I've been a little behind on blogging, and I've been putting off writing this post for some unknown reason. But several weeks ago, heck it may have been a couple of months now, Levi and our diapers had YEAST! We were visiting the pediatrician for something totally different and he very nonchalantly said, oh and this is a yeast rash on his bottom, just get some whatchamacallit cream and it's no problem. He said basically any diaper rash that lasts more than a couple of days is yeast.
Yeast rashes can be a REAL problem when using cloth diapers. First, you can't use any of the tried and true creams that really knock out the yeast rash with cloth. Second, it can be a real ordeal to get the yeast out of the diapers so that baby and diapers don't keep passing it back and forth.
My first priority was getting Levi some relief. So we ran out for a pack of disposables (BOO) and started using the cloth safe cream we had. I also ready here that disposable wipes (which is what they use at daycare) can feed yeast. They were great about me bringing cloth wipes to school until the rash was gone. The cream we had didn't work after a few days, so I started scouring the internet for other yeast solutions. But our friend Meghan stumbled upon this blog and suggested coconut oil.
Coconut oil is a miracle worker!! It has anti-fungal properties and cleared Levi's rash up in less than 24 hours. Plus it's cloth safe, so we can continue to use it in the future! I bought a big jar at our local organic grocery store for $7. I scooped some out and sent a small container to school, put a small container in the diaper bag, put a small jar in the nursery, and still have about half the jar in the kitchen! We've also had a problem with a yeast rash around his mouth on his face from his lala, coconut oil is safe to use there too (I had been using my nipple cream, which is much more expensive).
Next was the diapers. I was afraid to put the diapers back on Levi until our whole stash had been washed a couple of times with the yeast regimen. I continued to use the yeast washing regimen for 2 weeks after his rash was gone on his bum to make sure it was gone from the diapers too. I pulled from several articles and blog posts online and came up with the following routine:
1. Cold rinse with 20 drops Grapefruit Seed Extract dissolved in 2 oz of filtered water
2. HOT wash (turned water heater up to 130 degrees from 120) with regular cloth detergent and OxoBrite oxygen cleaner
3. Extra cold rinse
4. Dry on high in dryer (most recommend sun but my laundry line is still in the box, hopefully we can put it out next spring)
This is what worked for us. I will forever sing the praises of coconut oil because I saw how quickly it brought Levi relief... and it's super CHEAP compared to other diaper creams! I hope your baby never gets a yeast rash, but if they do, I hope this blog helps you!!
Showing posts with label green living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green living. Show all posts
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Friday, June 5, 2009
MAMA-JAMA Cloth Diapering Blog Post!!!
SO, as most of you know I'm super passionate about being good stewards of Gods magnificent creation...
NO I'M NOT PREGNANT AND AM NOT PLANNING TO BE FOR A GOOD LONG WHILE (just in case this post title sent off any alarms). BUT when that time comes I am VERY interested in doing the cloth diaper thing! Hey, if it was good enough for my bum it's good enough for my babies' bums too!
Ahem, AS I was saying before I was so RUDELY interrupted by my nosy readers. There are many benefits to cloth diapering and TONS of resources out there for moms and dads (present or future) who are interested but totally intimidated by the idea.
Cloth diapers have evolved to be JUST AS CONVENIENT as disposables, if you are willing to do an extra load of laundry every 2-3 days (and the cost benefits alone can motivate someone to do that). If you don't want to mess with the "old fashion" prefolds and covers, you can opt for the super Dad/Grandparent/Childcare Worker- friendly pocket diapers or all-in-ones. For those road trips, overnight stays, and outings where you just can't do cloth, there are always the biodegradable disposables.
ONE: God's Green Earth. That's right, we're riding on it. It gives us life, air, food, water, a place to put our loved ones, and some pretty cool hiking trails to boot! Anywho, a conservative estimate, according to the numbers in this article (8 diapers per day for first 4 months (newborn), 6 per day from 4-24 months, assuming potty training by age 2 (which these days is unheard of), a baby will go through 4,560 diaper changes. That's the CONSERVATIVE number. Assuming that a child is closer to 3 when potty trained, that conservative estimate would grow to 6,720!!! That's a bunch of diapers (that contain lots of nasty chemicals) to put in our landfills.
