going green

Today my sister jamie found it surprising that I have'nt bought or used paper towels in over a year. So, I decided to share some green tips and some changes that I've made. First, not only have I saved a good bit of money not buying paper towels but hopefully some trees. The switch was easy. I bought a lot of kitchen style hand towels and dish cloths. These can be used for everything paper towels were onced used for and I just throw them in the wash when I'm done. I use newspaper to clean my windows and it works much better than paper towels. No streaks! Jacob and I bought a water purifier that attaches to our faucet. We fill our alluminum water bottles instead of buying bottled water. second, I switched to green cleaners. I actually make mostly my own but, store brands are now easier to find. Bleach is a known dioxin and pretty bad for the environment I've stopped using it completely, but I know sometimes it's called for in the germ department but it's really not needed in the wash in fact most front loading washers discourage it's use. Making the cleaner switch is also much better for the health of your children and pets. Chemicals cleaners have been linked to childhood asthma among other things. A really cool thing about using natural laundry detergent is that you can take the drain tube and put it in a 50 gallon drum and use your grey water( dirty water) to water your garden. The natural phosphates fertilize your plants and you save water. Next, use bar soap instead of liquid. It takes less to process bar soap and it's wrapped in paper instead of in a plastic bottle. The less plastic produced and we use the better! Bar soap is also cheaper and lasts a lot longer. We also bought a reusable furnace filter. I love it and it only cost $20.00 at lowe's. If you have pets, making a doggie septic tank is easy and affordable. You can buy one called the doggie dooley, but it's much cheaper to make one. Just google the instructions. Also, please buy biodegradable doggie poo bags. You don't want your dogs poo laying in a landfill for thousands of years in a plastic bag. I also switched to corn cat litter. It lasts longer than clay litter and it's also better for the cats lungs. Arm and hammer makes an excellent corn clumping litter. I use biodrgradable trash bags but recycled ones are easier to come by. Either way you are helping a lot by making the switch. Recycled toilet paper is a must. Marcel products are all recycled and cheap. Next, I went to sally beauty supply store and bought a 1 gallon bottle of super concentrated shampoo and a 1 gallon bottle of conditioner for 8 bucks a piece. These last for a few months at my house and it cuts down on waste and it's salon grade shampoo. There is absolutly no reason why people should still be using plastic grocery bags. Even walmart sells reusable bags for only 99 cents. Just one holds the equvilant of three plastic ones. I just keep mine in my trunk. just think, no more plastic bags on the beach or floating in the water. Last but not least make sure to unplug your cell phone charger, computers, and tvs when not in use. They drain power even when not in use.I just keep mine plugged into a power switch and I just switch off the whole thing. These are just a few changes we made. Research it yourself. The smallest switch can be a big help. good luck.