Those of you who have been reading here from the start— and god bless ya, every one— know that my kickstart moment to “going green” happened when we moved into this house and our second spring, I didn’t hear the calls of the peepers.
I was reasonably sure that we’d poisoned our small vernal pool by continually washing our cars right by and allowing the runoff to pollute it. That revelation of the cause-and-effect relationship we have with our little personal ecosystem opened my eyes to what, exactly, is in our cleansers and shampoos and everything else that goes into our water, and spiraled into a wider knowledge and effort to conserve our regional and global ecosystems.
I’ve worked, step by small step, trying to make every corner of our lives a little more responsible. Here’s a small sampling of easy ways we’ve worked to go green as a family:
It’s all about REDUCE. Buy things if you must, but only if they reduce waste overall. REDUCE stress, mess, clutter and anxiety by reducing the amount of STUFF you let enter your life. It’s the easiest way to become eco-responsible.
BTW… I never washed my car again.
Until I received a package from Washdrops. Washdrops Wash & Shine solution is:
completely non-hazardous; you can even dispose of Washdrops on a lawn or flowerbed
effective. My car is clean. My car that has washed by only rainwater for the last 6 years, much to the despair of my brother and husband.
Best of all, one fluid ounce of product and one gallon of water in a bucket is all you need. No hose, no water waste.
Did it pass the “Robin gets hives” test? It sure did. My hands aren’t even dry after spending half an hour soaping the car up. I felt perfectly fine letting the kids help out, even Jake with his eczema and resulting rashed skin.
TWO WAYS TO WIN:
1. Washdrops is currently holding an Earth Day Sweepstakes on their Facebook page for a prize pack of products— you just need to let them know what your GREEN RESOLUTION is for Earth Day. Go forth and enter here.
2. Enter here!
Washdrops is offering a prize pack to one lucky reader, which includes:
1) Washdrops 16 Washes & Shines 16 oz. bottle
2) Washdrops 4 Washes & Shines 4 oz. bottle
3) Large Waffle Weave Drying Towel (this is awesome)
4) Microfiber 2 in 1 Chenille / Bug Scrubber Sponge (kid’s favorite, looks like a germ or one of those dogs who resemble mops)
5) Long Handle, Hub Cap brush (this may or may not have been stolen by my husband to powerwash our house)
6) Microfiber towels 3-pack
7) 3-Gallon bucket
To enter just follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget below. You can enter once or many times depending on how you roll 🙂
I didn’t know you were coming or I’d have cleaned up a little more.
My life, I mean, not just the apartment.
―Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler’s Wife
What does it mean to lead a clean life?
I’ll admit, I’m no housekeeper. I can deal with a little mess, it means our house is being lived in.
I do generally try to lead a clean life. To me this means:
keeping chemicals and artificial ingredients out of my food, beauty products, and anything else I can cut them from.
not making any more of a mess on our planet than I have to: in the air, the water, the earth.
keeping toxic thoughts and people at bay.
trying to ensure my money supports companies that help, not harm.
The first step for me, as I suspect it is for many, was our cleaning products. After all, these products are coating all the surfaces we and our kids touch (especially important to think about with young kids, who are just as likely to eat off our floors as crawl on them, and stick everything in their mouths like it’s their job, which really it is).
What is being absorbed into our skin and breathed into our lungs when we clean? What residue is polluting our indoor air?
If you’re using conventional cleaners, the answer may well be kerosene, phenols, cresol, lye, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, sulfuric acid, petroleum distillates, ammonia, sodium hydroxide, butyl cellosolve, phosphoric acid, formaldehyde, chlorine bleach, morpholine, phthalates.
None of those are good things.
Since we stopped buying commercial cleaners, I use white vinegar for the bulk of our cleaning; borax for scrubbing. I do buy dishwasher soap and laundry detergent, whatever earth-friendly brands I can find at our grocery store (not a wide selection).
I also like to keep a non-toxic all-purpose cleaner on hand for when we need to give the house a quick wipedown before guests arrive; while I don’t mind the sting of vinegar it’s not the most welcoming scent. I’ve tried many different brands and I will say that some definitely are more effective than others.
Shaklee’s Get Clean line of products definitely fall into the category of “actually works. Really well.” Which is important, because I hate to think of people trying out a new cleaner, buying it because it’s not full of chemicals, and then having it not perform!
Over the past few weeks we’ve been using the cleaners found in the Get Clean Starter Kit.
Basic H2 Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate: you mix this in different concentrations in the supplied, pretty labeled spray bottles to make All-Purpose, Degreasing and Windows and Mirrors cleaners.
Dish Wash Concentrate (comes with labeled dispenser)
Fresh Laundry Concentrate (HE compatible!) (also comes with labeled dispenser with pump nozzle)
Nature Bright Laundry Booster and Stain Remover
Soft Fabric Dryer Sheets (we haven’t used dryer sheets in years and Jeff was so happy to have these)
Germ Off Disinfecting Wipes (ditto)
This kit also came with a Super Microfiber Cleaning Cloth, Super Microfiber Window Cloth, Super Microfiber Dish Sponge (which I LOVE), Miracle Scrubber Pad, measuring cup for the laundry detergent, measuring spoon, a PIPETTE because a little really does go a long way! and an Organizer Caddy to keep everything in.
