Washing A Shower Curtain Liner

Did you know that you can wash your shower curtain liner in the washing machine? You probably did but I didn’t. We have two showers and whenever one of the liners started getting a little icky, I’d just buy a new one. You can get a really chintzy one for just a few dollars – but you know – you get what you pay for on that one.

Anyway, back to the point. Someone told me that you can wash the liner in the washing machine (is this seriously common knowledge?) and I couldn’t believe it, so I tried it.

I set the cycle to medium and cold/cold. I used regular laundry detergent and a little bleach. Then I just hung it to dry. I read somewhere that you can throw a couple white towels in with the liner for extra scrubbing power. That seems like a good idea too. It worked pretty good. It came almost completely clean. I thought, “Wow. I am definitely blogging this.”
This probably won’t save me a ton of money (would you classify a ton of money as 2,000 British pounds? ) but I also like the idea of wasting less. A shower liner takes up a lot of space in the trash!
OK, I can take it. Tell me, did everyone in the world already know this but me?    http://www.domesticcents.com/saving-money/washing-a-shower-curtain-liner/

Front Porch

 

 

Is this the quint-essential Autumn front porch?

I want to drink hot apple cider when I walk inside of this home, don't you?

The mix of round pumpkins with square bales of hay, flanked with linear corn stalks is no mistake.

It's good design.

Even the flag helps tell the "story" of this home.

Do you decorate your porch, deck or door?
http://oldsweetwatercottage.blogspot.com/search/label/Autumn 

Green Your Pantry: 10 Do's and Don'ts

 

From safe, nontoxic food storage and green cleaning to the basics of whole bulk foods and integrated pest management, get started on a healthier Earth-friendly diet today with these tips. By Dan Shapley

Do: Stock Bulk Whole Foods

The pantry is the place for go-to foods you need to make meals. Most of your stores should be real foods – unprocessed whole foods, like grains, root vegetables, legumes, dried fruit and nuts – and minimally processed foods like pastas. A good rule of thumb: Foods without ingredient lists or heavy-handed health claims on their packaging (or without packaging at all) are the best choice. Those foods with short ingredient lists made up only of items you recognize and can pronounce are good, too. Anything else is best thought of as "food" in name only.

Don't: Stock Processed Foods

It's often true that whole foods take more time and expertise to cook well (though couscous will rival even the quickest of quick-fix meals) but it's also true that processed foods tend to be loaded with high-fructose corn syrup and other calorie-heavy ingredients, preservatives and an array of artificial colors – including some linked to attention deficit disorder, cancer and allergic reactions.

Don't: Use Plastic Food Storage Containers

Plastic may be versatile, lightweight and cheap, but some types of plastic also leach chemicals into foods. If you're keeping some plastic around, purge anything marked with a recycling code No. 3 or 7 first. Those numbers are used to mark hard plastics that often have the hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol-A. Whatever you use for food storage, avoid microwaving or cooking in plastic, and avoid using plastics that show signs of age, since these conditions make chemical leaching more likely

Do: Use Nontoxic Food Storage Containers

Choose glass, ceramic and stainless steel over plastic whenever possible. These materials are long-lasting, can often be transferred directly from the pantry or fridge to the oven or microwave, and – most importantly, they won't leach chemicals into your food.

Don't: Overstock Canned Foods

Unfortunately, plastics aren't the only packaging that leach chemicals into foods. The lining of cans also contains the suspect chemicals bisphenol-A and phthalates, both of which can mimic human hormones. A recent analysis found that families can reduce their exposure to the two chemicals by more than 50% simply by steering clear of canned foods, like soups, tuna and beans. Canned foods are an important part of emergency preparedness, though, so you'll probably want to keep some on hand just in case. Eden Organic is one brand that uses BPA-free cans.

Do: Make Your Own Green Cleaning Products

Save space in the pantry by stocking just a few simple cleaning agents: baking soda, vinegar, alcohol, club soda and lemon juice. That, a little knowhow and some elbow grease are all you'll need to clean just about anything in the house, from the kitchen counters and the oven, to the windows and the toilet bowl. Best of all – unlike most toilet bowl cleaners – these ingredients are useful in cooking, and relatively safe around small children and pets. (Not up to the task? Try an off-the-shelf green cleaner.) If you're making the switch, don't dump those cleansers down the drain! Check with your local waste hauler, municipality or with Earth911 to find the nearest hazardous household waste drop-off location and time. (That's right: Many are so toxic, they're considered hazardous waste.)

Do: Stock Reusable Items

Whether it's cutlery, flatware, napkins or towels, the rule of thumb should be: Wash and reuse. If you're using disposable paper plates and napkins, or plastic forks and knives, they're not only cluttering your pantry but also cluttering our landfills. Don't be too quick to be taken in by marketing about biodegrable or plant-based items, either; the Earth-friendly choice is reuseable, and – in the long run – far cheaper. If you're in the market for reusable napkins and towels, check the vintage styles at Etsy.com to kick your reuse up a notch.