TWO: Money, money, yeah, yeah. According to this article, the estimated cost per disposable diaper is $0.29 and rising. Using our above conservative estimate, it costs AT LEAST $1,322.40 to diaper a baby in disposables for 24 months, maybe more depending on the sales tax where you live and your diaper changing habits. If your child is 3 before s/he is potty trained, the cost is at least $1,948.80. These estimates don't include nighttime trainers after the daytime transition to undies. WOW. This article at SunshineDiapers sites a cost of around $400 to set your FIRST baby up with cloth diapers all the way to potty training (it also has TONS of good facts). YEP, that's about A GRAND in savings (or more) for your first baby. I say that because many parents are able to reuse their cloth diapering system with their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on children (if you plan to have the dang VonTrapp family that is).
THREE: Baby's Bum. Do you really want all those chemicals (chlorine, perfumes etc.) on your little one's precious tushy?? Cloth diaper babies have fewer instances of diaper rash, AND drumroll please... potty train MUCH sooner than disposable diapered babies.
CASE STUDY: MY precious baby tushy. My mother only used cloth diapers on my precious bum. That is, until we took a beach trip (I think I was about 9-10 mos. old at the time). My virgin-to-disposable-diapers booty broke out into a horrible rash that my mother proceeded to clear up by ripping it off and putting me straight into the salty ocean waves once we arrived. I'm surprised I don't remember this special form of abuse and torture even to this day. She says "you screamed about it, but your rash went away." CRAZY LADY!
And really, really, cloth diapers are not as scary as they used to be. NO PINS, SEE??
Photo (c) Price Grabber
SO, are you curious? Wanting to know more?? Feeling guilty?? >;-) For more great reading about reasons and benefits of cloth diapers, use the links previously given in the post. They are great resources and articles. For information and reviews on modern cloth diapers from a REAL CLOTH DIAPER MOM, go to this post by the Simple Mom. She's having a giveaway of a cloth diaper package for some lucky folks, which inspired this post on my blog!! (giveaway now closed, I didn't win) :(
Remember my sweet friend Lara? She and her husband Bryan were going through the adoption process when she found out she was knocked up. >:-) Well, being Mother Earth incarnate that she is, she is planning to cloth diaper BOTH babies (SO amazing)!!! If I happen to win this diaper giveaway, they will be hers (goodness knows she will need them)!!!
UPDATE:
So I felt bad about not clearly laying out some resources for you all. Plus, I've found lots of good stuff since I wrote this!
The REAL CLOTH DIAPER MOM sited above did an entire week of blog posts all about cloth diapering as part of an ongoing series. She answers common questions, has videos demonstrating cleaning and changing cloth diapers of all kinds, plus the type/brand review that are fabulous resources. An earlier post she wrote defines the different types of cloth diapers, with pros and cons of each! The Cloth Diapering 101 series of new and older posts by Simple Mom is the most in depth and extensive resource for cloth diaper how-to that I've found. She even talks about all the other stuff you need to have (not just the diapers) to make life easy.
If you are interested in cloth diapers and want to learn more about products AND start an online registry, go to www.kellyscloset.com. I mean, the initial investment upfront for cloth diapers is definitely worth it, but it can get pretty steep (about $400 or so)! If you want help from friends and family, this online registry is great. They also have all the associated products that you need like a diaper sprayer, washable pail liners, wet bags and the like. They also have a good CONCISE fact page on products, care and how to.
If you are interested in 2nd hand cloth diapers as a MOST echonomical choice (other than free gifts from a registry :-P), head on over to www.diaperswappers.com. This is a network of moms that swap and sell new and used cloth diapers.
Another great website as a comprehensive resource of facts and how-tos is www.cloth-diapers-made-easy.com.
Those desiring a cloth diaper system that incorporates recycled wool soaker diaper covers can find a plethera of cottage industry businesses over at www.etsy.com who specialize in them. Just search for "cloth diaper wool soaker cover." I hear that these are especially useful without the cloth diaper under for potty training. They are easy for little one to pull on and off, and can catch and hold accidents better than undies.
.........................................................................
SO THERE!! You have my MOST exhaustive post on cloth diapering with TONS of helpful links. So, if you are a mom, mom-to-be, or even a mom-in-waiting interested in switching to or using cloth diapers, bookmark this blog post. Or do like I do and email the link to yourself and sort the email into a subject folder like "Mommy Resources" (not that I have a folder called "Mommy Resources" in my email account, that's just a suggestion) ;-)
NO I'M NOT PREGNANT AND AM NOT PLANNING TO BE FOR A GOOD LONG WHILE (just in case this post title sent off any alarms). BUT when that time comes I am VERY interested in doing the cloth diaper thing! Hey, if it was good enough for my bum it's good enough for my babies' bums too!
