Thursday, March 24, 2011

Going Going Green! Part 2

In this episode of going green we're going to re-think our daily routine! No really, think about the things you do every day and what you use to do them. One of the most harmful albeit necessary things we do regularly is clean! All those chemicals!!! Not only are we harming ourselves but the environment as well. There are better ways to clean!

One of the biggest things I do now is clean with vinegar. This is particularly helpful with the bunnies litter box. Sanitize and deodorize! I use a 1 part white distilled vinegar, 1 part water and a splash of lemon juice mix. Always have a gallon of this handy. There are 1001 uses for white distilled vinegar, literally- check out www.vinegartips.com Although I must admit I am not racing to the pantry to test out all the health suggestions.

Something I've never been able to figure out is why people want to use bleach for everything. I mean have you smelled this stuff? YUCK! One of my new favorite brands to clean with is Seventh Generation. It actually works! I tried a bottle of Greenworks (I had a coupon) and it just isn't the same. Given these economic times I would normally say save your money, but Seventh Generation smells good and its much healthier all around.

When I was a college student I began an obsession with my Swiffer. A combination of lazy roommates and an easy way to clean the floor- I was hooked. Then one day it dawned on me that the Swiffer has one flaw- its wasteful! I mean how many Swiffer pads end up in the trash every year? Then I came across these beautiful handcrafted covers. You can buy them from Ollie's Boutique on Etsy. (Thus began my obsession with Etsy which is a whole other story....) Anyway- this product happens to be one of my favorite finds. It works a thousand times better than the dry disposable Swiffer pads or a broom for that matter. I still haven't quite solved the wet Swiffer pad dilemma, but maybe someone else has some ideas for that...

What kinds of green products are you finding to help you find your shade of green?

2 comments:

  1. Hi,
    I saw your blog on lunapads (FB). One way we have gone green this past winter also has to do with cleaning. We have begun using Thieves* household cleaner for everything from our hands to the floor and everywhere inbetween. The nicest thing is that I can hand my toddlers a spray bottle and a rag and they can spray Thieves on anything, wipe it off and it doesn't harm them or the pets!! Another way is we take our old washcloths and use them as rags. We also use cloth napkins as well. One challenge is that i have not found a good green laundry detergent yet (but have tried many).

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  2. Hi Lisa- Thanks for being my first commenter! <3 I will be keeping an eye out for Theives- I'm always worried about our bunny and cleaning products! My mom would always keep a rag bag (socks, old undershirts) in the garage for oily car stuff! As for laundry detergent- we've been using JR Watkins Fragrance Free Powdered Laundry Detergent in my house. Have you tried it?

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