Green Tip of the Day

Ever stopped to consider just how much soap and detergent you use? It's probably a lot!

If you think about it, the more you use, the more the makers earn on their products and the better it is for them. So it's in their best interest to advise you to use more than you really need.

Try decreasing how much you use, and see if you get the same result! I've found I actually get a better result on laundry using half the recommended amount of detergent! Too much detergent doesn't rinse completely off, leaving a residue that attracts more dirt and retains odors. To test this out, run a load of laundry without adding any detergent. Open it up during the wash, and look to see if the water is cloudy and sudsy like it would be if you had added detergent. If it is, then you're using too much and it's staying on your laundry!

Test out other products too, you may be using a lot more dish detergent, soap, shampoo and toothpaste than you really need to adequately get the job done. Remember those extra products take ingredients and energy to produce and transport, and when you rinse it down the drain it doesn't stop existing. Whether you're using hyped up green products, salon stuff or bargain shelf stuff it adds to waste water and has an impact on the environment when it's released. So much waste is produced that even biodegradable products take longer to break down than they should.

I'd eventually like to make our own laundry detergent, but haven't been able to locate washing soda in a store yet. Regular "green" laundry products are way out of our price range, but for now I'm content knowing I'm reducing our footprint by using less of the regular stuff. Better for the planet and our wallets!

Green tip of the day

I'm going to try to start offering a Green Tip as often as I can - something good for the environment, your bank account and you!

Today's tip is washcloths. You can buy the fancy eco friendly pricy ones, or the cheap packs of them for about $3 at Walmart. The green part comes in how you use them. Instead of spending money on paper towels to dry hands and clean baby faces, I've started using washcloths. I keep a nice basket of them near the sink, right under the paper towel holder. They're handy to grab to dry hands, clean dishes, clean the kids, wipe down counters - almost anything you'd use a paper towel for. Then just toss them in the laundry with all the other towels. I've calculated it saves us about $5/month, and an entire bag of garbage produced! It costs us nothing but the price to buy the washcloths. Very handy! Does a much better job cleaning up the kids after lunch too!