DIY Dish Soap Recipe:
- Mix 2 cups liquid castile soap with ½ cup warm water.
- Add ½ cup lemon juice.
- You can add essential oils if you want.
- Mix with a whisk, then funnel into a bottle.
Incorporate Recycling:
You can even recycle in the bathroom: toilet paper cardboard, shampoo bottles, facial tissue boxes—but not the tissues, those are too fragile.
Office: paper, printer cartridges, & batteries at office supply store Living Room: newspaper Kitchen: aluminum, any plastic with the number 1 and 2 in the chasing arrow symbol on the bottom, but some districts even take 6, which is styrofoam. You can even recycle small pieces of plastic like a straw, but not things that are made of mixed materials, like a bottle cap that's metal lined with plastic. Find out what's recyclable in your district by going to
Earth911.com.
Safer Sponges:
Scary bacteria like E. coli, salmonella, and staph can grow on damp sponges.
Some manufacturers market sponges treated with antibacterial like triclosan. Soap and water is as effective as triclosan at killing bacteria, according to the FDA. And triclosan is a hormone disruptor, which compromises our immune systems. Triclosan can also breed antibiotic-resistant bacteria. When choosing sponges, look for cellulose—those are made from wood—rather than synthetic sponges, which don't biodegrade in the landfill. To kill bacteria on your sponges without triclosan, simply run them in the dishwasher with a regular load and let dry thoroughly between use; you can also zap them in the microwave for one minute.
Make a Scrubber Sponge:
You can also make a scrubber sponge by putting a dishtowel into a mesh produce bag and washing the towel between uses; just hang the bag to dry and toss it when it gets too used.
To get additional advice on how to live an eco-friendly lifestyle, visit Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff at
MommyGreenest.com.
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