Category Archives: Eco Friendly Home

Making the Most of My Brita On Tap

While I have somewhat mixed feelings about the greenness of having a filter on my kitchen faucet, I must confess that I love my Brita On Tap. I’ve never been the kind to buy bottled water other than for my earthquake kit, so it’s not keeping me from buying that, but I’ve certainly seen some benefits to having it.

We do drink quite a bit of tap water in my family. I fill up a container to keep in the fridge, so there’s always cold water available. The kids love it, although they’ve never commented on any difference between filtered and plain tap water.

Probably the biggest improvement was the day we had the kitchen pipes torn out because the old cast iron pipes for the drain had rusted shut. They also had to cut some of the pipes bringing water into the house and replace them with new.

At that time, the Brita was not attached. The plastic adapter it comes with is a piece of junk, and while we had bought a metal one to replace it, we hadn’t gotten around to actually doing it.

But the day we tasted the water coming through the new pipes, my husband and I knew it was time to put the filter back on, and hope the metal adapter worked better than the plastic one, which had allowed the filter to fall off the faucet every couple days.

Glad to say it works much better. The filter still hasn’t fallen off, months later, and even though the nasty taste that came from the new pipes is now gone, I’m enjoying that filter. We drink a lot of water here, and San Diego region water has never had the best flavor.

My grandparents’ well water in Sacramento, on the other hand… used to make sure to fill up there on trips. But that’s off topic.

My one frustration is that there’s currently no recycling for the Brita filters in the United States. I read someplace or other several months back that some other countries do have that, so I know it’s possible. Hugely frustrating to have something that could be recycled, but isn’t, due strictly to lack of recycling facilities.

Actually, I do have another frustration, but it relates more to how the water comes into my house. During the summer, the cold side often starts out hot. Sometimes steaming hot. You’re not supposed to run hot water through the filter.

We do have this problem solved, though. We keep a couple empty jugs by the sink. If we need cold and the water’s running hot, the jug collects the hot water, which is saved for the garden. Cuts down on the water waste and lets me help some of the plants that have been rather more sensitive to our recent hot weather.

All in all, if your local plain tap water isn’t what you enjoy, this isn’t a bad option. Some may prefer the Brita pitchers, which also work well. But if it keeps you from buying bottled water, a basic filtration system is well worth it.

Oh, and the replacement filters are often much cheaper through Amazon than locally! Check out the price differences, and if you’re buying online try to get things in as few shipments as possible. Increase your odds of free shipping and hopefully cut down on packaging.

How to Find Green Cleansers

While I enjoy making my own cleaning supplies, I know it’s not for everyone, even when much of it is as simple as baking soda and vinegar. Maybe you like the scents of other cleansers or maybe you just can’t quite believe they’re effective enough.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t go green with your cleaning supplies.

There are a number of greener cleansers out there. Clorox may have a name for itself as the producer of some really nasty, toxic chemicals, but if you can get past that they have their Green Works line of products. You can get these locally at Home Depot and other stores. I’ve tried them, and they work fine.

If you’re buying products, do at least consider buying concentrated versions that you have to water down before use. This will at least cut down on the packaging and weight of shipping. It also saves you quite a bit of money. One of the Green Works products I bought, an all-purpose cleanser, can be diluted to 1:24 a bit and is still effective.

There are other products you can buy as well, such as the old, reliable Simple Green. I used that one for a long time before starting to make my own products.

When in doubt, look at the labels.

The very first thing I don’t want in a product is for it to be antibacterial. These can leave residues, encouraging resistant bacteria to grow, and don’t do any better a job of cleaning. With the residue left, it may even be doing worse. Just remember that a good soap allows you to wipe those germs right off the counter. Keep your cleaning cloths clean and you won’t be spreading too many germs about.

Besides, a few germs around are good for the immune system. It’s the excess that is far more likely to make you or your family ill.

In addition, look for warning and danger labels. Right off the bat either of these tells you that your cleanser has something toxic in it. You’ll probably want to wear gloves when using such products, or better yet, find an alternative that’s less toxic.

Caution labels are on many products. It’s on my Green Works bottle, for example, because it’s a potential eye irritant. Eyes are very easy to irritate.

I prefer to avoid ammonia, bleach, hydrochloric acid, chlorine, petroleum products and many other ingredients commonly found in cleaning products. I’m also not big on added fragrances, unless it’s an essential oil such as I add when I use vinegar so my husband doesn’t complain about the scent.

A simple rule is that if you can recognize the source of the ingredients in your cleaning product, it’s probably safer. Not always, as nature can come up with some really nasty toxins.

Just remember you don’t need products with special agents to make them foam up, or really harsh chemicals to get the job done. A bit of elbow grease and a natural product can do the job just as well. You won’t have to worry about what you’re sending down the pipes or in the trash if you pick your products more carefully.

Cleaned Your Lint Trap Lately?

While it’s summer around here and the clothesline is getting some good use, I do still use the dryer some. Being pregnant has left me a little low on energy sometimes for hanging a full load out to dry, especially on really hot days.

I’m good about cleaning the lint trap out each and every load. My husband not so much. How well do you do?

Cleaning out your lint trap saves a lot of energy that your dryer would otherwise use. The dryer vent should be checked regularly too. Excessive lint build up can cause a fire.

Especially if you use dryer sheets (I don’t and my clothes feel and smell fine, thanks), you will want to scrub your lint trap’s screen periodically. Dryer sheets cause buildup on the screen, which make your dryer less efficient.

