10 Things You Can Do In Your Home Today To Go Green
1. Decrease your shower by 2 minutes or better yet turn it off when you are washing your hair and body. Then turn it on to rinse off. Green Tip: This will save 10 gallons of water!
2. Turn your thermostat up 2 degrees in summer with air conditioning and 2 degrees lower in winter. Green Tip: This will save you about $200 a year!
3. Recycle and get your community to recycle all plastics not just 1 and 2. Green Tip: If everyone recycled and separated paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum products and put them in the recycling bin it would decrease the amount sent to landfills by 75%.
4. Compost. Green Tip: Composting will save you money as you will not have to buy fertilizer for your garden, plus an added bonus you can decrease your garbage output.
5. Run Full Loads in the Dishwasher and don't prerinse. Green Tip: Doing both will save 20 gallons of water per load and 7,300 gallons over a year.
6. Get a reusable Pail liner for your garbage cans and then use only reusable bags at the grocery store. Green Tip: Doing this will save you about $30 a year in buying garbage bags and with every ton of plastic bags not used we save 17 trees and eleven barrels of oil.
7. Flush your toilet less. Green Tip: 1 less flush a day saves 4.5 gallons of water.
8. Stop the junk mail. Green Tip: go to www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist It costs $1 but will limit your junk mail.
9. Close your curtains when it's sunny in the summer and cold in the winter. Green Tip: This could reduce your energy needs by 25%.
10. Clean your dryer. Green Tip: Empty the lint screen and don't overload and you could save 5% on your electricity bill or for even more savings use your clothesline or use wool dryer balls to decrease your dry time!
Here are some quick and easy recipes to clean your house and they work great too!
ALL PURPOSE CLEANER
*This cleaner works wonders. It cuts grease better than any other commercial product I ever used. Just be careful because the Borax is toxic. I have known people that just eliminate the Borax and use a little elbow grease to make it work.
Ingredients:
Liquid soap or detergent (I use Dr. Bronners)
White Distilled water
Borax
Purified water (though I use tap water)
Essential Oils for Fragrance (optional)
Additional Items:
A 16oz spray bottle
* Mix 2 tablespoons vinegar with 1 teaspoon borax.
* Fill the bottle with hot water.
* Add 1/4 cup liquid soap or 1/8 cup liquid detergent last
* Scent with 10-15 drops of essential oil
TUB AND TILE CLEANER
*This cleaner is amazing on soap scum. I had used commercial products to try and get the soap scum off that we get because of hot water and NONE worked as well as this cleaner.
Ingredients:
Baking Soda
Liquid Soap (I use Dr. Bronners)
White Distilled Vinegar
Water
Additional Items:
A 16 oz squeeze bottle or I like to use a pint size wide mouth ball jar. You can use the quart size but it is difficult to get to the bottom if you have bigger hands.
* Mix 1 2/3 cups baking soda with 1/2 cup liquid soap
* Dilute with 1/2 cup water
* Add 2 tablespoons Vinegar last (it will foam and is fun for kids to watch)
* Mix until lumps are gone and if it does not run easily into your container add more water
*I generally make a double batch of this. Also if it dries out you can just add water and it works great.
What other kinds of cleaners would you like to know about and I will gladly post more?
Showing posts with label My Baby Pumpkin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label My Baby Pumpkin. Show all posts
Friday, July 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Adventures Vacationing with Cloth & a Giveaway!
I just arrived home after a 2 week trip (for a wedding and taking my volleyball team to AAU Nationals), the entire time we used cloth diapers! It was quite an adventure!
Before the trip, I did lots of planning. One of our biggest decisions was do we bring our cloth or not. We have traveled before but never this long, and when we had been gone we had stayed with family so we had access to their washer and dryer.
Since my son just started to do some potty training prior to going on the trip and my daughter was pretty much potty trained except for nighttime this did make it a bit easier. Plus we found out that the condo we were staying at had a washer and dryer!
I had to remember though to bring the following:
1. Our diaper detergent
2. Vinegar in a travel spray bottle (I use this to wipe out the inside of the washer and dryer to remove any buildup).
3. Both our potty chairs (we have cheap IKEA ones that fit into one another, thank goodness).
4. Wipes in a container for the road.
5. Diapers of course. (For this trip I decided to bring the following 24 prefolds, 6 OS Pocket, 12 hybrid inserts, extra covers and snappis). I put them in 2 clear plastic bins so I could see what I had.
