January 13, 2010

5 Ways to Green Your Cleaning in 2010

Filed under: saving money — Tags: cleaning, DIY, health, home, natural — K @ 3:39 AM

: Image via Wikipedia

The following is a guest post by Marcy Tate.

Greening your cleaning is not only good for the planet, it’s good for your pocket. It’s pretty simple to green your cleaning and you’ll notice the savings right away. Clean better and feel better in 2010 by following some of these eco-friendly cleaning tips:

1. Natural Cleaning Products –You can reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals found in chemical based cleaning products by using inexpensive, natural cleaning products found right in your pantry. Using vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice is not a new idea, however it is often overlooked. Make a separate area away from your pantry to store vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice. It will remind you to go green when you clean.

Vinegar

Vinegar has many cleaning uses. Vinegar cleaning involves diluting vinegar with hot water in a bucket or in a spray bottle. Use it for washing hardwood floors, windows, toilets, tubs and more. Vinegar is great for removing hard water stains from glass shower doors. You can purchase vinegar in bulk from warehouse stores or buy it at your local grocery store for under $4 a gallon.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is a natural deodorizer and stain remover. It is great for removing stains from clothes. Just add some baking soda to a hot-water load of clothes. Other great uses for baking soda include unclogging drains and removing odors from a garbage disposal. Some baking sodas contain aluminum. Check the ingredients of the baking soda you select to make sure it does not contain aluminum. Some studies suggest that aluminum exposure is linked to diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.

Lemon Juice

Lemon juice has similar cleaning capabilities to vinegar. Also acidic, lemon juice can disinfect sinks and toilets.

Simple Combinations

Try these natural cleaning product combinations for quick, easy and eco-friendly cleaning:

Multi-purpose cleaner: Dilute baking soda, castile soap, water and a few drops of any essential oil.
Clog remover: Pour ½ C. to 1 C . of baking soda down the clogged drain. Then pour ½ C. to 1 C . of vinegar down the drain. Wait about 15 minutes and flush with very hot water.

2. Green Cleaning Products – Green cleaning products refer to products made from non-toxic, biodegradable and renewable resources. Green cleaning products are manufactured by companies that produce chemical-based cleaning products. Not all green cleaning products are as green as they claim to be. The EPA does not require manufacturers to list all ingredients in household cleaners. Check the labels of the products to be sure they are eco-friendly; mineral or plant-based ingredients are a sign that they are eco-friendly.

Choose refillable containers when purchasing green cleaning products to help you avoid the need to purchase a bottle each time. Tip: Don’t throw away your old cleaning products. It’s better to dispose of them at a toxins recycle center that accepts cleaning product waste.

3. Get Rid of Disposables – Disposable cleaning supplies are filling up landfills at alarming rates. All types of disposable cleaning products, such as dusting cloths, paper towels and cleaning wipes should be replaced with reusable rags and microfiber towel or cloths. An even greater cost-effective method is to cut up old T-shirts and undershirts and use them as rags. A great perk is that you can choose the size of the rag.

4. Water Conservation – Washing dishes with an open tap can use up to 20 gallons of water a day. Instead, fill the sink, dishpan or bowl with water. Closing the tap can save 10 gallons , which equates a few hundred dollars a year off your water bill. An additional way to green your dishwashing is to cut down on your dishwasher use by running the dishwasher only when it is completely full.

5. Hang Your Laundry – Hanging laundry is extremely eco-friendly. It can save you money by lowering your gas and electric bill. Hanging laundry reduces your gas and electricity usage. It also eliminates the need for dryer sheets, which cuts down on waste.

Marcy Tate is a blogger at Networx. She is also a featured author at Landscaping Networx.

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December 21, 2009

Christmas Baking: Lotion Bars

Filed under: DIY — Tags: crafts, DIY, natural — K @ 1:47 AM

In the second installment of making Christmas goodies, I bring you lotion bars. No, these aren’t edible, but they work wonders for dry skin.

The recipe is from Little House in the Suburbs. She provides two recipes on her blog, but I went for the more “luxurious” one.

