Want to learn how to make your Summer soirees a little more eco friendly? Elizabeth Rogers, the best-selling author of
The Green Book, recently gave me some tips for throwing parties that won't negatively impact the planet. So many times when we're busy organizing a backyard bash or a big dinner party, we forget the impact that all of our disposable cups and plastic party favors can have on the environment.
To keep your garbage disposal smelling fresh, take half of a lemon and pop it into the disposal. If you do this monthly, it'll help prevent icky odors from building up, and keep your sink, disposal, and kitchen all smelling fresh. I've found that using a lemon that's already been juiced works fine as well.
Did you know that running the bathroom tap for only two minutes while brushing your teeth can waste more than two gallons of water? If you run water for your morning and night-time toothbrushing, as well as for shaving, this can really add up. To get into the habit of turning off the tap, leave an inspirational photo of a lake or the ocean tucked into your bathroom mirror, to help you remember the necessity of conserving water.
Have you
assembled your home cleaning kit yet? If you have, you're in luck, because I have a great
Recipe For Clean for furniture polish. Use it to get your home
so fresh and so clean.
Is your oven crusty and gross? Does it send up a smoke signal every time you try to
bake cookies? Then take your
home cleaning kit and whip up a batch of natural oven cleaner. This easy
Recipe For Clean will get your oven looking and smelling
so fresh and so clean.
Have you
assembled your home cleaning kit yet? If you have, you're in luck, because I have a great
Recipe For Clean for getting your windows sparkling. Use it on glass surfaces, windows, and mirrors to get all of these reflective surfaces
so fresh and so clean.
Have you
assembled your home-cleaning kit yet? If you have, you're in luck, because I have a great
Recipe For Clean for getting your bathtub sparkling. Use it to get your bathroom
so fresh and so clean.
I'm always looking for ways to
organize and
cut my cleaning time, so I was impressed by
fragiletearz' incredibly organized housecleaning schedule. When I wrote to ask if she'd mind if I used her schedule for a post, she said that she was excited that her nerdiness would be helpful to others. (I think that there are a lot of house and design nerds on Casa, fragiletearz, so you're in good company!)
If I had a system like this, I'd be much less apt to forget those vastly forgettable tasks, like watering the front porch flowers (sorry, sad, parched geraniums) and dusting the blinds.
I know that a lot of you, like me, are making the transition to
eco-friendly cleaning products, since most over-the-counter cleaners are bad for both the environment and your health. Of course, there are a lot of great eco-friendly brands out there, but you can also clean your house with ordinary and non-toxic substances you probably already have lying around.
Thanks to
Mallomar for pointing me to this list of
natural household cleaning tips from holistic health guru Dr.
Last week I got very excited about the
Twist Euro Cloth, an eco-friendly alternative to paper towels. Now, thanks to user
Tdamji's recent blog post, I'm obsessed with getting my hands on the similar but even cooler-sounding
Mabu Multi Cloth.
Made from natural wood, this versatile little number can be used to wash dirty dishes, dry clean ones, dust furniture, wipe off counters, and perform
an astounding number of other tasks.
