Comments on: Living on Less: Real vs Perceived Need

By: Peg

Peg — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 17:39:40 +0000

On Bounce dryer sheets (@ hsgbdmama) : Please know these are toxic, or in PC parlance Not Good For You. See link for good explanation with appropriate links to data. http://www.naturalnews.com/002693.html
“And since many of these chemical compounds are by themselves solvents, they are rather good at moving through cellular membranes and entering tissues of the body, including nervous system tissues. This is why intelligent consumers who wish to protect their health avoid brand name dryer sheets, laundry detergents, and even perfumes and colognes that are all made with toxic fragrance chemicals that can cause cancer, liver disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and many other chronic diseases.”

By: hsgbdmama

hsgbdmama — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 18:50:34 +0000

Great thread!

Dh hates the smell of vinegar, so that is out, but Tink I’m going to try your suggestion.

Here are some of the things I’ve been doing:

* I have a Swiffer WetJet, but for the pads, I have a double layer microfiber cloth sewn together and that works great; for the solution I reuse one of the bottles and fill it with a PineSol and water solution. This has worked out very well, and actually works better than the Swiffer consumables.

* Shower spray (Target brand) bottles are repurposed for other things, including a kitchen cleaner, made of a couple of tbsp of Fabuloso (I have a gallon jug I bought at Sam’s a number of years ago, and will last me a long time) and the rest water — it cleans well and smells good.

* I have a gallon jug of ammonia, which again I make window cleaner out of using a little bit of the ammonia with water in a recycled spray bottle.

* Foam hand soaps … I have been repurposing body washes I haven’t been using with the decorative foam soap bottles (recycled) — about 1/4″ of soap to the rest water and we get wonderfully scented soaps, for only a few pennies per bottle (vs. $2 for new) and we’re creating far less waste.

*Bounce sheets — I’m going to switch to something recyclable once my current box is gone, but I have reduced that use by cutting the sheets into thirds and use each third 3-4 times (that is the equivalent of getting 9-12 uses per sheet). I have heard good things about the dryer balls and might try that after my box is gone.

I’m still using paper towels but have also been using rags cut from old undershirts of dh’s (another repurposing) and they work ok. I just need to get more consistent about using the rags. For bathroom cleaning, I like the handi-wipes (I got a big pack of them many years ago and still have a lot left) which can be washed and reused many times.

By: Eyebee

Eyebee — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:13:03 +0000

We bought some of those 99 cent spray bottles, and we use those for such things as oil. It’s MUCH cheaper than buying that PAM stuff, and there’s no aerosol chemicals involved either.

By: Tink

Tink — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 01:56:33 +0000

Microfiber cloths are excellent for cleaning windows, stainless appliances, etc without leaving streaks or lint. (They’re also super for dusting and just about anything else – just don’t wash them with linty stuff if you want them to remain lint free)

I also use vinegar for much cleaning, but one of my clients “can’t stand that vinegar smell” so we make a solution of 1 bottle of rubbing alcohol, 1/2 cup ammonia, a few drops of dish soap and one gallon of water.

I store mine in a clean gallon milk jug. Hey, a gallons worth of refills for about 75 cents.

It also works great for exterior windows and a car wash brush – rinse with a hose and it will dry on it’s own with no streaks

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 01:12:59 +0000

I think water and vinegar works much better than the name-brand stuff. I use a rag instead of paper towels as well.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 18:02:30 +0000

I haven’t used paper towel since I got a cat. She made nests out of the paper so I had to remove it. Found I don’t need it really. Vinegar is the wonder cleaner. I run it through my coffee maker to get the film off and then use what’s in the pot to clean the windows.

By: Lisa- Domestic Accident

Lisa- Domestic Accident — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:16:57 +0000

I try to do all my cleaning with vinegar and water, but I do love those Method products. They just smell so good and they are supposedly environmentally friendly. I see you have the window cleaner there.

Advertising doesn’t bother me too much when it’s aimed at me, but I despise when it’s aimed at children. Especially processed food.

By: Ghillie Suits Guy

Ghillie Suits Guy — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:52:29 +0000

To clean windows I use water and newspaper. Get the newspaper damp so that it makes a squeaking sound when you are wiping. It leaves absolutely no streaks. Try it!

By: Peg

Peg — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:51:35 +0000

Excellent post. For, there is no “away” as in when we “throw something away.” Also, I’m sure you know and/or have touched on this elsewhere, vinegar is a great cleaner for just about everything including/especially glass.

By: Margaret

Margaret — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 03:37:32 +0000

EXCELLENT point, Heather!! I consider myself pretty thrifty (we use rags, not paper towels; we use cloth napkins; have cloth diapers with a diaper service; no fabric softener; no dusting sprays, etc. etc.) but I do love to make a shopping list and buy things. sighhhh It takes discipline to get my jollies without purchasing something. . .
And I heartily agree with Jeffraham – we need to try fixing things more often, which means sometimes buying quality things that are worth being fixed.