Hi everyone …hope you are all doing well in whatever part of the world you are in !
As per usual the world is topsy turvy and the evening news is rarely fun to watch…hence why I don’t watch if I can help it ! Hubby is away for a few days so the television is off most of the day! I have no problem filling the hours with reading, hobbies etc. Now the gardens have been put to bed for their winter slumber and all the summer furniture stored away its time for indoor pursuits .
Something I’ve always loved is filling my home with indoor tropical plants. I grew up with parents who were avid gardeners and Mom always had houseplants in every window! They bring a home alive and make your indoor air quality so much healthier especially in the winter months when its harder to get fresh air inside. Central heating creates such dry air that is really not good for us! We have a humidifier on our furnace which really makes us and my plants much more comfortable.
Plants filter huge amounts of toxins from the air …all our modern materials whether flooring, paint, furniture etc. all release toxins…off gasing it is called…and having plants in the home helps to remove these.
Too many ??? Yes being stuck at home definately spurred on my plant propagating and collecting !
I purchased a couple of small ones at the grocery store but most of my new ones I propagated from my own collection….honestly it’s the easiest and cheapest way to add to your collection. I begged some cuttings from friends and family too! Make sure you research each plants needs, because if you do the wrong thing they will turn up their toes and die on you!
I have definately lost a few …for some reason I struggle to keep spider plants alive! They are said to be so easy ! Well I have 2 small ones going now ..we will see!
I’m fortunate that my house faces south so the front rooms are bathed in light all day, my dining room gets only good morning light so those plants that can’t handle bright light go in there. If you want some recomendations for easy peasy plants to start with I’ve had great luck with Pothos, Peace Lily, Sansevieria or Mother in Laws Tongue. If your one to forget to water regularly, choose succulents as they need to be on the dry side.
Ok so now on to a different Green subject….how is your journey to being “green” in your home coming along? By “green” I mean being aware of what we are buying and bringing into our homes, how we are cleaning our homes, what products are we putting on our bodies etc.
This is a huge passion for me and has been for years ….no I’m definately not perfect at it but perfection is really not the goal ! The goal is to change our habits one at a time …..become more aware of our choices , research and oh ya …a big one ….don’t be fooled by all the “green washing” out there!
So many products on the grocery store shelves say that they are an environmentally great choice but if you read the ingredients ….maybe not ….and the vast majority are in PLASTIC bottles !!
We need to consciously be aware of the plastics entering our homes and do everything we can to reduce what we are buying in my opinion.
Most plastics are not recyclable and those that are may not be recycled if the container was not cleaned before it went in the bin or there are no facilities to process them .
I have other blog posts about this subject so won’t blab on and on…..but here is some of what I do in my home, not to brag but I want everyone to know how easy it is to switch from bottles of chemicals to greener choices!
Here is my laundry room…super easy place to start…
Those blue eggs are Eco Eggs…I’ve spoken about them before. A British company …I bought them on the Shopping Channel many years ago….they contain small pelletts that rarely have to be topped up, maybe twice a year for the two of us doing laundry.
Dryer balls are a must ! No more dryer sheets for us !
The old canning jars hold Borax and an oxygen laundry booster I buy at my local waste free store…just take my containers and get them filled ! I also fill a bottle of the eco liqid laundry detergent so I have something for hand washing of delicates . The Sunlight soap is for stains or grease marks on hubbies shirts…it has always come packaged in paper !
Baking soda I buy in bulk for cooking and also cleaning .
In my kitchen I’ve had to make the biggest changes…no more paper towels….well to be honest I bought a few rolls from a great company called whogivesacrap.org….yes thats its name !! Mostly for draining bacon…🥴
I buy kleenex and paper towels from them, all bamboo , no trees lost! Their kleenex boxes dont have that nasty piece of plastic on top ..yeh !!And no plastic at all in their shipping boxes. I use bamboo reusable paper towels the most, they can be washed and dried over and over then composted when they wear out . They come from a great company called Wipe on us…I also use their bamboo disinfecting wipes since covid reared its ugly head…for surfaces or skin !
The spray bottle has my homemade cleaner made from orange and or lemon peels soaked in vinegar for a few weeks then strained and diluted 1 to 1 with water. Smells divine , cuts grease, disinfects and is super cheap ! Dont use on natural stone though because of the vinegar .
The shaker has baking soda for scouring ,the jar has eco dish liquid I get filled up at my zero waste store. The various cloths are from Eno…Austrian company that has been on the chemical free bandwagon for decades…their many different clothes use only water to clean ….Swedish dish clothes are made from cellulose…compostable as well. The scrubby is cotton, made in Portugal. These last two are readily available at places like Homesense.
The yellow can is scouring powder with bleach so not the most eco friendly choice but the container is cardboard and metal so will biodegrade. I only use it to clean my glass cooktop and stainless appliances…..like I said I’m not perfect !
Here’s my bathroom….bamboo toilet paper that comes individually wrapped in tissue paper, no plastic used in shipping. From Wipeonus…I also have to give a shout out to a company called Blueland…started by a Mom who was concerned about the chemicals in the products she was using . I love their hand soap tablets, just drop in water …also laundry detergents etc. They are a certfied carbon neutral company which is awesome !! Look them up at their website…blueland.com.
My tub niche is pretty empty as we dont buy bottles of stuff anymore…again my zero waste store sells an amazing shampoo bar that we both love . Its moisturizing enough we don’t need to buy the conditioner bar! The soap dishes are a silicone one and an very old one that was my Mom’s…I’ll reuse it forever probably because its plastic. Use what you have right !
Beside my sink a refillable soap jar , wood and boar bristle nailbrush, and an Eno face scrubber/ makeup remover pad . I had made some pads for makeup removing from old face cloths and use fractionated coconut oil( stays liquid) to remove stubborn mascara if I need it . My deodorant is from an awesome company called no pong…Australian but now shipped from Canada…love it !!
I haven’t greened up my tooth brush or paste yet…having worked in Dentistry I like my powered toothbrush…yes it will go to electronic recycling when its pooched…and not fond of tooth powder….we will see!
Well there is more I’m sure to chat about but this is a long post ! I’d love to hear what you are up to…lets have a great November! I’m loving the cooler temps though not looking forward to snow so much !
I’d love to hear what your up to…any spider plant,tips !!
Off to tidy my art room…my 3 year old Grandson informed me yesterday it was a mess !! Yikes !!
Cheers my friends! Make it a great day ! Jaye 💌
JayeB's little Green Cottage 