Category Archives: Bathrooms

One fab (chemical-free) soft scrub recipe!

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sft scrubWho doesn’t love a fabulous recipe?!?! This one isn’t even in jeopardy of getting rudely rejected by your family, because it’s not meant to please an appetite… it’s all about chemical-free cleaning.

I’ve shared recipes for a multi-purpose cleaner and a furniture polish so, now… how about when you need a little extra scrubbing action?  Would you be surprised to learn that the main ingredient is amazing baking soda?  Of course you aren’t… so let’s just get to the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 cups baking soda
  • ½ cup liquid castile soap
  • 5-10 drops essential oil
  • ¼ cup water

Just like with the other cleaners, the essential oil is… well… ESSENTIAL! My recommendations are always lemongrass or tea tree oil. Lemongrass is a natural anti-bacterial (yes, natural… not harsh like commercial anti-bacterials) and the tea tree oil has bking sda box2properties that are both anti-viral and anti-fungal.

DIRECTIONS? Well, those are easy.  Just mix them all together and use it anywhere you’d use a soft scrub cleaner.  Leftovers can be stored in a glass jar you’ve salvaged.  (I’ve also heard that you can add a few tablespoons of vegetable glycerin to act as a preservative.)

As always, you have a new recipe to try for chemical-free cleaning but… you know what that means… yep, it’s time to clean! (BLEH!)

Did you say FREE?… THANKS White Cloud GreenEarth!

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WC Green EarthI recently join the White Cloud Roll-volution!  I found the best 100% recycled-content toilet paper on earth (White Cloud’s GreenEarth brand, of course!), but my husband STILL wasn’t replacing the roll… yes, you understand that feeling when you unexpectedly find only two squares remaining!

I said he needed a lot of practice and now, our friends at White Cloud are giving us the upper hand without the added expense.  In honor of Earth Day, they’ve added 50% more to the GreenEarth packages (that’s THREE extra rolls!).  I think I’ve tried every recycled brand and honestly, the others don’t compare in quality.  Fortunately GreenEarth is surprisingly soft, so you don’t “feel” like you’re using recycled content toilet paper! Afterall, we don’t want a family revolution when it’s not up to par!

And, by the way, their FREE offer is extended to their paper towels too (you get an extra roll!)… that’s especially helpful WC pap twlsfor those of us dealing with family members that like to grab TWO when only ONE would do! (Yea, I live with them also!)  Now, you can get an extra roll while you work on adjusting their over-usage habit! They ARE super-absorbent, so that will help in your “retraining” quest too.

With the way we all seem to use (and abuse) our stock of toilet paper and paper towels, I have to continue to give the GreenEarth brand a big green “thumbs up”.  I love knowing that I’m not needlessly sacrificing trees… PLUS they’ve taken amazing strides in reducing their energy consumption and greenhouse emissions, and they recycle big time!  (See why I love GreenEarth?!)

White Cloud GreenEarth is still available exclusively at Walmart, so go and get yourself some… and some extra too… for FREE!

Thanks, White Cloud GreenEarth!

(Disclosure: I am a White Cloud blogger. While I am compensated for my time, my opinions are entirely my own. White Cloud neither directs nor edits my posts, comments, views or opinions.)

MGG joins the White Cloud “Roll-volution”!

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WC rollvol(While I’m on the subject of making sure you have the “greenest bathroom on the block”)…

A number of months ago I talked about my participation in a blind test of recycled-content toilet paper.  White Cloud’s GreenEarth was the hands down winner AND it was even given my husband’s blessing… quite a relief after so, so many rejected brands.  (Phew!)

While I’ve now been able to count on GreenEarth to serve as our brand of choice, there’s also a bit of irony happening.  The very same husband that was so hard to please (as the self-dubbed “King of the Throne”!) seems to be having troubles actually replacing said recycled-content roll! Yea, you know what I mean… you live with one of them, don’t you?

So, I found our accepted brand of choices, but it’s not a big help when the roll is empty and never “present when needed”.  Yes, my friends, I live with a “square saver” (the one who leaves only two squares dangling on the roll!) … well, I’m joining the Roll-volution!

Our friends at White Cloud know our frustrations so, for a limited time, they have added 50% more to the package (six rolls instead of four)… and even the GreenEarth packages will be in stores soon!  No price increases, just extra free recycled-content toilet paper to help my husband (and yours!) get some practice to actually replace our dang roll!  Plus it’s now thicker and that’s a permanent upgrade!WC sq savr

White Cloud GreenEarth is still available exclusively at Walmart, but you can already take advantage of the coupon below for great savings now and then soon you’ll get some extra TP for free! (I’m going to stock-up big time… my husband needs a lot of practice!)

