Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The Green Files

One thing I'm very passionate about is green living. I don't do a great job of sharing it on the blog but I'm working on doing so more often. I get so caught up in sharing beautiful and crafty things that I sometimes forget to share my other passions.

Today I want to talk about "why." People have asked me why I feel the way I do. It's actually really hard to come up with an answer, I've tried. I think it comes down to it being the right thing to do and it all seems like such common sense! Why would I go out and buy a bottle of Windex to clean my windows and mirrors when I can use vinegar? By doing that I've eliminated an extra plastic bottle that I won't be responsible for recycling or adding to a landfill and I've eliminated chemicals in my house that are not healthy for me to breath in, ingest or add to the water supply. I've also saved money because I can buy one huge bottle of vinegar for less than I can buy a bottle of Windex and I can use the vinegar for lots of things! Doesn't that seem smart?

There are many many things you can do to be more environmentally responsible. If you don't do anything now, you can start today! The reasons we should use environmentally responsible cleaning solutions in our homes really are simple. Conventional ones are made of chemicals that are bad for us and our pets to inhale and ingest. Most of them get washed into the water supply and can go to our creeks and rivers which can negatively affect aquatic life. They also cost more and add additional unnecessary trash to the stream. Like I mentioned above you can use vinegar for many many things but if you aren't ready for that there are other options. Most grocery and big box stores carry at least one brand of environmentally friendly cleaners. Unfortunately they aren't all great. You have to experiment and find the ones that work the best for you. I tried the dish soap from Trader Joe's and really didn't like how it performed so I switched and am very happy with the one I use now. I use Seventh Generation dish soap. I find that Seventh Generation products perform well and I trust that I'm using a green product. You should do the same with your dish washing detergent, surface cleaner and bathroom cleaner. Find the one that works the best for you! Go to their website and you can sign up to get coupons!

if you're a step ahead of the game and want to switch to using vinegar I applaud you! Vinegar can be used in many ways and it's an excellent all purpose cleaner which can deodorize, remove stains, kill bacteria, and bring the shine back to everything from tile floors to glassware. When using vinegar in house cleaning, make sure to use distilled white vinegar. I use it to clean my floors, kitchen counters and stove, mirrors, windows and most things in the bathroom. I also run it through the dishwasher to shine up and remove spots from my dishes. For more ideas and how-to's check out this website.
I don't want to overwhelm you so I'll stop here today. I'm no expert but I have passion, if you have any questions at all please leave a comment. I'd love to help and inspire you to "go green!"

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