6. 3 wet bags (1 was a wet/dry bag: we used the dry part for dirty clothes, 1 back up and 1 small one for outings).
7. Anything else I figured I could get on the way if needed. I also made sure I knew which retailers were in the area in case.
So let the adventure begin.
Day 1: Travel to Des Moines, Iowa. My daughter thought it would be fun to stop like every 30 minutes to pee or poop after the midway part of our journey. In all fairness, she really had to go! Overall we arrived in Des Moines with no problems.
Day 3: I washed at the hotel, because we were going to be on the road for up to 3 days starting tomorrow. I was really fortunate as this hotel is run by my Uncle so I was able to check out the facilities during our last trip there. I was however pleasantly surprised to discover that the water was extremely hot, much hotter than we keep so I figured I was good.
I loved the fact that we were there for a wedding and the wedding was in the hotel we were staying at. So we were able to leave the potty chairs and diapers in the room and just run the kids up. Though my kids that it was fun to need to use the bathroom during all the good times of the wedding reception. Food game and my daughter needed to go to the bathroom, I literally got back with her and my son decided to poop, so back upstairs with him. I think they thought it was funny to watch mom run back and forth, lord knows I need the exercise too!
Day 4: We left Des Moines and start our journey down to Orlando, FL. Mind you I never would have made this trip had my volleyball team not been going to play at AAU Nationals. I definitely learned to expect the unexpected this day. We had to wait in a Taco Bell during a tornado warning, the expressway was closed down in St. Louis, then my daughter told us she had to pee and we told her we would get off at the next exit. Well wouldn't you know the expressway was closed down again near West Frankfort, IL (home of Mom's Milk Boutique). Poor thing held it for 45 minutes until we were able to stop and let her go.
Days 6-13: We stayed at a condo in Florida, it was amazing and I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting to use cloth while on their vacation. We had a full washer and dryer in our condo. It was great and I didn't have to worry about going out and washing the diapers.
We got some funny looks when they checked our bags at Disney World since we had a potty chair in there. But this was a really relaxing part of our trip while cloth diapering.
Day 15: Our last day, was by far the worst day of cloth diapering. We generally change diapers in the car instead of taking the kids inside. At our last stop before arriving home, I dumped my daughter's potty chair over in the front seat and my son decided to have his worst poop of the trip on the windiest day of the trip. It took us almost 20 minutes and lots of clean up and hand washing at that stop!
So here are things I learned from traveling with cloth:
1. If your child says she has to poop and she is potty training find a place to park next to a garbage can or a wooded area so you can get rid of the evidence.
2. If you are wanting to take cloth with, condos in resort areas are a great option because many have washer and dryers in them.
3. Plan for a days more diapers than you think you will need to be safe.
4. Relax while traveling. We were gone for 2 weeks and 1 day. I planned my diaper washing around naptimes. It worked great and I didn't get stressed because of it.
5. If you don't want to travel entirely with cloth look for one of the disposable insert options.
I forgot to add our giveaway! Win a free bag of Rockin' Green Detergent, Crunchy Clean Detergent or Lulu's in the Fluff!
To enter:
1. Follow the Cloth Diaper Retailer Cooperative on Facebook!
2. Follow this Blog!
3. Follow My Baby Pumpkin, LLC on Facebook!
4. Leave a comment to this post with your favorite traveling story with cloth or disposables!
5. Contest ends 7/14/10!
And happy travels!
Kristin
My Baby Pumpkin, LLC
Before the trip, I did lots of planning. One of our biggest decisions was do we bring our cloth or not. We have traveled before but never this long, and when we had been gone we had stayed with family so we had access to their washer and dryer.
Since my son just started to do some potty training prior to going on the trip and my daughter was pretty much potty trained except for nighttime this did make it a bit easier. Plus we found out that the condo we were staying at had a washer and dryer!
I had to remember though to bring the following:
1. Our diaper detergent
2. Vinegar in a travel spray bottle (I use this to wipe out the inside of the washer and dryer to remove any buildup).
3. Both our potty chairs (we have cheap IKEA ones that fit into one another, thank goodness).
4. Wipes in a container for the road.
5. Diapers of course. (For this trip I decided to bring the following 24 prefolds, 6 OS Pocket, 12 hybrid inserts, extra covers and snappis). I put them in 2 clear plastic bins so I could see what I had.