If you want to join the Roll-volution and share who you’re living (and dealing) with, White Cloud is giving away a $25 gift card every day.  Is your significant other a “square saver” too?  Maybe even a “topper”, a “ripper” or a “refuser”?

Spread the word and head there now to blow off some steam (and possibly earn a gift card to buy plenty of “practice materials!”).

(Disclosure: I am a White Cloud blogger. While I am compensated for my time, my opinions are entirely my own. White Cloud neither directs nor edits my posts, comments, views or opinions.)

10 things you overlooked to “go green” in your bathroom

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bth room 2Everyone knows the standard list of ways to go green in the bathroom (and I’m not talking about all of those green beers you’re planning to drink next week for St. Patrick’s Day!).  I’m talking about turning off the water while you brush your teeth, low-flow shower heads, water efficient toilets, chemical-free cleaners, short showers and low-volume baths… okay, you’ve heard them all, but what about those little things you overlook?

Think there aren’t any?  Well, think again… here are some things you may have missed:

  • Soap – choose bar soaps over liquid shower gels and avoid excess plastic packaging. Although many of the bottles are recyclable, the caps often aren’t.
  • Cosmetic foundations & eyeliners – choose foundation sold in glass bottles or jars over those in plastic tubes and containers so they can be recycled. Choose wooden pencil eyeliners over plastic tubes too.grn soap
  • Shampoos – (if you must use a conditioner) choose a 2-in-1 product where the shampoo and conditioner are combined.  You will use one less container but also shorten your shower by skipping an extra step.
  • Razors – choose a refillable razor versus disposables.  Plastic razors simply become needless trash.
  • Toilet paper – choose recycled content toilet paper… a simple choice.
  • Q-tips – choose those with a paper spindle instead of plastic… plain and simple also.
  • Towels – choose bamboo options.  They’re soft, snuggly and (most important) sustainable!  Organic cotton towels are another great choice.
  • Greywater – Add a bucket in the shower with you and capture it!  Showers actually account for over a quarter of a home’s typical water usage, and there are plenty of uses for this greywater.
  • Shower curtins – avoid the additional plastic liner.  Instead choose a curtain that is waterproofed on the inside without the plastic.

Now, what you consume on St. Patrick’s Day is all your own business, but with these tips you can “go green” in the bathroom the more natural way!

Peroxide vs. bleach: the greener alternative

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I pX bleacharted ways with bleach long ago. Even the smell makes me uncomfortable. In fact, chlorine bleach is a caustic chemical and a registered pesticide.  Hydrogen peroxide is formed and dissipated naturally in the environment when it simply breaks down into oxygen and water (… you see where I’m going with this, don’tcha???).

Hydrogen peroxide can act as a substitute for bleach in virtually every way.  Where you used bleach, use peroxide instead… and even far beyond.

It should always be diluted down to a 3% solution but (fortunately!) this is how it is commonly sold in your local drugstore or market, so you don’t need to worry about mixing your own concoction!

Some of the best uses for hydrogen peroxide?… just take a look:

  • Disinfectant – for cleaning toilet bowls, floors, showers, tubs, tile… your bathroom is its disinfecting playground!
  • Dishwasher – add a few drops to your dishwasher detergent for extra sterilization
  • Food cleaner & natural preservative – add a few teaspoons to a large bowl of cold water. Wash and rinse your vegetables and fruits thoroughly to clean them and prolong their freshnessperox
  • Laundry – simply use in place of the bleach or use as a stain remover (but be sure to blot & rinse immediately to avoid any potential discoloration)
  • Oral hygiene – use it to clean your toothbrush, or a teeth whitener (when combined with baking soda, in small quantities, to make a paste!)
  • Sanitizer – put in a sprayer bottle to sterilize and disinfect counter tops, cutting boards, stove tops, sinks, the refrigerator and even coffee pots, blenders and food processors
  • Toy cleaner – combine one part peroxide to ten parts water and soak water-tolerable toys, then thoroughly rinse and dry. (This is especially helpful after a bout of illness in the house!)
  • Window cleaner – add a half cup to four cups of water and create a streak-free window cleaner

The toy cleaner appeals to me, especially.  I recall when our daughter was in daycare (for a brief, fleeting moment, until I decided being a stay-at-home mommy “was for me”…) and I was horrified that they cleaned the toys with bleach!  AUGH! My baby was probably putting those toys in her mouth the very next day!

Say good-bye bleach, hello peroxide. Nothing lost, but “a whole lot of peace-of-mind” gained!