Organic Market) and Whole Foods Market sell green cleaning products. LaVoy says most need time to work; spray several items, he says, then go back and wipe them down.

The Box Score

Maryland: 7
Virginia: 2
DC: 1

$3,800,000—4815 Dexter Street, NW, Berkley
$2,180,000—7405 Arlington Road, Unit 301, Bethesda
$2,153,616—10619 Rivers Bend Lane, Potomac
$2,050,000—3156 Pollar Street, Arlington
$1,950,000—7027 Elizabeth Drive, McLean
$1,800,000—6113 Eastview Street, Bethesda
$1,725,000—7905 Sandalfoot Drive, Potomac
$1,710,000—5411 Duvall Drive, Bethesda
$1,664,132—12830 Talley Lane, Gaithersburg
$1,664,058—12818 Talley Lane, Gaithersburg

This Knapp & Tubbs gold bedside lamp hails from Murano, the acclaimed glass-making island in Venice, Italy. The Asian-inspired studded glass lamp is infused with gold leaf and goes for $800.

Baker, 3330 M St. NW, 202-342-7080

If you like handblown glass but can’t afford the Venetian price tag, check out Crate & Barrel’s Jack Table Lamp for $179. An extra-wide faux leather shade and oval-shaped glass base give the lamp a sophisticated look.

Crate & Barrel locations in Arlington (703-890-2300), Spring Valley (202-364-6100), Bethesda (301-365-2600), and McLean (703-891-0090).

With Joe Gibbs’s retirement, Mark Brunell’s future with the Redskins looks bleak. Regardless, it appears that the backup quarterback plans to stay in Washington.

After selling a custom home on more than two acres in Great Falls for $3.5 million, he spent $3.7 million on this new home less than five miles away. The new house has five bedrooms, eight baths, and a four-car garage. His old house, built in 2004, has seven bedrooms and nine baths.

Gibbs and the Redskins chased Brunell in 2004 and signed him to a $43-million, seven-year contract. But after a half season of inconsistent performances, he was benched in favor of Patrick Ramsey. Brunell’s now third in line at quarterback, behind Jason Campbell and Todd Collins.

We asked Carolyn Thomas, bathroom designer at Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath in Bethesda, for remodeling advice. Thomas has a bachelor’s of interior design from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in interior design from the University of Maryland. Thomas is also a certified bath designer with the National Kitchen and Bath Association and has been at Gilmer’s firm since the late 1990s.

What trends are you seeing in bathroom renovations?
“People often renovate the bathroom once their kids are grown and out of the house. They want to create luxurious showers with an area for a bench where they can sit and bathe, especially as they get older, so hand showers are almost a necessity. Some showers have his and her ends, or one side will have a stationary shower head with body sprays. These days most people want clear frameless glass enclosures. A lot of people want larger bathrooms and bump into the master bedroom to make a master suite with large closets and more storage space.
“People are moving away from the traditional styles of the past and want things that are simpler. Tile is becoming incredibly textural; there are lots of varieties of mixed materials—slate and glass together, matte or highly polished finishes, flat beach pebbles. There isn’t a lot of variation in the color palette—smaller rooms look bigger with a monochromatic color scheme.”

What are common mistakes people make when renovating a bathroom?
“A lot of people don’t understand how the plumbing is connected. They think they can move the toilet across the room, but in most situations you can’t. You can do it for a tub or sink, but not the toilet. Sometimes, when people renovate themselves, they don’t understand how to coordinate all the elements: sink, toilet, faucets, and tile. Bathrooms should have an overall visual continuity.”

How long should someone expect a bathroom to be out of order when renovating?
“Per square foot, the bathroom is the most costly and time-consuming room to remodel. Electricians, plumbers, contractors, and tile-setters have to work on a rotating basis because bathrooms are usually small spaces. Two workers cannot be in there at the same time. I tell my customers to expect the bathroom to take six to eight weeks minimum.”

An 1885 Georgetown schoolhouse will soon open its doors again—but not to schoolchildren. Wormley Row, formerly the Wormley School, will be a new collection of luxury condominiums and townhouses on Prospect Street. The building has been empty since the 1950s, but Encore Development is restoring the original brick building and transforming it into luxury living spaces.

Many twentysomethings decorate with hand-me-down furniture and Craigslist bargains. Jennifer Dusenberry’s one-bedroom apartment in DC’s Cleveland Park is more creative.

The colors—mostly reds and oranges—are bold and warm. She’s mixed the circular motifs and clean lines of midcentury modern design with older, more detailed pieces. In her living room, a simple round table lamp sits next to an antique Chinese rice scoop.