Tuesday, April 1, 2008

More thoughts about the earth

Feeling encouraged by comments on the last post (m and I always feel encouraged by comments, period, right m?), I thought I'd add a few more things we do that I forgot about, and some more that I'm aspiring to.


*J.Lo rinses his razor in rubbing alcohol, a tip from clarkhoward, which extends the life of the razor... amazingly. Since Mach 3 razor replacements are tres expensivo, even if we buy them at Costco, this is a super-cool trick. It's the water and air that degrades a razor's sharpness, not the actual use, so rinsing in alcohol dries the razor quickly and completely. We have the alcohol in a little tupperware container, so we don't waste that, either.


*I did, after writing the last post, find a recipe for homemade granite cleaner, which I'm kind of excited about.

*Sometimes, I reuse foil, and every time I do, I think about my Grandma reusing foil, because that's just "what they did" in the Depression. I also will reuse ziploc bags if they're not dirty from the first use.

*When I say I buy certain things "as needed," I mean it. It takes a concerted effort to wait until we've really and truly have almost run out of something, as stockpiling is apparently in my blood.

*I'm seriously considering making my own Brita pitcher refills, as suggested by g. Or figuring out some way to refill our refigerator filter, because those bad boys are super-expensive, and I hate buying them just on principle.

*Someday, I might start using cloth napkins on a regular basis, and nix the paper ones.


*I'm getting better at (with, ahem, certain exceptions) getting the laundry clean, so fewer clothes are wasted. It's all about soaking. And frankly, regardless of the money factor, this recent revolution is kind of a relief. I hate it when I can't get a stain out, and I'm a pretty messy girl.


*I buy powdered Gatorade instead of the pre-made.

*We drink from 2-liter sodas instead of cans, even though it's much less exciting, and yes, the fizz does disappear after awhile.

I feel like there's more, but well, you get the picture for now.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Way to go, Pen! These are awesome ideas.

Reusing ziploc bags reminded me of Wrap-N-Mats. You might like these:

http://www.wrap-n-mat.com/

Anonymous said...

Good for you!

Please keep us posted if you find anything homemade that works on grout/mildew in the bathroom...I tried both vinegar and hydrogen peroxide mixtures and ended up going back to Tilex. Maybe I just have stubborn gunk in the shower.

penelope said...

The Wrap-N-Mats look awesome! I had never heard of them. Thanks!

Grout and mildew! If you want to get hard-core like me, you can do a 2:1 water:bleach solution. Spray, leave it on there 10 minutes, rinse off. Scrub before rinsing if needed. A milder bleach solution is 2 and 2/3 cup water, 1/8 cup bleach. I like to use that one as a general bathroom cleaner.

ashley said...

I reuse Ziploc bags because I almost always take a slice of my mom's homemade bread to work with me for breakfast and so does she. We keep the bags in a bowl on the counter and reuse them.

Also, please allow me to introduce my mother, The STAINMASTER. No seriously. She has a vendetta against all stains and can come up with a concoction for their removal. Eva's friends will call her and say, "Can you call your mother-in-law and ask her about watermelon?" Yeah, so just call me anytime. It's like a Heloise Hotline.