An Easy, Effective, Inexpensive and Eco-friendly Way to Wash Dishes

According to recent Consumer Reports tests on the efficacy of automatic dishwasher detergents,

"detergents without phosphates—which help clean but also boost algae growth in freshwater, threatening fish and other plants—tended to perform worst overall."

Of the phosphate-free variety, Method Smarty Dish tablets and Simplicity dish sachets performed best.  Method costs about $0.35/load.  If you have to run your dishes through more than once because the first time just didn't do the trick, well, that would start to add up!

So, you want to be environmentally responsible but you want your dishes to be sparkling clean and don't want to pay a fortune in the process?  Here's what I do:

First, I prepare them properly.  The following is a great list of tips for dazzling dishes, courtesy of Consumer Reports:

"Any detergent is apt to clean better if you scrape off heavy soil before loading dishes. (You'll save energy and water if you don't prerinse.) Then take these steps:

• Load large items at the sides and back so they don't block water and detergent.
  
• Face the dirtier side of dishes toward the center of the machine.
  
• Don't let dishes or utensils nest.
• Rest glasses upside down on prongs so that they don't fill with water. 
• Hand-wash silver and fine glassware. Judging by tests that mimicked long-time machine-washing, some products could be harsh on silver (Cascade with Extra Bleach Action powder, Great Value, Sun & Earth, and Target) or could etch fine glassware (Cascade with Extra Bleach Action powder, Finish Quantum, Method, Seventh Generation, and Simplicity)."

Then, I use a half portion of a phosphate-free automatic dishwasher gel (such as Seventh Generation, which is fairly cheap relative to other eco-friendly brands) and fill the dispenser cup the rest of the way with baking soda.  Baking soda freshens, cleans and acts as a water softener, which helps the detergent do a better job.  I fill the rinsing agent well with white vinegar.  Works like a charm and saves money, too.

A lot of people make their own dishwasher detergent using 1/2 Borax and 1/2 baking soda (put 2 tablespoons of the mixture in the detergent well), but Borax is toxic - dangerous around kids - so I don't use it.  Maybe after my kids are older.

Homemade All Natural Beeswax Lip Balm

My 5 year old's classmates are crazy about Chapstick.  They think it's cool to bring it to school and keep it in their pockets, sometimes letting each other try the many unique flavors they find (I can't type this without shuddering).  So he naturally requested his own.

After extracting a promise (several times) that he would not share it and would not try anyone else's, I relented and bought a tube.  Then I noticed this...

"Lift for Drug Facts"

Curious about that, I lifted the label.  The adhesive ripped a layer of the label off and I wasn't able to read it.   So, I just cut to the chase and visited one of my favorite websites, Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep, a cosmetic safety database.  According to their evaluation of this product,  it ranks 8 out of 10 on the scale of concerns (10 is highest concern).  The high score is driven by its fragrance and an ingredient called methylparaben.  Parabens are endocrine disruptors and methylparaben, in particular, has been linked to breast cancer.  The Chapstick also contains artificial colors and saccharin. 

Right, so he's not getting any Chapstick.  Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm scored quite well but he didn't like the peppermint taste, so I decided to make my own.  Here's how I did it.

Beeswax Lip Balm

Clean out a Burt's Bees Lip Balm tube, wash it thoroughly and set it out to air dry.  Grate 2 teaspoons of all natural pure beeswax (it typically comes in bar form, or as "pearls").  Melt it in a small Pyrex dish in the microwave.  Do this in 30 second increments and take it out as soon as it is melted - you don't want it to burn.  To the melted beeswax, add 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 teaspoon of castor oil.  Mix thoroughly, allow to cool for a minute, then pour into the dry lip balm tube.  Place the tube in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.  (Note: you could easily add an all natural flavor extract (vanilla, lemon, etc) to create a unique taste.)

He loved the taste and texture, and I love the fact that it's really and truly safe for him.

I later decorated the tube with his name in script.  He loved that, too!

How to Make All Natural Lip Gloss

A few weeks ago, I wrote about running out of facial powder and substituting organic corn starch - with great success.  I'm comfortable now that I'll never go back to buying commercial facial powder.  Inspired by this success, I decided to try my hand at creating other beauty products.  My criteria: they must be all natural, easy and quick to make, smell great, feel soothing, and be edible.  Yes, edible - that's my measure of safety, particularly for lip gloss.

Over the next few weeks, I will experiment with making a few different items, and I'll share my recipes here with you.  I hope you enjoy the health, savings, beauty and fragrance of these as much as I do!  Also note: they make great little gifts for the holidays!

Pink Lip Gloss

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons grated pure beeswax
8 teaspoons castor oil
4 drops vanilla extract
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon organic beet juice powder (be careful where you put this - it is a strong dye)
 -- you will also need a container to put it in - I bought a small Nalgene jar  (they are BPA free) at The Container Store for $0.99.

Directions:
1. Melt the beeswax and castor oil together in a small Pyrex dish in the microwave.  45 seconds ought to do it.  Mix well.  Add the vanilla, honey and beet juice powder.  Add more beet juice powder if the shade is not as dark a as you'd like.  Let it sit in the Pyrex dish until it cools enough so it won't melt your Nalgene jar.  Don't wait until it's fully set up to move it to the jar.
2. Pour it into your jar.  Let it sit 20 minutes before covering it.

The Many Uses for Corn Starch

I ran out of facial powder this morning.  I've used Prescriptives for years as it's one of the only ones that doesn't irritate my skin.  But there is just no way I am going to drive 30 minutes and navigate mall parking with a cranky toddler to buy some anytime soon, I'm not going to pay for shipping and I've wanted to try something more natural anyway.