These bars don’t contain all the bad ingredients normally found in commercial lotions. I got my beeswax from a local apiary; the shea butter is unrefined and fair trade – there were so many differing opinions about shea and its sellers on Amazon, so I found mine with a Google search. It was pricey after shipping and I’m interested in where you get your unrefined shea butter for body products.

Lotion Bars

Ingredients:

1 part shea butter
1 part avocado oil
1 part beeswax
1200 IU vitamin E per every 6-8 ounces other oils
Essential oil (optional)

Instructions:

Weigh all ingredients.

Melt shea butter and beeswax in a double boiler on low heat. Stir in avocado oil, vitamin E, and essential oil (if using).

Pour into molds and/or tins and place into fridge to avoid grainy shea butter.

Pop out of molds (or leave in tins).

To use: Let the warmth of your hand melt the bar a little before rubbing into dry skin. If it’s in a tin, scrape a little off and rub into skin.

Cost:

Avocado oil = $1.25 / ounce
Shea butter = $1.28 / ounce
Beeswax = $0.70 / ounce
Total = $1.07 / ounce —> 1 tin, $0.63, holds 1 ounce of lotion
FINAL COST PER FILLED TIN = $1.70

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I’m also participating in the following carnivals today! You can find many more great blogs and fantastic ideas here:

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November 30, 2009

Dresser Drawer to Designer Dog Bed

Filed under: crafts — Tags: crafts, DIY, projects, saving money — K @ 11:59 PM

Reggie is the heaviest of our five animals. He’s only 26 pounds, but that hasn’t stopped our couch cushions from getting squished. He likes to lay on the back rest. He loves cushions, blankets, pillows, cheapo dog beds – anything that he can “nest” on. Oh, and let’s not forget the LoveSac. The dogs aren’t allowed in the basement because that’s the cat’s refuge, but since we got the Sac, he sneaks downstairs to nap on it. He “makes a bed” just like the cats, but it’s hilarious because he’s much bigger than them.

So for Christmas, I wanted to make Reggie-bear something special. Something just for him that he could lay on…. So I pulled out my giant 3-ring binder of clipped articles and found just the thing. A dog-sized armchair!

Here’s what you need to get started:

(Above: If you don’t have a spare dresser drawer, you can make one out of scraps)

(more photos to be added later this morning…)

Take a drawer and knock out the bottom and sides

Make a new bottom that extends past the drawer sides

Screw 1×1′s or 1×2′s onto the inside of the drawers (the bottom/cushion will be attached to these)

Mark a line 1″ from the top of the sides all the way around, on both the inside and outside of the sides

Staple one side of foam to the outside line, staple the other side of the foam to the inside line. (Now you have rolled arms!)

Cover each side individually with upholstery batting (I didn’t have any so I used 2 layers of medium loft quilters batting). Spray adhesive is your friend here…

Now take a big piece and cover the whole thing with the one piece. (This helps get rid of lines and gives you a good work surface for the next step.)

Cover with fabric! This is where the tack strips come in handy, giving you a nice seam edge.

OK! The arms and back are done!

Now for the seat cushion…

Grab the seat bottom. Measure and cut out more 2″ foam. Spray adhere the two together.

Spray adhere batting to the foam, wrap around and staple on the bottom.

Spray adhere fabric to batting, wrap around and staple on the bottom.

Yay! The seat cushion is done!

Set the cushion in the arms/back piece. Flip over and screw through the 1×1′s or 1×2′s from earlier.

Attach the legs according to directions. (I painted and stained mine).

There you have it! A designer-looking dog bed made in one day from a dresser drawer!

And all the animals had to come check it out…

(Below: Can you tell she’s “the queen” ?)

This article is happily shared with readers at DIY Day @ A Soft Place and Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage! If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe or check out what I’ve been up to lately!

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November 23, 2009

Dingy Desk to Dora the Explorer Escritoire

Filed under: DIY — Tags: bargains, crafts, DIY, free, projects — K @ 11:59 PM

One of the trending topics in the blogosphere is that of handmade items for Christmas. I never really thought anything of it – I like making stuff and I usually give one big project to a family member. This year, instead of one big item to one person, I’m planning on multiple smaller homemade items. I started off with a gift for my 2-1/2 year old niece.