Do: Check Food Safety Recalls

Even if you are a conscientious health nut who buys only organic food, your shopping trips may not be immune from the dreaded food safety recall. In recent months, everything from organic alfalfa sprouts to organic ground beef has been recalled, along with the usual sad litany of industrially processed meats and "foods." Check TheDailyGreen.com for relevant recalls, or sign up for e-alerts from foodsafety.gov.

Don't: Use Toxic Pesticides

Anyone who's stored food knows that nature is never far away. Whether it's mice in the rice or moths in the oatmeal, critters are sometimes hard to keep away, and harder to get rid of. Before resorting to the strongest poison on the market, try integrated pest management techniques – which range from sealing cracks where mice might enter to sprinkling cayenne pepper to deter ants. Consult with this list of natural pesticide alternatives compiled by Beyond Pesticides before resorting to commercial pesticides.

Do: Stock Good Cookbooks

There is no shortage of excellent cooking guides that aim to help you eat a more vegetable-based seasonal and organic diet. Some of our recent favorites include:

• The Vegetarian Option, by chef Simon ($16.50 at amazon.com)
• Farm to Fork, by chef Emeril Lagasse ($15.50 at amazon.com)
• Urban Pantry, by Amy Pennington ($12.75 at amazon.com)
• Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods, by Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian ($19.75 at amazon.com)
• The Family Dinner, by Laurie David ($17 at amazon.com) http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/plastic-food-storage-containers-0330#fbIndex1

Laundry Detergent

I've posted my recipe for Cloth Diaper Detergent, but never considered to post the version for laundry detergent. Silly me :)

They are basically the same, except that the regular detergent has soap in it :)


What soaps can you use?

From my understanding, most any bar soap will do. I think most people try to choose something that's easy on the skin.

Fels Naptha (Love this stuff)
Ivory (I think you can even find flakes of this, which would be handy)
Zote
Kirk's Castile
etc.

So what's the recipe?

Basically it's this:
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
1/2 cup of oxiclean
1 bar of soap, finely grated

There are tricks to grating it. The best one I've heard is to chop it up (food processor can help here), lay it out on some cookie sheets to dry for a day or so, and then chop it up again (again, food processor, big help!) Be careful not to push your processor too hard (don't rush it!).

Now, I said that the above recipe is basically the recipe. I don't like leftovers and I don't like having to do things over and over again, so I like to make large batches. It's a little more work at the time, but a lot less work over time :D

Here's the full recipe:
3 Boxes Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (55 oz each)
2 Boxes 20 Mule Team Borax (76 oz each)
1 Large Tub OxiClean (96 oz)
24 Bars of Soap, finely grated

Depending on what soap you get and how you buy it (bulk, discount store, etc.) you can make a full batch of this for around $60 and it will last a VERY long time.

I've found that getting large buckets to mix this up makes it SUPER easy! Layer all of your ingredients into one (or more) buckets. Pour from one bucket to the next, and repeat until it's mixed to your satisfaction. That's it!

This recipe has a higher yield than the CD detergent, so yo may need more than 2 buckets to mix back and forth.

How do I use it?

I liked to use 2 tablespoons per load of laundry. My husband has a fairly dirty job and I have messy kids *cough*daughter*cough*

If I'm doing a cold wash, I have a jar that I keep close by that I can put my scoops into, add some hot water and help dissolve it a little before throwing it in the wash. It will work without doing that, but I like to.

**I'd like to make a note about the borax used in this recipe. A recent article by EWG cautions the use of borax for cleaning in the home noting that toddlers and young children face special risks from hand-to-mouth transfer of carpet or crack and crevice, dust or spray borax treatments. I would recommend not using borax as a general home cleaner - any cleaner (aside from pure water) used for these purposes will leave a residue. I feel comfortable using the minuscule amount in the detergent. It is not used on open surfaces and is washed out during the rinse cycle.


You can read a bit more on this debate here - there are some great points of view in the comments  http://www.theecofriendlyfamily.com/2009/08/laundry-detergent.html

Get Stains OUT! of Your Diapers!

 

So, you use cloth, Congrats!

Aaaaand you hate stains. You're in luck!

There is a crazy simple solution :)

The sun!

Wash and dry your diapers as usual. (Need help with that? Try these tips!)

Line dry your diapers. This works in cold weather (I wouldn't do it in freezing weather) and even cloudy days. Sunny days will work best, and warm days will help dry your diapers best of course, but the sun will bleach out the stains! It is truly amazing.

