Wednesday, July 23, 2008

My Confession...

I went to Walmart today.
BUT---
it was to buy spray bottles---heavy duty ones made in the good ol' USA.
Why? You ask. I am going to MAKE my own cleaning products. And the author of this book
Clean House, Clean Planet
recommends a very specific spraybottle made by handicapped people from plastic (Walmart) bags and suggested that it can be purchased at Walmart. I call it a ringing endorsement. Plus---Target is 2 miles farther and I am trying to save fossil fuels. Don't get me wrong. I HATE going to Walmart, but it is close and time is valuable and sometimes a girl has to go to Walmart.

So in the cart went--
1 box of borax
2 shakers of Kraft Parmesan cheese --because apparently these containers are superb for shaking homemade powdery substances. Does anyone want some Kraft? Comment and I'll save it for you. It will never go bad. Not ever.
3 Sprayco spray bottles
4 boxes of Whoppers (they were on sale).
Assorted hair clippies to announce to the world that yes, Whoozyerkid IS A GIRL despite her rescue-from-a-mullet short hair.
9 microfiber towels for kitchen spills/cleanups. No more paper towels, Whoozyerfamily, are you ready?
Get ready... The unpaper towels are on their way. They're ordered. There's no turning back Your buttery toast will no longer ooze onto paper but terry-backed flannel.
And...apparently you can make cleaning products out of borax, baking soda, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar and essential oil. I'm going to give it a whirl. I mean, what did we do before we humans decided we needed all of this CRAP? Our lives are eaten at by our quest to spend money. A trip to the store takes more time, effort and money than to mix vinegar, water and essential oil into a spray bottle. A piece of cloth is softer and more absorbent than a paper towel. Arts are lost--instead of playing the piano, knitting or whittling wooden figuruines we go to Walmart.
We have forgotten so many valuable skills. And hey--if Julia Childs learned how to cook at forty-something imagine what I could learn at thirty-something?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I applaud your dedication and willingness to be so green. I fully admit that I'm lazy and should do more. With good examples like you in my life, I will at least learn more.

Hugs all around.

Erica Kain said...

That's pretty juicy, dude. Also, I got "Gorgeously Green" -- the one written by the woman who Greened up Julia Roberts' house -- want to swap once you're done with your book? It's pretttty cool.

Anonymous said...

You are SUCH a hippie! Who knew that would happen?

Nicole Shaputis said...

Can I just say that I am on day 2 of wearing hippy deodorant? I think it might be OK. ShakenMama---you need to tell me if later this week I've "got the funk". And Kristina, be glad you're in NY.

Douladee---baby steps, my darling...

Allison B. said...

Hi, found your blog through Melissa House. I saw your post about Locks of Love, and decided to grow a ponytail for your daughter. Your VS hair comments cracked me up.
Anyway, I wanted to say that I've been doing the natural cleaning thing for about two years and love it.
I use vinegar and water to mop our hardwood floors, vinegar and baking soda make "scrubbing bubbles" or clean out sink drains (try it, it's really fun!) and use vinegar and essential oils for my counters. I make my own glass cleaning spray, too. I get my vinegar from Costco, it's only a few bucks and the two GALLONS last about a year, even though I use it every day. I'll never go back to chemical cleaners.
That said, I still have lots to learn. Is it too late (like by 3 years) to get in on that book swap?