They really did think of everything!
I love this one-product-fits-most system. I’ll only have to reorder the concentrate (and not for a while, it is REALLY concentrated; 1/4 tsp. makes 16oz of all-purpose cleaner for only 3 cents), cutting down immensely on the amount of materials and energy being used to produce and ship the containers. With this kit, you’re keeping 108 pounds of packaging waste from landfills and eliminating 248 pounds of greenhouse gas, not mention the fact that you’d spend $3400 for ready to use cleaners to get the same amount of clean (based on comparing number of uses as set forth on product labels of conventional, ready-to-use cleaners).
And, importantly, while Shaklee Get Clean products contain no harmful fumes or hazardous chemicals, it still outperforms 20 national leading brands.
How did the products fare with my ultra-sensitive skin and nose?Spectacularly. NO DISCERNIBLE SCENT. And no hive breakouts on my hands.
The laundry detergent does a great job, getting Cassie’s muddy pants, Jeff’s construction work clothes, my sweating running clothes and the kids’ equally sweaty + grass stained sports gear clean without any irritating scent. The combination of the dish sponge and a few drop of the dishwashing soap lathers up wonderfully, allowing me to wash pots and pans without drying out or inflaming my hands. And the degreaser is my absolute favorite, cutting through bacon grease like it’s nothing at all.
The dishwasher powder suffers the same problems every other powder has in our kitchen; buildup because of our super-hard water. We’ve adjusted our Ecover rinse aid to compensate, not a big deal.
It’s good stuff, people. Good enough that it’s backed with a 100% money back guarantee. And you can’t find it in stores: rather than pay for advertising and store placement, Shaklee sells online and relies on word of mouth to spread the news. It’s a rather brilliant business model from every angle.
A solid product that’s gentle on bodies and on the earth, shipped to those who want it to keep production and shipping carbon footprints down. Fantastic.
For more details on Shaklee and their products (which include nutrition, weight and beauty supplies!), see their website: http://shakleeblogger.com.
Want to give it a try?
GIVEAWAY:
Shaklee is providing one Shaklee Mini Household Kit to one lucky reader! To enter just follow the Rafflecopter instructions below. You can enter once or up to 5 times, depending on how you like your odds 🙂
This review and giveaway was made possible by the Shaklee Corporation & Mom Spark Media. Incentives, product and support were provided. Thoughts are my own.
I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden. ―Ruth Stout
Oooohhh it’s that time of year again. And even though I’ve been told I’m not allowed to garden this year due to my repeated inability to bring a veggie garden to fruition… I’ve got that yearning. To get my hands dirty. To plant seeds and make great plans.
Gardening is the purest form of optimism. It’s the embodiment of hope.
Anyway, at the Philadelphia Flower Show there was an exhibit by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society that I found hugely inspirational. Look how many herbs, fruits and veggies they managed to cram into a space about the size of a typical city rowhome backyard! Is that corn?
It’s a beautiful illustration of how you don’t need a lot of land and a ton of money to grow your own produce: enough to make a difference in your diet (and likely your neighbors’ diets as well).
Small Space, Low Budget Gardening Tips (Lessons learned from the Flower Show)
1. Raised beds rock the house.
The picture above has raised beds (and a walkway made with boards and a seat made of part of a tree trunk). Raised beds mean you don’t have to go digging down into your dirt and then amend it; you can start off with good, clean, well-balanced dirt to give your plants an extra boost.
2. Think inside the box. Or bell jar.
Cold frames and glass jars help protect from nips of frost, extending your growing season.
3. Look up, down, and all around.
Vertical gardening is an awesome technique to increase your square yardage for growing (and ultimately increasing your yield). Think trellises, wooden pallets to make walls of plants, archways, cages.
Cherry tomatoes grown on a simple archwayWall made of lettuce!
4. Gardening doesn’t need to be fancy.
Beds neatly hemmed in by logs. Oyster shells to create a pathway. Cages made from thin branches. Those wooden paint stirrers from hardware stores as row markers. Seats made from tree stumps. Used wooden pallets. Old windows for cold frames. Produce section twist ties for supporting and training plants. Pretty much anything with a hollow center as a planter… this is recycling at its best, and gardening at its least expensive. Plus, I think using as many natural materials as possible makes a garden so pretty.
5. Seeds are cheap.
Add love, time and effort and the return is bountiful. Freeze up your surplus for those winter months when the price of produce soars! (I was paying $3.99 A POUND for red peppers this winter! But I can buy a pepper plant for $2 at my farmers market.) Check out this breakdown of the most cost effective plants to grow— salad greens are #3 and soooo simple to grow yourself. Not to mention, way better tasting than salad-in-a-bag or trucked-in-from-afar!
Until I received a package from Washdrops. Washdrops Wash & Shine solution is:
