From 2011 to 2016 I was pleased to be able to have done 365days where I did a kind deed every day(& 366days in the leap year)!
In 2017 I am doing it again...my aim is to inspire others into action by showing them how simple it is to do kind acts for others. I do this by doing a kind act a day. I do this by sharing my story and some ideas for living a kinder life. Kinder for others, kinder for ourselves, kinder for the planet. Welcome to 365days of kindness!
Reduce what you already have (particularly any that are toxic) and replace them with homemade variations.
I love this simple Cleaning spray from Lauren Singer...
Here in the UK, I am yet to sort out a way that I can reduce the amount of plastic when it comes to using Vinegar in my homemade cleaning products. I am still setting myself up. But here in the UK white vingar (here its called Spirit vinegar) is used for very little and Malt vinegar is used for everything. So this Celiac has to be careful as malt is a wheat/barley derisitive and my body hates gluten contained in Wheat and Barley.
So white vinegar, Citric acid (to clean the kettle/and often in the form of fresh lemons), and bi-carb soda are my go to cleaning products. However I know there are a lot more that you could add. I also know, there are a lot more that you could do without.
My housemates in the path have had their own cleaning rituals, so i am responsible only for my own spaces. So keeping these clean for me is really important.
Did you know we are two-thirds of the way through sustainable September 2017! Wow... time flies when you are having fun!
For those who are still doing some of the things that we talked about early in the month. The Sustainable September idea of taking your own cup to a cafe has been rather successful.
There is often a sign outside the cafe (like this one) that will tell you if the cafe gives you a discount when you bring in your own Keep Cups! One of our local cafes gives a 50c discount when you bring in your own reusable coffee cup! I think that is awesome!
I also wanted to share with you all a kindness I did in the theme of reusable cups. I gave a friend a reusable mug to take with her to work and anywhere really. Now she has it and has used it a couple times I thought it would be okay now to share the photo of the reusable cup. Because you'll get to know her name with this one! :)
What did you decide to do with your baking soda activity today? Did you find any other uses for it in the cleaning of your home?
I remembered after I wrote the post yesterday that The Slow Home Podcast had another awesome episode about Bi-Carb Soda and a couple other simple and awesome environmentally friendly options for cleaning. So check out the link to that episode here. The Slow Home Podcast Episode 144. It should look something like this on your podcast app of choice.
Sustainable September Day Twenty: Window Cleaning.
This is another idea that uses things you already have around the house that means that you don't need to buy environmentally harmful chemicals for your home.
It's as simple as vinegar and newspapers! Check it out here...
ACTIVITY: get down a dirty or should I say clean and clean those windows.
I hope these ideas and links help you make greener choices and give you awesome cheaper ideas when it comes to cleaning your house.
Welcome to day Nineteen of Sustainable September 2017.
Last week I talked about buying or making some "bees wax wraps". I had bought some a while ago and after a house sitting trip they had mysteriously gone missing. I had thought they had been thrown out. So I purchased some more when I went to the Dwellingup Bespoke handmade craft and art market over the weekend. I got some new wax wraps from the same wonderful ladies Undisposed, to replace the last lot that went MIA. As I was cleaning up today though I found a single bag of stuff that hadn't been unpacked since house sitting and guess what was inside? My old wax wraps! So now I have 4 wax wraps all to my self! :)
Which also means I owe an apology to my family for assuming they had thrown them out! Sorry guys!
Whilst I was waiting for the Internet to be fixed here (fingers crossed it's done now completely) I spent some time using today's idea "use vinegar for cleaning". I scrubbed the communal kitchen stove with vinegar. And it's before and after pictures are pretty cool. But please don't judge the before pictures too harshly.
The idea for tomorrow is something that builds on today's idea.
Sustainable September Day Nineteen: use bi-carb soda.
Today when I was using the vinegar I had some really tough grime cooked onto the stove so I had to pull out my trusty super Bi-carb soda to help with it. Sometimes vinegar alone doesn't work as well, particularly with stubborn grime like this.
As you can see the cook rings were caked with grime. So I soaked it with vinegar and added some bi carb for an awesome reaction.
Look at all that bubbling... Glad to know it was working.
This is what they looked like afterwards with some scrubbing. I didn't do heaps of scrubbing because I wasn't feeling great (still had the headache from yesterday). But it came out pretty good!
You can see the difference here between the front one and the back one. One with baking soda and vinegar the other without.
That is probably way too many photos of my stove top. Hehehe.
But the point is that Bi-carb can be a wonderful addition to any household cleaning routine for tough and stubborn stains.
Here is a heap of uses for Baking soda in cleaning...
ACTIVITY: use one idea from the video above to test out. Find out how simple and easy it is to use baking soda in your environmentally friendly cleaning routine!
That's all from me today folks. I hope you are all enjoying Sustainable September.
If you have any other uses for bi carb or vinegar of you have any other cleaning tips and tricks that are environmentally friendly and sustainable, then let me know. I would love to hear about them.
I've got a ripper of a headache so I'll do my best to keep it short. Mind you last time I said that it was one of the longest posts I had written. So maybe I should just forget the headache and do my best. Like usual.
Sustainable September Day Eighteen: Use Vinegar for cleaning.
There are many magical properties of the humble white vinegar when it comes to cleaning. I've been using vinegar in my cleaning routine for a long time now. I dilute vinegar with water and wash my floors with it, I use it full strength for grubby marks on the counters or baked on on the stove, I use it as a fabric softener in my washing. It's amazing stuff.
I learnt a lot about Vinegar and all its uses with the help of the Slow Home Podcast. It is one to a handful of podcasts that I listen to regularly. A while ago they had a whole series of episodes about cleaning simply and also easily. And they had a whole episode specifically on Vinegar.
You can check it out on your phone or tablets podcast app. I use the Apple Podcasts app because I have an iPhone that goes with me everywhere. Which means I can listen to podcasts as I drive around town or whilst I catch public transport. I often listen as I'm doing the laundry or cooking dinner.
Anyway, back to Vinegar. It is a simple and environmentally sustainable cleaner that is safe for family, friends, neighbors, pets AND the environment. So that's a winner. I used to own a lot of cleaners, one super strong cleaner for every different surface in my house. Needless to say it was quite a lot of plastic and also a lot of chemicals that gave me headaches. So I had to find a better option.
My brother in law started washing the floors with vinegar years ago and it sort of became a really normal thing for us all to do. We have an Enjo mop we use and we just wet it with equal parts water and vinegar and wipe down the floor (after it's been swept of course). And it's super easy and fast. The smell of vinegar disappears pretty quickly after it dries too so your house doesn't smell like pickles all the time.
I really like the podcast because it shows you all the benefits of using vinegar and reducing all the other stuff in your house. The benefits include, saving money, using fewer toxic chemicals in your home, simplifying your cleaning routine, minimising waste and keeping the same level of cleanliness as commercial cleaners!
I love that I can also refill my white vinegar bottle at the Wasteless Pantry too. Which means I'm saving on Waste coming into the home. I'm saving money because I'm not buying fancy cleaners that are specifically for one reason only. I love that it's earth friendly, because it's not going to accidentally poison my family if I wipe down my bathroom with it and then wash a glass with the same thing. If I did that with some other chemical based cleaners I don't know what my life expectancy would be. Heheheh.
ACTIVITY: make some fancy Citrus Vinegar for your household.
Don't love the smell of vinegar but like the smell of citrus? Well I have an idea for you. I put my old citrus peels in a jar. I make sure it's full of peel and then pour over vinegar. I seal the jar and let it steep for 2 weeks. Then I use this citrus smelling vinegar like I would use my plain white vinegar. And the smell is a lot more pleasing. You can check it out in the video below.
I don't recommend spraying Citrus Vinegar in your mouth... watch the video for an example of why this is a terrible idea! hehehe.
I hope this finds you all well. I'm off to bed with an icepack for my head and a big bottle of water.
As you can see the cook rings were caked with grime. So I soaked it with vinegar and added some bi carb for an awesome reaction.