When you're all done (or the day is), bring them indoors. If they aren't dry, toss them in the dryer or let them air dry (I would ONLY do this if they were like the most itty bitty bit of damp.)

Enjoy your stain free diapers!

This is March in Ohio!

Don't have a clothesline? I use a retractable version mounted to our deck and it hooks onto our garage.

No place for even a retractable? No problem!

You can still sun through a window. I've done this before through a side window and it did work, not as fast, but it did work. I would imagine a larger window with more direct sunlight would work great. Try putting your diapers on a rack like this in front of the window.
 This method of "sunning" also works great on clothing stains from foods and other miscellaneous things.

See here about cleaning up stained kids clothes (and anything else for that matter).  http://www.theecofriendlyfamily.com/2009/11/get-stains-out-of-your-diapers.html

Cloth Diaper Detergent

I have been using this since October 2008 with no issues. I've actually received compliments on used diapers that I have sold smelling so good and asking what I used :)

If you're looking for the clothing version of this, look here.

Here's what I do. It's cheap and I love it :)

More or less, It's: (this is not exact, since I use the larger recipe below)
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
1/2 cup of oxiclean

BUT.... I don't like having misc. leftovers, so I make up a batch... like this :)
It should cost $30, max.

3 Boxes Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (55 oz each)
2 Boxes 20 Mule Team Borax (76 oz each)
1 Large Tub OxiClean (96 oz)

Yes, it's a lot, but it's super cheap to make, so no biggie :) It just lasts forever. Or you can share :)

**I'd like to make a note about the borax used in this recipe. A recent article by EWG cautions the use of borax for cleaning in the home noting that toddlers and young children face special risks from hand-to-mouth transfer of carpet or crack and crevice, dust or spray borax treatments. I would recommend not using borax as a general home cleaner - any cleaner (aside from pure water) used for these purposes will leave a residue. I feel comfortable using the minuscule amount in the detergent. It is not used on open surfaces and is washed out during the rinse cycle.

You can read a bit more on this debate here - there are some great points of view in the comments.

**I see a lot of people asking where to purchase these supplies. If you are unable to find them locally (I've had great luck at our grocery store and others at hardware stores.) you can purchase everything to make this on Alice.com at reasonable prices and that includes free shipping. They currently do not carry the 96 oz Oxiclean, so you would want to purchase two of the 56 oz that they offer.

This is my current wash routine:
I love this routine. My diapers have no smell and are so fresh. I have also been using an open pail (pail w/ no lid) and that seems to make such a huge difference when it comes to ammonia lingering.


Warm wash with cold rinse w/ 1 tablespoon of detergent
Hot (or warm) wash with cold rinse w/ 1 tablespoon of detergent

I have also done this in the past with good results:
Cold wash/rinse w/ 1 tablespoon of detergent
Hot wash/rinse w/ 1 tablespoon of detergent

If you are dealing with ammonia you can also add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of vinegar to your hot wash  http://www.theecofriendlyfamily.com/2009/08/cloth-diaper-detergent.html 

Cleaning Up Stained Kids' Clothes

Each time I grab clothes for our youngest from storage I am faced with stains. I put clothes away washed and clean, but they come out with these awful, yellowed stains. They are protein stains that develop from proteins left in the fibers from drool and other things. I use to think that there was no saving them. I tried washing every which way and nothing worked. So when our youngest was due and I was faced with a tub of stained newborn clothes, I put my cloth diaper knowledge to work. I used the sun!

It worked beautifully! All of our baby clothes were saved and it was easy. I have since used this on just about any, and all, natural stains with great success. Here's what I do:

I have a wash tub in my laundry area, so I fill it about half full of hot water and added 2 or 3 massive scoops of Oxiclean. I mean the big green scoop that it comes with. I put on my rubber gloves and dissolve the Oxiclean in the water. I then add every piece of stained clothing, being sure to get each saturated. My objective is not to have it be a big pool of water, but just enough to get everything sopping and just a little left over (I want that Oxiclean super concentrated!).

You could do this in your tub or even in the washing machine - which would be ideal.

I let it all soak overnight. If I did this in the wash tub, I would transfer the laundry to the washing machine with the help of a bucket. I fill the machine as usual - using warm water and then add a normal amount of detergent. Do a normal wash cycle, but do not dry in the dryer!

Then, here comes the rest of the magic. I hung them all out to dry in the sunshine.

Voila! Every stain was gone. They all looked like new! I couldn't believe it. Some of the stains were awful too. I had a couple of outfits that were headed for the trash, but I thought I'd toss them in and give them a chance. They look like new too. Wow, just wow.

Thank you oxygen action and sunshine, you have saved me, yet again :)

This is great for getting clothes ready for donating or yard sales, for salvaging stained family favorites and more.  http://www.theecofriendlyfamily.com/2009/08/cleaning-up-stained-kids-clothes.html