I remember when I had the conversation with my husband two weeks ago and told him I wanted to go green. I think he is amiably indifferent, so that's easy for me. But I feel like I had to say it out loud and say it to him so he could be aware of any strange behaviors he encounters over the next couple weeks. She's using baking soda or vinegar to clean everything? Including her hair? She's crazy... (FYI, the no-'poo method is really effective. I've been trying it for 3 weeks now, and my hair feels super healthy and clean. It is a little bizarre if it's something you're not used to, but the way it makes my hair and scalp feel makes it worth it.) I know my husband loves me and my quirks, though. He even verbally acknowledged the work I've been doing to keep our family safer, healthier, and happier. As a man of few words when it comes to "words of affirmation" (See "The Five Love Languages" by Dr. Gary Chapman), I will take that as compliment to my efforts.
Before I made the commitment to change, I first wondered: Isn't this kind of weird? Will it really be that weird for me? But, you know, the more I thought about, I don't think it will be. It fits into my recent quest to simplify and declutter (Inspired by Marie Kondo). I also feel like we've moved towards a lot of sustainable practices in our family. We have a garden and use our home-grown fruits and vegetables for our food. We raise our own chickens for eggs and meat (they cage-free, and very happy ladies, until we kill them.). We generally buy used (from clothes to furniture to vehicles, etc.) and recycle a LOT with our DIY projects. We carpool or use a pretty fuel-efficient vehicle for Brett getting to work. We love to be frugal and save money by doing or making things ourselves. I was also raised to be very environmentally conscious.
In the third grade, I won a city-wide art contest that all of the Mesa, AZ elementary schools grades 1-6 participated in (it's a pretty big school district). The topic was "Recycle Today For A Better Tomorrow". As prizes, I got to shake hands with the mayor at some city council. I also had my original artwork hung in the Mesa Public Library for years (it was gone the last time I went there. They did some remodeling...so I wonder where it went, or if it moved to a different part of the library, or if it's in storage or just gone. The city recycling company also came and gave a presentation to my third grade class where they taught about the benefits and importance of recycling, and gave us lots of fun little freebies. Recycling and taking care of the earth have always been a big concern of mine, even when I was young.
So...going green with cleaning products and home products is totally not a stretch for me. I feel like it will give me satisfaction on many levels. I'm excited to experiment and to get started. I'm sure I'll learn a lot through trial and error, and will eventually have lots of anecdotes and advice for anyone who wants to got the DIY Green Cleaning route as well.
Here are the list of homemade household cleaners I would like to make and have on hand (some of which I already do. Follow the links to see what I've tried.) I'm still investigating beauty products (soaps, shampoos/conditioners, lotions, moisturizers, lip balms, salves), so a post on that are soon to come.
Before I made the commitment to change, I first wondered: Isn't this kind of weird? Will it really be that weird for me? But, you know, the more I thought about, I don't think it will be. It fits into my recent quest to simplify and declutter (Inspired by Marie Kondo). I also feel like we've moved towards a lot of sustainable practices in our family. We have a garden and use our home-grown fruits and vegetables for our food. We raise our own chickens for eggs and meat (they cage-free, and very happy ladies, until we kill them.). We generally buy used (from clothes to furniture to vehicles, etc.) and recycle a LOT with our DIY projects. We carpool or use a pretty fuel-efficient vehicle for Brett getting to work. We love to be frugal and save money by doing or making things ourselves. I was also raised to be very environmentally conscious.
In the third grade, I won a city-wide art contest that all of the Mesa, AZ elementary schools grades 1-6 participated in (it's a pretty big school district). The topic was "Recycle Today For A Better Tomorrow". As prizes, I got to shake hands with the mayor at some city council. I also had my original artwork hung in the Mesa Public Library for years (it was gone the last time I went there. They did some remodeling...so I wonder where it went, or if it moved to a different part of the library, or if it's in storage or just gone. The city recycling company also came and gave a presentation to my third grade class where they taught about the benefits and importance of recycling, and gave us lots of fun little freebies. Recycling and taking care of the earth have always been a big concern of mine, even when I was young.
So...going green with cleaning products and home products is totally not a stretch for me. I feel like it will give me satisfaction on many levels. I'm excited to experiment and to get started. I'm sure I'll learn a lot through trial and error, and will eventually have lots of anecdotes and advice for anyone who wants to got the DIY Green Cleaning route as well.
Here are the list of homemade household cleaners I would like to make and have on hand (some of which I already do. Follow the links to see what I've tried.) I'm still investigating beauty products (soaps, shampoos/conditioners, lotions, moisturizers, lip balms, salves), so a post on that are soon to come.
- All-purpose Cleaner
- Glass/Window Cleaner
- Dish Detergent (powder, borax-free)
- Laundry Detergent Powder (omit the Purex crystals and use a plant-based bar soap to make this truly green. An alternative recipe that looks similar to the one I've used, but have not tried, can be found here.)
- Disinfectant
- Fabric deodorizer/Air Freshener (like homemade Febreze)
- Soft Scrub/Toilet Scrub
- Floor Cleaner (for mopping)
- Carpet cleaner (shampoo)
- Carpet Freshener/Deodorizer
- Foaming hand-soap
- Wood cleaner
- Gel Air freshener
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