As I sit here,I hear the scratching of little claws in the wall behind my desk, it is a squirrel. He has taken up residence in our wall and often goes out foraging for food and returns home through a hole where the AC tubes and wires enter the attic. Aha, we thought it would be so easy now…we'll close it up while he's out. Well, turns out it's not so easy to catch him because he just scurries up to his hole when he sees you and he just peeks his head out at us, like he's in a cuckoo clock or a game of whack-a mole. I often picture DH up there quickly nailing up boards all criss cross like a la Wiley Coyote. Roscoe is napping at my feet, right next to the wall… couldn't care less about the weird noise coming from the wall.
Today I am home sick from work… not much energy so I plan to knit until I am hungry.
yeah, finally the eggplants are growing.
Tomatoes to share with my neighbor… you should see the beets he brought me.
I've made some changes in the laundry room. Fabric softener sheets were clogging up my dryer lint screen and the machine is only 2.5 years old! I have replaced the sheets with a glug or two of white vinegar poured right into the fabric softener cup in my washing machine. It really does leave my clothes softer, static and residue free. I'm hoping to put up a clothesline, but need to be mindful of it being away from my mischievous dogs…maybe I'll do a temporary test to see if they cannot help themselves or not. The 365 powdered detergent from Whole Foods is not really that much more expensive than the other well- known brand I was using, and I like the citrusy smell. The EC-OVER delicate wash is super, and I do a lot of hand washing. The Bac-Out works well but I am over the moon about the Earth Friendly Products Oxo-Brite. I had a chocolate stain on a new favorite embroidered blouse. I soaked it while I was at work….came home and it was sparkly white again. I am amazed by this product.
and in the kitchen… I've replaced both the dishwasher detergent and my dish washing soap with eco-friendly products…and they both smell so good. Scent is a big deal in my world. The Bon Ami is a perfect sink scrub and is perfect on my stainless cookware. I've stocked up on this because I have found myself reaching for it every day. The Method all purpose cleaner for the counter tops…of course. I have knit a whole drawer full of dishcloths (no more sponges) and have a basket full of pretty dish towels. Sometimes I still need to reach for a paper towel, so I switched to recycled.
This is not meant to be preachy but simply to illustrate how just sneak in a few small changes with some of the products I've tried. All this is not new… eco-friendly products have been around for a very long time, they've just come along way. As a So Cal teen (I graduated in 1983), I remember scrubbing up with Dr. Bronners and smearing Rachel Perry Cantaloupe Lip Lover lipgloss on my lips. DH loves his peppermint Dr. Bronner's.
Bean & Noodle 
He grows vegetables too?? Please introduce us.
I need to get some of that OXO Brite.
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good for you! I love Bac-Out, watch out though, it can eat clothing applied direct and lots . Lost a nice ivory cotton shirt to it once and only once. I was trying to remove tomato sauce. Might have been the combo of stain-stick with it though. It ate a hole in the shirt. I will say the stain is gone!
I started to use Bio-kleen dish powder last year, and I love it more than any other eco-detergent I’ve used; I have tried almost all of them! I combine with Ecover rinse aid, and totally streak/stain free. We have really really hard water (iron). Without the rinse aid I would ruin my ‘stainless’ silverware, otherwise I wouldn’t use a rinse aid. I have never used fabric softener in the washer, I read years ago that it ruins towels (less absorbent), trashes washers, and the like. And I detest traditional (Tide etc) scented laundry products. Grown men smelling like fresh spring or whatever. That and the fact that all those scents are actually toxic to the body. Causing skin rashes, asthma, allergies etc etc. Dryer sheets give off horrible chemicals, and the soaps release all that junk in the water supply. Awful! I can smell when my neighbor upstairs has washed a load of laundry for hours. And when she dries? forget it, sneeze city.
I read in the Queen of Clean by Linda Cobb about a neat trick. (Queen of Clean rocks!) When I moved up north I needed something for the static cling. Bought Seventh Generation fabric softener. 1/3 fabric softener, 2/3 water in a spray bottle. Spritz some old napkins, or whatever. Toss in dryer. No static cling, nice scent (non-toxic) and one bottle has lasted me for FOUR years. Yup 4 years. I have had it so long, it lost it’s scent, and I have had fun adding essential oils to a new batch according to what I feel like doing at the time. My old linen napkins (dryer sheets) started to go. So when I tossed an old pillow? I took out the stuffing got out the sewing machine and made sheets with the cover. Nice 300tc that won’t leave lint etc. That and your clothes and textiles last longer.
My three cents…. A great resource for getting started is Organic Housekeeping by Ellen Sandbeck. I have been doing all this stuff for years and I received that as a gift last year. I learned some new things and it’s nice to have the science behind statements about toxicity handy.
A few eco products, Lemon juice, baking soda, vinegar, ammonia, and a bit of elbow grease at times are all we need really.
Love Bio-kleen laundry detergent too. Got a really nice deal with a sale and coupons, and now I will have it for years….I stocked up….
just wanted to add 3 cents as I know you have your blog fans Miss Thing, and I love encouraging people to make a change that is better for their health and therefore the health of ALL OF US!
best of intentions….
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ps I was so busy putting in my 2 cents that I forgot to say…FEEL BETTER!!!! can ya tell I am passionate about this stuff? ha.
pps maybe one day I’ll get off the sponges. sponge people, dishrag people… I keep trying dishrags, but so far anyway, keep going back to the sponge…
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