Going green: cleaning supplies

Lately, I've been trying to tweak our lifestyle and go the green route where we can. One of the easiest and cheapest changes I've been steering towards is making my own cleaning supplies. From laundry soap to clogged drains, there is a safer, greener alternative to almost anything. Here are some of the ones I've found:

Counter cleaning: sprinkle counters with baking soda; scrub & rinse with water

Window cleaner: 2 tbsp white vinegar, 1 gal water; combine and pour into spray bottle (you can also substitute lemon juice or club soda to avoid vinegar smell)

Clogged drain: pour 1/2 c baking soda, follow with 2 cups boiling water; if needed, chase baking soda with 1/2 c vinegar. Cover drain tightly. Wait about 10-15 minutes, then flush with 1 gal boiling water

Disinfectant: 2 c water, 3 tbsp liquid soap, 20-30 drops of tea tree oil; combine and store in spray bottle

Dry laundry soap: 2 bars of Fels Naptha, one box Borax, one box washing soda; grate soap, combine all ingredients. Stir and store in air tight container. Use between 1 tbsp and 1/4 cup--depending on load size and condition of clothes ( I use 1/4 c almost every time).

There are loads of other cleaning recipes, so get on out there and find/ try some! I'd love to hear what you're using!

Less is More

I think I'm drinking the less is more kool-aid, folks.

Less (or no) electricty

No (unnecessary) buying

Whole, organic food only

No bottled water

No unnecessary travelling via automobile

Can I (and more importantly, my family) commit to something like this?

I think we can. And not only will it be good for the earth and all that, it will be saving money and rearranging our outlooks. James and I are both material junkies. The iPad, the hair products, the new shoes, the video games. We have our lives revolving around these things.

But what if we pushed it aside--even for just 3 months. Maybe it would open the door for a closer relationship to Jesus. Maybe it would brighten our marriage. Maybe Sawyer would grow up learning that using your imagination is a wonderful thing.

So, as we begin the lovely year of 2012, here are our family Less is More goals:

-No more than 5 hours of television in a 7 day week (baby steps, people)

-Organic only meats and chicken, milk, and eggs. We have venison instead of beef, and that is 100% o-nat-u-ral. We will also be doing our best to eliminate processed foods. (again, baby steps) No individually wrapped convenience items (i.e. candy bars, snack packs), and way less paper towels.

-Between the hours of 7:30 and 3:00 ( for at least four days a week) no lights or heat/air conditioning (we have a wood burning fireplace that will make up for the heat and lots of windows). On gloomy and frigid days, we'll keep the candles going and the heat around 60.

-Limit my trips to town to once every two weeks (we live in the sticks so automobile is pretty much the only way to get anywhere)

-No buying any clothes, shoes, or personal items unless absolutely necessary. Since Sawyer is a growing munchkin, he'll likely need an item or two, but I'll definitely check thrift stores first.

There are so many other things I wish I could do like plant a garden, walk or bike to places instead of use a car, etc., but where we currently live just doesn't give allowance. I'd also love to be able to say I'll only buy unprocessed organic food, but the reality is that I'm on a super tight budget. I do, however, want to see what I can do on my tiny budget. Who knows, maybe my utility bill will be low enough to allow for extra in groceries. Maybe our very American appetites will lessen and we won't feel like we need as much food.

I'm pretty excited about this little project. Anyone else out there wanna join?

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Much love,
KP