Container Conundrum

After reading my last blog about cleaning, my friend Rachel commented about shopping in the bulk section of the grocery store. This is truely a money saving tip, as well as a green one. By purchasing from our bulk sections, we are getting the things we need without all of the unnecessary packaging. Think of the packaging that you see in the supermarket - styrofoam, plastic, metal, cardboard, celophane, etc. Some of these things cannot be avoided because you cannot purchase them in bulk or are 'impossible' to make from scratch. However, if you take a good look at the offerings in the big bins you may find that many of the pantry staples are right there. Of course what comes with buying in bulk and passing on the excess packaging is the need to contain the product somehow. Rachel told a story of her pickle jar experience, and this sparked my curiosity into what I already have in my house. I have started my own collection of butter, sour cream, cream cheese, spaghetti sauce and baby food containers. I wash out the containers ( and in the case of the spaghetti sauce, rinse with baking soda to get rid of the herb smell ) and put them right into the cupboard with the other food storage items. This will help me to avoid buying plastic containers ( though the plastic containers ARE recycleable, why buy something new when I already have a glass or plastic item I can use? ) and use two of the three R's of environmental stewardship - Reuse and Reduce. I encourage you to look around your kitchen to see what containers you can reuse for storing extra food or bulk items. Here's to being creative, frugal and resourceful! :)

Green Cleaning

Hello! I am back to blogging after an unanticipated break ( I had trouble logging in to the site ). I wanted to share with you some ideas for greener cleaning in your homes. Often we think of a 'clean' home, we think of a home that 'smells clean'. What you are actually smelling is chemicals. These chemicals are often blamed for asthmatic conditions, red itchy eyes, and skin irritations. Even the warnings on the side of the bottles tell us to use in well ventilated areas. They are obviously not good for us, so why do we think this 'fragrance' is so great? It is simply the association of having clean surfaces with the odor of the products that got them clean. What we need to do is recondition ourselves to think of clean as the absence of dirt and the absence of odor.
The first time I cleaned my apartment thouroughly with natural products I was left with a void. I was looking for the odor of my favorite bathroom cleaner and the fragrant residue of my beloved floor cleanser. I literally had to tour my home and convince myself that things were clean. After this experience, however; I realized that clean is not a smell and clean does not have to be expensive.
Here are a few of my favorite house cleaning tips using CHEAP and NATURAL products ( that you already have in your home!)

Floor Cleanser:
Fill your sink or bucket with 2 gallons of hot water
2 cups of white vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda
The baking soda and vinegar will fizz ( remember making volcanoes in elementary school? ), but I have found that the baking soda cuts down on the quickly evaporating 'pickle' smell of the vinegar. It also helps to clean and deoderize. The great thing about vinegar is that it is all natural. It is actually fermented alcohol, which is why it kills bacteria and mold. The smell of straight vinegar will evaporate once the liquid evaporates from the surface you are cleaning so don't worry about your house smelling like a pickle jar. Besides, even if it did, at least you would not be breathing in something dangerous. :)

Shower Cleanser:
Baking soda
Vinegar
Spray bottle
Salt
Lemon oil
Wet down the walls of your shower. Make a paste in a bowl or right there in your shower of baking soda and water. With a sponge, apply the paste to your shower. This is abrasive enough to get the soap scum and gentle enough to not scrape the finish on your fiberglass walls. Dont rinse the walls just yet though.With the spray bottle half full of water, half vinegar spray the walls. This will fizz a little, which will aid in the cleansing and washing away of the 'shower grime'. Scrub down the surfaces, then wash off with water. If you have persistant spots that need more attention, pour a little salt on your sponge and use that to scrub. When everything is cleaned to your satisfaction, dampen a cloth with lemon oil and apply a thin layer to all surfaces EXCEPT THE FLOOR OF THE TUB/SHOWER. This will help soap to just run off into the drain so that your shower stays cleaner.

All surface spray:
Spraybottle
Water
Vinegar
Fill the bottle with half water, half vinegar. If you would like, you can add a few drops of essential oil of your choice for fragrance. This can be used for all smooth surfaces from your kitchen counters to your fridge to your bathroom. It kills germs, disolves grease and is safe for use around your children and pets.

Remember, vinegar and baking soda are in all kinds of food items so they are safe to use in our homes. There is a reason no one has made a Clorox brand bundt cake!!

Stay tuned for more cleaning tips!