Making the switch to cloth

photo credit: ms. lume

I have been using cloth grocery bags for a while now, but with my discovery of cloth diapers, I started changing everything I could over to cloth, non-disposable options.


Paper towels- I was already using microfiber cloths for most of my cleaning. I do keep paper towels, but I only use them for things like draining bacon. When they run out, I don't plan on buying any more.


Diapers- Obviously, I use cloth. I still have a stash of 'sposies from my pre-cloth days, but, same as the paper towels, when they run out I'm not buying more. I really only use them for things like long car trips, when it wouldn't be safe to pull over to change Doodlebug's diaper. Disposables are more absorbent, so she can last 'til I can get to a gas station.


Facial tissue- I have really bad allergies and I seriously blow my nose a LOT. And cheapy tissue doesn't cut it, so I was spending a ton of money on the soft lotiony kind of tissue. I was going to sew myself some cloth hankerchiefs (which would NOT have been pretty. I can't sew.), but my mom found me a whole bunch of vintage hankies at an auction for a dollar. They are so soft and much sturdier than a tissue.


Girly stuff- No details here. Suffice it to say: Cloth nursing pads and mama cloth.


Toilet paper?- Yes, I'm totally going there. This is my latest switch. I thought I would have a hard time with this one, but I haven't. You can buy cloth toilet paper online or make it yourself with flannel and buy a nice wetbag, but I just went out and bought two 18-packs of washcloths and use a mop bucket to throw them in. You probably need a wet bag if you don't plan on washing very often, but it's not really a problem if you are already washing diapers. This post has a great explanation of how one woman does it. And no, it's not gross. I think it's a whole lot nicer than a dry square of paper. And if you can wipe your baby's bottom with cloth, you can wipe your own with it, too.

Crunchy Living

This started out as my adventure to save the planet. I didn't expect huge changes in every product I used. It was simply my goal to reduce consumption and waste and encourage other people to do so as well. I so desperately want there to be a planet left for my little girl when she grows up.

The more research I have done, though, the more I have discovered that there is more to it than that. I have started to think about the chemicals in our food, and what we put on our bodies (at this stage Doodlebug puts everything in her mouth, so anything on my skin or hair goes directly into her mouth). So there will be more posts on natural alternatives from time to time as well.

It is all intertwined, I think. Once you start trying to be more environmentally friendly, you naturally progress to being more natural in every aspect. Sometimes it works the other way around. Some people are worried about their health and try to do "natural" things, which leads to an interest in being environmentally friendly.

Right now I am working on:

Reducing my consumption, thereby reducing waste.
Reducing water consumption.
Switching to more organic and locally grown foods.
Learning about alternatives to commercial cosmetic products.
Recycling everything I can.
Container gardening.

And constantly, constantly learning what I can do next. It is a never-ending battle. But hopefully I can make a difference; hopefully I can spread the word.

Snappi Troubleshooting

I took pictures for this post, but unfortunately photobucket is loading really slowly today, so I'm just going to have to explain it the best I can and link to other pictures. Sorry for the inconvenience. Click on the links if you don't understand something I'm saying.

I love my Snappis,which keep me from worrying about poking Doodlebug with a diaper pin, but I will admit I have had a couple of problems with them. Here is how I solved them.

The middle claw gets in the way.
It just dangled there. I never could get the thing to truly hook on so it wouldn't come off. The directions say not to cut it or you will weaken it. So I didn't. But you can very easily pry the hard plastic claw out of the rubbery plastic so it won't poke. My Snappis just have a dangly piece in the middle with no claw, but it doesn't get in the way.

I am using cheap diapers and the Snappi pokes through.
I use Gerber prefold diapers, which are very thin and don't work so well with a Snappi. I thought I was doomed to diaper pins until I discovered the safety feature on the new Snappis. You know the little round tab on the top? When they aren't being used this pulls down over the claws to prevent poking. I pulled it down (see the second picture here) and just use it like this. It makes it not poke down so deep so it doesn't go through the diapers. You absolutely HAVE to use a diaper cover if you do this, though, because the corners of the claw are exposed.

Hopefully that made some semblance of sense with no pics. If you have a cloth diapering problem or solution, let me know. I'd be glad for the wisdom and would love to share what you know!

Soap Nuts Review

I won a free sample of Soap Nuts from NaturOli and Passionate Homemaking, so I thought I'd let you know how they worked.

They smelled kind of funny in the bag, but they worked really well. I even washed cloth diapers with them, and they came out smelling fresh and clean. I lost count of how many times I've washed with them, but it's been around five loads and they are still usable.

I checked the website and they are only slightly more expensive than my regular detergent (about one cent per load) but I can't find information about their shipping costs. I may call and ask them, and if the shipping is reasonable I may buy some.

I want to use the most environmentally friendly products I can without being budget unfriendly, so Soap Nuts may be the solution for my laundry.

Small Steps: Big Impact-- Soap

If you use body wash, try switching to bar soap. It comes in much less packaging, and the cardboard it is wrapped in is much more easily recycled than a plastic bottle.

Do the same for your hand soap. Get a soap dish and switch to a bar. It's better for the environment and cheaper too. While you're at it, make sure you aren't using antibacterial soap. We're killing off good bacteria and creating super bad antibiotic/antibacterial resistant bacteria.

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No 'poo update- Day 7

This is day seven of not using shampoo and I'm really surprised how well it has gone. The first couple of days were pretty greasy, but after that not so much. No one who saw me would be able to tell I hadn't used shampoo for a week. It still feels a little bit oily, but only as much as if I had skipped one day of shampoo before.

Going no 'poo does take a little bit longer than just washing your hair with shampoo. There is no lather to spread it through your hair, so you have to really take the time to work in the baking soda. But other than that it has been no problem.

Oh yeah... and you have to rinse the vinegar out or you'll smell like a pickle factory. Duh. Can you tell I didn't read all the directions the first time? :)

Soap Nuts Giveaway

Passionate Homemaking is giving away twenty sample packs of soap nuts, which are a natural laundry alternative. If you're interested go check it out!

Thoughts on Global Warming

I know that there are people out there who don't believe in global warming, or who believe that it is cyclical and not something to be worried about. I am not one of those people. However, for the people who don't believe in it, I have this to say:

Why not act as if global warming is real anyway? All of the ways to counteract global warming are good for the planet in other ways. Many ways of combatting global warming (CFLs, unplugging things, driving a more fuel efficient car...) save you money!

So just act like it's real and follow the steps whether you believe or not.

Thanks.

Small Steps: Big Impact-- Cell Phone Chargers

I know you all unplug your cell phone chargers when they're not in use, right? But if you drive regularly, you might consider charging your phone in the car. The car already has to be on, so you aren't using extra electricity to charge the phone. Just a thought.