Earth Week Day Four

Happy Earth Day!



Thanks to GMA for today's cool idea. I haven't done this yet, but I am definitely going to check it out! http://www.terracycle.net/index.htm

Today I want to give you a list of household cleaners that you might not have thought of as "cleaners" before, and also some alternatives to feminine products that will reduce our landfill mass.

First the cleaners:

Baking Soda (as a paste with water) to clean and polish water faucets and other chrome fixtures, counter tops, appliances, to soak pots and pans in, red wine and coffee stains, to kill mildew, and a mixture of baking soda and vinegar chased with boiling water ( one part vinegar, one part baking soda {after the fizz is done}) to clean out your drains.
Vinegar cuts grease and deodorizes, cleans built up lime scale, washes windows, and the same baking soda and vinegar mixture will clean a toilet!
Borax is a great laundry soap that comes in powder form, which you use just as you would your regular laundry soap.
Castor oil cleans and conditions leather.
Cornmeal cleans up grease stains. Rub it on, then wipe off.
Lemon juice works on lime scale, and can also be mixed into your baking soda pastes to add a pleasant smell, and also, if you place a lemon peel into your garbage disposal while it is running, it will get rid of nasty smells.
Olive oil takes finger marks off of stainless steel, and also when mixed with vinegar (one part vinegar to three parts oil) makes a great floor polish (add some of that lemon too)
And we all know Soda water works on carpet and laundry spills.

The Feminine Products:
Fair warning, to use these you need to be fairly comfortable with your own bodily functions. As a mom, I have no more issues with "ewwies" (to quote Miah) I've used the Diva cup for years, thanks in part to my friend Sara (don't remember how THAT came up!?!?) and I'd never go back. You may want to stick to disposables for young women that may not be responsible enough to use the washable pads, however.

From www.divacup.com

Women around the world are increasingly aware of how they can make a significant, positive environmental impact by switching from disposable tampons and pads to The DivaCup. This simple change is as significant as switching from plastic to canvas bags!

The DivaCup is reusable and made from silicone. This makes it an important, environmentally responsible feminine hygiene choice!

Women, on average, experience a lifetime menstruation span of 41 years (11-52). From use of disposable feminine hygiene, an estimated 12 billion sanitary pads and 7 billion tampons are dumped into the North American environment each year (1998). More than 170,000 tampon applicators were collected along U.S. coastal areas between 1998 and 1999. Our revolutionary, reusable product is a modern, viable alternative to disposable tampons and pads.

Most tampons and pads contain surfactants, adhesives and additives. In addition, most pads contain polyethylene plastic whose production is a pollutant. Also, dioxin, a known carcinogen, is a by-product of the bleaching process of tampons containing rayon. In landfills, many of these substances can leach into the environment (groundwater, streams and lakes) causing serious pollution and health concerns.

Although not all women can afford to purchase an energy-efficient hybrid car or convert their home to solar energy, they can reduce dangerous landfill waste by choosing to use a reusable, silicone menstrual cup. When considering the pollution and volume of waste that is inherent in the use of disposable tampons and pads, replacing one’s feminine hygiene with The DivaCup makes good environmental sense and manifests in a positive eco-footprint every month!

www.divacup.com


If you are to squeamish to use the Diva cup, there are other alternatives. I however find the diva cup much easier to use and clean. Other things I have used and like are cloth pads:
http://manymoonsalternatives.com/ This site has a lot of great items!
http://www.treecitydiapers.com/store/product/8880/HH-Mama-Pads-Regular/ These are really good ones, with built in snaps to keep them folded, and double as "wings". This site also has REUSABLE NURSING PADS.
And of course, www.etsy.com and www.ebay.com are both great places to find these sort of things. And if you feel crafty, you can even make your own!


Any questions, hollar at me!