We are all about natural in my home. Free from chemicals, dyes, and polluting substances is the way my family lives. I had a hard time, however, forking out the dough to buy the ‘natural’ laundry detergents at the supermarket. Then I discovered I could make my own, and it is very easy. All you need to make your own laundry soap, for pennies on the dollar, are three ingredients:
The budget for a wedding celebration is based on priorities. The wedding venue is always at the top spot along with the food and drinks, photographer, videographer and decorations. Where is the budget for the bridal dress? It is often down the list of priorities.... read more
Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you had a great week.
Today's fun fact is about my least favorite chore: doing the dishes. Doing the dishes by hand is boring, it makes my hands all dry, and it uses a lot of water. It's less annoying to load and unload the dishwasher, but when we first moved into our house after being dishwasherless for a while, I began to have reservations about the water usage. However, as it turns out, using the dishwasher is the more efficient thing to do, NOT washing by hand! ... read more
Uh oh! Did your dog pee all over your rug? Or worse -- your cat? (I think cat urine is one of the foulest smells known to man, and my naughty but adorable little cat is who inspired today's post)
There are ways to get rid of those awful smells, but you've got to act fast before the smell gets worse!
These tips should work for both dogs and cats, and will help with any type of pet odor from urine to vomit. And all you need is vinegar and water!... read more
The world moves fast these days, which means that having a relaxation routine is vital if you want to feel refreshed and ready to take it on each morning. If you’re already living a green lifestyle, there’s no reason that this routine can’t be too! Here are five ways to relax in a way that’s both effective and earth-friendly.
1. Unplug
It’s almost impossible to feel relaxed with your cell phone buzzing beside you or your work e-mail ringing with each new message. In order to get the most out of your “you” time, turn everything off that will otherwise distract you or stress you out. There are plenty of good reasons for doing this too. For one, the LED lighting used to brighten these devices can interrupt your sleep pattern if you look at them too late, as light suppresses the production of sleep-inducing melatonin in the body. You can also cut down on your electricity usage and carbon dioxide emissions if you turn off your electronics for any period of time.... read more
Who else hates that plastic packaging (called blister packs or clamshell or oyster packaging) that things like electronics come in? I think they're so annoying, dangerous, unnecessary, and bad for the environment. There's even a name for the anger associated with opening these packages: wrap rage! Who hasn't had a bout of wrap rage when trying to open up the packaging for something they were initially excited about?... read more
Thanks to my lackidasical efforts in emptying out our indoor compost bin, we have a bunch of fruit flies hanging around our kitchen. Once you remove the source and anything else that might attract flies (no fruit in the fruit bowl for the time being!) it's time to trap those annoying suckers.
Here's an easy, nontoxic way to rid your kitchen of those pests. ... read more
Home safety and security are often foremost on a homeowner's mind prior to going on vacation. To be able to fully relax and enjoy themselves, people should tend to these issues before leaving. Likewise, considering energy conservation while they're away is also a good idea.
Individuals and families can avoid wasting energy while they're away having fun with a few simple steps. By making these steps part of every pre-vacation checklist, no one will have to worry about appliances that were left turned on or anything else that might waste energy and result in a high utility bill.
Before going away for the weekend or an extended length of time, use these steps to ensure savings and smart energy use.
It pays to ensure all electronics are turned off before leaving for vacation. ... read more
Whether your travels take you to hotels for business or pleasure, you might want to consider making your stay there as green, or environmentally friendly, as possible. Although we take for granted the many wonderful services offered to hotel guests, those combined services come at quite an environmental cost.
This article will explore ways that you can simply and easily increase "greenness" in out of town accommodations to help reduce your carbon footprint, improve the world, and make you feel virtuous in the process.
Laundry
The amount of laundry that is required to keep hotels functioning to stay clean is staggering. At home, most people will use a towel more than once in the bathroom, so why not when staying in a hotel? Just leave your towels on the rack or hooks, rather than on the floor or in the tub. In today's world, that's a clear signal to the housekeeping staff that you plan to use the towels again.
Reusing towels in your hotel is a great way to be a green traveler!
As a first world nation, it’s easy to take water quality for granted. While it’s true that the EPA has strict regulations for public drinking water, that doesn’t mean that all sources of water are equally safe.
Safety and Quality Concerns
If you rely on privately sourced water — like well water — it is your responsibility to test and manage the water quality. Dirty or contaminated water is cause for great concern, as common contaminants like fecal bacteria, pesticides, mercury, lead, nitrates, and other chemicals and organisms can cause serious illness.
However, even if you rely on quality-regulated public water, there are milder quality issues that you may wish to investigate. Comparatively minor issues like hard water, water with slight impurity concerns that result in stained fabric, or water with a slightly distasteful flavor are all hazards that may prompt you to test your water.
Getting the hard facts — through testing — about your water’s quality can help you choose the best course of action for resolving any issues you may face.... read more
We are all about natural in my home. Free from chemicals, dyes, and polluting substances is the way my family lives. I had a hard time, however, forking out the dough to buy the ‘natural’ laundry detergents at the supermarket. Then I discovered I could make my own, and it is very easy. All you need to make your own laundry soap, for pennies on the dollar, are three ingredients: 
Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you had a great week. 
Who else hates that plastic packaging (called blister packs or clamshell or oyster packaging) that things like electronics come in? I think they're so annoying, dangerous, unnecessary, and bad for the environment. There's even a name for the anger associated with opening these packages: 