6. 3 wet bags (1 was a wet/dry bag: we used the dry part for dirty clothes, 1 back up and 1 small one for outings).
7. Anything else I figured I could get on the way if needed. I also made sure I knew which retailers were in the area in case.
So let the adventure begin.
Day 1: Travel to Des Moines, Iowa. My daughter thought it would be fun to stop like every 30 minutes to pee or poop after the midway part of our journey. In all fairness, she really had to go! Overall we arrived in Des Moines with no problems.
Day 3: I washed at the hotel, because we were going to be on the road for up to 3 days starting tomorrow. I was really fortunate as this hotel is run by my Uncle so I was able to check out the facilities during our last trip there. I was however pleasantly surprised to discover that the water was extremely hot, much hotter than we keep so I figured I was good.
I loved the fact that we were there for a wedding and the wedding was in the hotel we were staying at. So we were able to leave the potty chairs and diapers in the room and just run the kids up. Though my kids that it was fun to need to use the bathroom during all the good times of the wedding reception. Food game and my daughter needed to go to the bathroom, I literally got back with her and my son decided to poop, so back upstairs with him. I think they thought it was funny to watch mom run back and forth, lord knows I need the exercise too!
Day 4: We left Des Moines and start our journey down to Orlando, FL. Mind you I never would have made this trip had my volleyball team not been going to play at AAU Nationals. I definitely learned to expect the unexpected this day. We had to wait in a Taco Bell during a tornado warning, the expressway was closed down in St. Louis, then my daughter told us she had to pee and we told her we would get off at the next exit. Well wouldn't you know the expressway was closed down again near West Frankfort, IL (home of Mom's Milk Boutique). Poor thing held it for 45 minutes until we were able to stop and let her go.
Days 6-13: We stayed at a condo in Florida, it was amazing and I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting to use cloth while on their vacation. We had a full washer and dryer in our condo. It was great and I didn't have to worry about going out and washing the diapers.
We got some funny looks when they checked our bags at Disney World since we had a potty chair in there. But this was a really relaxing part of our trip while cloth diapering.
Day 15: Our last day, was by far the worst day of cloth diapering. We generally change diapers in the car instead of taking the kids inside. At our last stop before arriving home, I dumped my daughter's potty chair over in the front seat and my son decided to have his worst poop of the trip on the windiest day of the trip. It took us almost 20 minutes and lots of clean up and hand washing at that stop!
So here are things I learned from traveling with cloth:
1. If your child says she has to poop and she is potty training find a place to park next to a garbage can or a wooded area so you can get rid of the evidence.
2. If you are wanting to take cloth with, condos in resort areas are a great option because many have washer and dryers in them.
3. Plan for a days more diapers than you think you will need to be safe.
4. Relax while traveling. We were gone for 2 weeks and 1 day. I planned my diaper washing around naptimes. It worked great and I didn't get stressed because of it.
5. If you don't want to travel entirely with cloth look for one of the disposable insert options.
I forgot to add our giveaway! Win a free bag of Rockin' Green Detergent, Crunchy Clean Detergent or Lulu's in the Fluff!
To enter:
1. Follow the Cloth Diaper Retailer Cooperative on Facebook!
2. Follow this Blog!
3. Follow My Baby Pumpkin, LLC on Facebook!
4. Leave a comment to this post with your favorite traveling story with cloth or disposables!
5. Contest ends 7/14/10!
And happy travels!
Kristin
My Baby Pumpkin, LLC
Thursday, May 27, 2010
My Baby Pumpkin, LLC Watertown, WI
Hi, I am, Kristin, a full time stay at home mommy to a my June 2007 little girl and my August 2008 baby boy. I am a school teacher by trade, but put that on hold as I did not want to miss out on being a mommy, something I could never get back down the road. I also coach club volleyball from November to June.
I started this business as a way to share the wonderful products I have discovered over the last couple of years. I have fallen in love with natural baby care products that are on the market as well as cloth diapers. When I was pregnant with my first child I did a lot of research on cost, environmental concerns, effects on the children, and have put some of that research to action with my children. What I have found is that the products I sell have worked great for my family and I hope they do for yours as well.
I hope you will find cloth diapering as rewarding as I have. It has helped me feel connected to our environment and the world around me. I am grateful for this opportunity and will happily help share my experiences. We look forward to having you be part of the My Baby Pumpkin Family.
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