Fresh and Green Ideas

I read an article in our local paper yesterday about green living. I really like to read stuff about being green. I think I like to see where I can make improvements in our lives and help the environment and save some bucks. I am doing most of the things like recycling cans and plastics, using those new type of light bulbs, and unplugging small appliances and phone chargers when not in use. There was also a mention of using baking soda and vinegar as an alternative to laundry detergent. You use two handfuls of baking soda and a cup of vinegar in a load. I had my doubts but gave it a try and it was wonderful. I did several loads yesterday and they all came out great. Now I have to admit in some loads I added a few drops of Tide because I didn't want to have to rewash stuff. Also it was not the greatest on Jeremy's work pants. They are usually covered in grease, dirt and who knows what else. They are pretty bad and I don't think think this is the best method for them. But overall I think I will be washing my clothes this way. Not only is it better for the environment but it's cheaper than buying all that Tide!


I also found this at Walmart last week. I usually buy Cascade Complete for our dishwasher because it's old and just doesn't do very well with any of the other detergents I've tried. I picked up a bottle of this because it was less than half the cost of Cascade. It was only like $2.50-$2.70 a bottle whereas Cascade is almost $6-$7 for the same size. I thought I would give it a try and it did wonderful. The only thing was that my knives that had Peanut Butter on them did not come out looking too clean. I will have to rinse or soak them before they go in. If you have a dishwasher, give it a try and see what you think.

Okay I'm done with my product endorsements for the day. :)