I don't consider myself green by any means, but I do believe in this: do the best you can with what you have (and for the season of life you're in, for that matter!). Going green for me is really about two things: cheap and easy. If it helps the planet, bonus!
At first I started to do research because I was trying to avoid all those icky chemicals for my kiddos but then I realized I couldn't afford all those "natural, green, safe for the environment" cleaners which usually come in a smaller bottle for a larger price. With the help of some great blogs, my journey began...
Natural Cleaners for the Home
All Purpose/Kitchen/Bathroom/Windows/Carpets
My go-to cleaner: vinegar and baking soda
Cost: $3+$18= $21 (largest quantities)
Equipment: Large spray bottle and cleaning cloth
You go through vinegar more quickly but I remember buying all sorts of separate cleaners in tiny spray bottles and lasting maybe a month! Trust me, the $20 goes a long way.
I use it for everything from the kitchen to the bathroom. I have a spray bottle with water and vinegar and use a cloth to wipe down counters. I purchase a large bag of baking soda at Costco and keep a measuring scoop inside. In the bathroom, I dump a little baking soda in the tub, shower floor and the toilet. Then I pour a small amount of vinegar over it to get it to fizz then scrub away! It smells vinegar-y for while, but once it dries, no big deal!
We used to buy expensive carpet cleaners to use with the steam cleaner rental. However, Amelia was still crawling and I didn't want to use those cleaners so I did some research and came up with you guessed it- vinegar! Way cheaper and worked just as well. Also, no need to worry about little hands being put in mouth after crawling! Note: I did try the baking soda/vinegar combo on the carpet but didn't work so well, hard to vacuum out.
Laundry
I have tried making my own laundry soap, which is okay to use for even HE washers like mine but I stopped because I didn't feel it was cost effective/easy enough for me to keep going because the boxes I found at my store were expensive. I'm not sure if ordering from Amazon would be any cheaper per ounce, versus finding Arm & Hammer on sale.
My recipe:
Mix 1 cup of each, then use 1-2 TB per load.
Some recipes call for soap flakes from pure soap like Fels Naptha, Ivory or Dr. Bronner's castille soap but with littles underfoot, grating soap does not fit into "making my life more simple" category. I just seached and found others who just used these two and it seemed to do the trick.
Paperless
I don't buy much paper towels, napkins or plates anymore. There was a season of life (having a newborn) when paper plates came in very handy. Like I said, I don't consider myself green, I just like to save money. However, all of these things are expensive to buy on a regular basis. You could cut coupons and get them on sale, but remember my second thing: easy, and that takes too much time and planning on my part.
I purchased cloth napkins at some thrift stores and we use those. I shove them in a drawer and the kids know where to get them if they make a mess. I have separate cloths to clean the kitchen and bathrooms. However, I still don't want to give up my disinfectant wipes!
I do purchase paper stuff for parties- who wants to clean up all those dishes? Infact, I really don't own that many dishes anyways. For holidays, I like to break out the fine China, glassware, and my nice cloth napkins with my little fancy napkin rings.
Bugs
We had a big problem with ants in our house in the Philippines, did some research and found that cinnamon is a natural deterrent. Purchased a large tub at the super store (think Costco) there and sprinkled it around our doorways and window crevices. Looked weird and didn't do so well in the rain, but kept the ants away. We used the same method when we came back to the States.
Crickets, however do not respond to that or vinegar. Need to keep looking for a better solution for those noisy, annoying creatures.
Non-green/frugal cleaners
Old English wood polish (tried Method version, didn't work as well), stainless steel cleaner for the fridge (need to try Method), pet carpet cleaner (for pee stains- I do use Nature's Miracle), and disenfectant wipes (for when sickness visits our house). I have not had to buy bleach or ammonia!
These changes have taken time. Also, if it's not easy or cheap for me, then I tend not to stick with it. Here's some things I want to try this year:
- Lemon oil wood cleaner, found here
- Homemade foaming handsoap, found in this book
- Try homemade laundry detergent again if it's cheaper
- Oil and vinegar stainless solution, wondering if it will really clean and shine, also wondering who ever thought stainless was a good idea with children?? (that would be me, the one more concerned with how it looked so elegant in the kitchen, haha!)
Here are some great blogs:
Simple Mom
Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op
Passionate Homemaking
Don't forget to check out books at the library, that's where I got a lot of ideas too.
