Natural Laundry: It's not just for babies

Most of us pick and choose our cloth diaper detergent carefully. We ensure we have the most natural product available with limited amount of "additives", but what about on your regular laundry? 

Cloth diaper detergents are known for being "green". They break down easily in the environment and do not contain harmful chemicals. Did you know that cloth diaper detergents actually make wonderful regular laundry detergent? If you are wanting to take some steps to being a little greener why not start with your laundry! 

You can even make your own environmentally friendly detergent at home! The favorite recipe among mothers seems to be equal parts borax, oxiclean, and washing soda. This will make a nice and effective powdered detergent to use on your everyday clothing. 

Another step is to hang dry your clothes! Purchase a clothesline and give it a shot. You won't be sorry. You will not only save on your electric bill, but Mother Nature will leave your clothes smelling fresh and clean. Another great thing about hanging your clothes outside to dry is the sun's UV rays. The UV rays are a natural anti-bacterial! They will kill any lingering bacteria and leave your whites whiter. 

If you want to use a dryer, try using dryer balls.  Wool dryer balls help keep the clothes separated and will allow for faster drying time.  In turn, you will use less energy and ultimately be a little greener. 

As you can see there are simple steps that you can change in your laundry routine to green up and save a little money in the process.  

Nubius Organics

I found an interesting website called Nubius Organics. They have a lot of neat green products.

Here are some awesome products that I found.

Reusable produce bags!- Instead of using the plastic baggies offered in the store get a set of these instead! They are lightweight and reusable. You can store produce or bulk items easily.

Rebel Green Zipper Pouches- A great place to stash your produce bags! The Rebel Green Zipper Pouches come in three hip and stylish designs, and are made with sturdy, American-made organic cotton. Printed using eco-friendly inks, the Rebel Green Zipper Pouches are strong, durable, and built to last. Can hold up to 4 reusable produce bags.

Bambu coaster set- Bambu blends together the unique properties of the extraordinary material, bamboo, with contemporary stying sand quality craftsmanship. Bambu has created as distinctive collection of functional well-designed products for modern living.

 

Reusable Utensils- Why be wasteful with one-time use plastic utensils when you can use reusable utensils! they are stylish and great on the environment!

They have so many more cool products, these are just a few that stood out to me. Be sure to check them out here!

Going Green Equals More Green in your Wallet

A lot of people feel like going green has to cost a fortune, but the truth is you can save a bundle with a few earth-friendly changes. Here are a few green tips that can help out your budget.

1. Cloth diapers- Ok, who saw this one coming? Cloth diapers are better on the environment AND can save you about $2000 per baby!   
2. Skip the bottled water- Using a reusable bottle (such as the Kleen Kanteen) and a water filter can save you a lot and will keep all those plastic bottles out of our landfills.  
3. No more plastic sandwich baggies!- Opt for a reusable sandwich bag instead! No more purchasing sandwich or snack baggies! Just use and rewash! Plus they will make your lunch a little more stylish. 
4. Mama cloth- Ditch the disposable pads and pantyliners for something more comfortable and eco-friendly.  Try Glad Rags and I promise you will never want to go back to the disposables again! 
5. Limit your paper supplies. Instead of using paper towels, use a hand towel that can be rewashed. Instead of using paper plates and plastic utensils, opt a cheap set of washable dishes and utensils that can be used for these purposes. 

As you can see, it can be super easy (and fun!) to go green and save a little money too!