Budget Stretching Advice for Organic Foods – Guest Post

By weight, a baby will eat more, drink more, and even breathe more air than an adult. This means what you feed your baby (or child) has a much greater impact than it would have on you.

Most people would love to go “all organic” with their food choices. Who really wants the pesticides, hormones and preservatives in their food anyway? But going organic can be a pricey proposition. If your family is like most, your budget cannot afford 100% organic, so why not consider buying organic for some foods. Here is some simple advice on prioritizing your organic food purchases:

1. Eat organic at the top of the food chain: Purchasing organic dairy, egg and meat products is a great place to begin organic food purchases. Livestock eat pesticide-laden feed, are often dosed with antibiotics and hormones, and all of this ends up in the package at the super market. Even though produce is often associated with organic food, many of the residues on these foods can be eliminated or greatly reduced by properly cleaning and peeling them. There is no way to remove or reduce the contaminants in the meat, dairy and egg products.

2. Buying organic for produce with the highest levels of pesticides: Pesticides levels vary in produce. Foods that take a long time to grow have higher pesticides levels and foods that are high in sugar content tend to attract bugs and insects, and as result are sprayed more frequently.

The Environmental Workers Union analyzed a large number of foods and found that you can reduce risks of pesticide exposure by as much as 90 percent by avoiding the dirty dozen, or the top 12 produce items with the highest pesticide residues. Here is the list:

  • Apples
  • Bell peppers
  • Celery
  • Cherries
  • Grapes (imported)
  • Nectarines
  • Peaches
  • Pears
  • Potatoes
  • Red Raspberries
  • Spinach
  • Strawberries

On the flip side, these fruits and veggies have the lowest levels of pesticide residues:

  • Asparagus
  • Avocados
  • Bananas
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Corn (sweet)
  • Kiwi
  • Mangos
  • Onions
  • Papayas
  • Pineapples
  • Peas (sweet)

3. Buying organic for children’s favorite foods: Babies and toddlers are notorious for having some strange eating habits. One of them is eating the same foods day in and day out. This is a perfectly normal development step for your child. Buy organic foods for what your little one is eating the most of at meals.

4. Be flexible. Buy what is on sale: Organic foods are like all other foods products, there are always specials on foods that are in season and there are always coupons. Keep your menu-planning flexible to take advantage of supermarket deals and remember the savings from one coupon can often equal the price difference between organic and conventional.

  1. Buy private label: If you think your family budget can’t afford the prices at the fancy natural products stores, think again. Wild Oats, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s all offer a private-label brands of juices, soups, sauces and other processed edibles.
  2. Explore the bulk aisles: If you thought the bulk bins were only for hard-core hippies, think again. Many common kitchen staples like pastas, cereals, nuts, and spices are offered in the bulk section. The foods are in large containers and are priced at a per pound rate. Bulk foods are more affordable than the pre-packaged foods. If you are intimidated by the bulk food aisle, ask for help. The people who work in the bulk food section are extremely helpful and very willing to support new customers.

About the authors: Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers are sisters, the mothers of five children and founders of Fresh Baby ( www.FreshBaby.com ). They are the creators of the award-winning So Easy Baby Food Kit and Good Clean Fun Placemats, available at many fine specialty stores and national chains including Target and Whole Foods Markets.

How Green Will Your July 4th Be?

For a holiday that is celebrated mostly outdoors by most Americans, the Fourth of July is far from a green holiday. Thinking about what fireworks put into the air can put a bit of a damper on enjoying their beauty. And of course most barbecues aren’t so good in that area either.

That doesn’t mean you have to give up for the day. It just means you have to think a little.

We’ll start with the food. Lots of fun stuff here, and yes, my husband plans on barbecuing. Some things he has no interest in giving up. But if we can cut back on the meat, it will be a healthier meal. You can also pick more sustainable types of charcoal for your barbecue or use propane.

I’m hoping that some of the produce in our garden will be ready; I haven’t checked yet. But our tomatoes have been producing and a friend gave us some zucchini and yellow squash. Garden produce, when available, makes a great addition anytime. We’ll also have plenty of fruit, as we got plums from my inlaws’ tree and a neighbor gave us apricots. Lots of local and in season produce, mmm!

It’s hard to avoid soda cans, juice boxes and bottled drinks if you’re having company over. But you can make good choices with these. Think about which can be recycled most easily. Juice boxes as a rule are very challenging to recycle, although some do get made into bags, such as the Basura bag at ReusableBags.com. But if you’re not recycling, reusing them or finding out out to give them to someone who will make bags, they’re going in the landfill. And very few places recycle juice boxes.

Speaking of which, do you have your reusable dishes yet for having people over? Paper or plastic plates may be easy to get, but they’re wasteful. Not wanting to take breakable dishes outside is reasonable, especially if you’ll be away from home, but that doesn’t have to mean disposable.

If you’re going to a fireworks show, try for one near to where you’re doing the rest of your celebration, and carpool where possible. Carpooling can also make parking a lot easier… fewer spaces to seek out to keep your party together. Plan ahead so that you sit as little as possible in traffic; pretty much any fireworks celebration is going to generate a traffic jam.

This is one of the few times I don’t know that I’d suggest riding a bike there. Lots of traffic, after dark, and people who have been drinking all day. This time a car makes more sense to me.

What else can you think of?