Ahem, AS I was saying before I was so RUDELY interrupted by my nosy readers. There are many benefits to cloth diapering and TONS of resources out there for moms and dads (present or future) who are interested but totally intimidated by the idea.
Cloth diapers have evolved to be JUST AS CONVENIENT as disposables, if you are willing to do an extra load of laundry every 2-3 days (and the cost benefits alone can motivate someone to do that). If you don't want to mess with the "old fashion" prefolds and covers, you can opt for the super Dad/Grandparent/Childcare Worker- friendly pocket diapers or all-in-ones. For those road trips, overnight stays, and outings where you just can't do cloth, there are always the biodegradable disposables.
ONE: God's Green Earth. That's right, we're riding on it. It gives us life, air, food, water, a place to put our loved ones, and some pretty cool hiking trails to boot! Anywho, a conservative estimate, according to the numbers in this article (8 diapers per day for first 4 months (newborn), 6 per day from 4-24 months, assuming potty training by age 2 (which these days is unheard of), a baby will go through 4,560 diaper changes. That's the CONSERVATIVE number. Assuming that a child is closer to 3 when potty trained, that conservative estimate would grow to 6,720!!! That's a bunch of diapers (that contain lots of nasty chemicals) to put in our landfills.
TWO: Money, money, yeah, yeah. According to this article, the estimated cost per disposable diaper is $0.29 and rising. Using our above conservative estimate, it costs AT LEAST $1,322.40 to diaper a baby in disposables for 24 months, maybe more depending on the sales tax where you live and your diaper changing habits. If your child is 3 before s/he is potty trained, the cost is at least $1,948.80. These estimates don't include nighttime trainers after the daytime transition to undies. WOW. This article at SunshineDiapers sites a cost of around $400 to set your FIRST baby up with cloth diapers all the way to potty training (it also has TONS of good facts). YEP, that's about A GRAND in savings (or more) for your first baby. I say that because many parents are able to reuse their cloth diapering system with their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on children (if you plan to have the dang VonTrapp family that is).
THREE: Baby's Bum. Do you really want all those chemicals (chlorine, perfumes etc.) on your little one's precious tushy?? Cloth diaper babies have fewer instances of diaper rash, AND drumroll please... potty train MUCH sooner than disposable diapered babies.
CASE STUDY: MY precious baby tushy. My mother only used cloth diapers on my precious bum. That is, until we took a beach trip (I think I was about 9-10 mos. old at the time). My virgin-to-disposable-diapers booty broke out into a horrible rash that my mother proceeded to clear up by ripping it off and putting me straight into the salty ocean waves once we arrived. I'm surprised I don't remember this special form of abuse and torture even to this day. She says "you screamed about it, but your rash went away." CRAZY LADY!
And really, really, cloth diapers are not as scary as they used to be. NO PINS, SEE??
Photo (c) Price Grabber
SO, are you curious? Wanting to know more?? Feeling guilty?? >;-) For more great reading about reasons and benefits of cloth diapers, use the links previously given in the post. They are great resources and articles. For information and reviews on modern cloth diapers from a REAL CLOTH DIAPER MOM, go to this post by the Simple Mom. She's having a giveaway of a cloth diaper package for some lucky folks, which inspired this post on my blog!! (giveaway now closed, I didn't win) :(
Remember my sweet friend Lara? She and her husband Bryan were going through the adoption process when she found out she was knocked up. >:-) Well, being Mother Earth incarnate that she is, she is planning to cloth diaper BOTH babies (SO amazing)!!! If I happen to win this diaper giveaway, they will be hers (goodness knows she will need them)!!!
UPDATE:
So I felt bad about not clearly laying out some resources for you all. Plus, I've found lots of good stuff since I wrote this!
The REAL CLOTH DIAPER MOM sited above did an entire week of blog posts all about cloth diapering as part of an ongoing series. She answers common questions, has videos demonstrating cleaning and changing cloth diapers of all kinds, plus the type/brand review that are fabulous resources. An earlier post she wrote defines the different types of cloth diapers, with pros and cons of each! The Cloth Diapering 101 series of new and older posts by Simple Mom is the most in depth and extensive resource for cloth diaper how-to that I've found. She even talks about all the other stuff you need to have (not just the diapers) to make life easy.