My dad is really good at finding and picking up decent stuff that’s been thrown out. On a recent visit, he brought me a vintage wood and metal school desk. I loved and then dreaded the thought of another diy project when I already have a binder full of to-dos, so there it sat in the garage for a few months. While talking with him one night, he asked, “Well, why don’t you fix it up for Ella?” And during a conversation the following week with my mom, I found out that they were planning on fixing Ella up with a Dora the Explorer room – complete with a new big-girl bed. Ding! That was it – I’ll make Ella a big-girl Dora desk! She loves reading and learning and doing big-girl things so this will be perfect!

The Dora color template exists of vibrant colors:

Purple
Orange
Pink
And I threw in Lime Green, because it’s my fave color and it’s looks good with the above colors
Brown – you know, Dora’s big hair…

After stripping the wood…

and sanding it down…

My plan ended up being:

Outdoor Brown by Krylon – everywhere else (the metal parts of the desk)

Metallic Purple by Rustoleum – Desktop and seat (backrest)

Pink Berries by Rustoleum – Seat (buttrest)

(At this point it looks cartoon-girly, but not Dora, so….)

Dora “stickers – which I couldn’t find anywhere so I bought a $3 book at WM, cut pictures out and spray-adhered them to the desk. I didn’t trust my inkjet to print them out.

(Ok, it’s getting somewhere, but it needs something else…)

I printed off a “Dora” font that said “ELLA” and made my own stencil.

I then used lime green and hand painted the alphabet, 1-10, her middle name (which is mine too ), and a couple swirlies.

And there you have it, the one and only personalized Dora Desk created from a free vintage desk, a book, and some paint!

Thanks for visiting! If you’re interested in recipes you can check out my food and recipes pages. If you want to know what diy projects I’ve been up to this week, visit my front page!

This article is happy to be shared with the following carnivals:

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(And giving credit where credit is due: Dora the Explorer and all her buddies belong to Nickelodian!)

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November 16, 2009

Movie Room and Table Painted

Filed under: DIY — Tags: basement, DIY, home improvement, projects — K @ 11:59 PM

The last week has been full of projects (and shopping)! We’ve accomplished three projects and have more to come this week.

1 – After a few late nights and a lot of touch ups, we have the basement painted! We have ivory on the top and red on the bottom. Both are Pittsburgh Paint’s colors. We left a white strip in the middle to see what it would look like. We love it but think it needs a little oomph so we’re heading to our fave home improvement store to pick up some molding that we will paint white.

A tip for those who haven’t painted a dark color on a light wall: take into account that you’ll need to paint 2-3 times. The first layer of paint looks very splotchy and uneven. The second layer covers up any light spots and the third painting is for touch ups. (I think the same could be said about painting a light color over a dark wall.)

Every house has their weird and quirky things (I could write a whole post about this ) and the basement has been no different from the upstairs. The most recent thing is the installation of the 2x4s. My understanding is that the 2×4 has a 4-inch depth. The 2x4s in our basement are turned so that it’s a 2-inch depth. D speculated that it added square footage – 6 square feet to be exact! The studs are not on 16″ or 24″ centers and seem to be randomly scattered throughout the walls. This has caused a slight problem with where the projector will sit. We’re trying to figure out what to do.

2 – We have a super retro little side table that has had faux maple wood grain – yuck! I think the modular-ness of the table will look great in the room, so I have painted it black. It looks like it belongs in the basement now!

3 – D and I built a frame for around the projector screen. This is helping to keep the projector on the wall. It will also hold black curtains and a valance.

We are so impressed and excited with the progress so far – recessed lighting, paint, screen frame, and a table. It’s made a huge difference! The room now feels warmer and much more up to date.

The quest is on for finding some decent used cabinets. Every once in a while something pops up on Craigslist, but we let it slide because we don’t have a hauling vehicle (aka: truck or van) and everybody wants you to haul it. I’ve also checked for carpet and tile on Craigslist. The carpets are remnants (we need 12′x30′) and the tile is ugly so far.

While D was at the game on Saturday, I ran around shopping. I have all the materials for a Christmas gift for the dogs (more on this in the next couple days!), bought six large frames for movie posters, and black imperial velvet to make movie screen curtains. The best part about about it was that most of the stuff was on sale. It’s going to be a busy week!

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