Tip of the Day

I love being able to reuse items around the house. Not only is it good for the environment it's also good for the pocketbook. I recently came across some great green tips that I wanted to share.

1. Plastic baby bottles make great bath toys for kids.When you need to clean them just place them in the dishwasher. You can also make rattles out of them by placing beads or beans inside of them. Just make sure you use nontoxic glue to glue the cap in place to prevent a choking hazard.
2. Clean laundry measuring cups and scoops make fun beach and sandbox toys.
3. Worn out pre folds and old mismatched socks make great dust cloths.
4. Use shoe boxes for storing photos, recipes, bills, small toys and art supplies.  Cover with wrapping paper to make them more attractive and add a label that describes the contents.
5. Greeting cards can be cut up and used as post cards and gift tags.
6. Envelopes from junk mail can be used for to-do lists and shopping lists.
7. Spray bottles from household cleaners can be washed thoroughly and then used for household cleaners and water spritzer bottles for house plants.
8. Save orange and lemon peels and put them in a fireplace.  They will add fragrance to the room when you have a fire.

Earth Day Crafts

Happy Earth Day everyone! So I thought the best way to celebrate Earth Day and to teach your children the importance of Earth Day would be to  do a craft together. I found some great crafts online that I wanted to share. Enjoy!

1. Memory Tree Do It Yourself Project from Repurposed Fabrics - great mother's day gift
2. Repurposed Clothes Collage Pillow - great sewing project for adults
3. Earth Day Garland - great craft activity for kids

Looking for an eco-friendly lunchbox?

I was trying to find myself a good lunchbox, mine is falling apart, and I came across Yubo Lunchboxes.

 

Yubo Lunchboxes

 These lunchboxes are bpa free, antimicrobial, 100% recyclable, and dishwasher safe. These lunchboxes are great for kids. My daughter is only 6 months old but I use this lunchbox to carry her baby food and some snacks for myself. It fits nicely in my diaper bag and I don't have to worry about anything spilling. The front image, faceplate, is changeable and you can also customize them. You can use one of the standard images or you can upload any photo and make that your faceplate. A standard one is $21.95 but you can also order a deluxe version for $29.95. The deluxe version comes with custom containers and an ice pack that all fit perfectly in the lunchbox. No more ziploc baggies needed. Clean up is a breeze because you just take the lunchbox apart and place it in the dishwasher.

Product Review - Eco Nuts Organic Laundry Soap

Recently I came across a natural laundry soap, Eco Nuts, on Baby Half Off.

 

Eco Nuts 4 oz Organic Laundry Soap

I was very excited about this product when I read the description. It's a natural, organic, soap nut. It's fragrance free, hypoallergenic, biodegradable, and antimicrobial. What is a soap nut? They are completely sustainable dried fruit shells that come from the Sapindus mukorossi tree in Nepal, India and Indonesia. Eco Nuts contain saponin, a natural cleaner that works as a surfactant, breaking the surface tension of the water to penetrate the fibers of your clothing, lifting stains from the fabric and leaving dirt suspended in the water that is rinsed away. My husband and daughter have very sensitive skin so I am always looking for soap that won't irritate there skin. Since it's antimicrobial I thought it would be perfect for washing my cloth diapers. I found that the price was much cheaper through the Eco Nuts website. You can enroll in their laundry club, it's $13.56 for each 50 load box, and shipping is included! You can unsubscribe any time without a fee so I decided to start with the 3 month plan. The Eco Nuts were very simple to use. Just put 3-5 nuts in the bag provided and toss in with your laundry. I followed their instructions on cloth diaper care and my diapers were much fluffier. My daughter hasn't had any kind of reaction to the soap and her diapers always smell clean. The thing I love the most about these nuts is that once you have finished using the nut you can make liquid soap out of them and use for laundry again or as liquid soap. Nothing is wasted with this product so it is very good for the environment. I highly recommend this product.