If you are interested in cloth diapers and want to learn more about products AND start an online registry, go to www.kellyscloset.com. I mean, the initial investment upfront for cloth diapers is definitely worth it, but it can get pretty steep (about $400 or so)! If you want help from friends and family, this online registry is great. They also have all the associated products that you need like a diaper sprayer, washable pail liners, wet bags and the like. They also have a good CONCISE fact page on products, care and how to.
If you are interested in 2nd hand cloth diapers as a MOST echonomical choice (other than free gifts from a registry :-P), head on over to www.diaperswappers.com. This is a network of moms that swap and sell new and used cloth diapers.
Another great website as a comprehensive resource of facts and how-tos is www.cloth-diapers-made-easy.com.
Those desiring a cloth diaper system that incorporates recycled wool soaker diaper covers can find a plethera of cottage industry businesses over at www.etsy.com who specialize in them. Just search for "cloth diaper wool soaker cover." I hear that these are especially useful without the cloth diaper under for potty training. They are easy for little one to pull on and off, and can catch and hold accidents better than undies.
.........................................................................
SO THERE!! You have my MOST exhaustive post on cloth diapering with TONS of helpful links. So, if you are a mom, mom-to-be, or even a mom-in-waiting interested in switching to or using cloth diapers, bookmark this blog post. Or do like I do and email the link to yourself and sort the email into a subject folder like "Mommy Resources" (not that I have a folder called "Mommy Resources" in my email account, that's just a suggestion) ;-)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Why being GREEN is a matter of FAITH and what YOU can do about it
STOP!!! THIS IS NOT YOUR NORMAL EARTH DAY POST!!! Before you brush me off as some tree hugging, hippie, liberal??? Christian!!! (BTW, thank you for the compliment), please give me just 5 minutes and read the rest of this post.
Most of you who read this know that I am a very passionate environmentalist. I want to take this opportunity on Earth Day 2009 to tell you WHY. Many bloggers are telling you things that you can do to "be greener," and by all means feel free to take their advice!!! But I want to do something a little different and talk about my values (hard to imagine I know).
I am, unashamedly, a follower of Jesus. I am a Matthew 25 believing, red letter Christian, who tries to put her FAITH into ACTION as much as she can. I believe that we are commanded as Christians to do what we can to bring God's kingdom "on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10 But as we know, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 I'm not perfect. I can't do it all. But I can do something, and I hope today I can do something for someone reading this.
No matter whether you believe in the literal translation of the Creation story, or believe it is a poem written to reflect the expansion and evolution of God's creation, or some other view in between. If you have Judeo-Christian faith, you believe "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth...Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground...God saw all that He had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:1, 28, 31a
We as Judeo-Christians are scripturally charged with caring for God's creation. There are a finite amount of resources, a finite supply of clean water, a finite supply of coal for energy, a finite amount of space for trash. This Earth is the only part of creation that God gave us as humans to inhabit and care for, and it hangs in a delicate ecosystem balance. Whether you DO or DO NOT believe in global warming, you must admit with the number of people living on this Earth that eventually we will AT LEAST run out of places to put trash! And arguably, at some point, this planet will not be able to support its population with adequate supply of food, water, space and air (some say we have already passed sustainability).
To ME, I see this as a faith issue. I believe in the scriptural commandment of STEWARDSHIP. Those of us who have heard many sermons on tithing know what stewardship means, but for those who haven't, Christian stewardship is the management of resources (most commonly financial) in a way that glorifies God. I believe that we are also commanded to be stewards of the Earth's resources as part of God's perfect and good creation. I see our trips to the recycling center, purchase of Energy St*r appliances, and use of non-toxic cleaning products to be just as important as our bi-weekly checks to the church in our Christian stewardship.
We are even told in Luke 8:1-3 that many women traveled with Jesus and His disciples "proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God...These women were helping to support them out of their own means." We as women, who for the most part run things around the home, have the opportunity and the responsibility to use this role to glorify God and be good stewards in every aspect. "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." I Peter 4:10
Each of us can do simple things to be good stewards of God's creation, and we should. "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." I Corinthians 4:2
Here are some helpful websites to get you started:
You don't have to do EVERYTHING all at once, but BABY STEPS can make a big difference. Picking one or two things is a good start.
www.50waystohelp.com (if you are a little intimidated by all the lingo, this is the best place to start)
*Reuse envelopes* All those "reply" envelopes for the bills I pay online, I write my shopping lists on the back and gather my coupons for that trip and put them inside. That way I don't have to lug around my coupon sorter through the store! THEN I recycle the envelope!!