So I grabbed the box of corn starch from my toddler's room (when he was a baby, I used to apply it to the deep chubby creases around his neck and under his arms to reduce irritation).  A little dab here and there and the shine was gone, which is really the only reason I use facial powder.

As I researched whether or not to do this, I came across Hodgson Mill's website.  It has a page chock full of tips on other uses for corn starch (recipes, too!), including, among many others:

• as an underarm deodorant - just wipe your underarm first with rubbing alcohol to kill bacteria, then apply corn starch
• to patch plaster walls
• to shine your car
• to clean your silver
• to make powdered sugar
• to make finger paint or "play clay"
  
• to remove grease stains
• as a facial cleanser
• to thicken gravy
• to make homemade baking powder
  
• to soothe sunburn
  

I'll still use foundation and under-eye concealer for dressy occasions (ok, well the concealer is mandatory until my toddler starts consistently sleeping through the night!), but I'll ditch the department store powder and head to the grocery store instead.

Bonus: a box of corn starch costs about a buck, which is a savings of about $30 versus what I used to pay - maybe more since the box is so big.

Score!

All Natural Solution to Hard Water Spots

I use white vinegar as a cleaning agent for just about everything in my house.  I've written about if a few times - you can read more here on how I use it.

This evening, I saw the "add rinse agent" indicator lit up on my dishwasher, which reminded me of yet another way to eliminate chemicals from your life and save a few dollars in the process.

Once you've finished off the last of your store-bought dishwasher rinse agent, just fill that rinse agent well with white vinegar.

Problem cleanly solved.  Oh, and your dishwasher will smell better, too.

A Great Article on Fake Plastic Fish about Baking Soda

Beth Terry of Fake Plastic Fish wrote a great article today about the many uses for baking soda.  I've written a few times about it (for example, here) and use baking soda every day.  But in Beth's article, she highlighted a few interesting and surprising uses for it - things I'd never considered before - particularly pertaining to personal care.  It's worth a read!

No More Toxic Cleaners

(originally published 6/29/09, updated 9/25/09)

I finally did it. I rid my home of toxic cleaners. I wish I'd done it a lot sooner.

I was worried about using harsh household cleaners around my small children. I also felt like the products were overkill. The fumes were ridiculous and if I didn't wear gloves, my hands were practically raw afterward!

When I was a child, we used products like Comet, Spic and Span and Joy. Not as harsh as some of today's products, but still not quite green. So I stepped back and looked one generation further. Folks used to clean their homes with much simpler ingredients: baking soda, white vinegar, essential oils. So I decided to use these to make my own household cleaners.

The old fashioned ingredients work well (even in my oven!), leave my house and car clean and fresh, aren't toxic, are easy to make and cost next to nothing.

I bought a bunch of empty spray bottles at Lowes, 3 huge "bulk" jugs of white vinegar, a few "bulk" bottles of hydrogen peroxide and a "bulk" bag of baking soda at Costco, and a small bottle of tea tree oil and a bottle of all-natural liquid dish soap and some lemon essential oil at my grocery store.

Here's what I use now...

1. Glass/window cleaner: 20 oz water, 8 oz white vinegar, 20 drops lemon oil. I have found that newspaper cleans glass really well - better than paper towels or cloth.

2. All-purpose cleaner (not for marble, but I use it on granite, my wood kitchen table and my stainless steel appliances with equally good results): 10 oz water, 10 oz white vinegar, 7 drops tea tree oil, 4 drops lemon oil. Shake it, spray it on, then wipe it off.

3. Tile floor cleaner: half warm water, half white vinegar. I clean with the 50/50 mixture, then wipe with plain warm water.

4. Hard wood floor cleaner: a bucket of warm water with three drops of lemon oil and three drops of uncomplicated liquid dish soap. I clean with the mixture, then wipe with plain warm water.

5. Marble cleaner - most folks recommend only wiping with water, but I like to clean things. So I fill a spray bottle with warm water and add a few drops of uncomplicated liquid dish soap. Shake, then spray it on. Marble stains easily so I work quickly, rinse the solution off with a very wet cloth and towel dry to avoid hard water marks.

6. When I need more muscle, I have a spray bottle filled simply with white vinegar. I spray it on and let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe. It will clean the inside of the microwave, oven and refrigerator without a ton of scrubbing. In the shower or commode, I spray vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, then apply baking soda if I need to scrub. Let it sit a few minutes, then rub a bit and rinse with water.

7. Hydrogen peroxide is also good when you need deeper cleaning in the kitchen or bathroom - I keep this in a handy spray bottle, too. To properly disinfect, you need to let it sit for a few minutes while it fizzes, then wipe it off.

8. Wood polish: 1 cup of olive oil plus 1/2 cup of lemon juice - I make it fresh each time -rub it in with one cloth, then buff it off with a fresh one.

As a result of this, I no longer use a ton of disposable disinfectant wipes and disposable floor wipes, so I went to Costco and spent a few bucks on a dozen white bar towels, picked up a mop with machine-washable terry cloth covers at my grocery store, and a two-compartment rolling mop bucket at Lowes. Now I not only save money on my cleaning supplies and feel better about the chemical situation in my home, but I also no longer generate as much waste because it is all machine washable.

Win win win!

Time will tell how well these mixtures work for me, but so far so good. I’ll keep you posted.

Update 9/25/09:
Tired of lugging around buckets of clean and vinegar water, I bought a Shark Steam Pocket Mop.  It cleans and kills germs using only hot steam.  I sweep or vacuum first to remove debris, then use the steam mop to remove stuck-on dirt and spots and disinfect.  I bought a few extra pockets and just toss them in the washing machine when I'm done.  I use it on my tile and hardwood floors.  LOVE it.