Welcome!

  • The little community radio show that assumes we all want to change our lives for the planet, and aren't sure where to start, and can't afford expensive alternatives.

  • For twelve weeks, I'll take something you think you may never give up and weigh the alternatives. They are easier than you realise!

  • If maybe at the end of the show, you think more seriously about your next purchase, my job is done.

  • Whether humanity is on the verge of self destruction or not, trying new things is a great experiment! You'll learn about yourself, a process that never ends.

  • Theres a lot to say for knowing that at the end of the day, you'll be a little less reliant on an unstable economy/world/etc. and a little more reliant on yourself. Even if you don't get as far into sustainable living as others, every option presented today stimulates your local economy, keeping more money here where it's needed.

Monday, June 30, 2008

JULY 1st - VINEGAR!

I asked members of the show's Facebook group to pass on their tips for green cleaning. There was alot of overlap, and vinegar/baking soda were mentioned a lot. I decided to turn this weeks show into an homage to vinegar in celebration of all the things it can replace!

Finding links for green cleaning was the easiest thing I've ever done. Lots of people out there are looking to save cash (eco-fan or not) and green cleaning does a great job of that. I'm spending the show reading off of the Good Human website because it's list was the most extensive.

THE STARS OF ECO-HOME CLEANING:

  • Vinegar!
  • Warm Water
  • Baking Soda
  • Borax
  • Lemon & Lemon Juice
  • Lime & Lime juice
  • Salt
  • Olive Oil

*note that none of these are poisonous (but children should stay away from borax)!
One Person's experience with using vinegar for the first time.

Below are the eco-home tips that The Good Human didn't cover:

  • Clothes too destroyed for donation? Cut them up into rags!
  • Keep old toothbrushes after they're no good for your mouth, they are still good for getting into nooks and crannies in your dishes, or nick knacks.
  • Avoid wall-to-wall carpeting at all costs! Once you have it you are doomed to needing a working vacuum cleaner. Not to mentions that all the ways to clean hard surfaces, don't require electricity!
  • Cornstarch – Not only is it good for thickening sauces, but also it also absorbs oil and grease.
  • Isopropyl Alcohol – Great to use as a disinfectant when added to water, but use sparingly around children.
  • Optimize Your Fridge:
    • Refrigerators are major energy consumers, but there are ways you can fine-tune your fridge without replacing it. Defrost the freezer regularly, keeping frost levels under 6mm. Keep your fridge full so that less air escapes when you open it - but don't fill it so much that circulation is blocked altogether. Don't keep the fridge cooler than is necessary. Clean the coils behind the fridge and the grill below the doors about four times a year.
  • Laundry Tips
    • For stains, try soaking fabrics in water mixed with one of the following: Borax, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide, or white vinegar.
    • For fabric softening, add a quarter cup of baking soda to the wash cycle.
    • For static cling, add a quarter cup of white vinegar to the wash water.
    • To soften water, use a soap-based, rather than detergent-based, cleaner.
    • Buy laundry products in containers that are recyclable.
    • Still got static cling? Try a ball of aluminum foil in the dryer. It works!
  • Indoor Climate Control:
    • Curtains and window coverings are your best friend in the summer.
    • Clear plastic, and white sheets are your best friend in the winter.
    • Use floor length curtains around the bottom of your stairs to keep the top floor from overheating, and the main floor from over cooling.
  • Floors:
    • Hempseed oil and beeswax are fantastic non-toxic, pure and safe finishing oils that provide clean coatings as well as protect wood grains and painted surfaces. Both can be used for walls, decks, furniture, antiques, and floors. They’re safe to use on your children’s wooden toys, cutting boards, and butchers block countertops!
    • Here’s a great recipes to add to your home collection: 1/8 cup hemp oil (olive oil or vegetable oil works just as well); 1 tbsp vinegar; 1 tbsp vodka; and try grading some beeswax into the mix – this will give you sparkling floors!
  • BBQ: try creating a paste of baking soda and water for your barbecue or grill, soak the surface overnight and then scrub away the next day with a strong, coarse sponge.
  • Hand Soap Recipe:

    • Supplies

    • 4 oz. bar of natural soap
    • Grater
    • 1 gallon of distilled water
    • 1 big pot
    • Hand mixer

Here are the steps, summarized from Suite 101:

  1. Grate your bar of soap.
  2. Heat the water just enough to steam.
  3. Add the grated soap to the water.
  4. Take the mixture off of the heat, and let it sit for 15 minutes.
  5. Blend the mixture, with a hand mixer if you have one.
  6. Let it sit overnight.
  7. Make sure the mixture is completely blended. If not, blend again, and let it sit. Then, blend again.
  8. Pour it into an olive oil bottle and wash your hands!
Artist Links:
The Gertrudes
Beirut
Wendy McNeill
The Ghost Bees
The Fugitives

Thanks to Stephanein and Erica for their enthusiastic input this week! Lets have a soap-making party!


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