*Use reusable bags* This one isn't original to me, but it's the best practice. It saves oil and keeps the plastic bags from killing our marine life.
*Contingency plan for when you forget your resuable bags* If you happen to make it home with those God-awful plastic bags, you can use them for other things. We use it to line the plastic trough on the automatic litterbox (so we don't have to constantly buy those plastic recepticle things). We also have dog-friendly parks all over the city with freestanding poopy bag dispensers. It's up to park users to fill the dispensers with grocery bags, so whenever we take the kids to the park we also take a load of bags for picking up poop!!
*Use cloth napkins at dinner* This is my favorite one. It doesn't take much effort at all to put out cloth napkins at the dinner table. So take a few bucks to www.etsy.com and stock up on about 12 cloth napkins (or make your own). It saves trees, they go in with the rest of your laundry, and it just makes dinner time a little more special!
Most of you who read this know that I am a very passionate environmentalist. I want to take this opportunity on Earth Day 2009 to tell you WHY. Many bloggers are telling you things that you can do to "be greener," and by all means feel free to take their advice!!! But I want to do something a little different and talk about my values (hard to imagine I know).
I am, unashamedly, a follower of Jesus. I am a Matthew 25 believing, red letter Christian, who tries to put her FAITH into ACTION as much as she can. I believe that we are commanded as Christians to do what we can to bring God's kingdom "on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10 But as we know, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 I'm not perfect. I can't do it all. But I can do something, and I hope today I can do something for someone reading this.
No matter whether you believe in the literal translation of the Creation story, or believe it is a poem written to reflect the expansion and evolution of God's creation, or some other view in between. If you have Judeo-Christian faith, you believe "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth...Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground...God saw all that He had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:1, 28, 31a
We as Judeo-Christians are scripturally charged with caring for God's creation. There are a finite amount of resources, a finite supply of clean water, a finite supply of coal for energy, a finite amount of space for trash. This Earth is the only part of creation that God gave us as humans to inhabit and care for, and it hangs in a delicate ecosystem balance. Whether you DO or DO NOT believe in global warming, you must admit with the number of people living on this Earth that eventually we will AT LEAST run out of places to put trash! And arguably, at some point, this planet will not be able to support its population with adequate supply of food, water, space and air (some say we have already passed sustainability).
To ME, I see this as a faith issue. I believe in the scriptural commandment of STEWARDSHIP. Those of us who have heard many sermons on tithing know what stewardship means, but for those who haven't, Christian stewardship is the management of resources (most commonly financial) in a way that glorifies God. I believe that we are also commanded to be stewards of the Earth's resources as part of God's perfect and good creation. I see our trips to the recycling center, purchase of Energy St*r appliances, and use of non-toxic cleaning products to be just as important as our bi-weekly checks to the church in our Christian stewardship.
We are even told in Luke 8:1-3 that many women traveled with Jesus and His disciples "proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God...These women were helping to support them out of their own means." We as women, who for the most part run things around the home, have the opportunity and the responsibility to use this role to glorify God and be good stewards in every aspect. "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." I Peter 4:10
Each of us can do simple things to be good stewards of God's creation, and we should. "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." I Corinthians 4:2
Here are some helpful websites to get you started:
You don't have to do EVERYTHING all at once, but BABY STEPS can make a big difference. Picking one or two things is a good start.
www.50waystohelp.com (if you are a little intimidated by all the lingo, this is the best place to start)
To learn about how to GREEN your workout, this is a great article THE LEAST we can do is invest in a reusable water bottle that stays in our gym bag!!! I was excited to read about recycling old sneakers to make the surface material for basketball courts!!
We pay a small fee to Tonic Mail Stopper to cut down on all the junk mail that comes to our house (and also saves trees, yay for oxygen)!!!
www.freecycle.org is a great website to list your stuff you don't want but is still usable to someone who can use it. It keeps it out of a landfill!!
Simple tips from me:
*Use scrap paper* If someone has already gone to the trouble of cutting down a tree, might as well make the most of it! When I'm printing out all those online coupons for my crazy couponing adventures, they usually only take up the top part of the page. Save the bottom for notes at work or at home.*Reuse envelopes* All those "reply" envelopes for the bills I pay online, I write my shopping lists on the back and gather my coupons for that trip and put them inside. That way I don't have to lug around my coupon sorter through the store! THEN I recycle the envelope!!
*Use reusable bags* This one isn't original to me, but it's the best practice. It saves oil and keeps the plastic bags from killing our marine life.
*Contingency plan for when you forget your resuable bags* If you happen to make it home with those God-awful plastic bags, you can use them for other things. We use it to line the plastic trough on the automatic litterbox (so we don't have to constantly buy those plastic recepticle things). We also have dog-friendly parks all over the city with freestanding poopy bag dispensers. It's up to park users to fill the dispensers with grocery bags, so whenever we take the kids to the park we also take a load of bags for picking up poop!!
*Use cloth napkins at dinner* This is my favorite one. It doesn't take much effort at all to put out cloth napkins at the dinner table. So take a few bucks to www.etsy.com and stock up on about 12 cloth napkins (or make your own). It saves trees, they go in with the rest of your laundry, and it just makes dinner time a little more special!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Tips to save $$ and GREEN clean (your spring cleaning)!!!
So, my friend Ashley who did all the amazing printing for our wedding and is totally crafty in so many ways, and I take turns at inspiring each other. I inspired her to become a Dave Ramsey faithful follower. She's inspired me to start couponing and turned me on to this SWEET website that makes it dummy-proof (exactly what I needed). On my first trip to Publix, armed with only one online printable coupon, I bought over $53 worth of groceries for $29 just by taking advantage of the weekly Buy 1 Get 1 deals!!!!
If you are going to coupon seriously, then you have to give up your brand loyalty. Now, I am not an extreme couponer; I use it mainly for food and paper products. Other items I buy, such as toiletries and household cleaners, have a totally different set of values attached that have nothing to do with price. I buy animal and environmentally friendly products. I try not to buy any makeup or toiletry items unless they have "not [been] tested on animals" (for me anyway, Matt is not a convert yet - he's brand loyal).
Collectively, we can change market production by changing our demand for certain things! We are already starting to see big companies that make chemical-based household cleaners respond to the change in market demands, like Clorox coming out with a "green cleaner" line (which probably isn't anything but dyed green anyway since they refuse to release the ingredients to the public). For things such as laundry detergent or other cleaner needs (not listed below), buy from a reputable company such as Seventh Generation (click the link for COUPONS!).
"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," (Joshua 24:15) and make our own cleaning products!!! If you want to rid your house of harsh chemical-based cleaning products and create a healthier, safer environment for your family, here are a few "recipes" to use. First, tightly seal up all of your chemical-based cleaning products and dispose of them at your LOCAL HAZARDOUS WASTE FACILITY. Next, get to shopping and mixing!!
Shopping List:
2 Glass jars with tight fitting lid
Distilled white vinegar
Baking soda
Lemon juice
Olive or vegetable oil
Tea tree oil (optional disinfectant)
Non-toxic liquid soap (vegetable based/
All Purpose Cleaner:
Plastic spray bottle, mix equal parts vinegar and water, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp tea tree oil (optional), shake before use
Window & Mirror Cleaner:
Plastic spray bottle, mix 2 parts water, 3 parts vinegar, spray on and wipe with newspaper or paper towel
Scrub Cleaner:
Glass jar, mix baking soda and castile soap to paste consistency, add lemon juice for scent and/or tea tree oil for disinfectant (both optional), use as scrub for tough stains and toilet bowl cleaner
Wood Furniture Polish:
Glass jar, mix 2 parts olive or vegetable oil, 1 part lemon juice, shake well and apply to furniture with clean lint free rag, let stand, polish with dry rag
Silver Polish:
In 1 quart of warm water, add 2 Tablespoons of baking soda, 1 Tablespoon of salt, a piece of aluminum foil, and the item to be polished. Let item sit for at least 15 minutes.
Drain Cleaner:
Pour ¼ cup of baking soda down drain, followed by ½ cup of vinegar. Let mixture stand for 15 minutes, then pour 2 quarts of boiling water down the drain.
and
POST UPDATE:
Ashley (the one who is always inspiring me) once again inspired me by her comment!!!
I have always heard you can make your own baby wipes, so I figured - why not clean-up wipes too??? Just follow the directions at the link to prepare the paper towel roll and use this recipe for homemade green clean-up wipes:
1 Cup water
1 Cup vinegar
1/4 Cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon tea tree oil (disinfectant)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)