Non-toxic, Inexpensive, Effective

...three words we like to hear together, especially these days. Those of us who for health and/or ethics go out of their way to purchase organic and non-toxic and usually pay extra for them. However, there are ways to actually save money when doing this too. to I plan to put together more money-saving organic and non-toxic tips in the near future. One of my favorites is using vinegar to clean the house.

I did buy lots of environmentally friendly cleaners already, but the first I heard about using vinegar was from our maid service. These women would bring it to clean the hardwood floors just because they preferred it, it made the floors shine and did not damage them. Later on I found out through Environmental Working Group that it was a viable cleaner for other things and I did not have to worry about it harming my children.

Since it is an alcohol it is a natural disinfectant and fairly inexpensive. Most people ask about the smell. I really don't even notice it anymore, but it really only lasts as long as it takes for it to dry and I have found that if you want to upgrade to cider vinegar, the smell is more mild. For counters and tables I add lavender to the spray bottle too.

So here you are: 1001 Uses For Distilled White Vinegar

JAY

Our Garden Is Very Happy!

Our garden has finally exploded with life! After much trial and error at the beginning, we are finally seeing the results. I think getting the soil right was the key. We are so happy to be seeing the results.

This morning my 3-year-old son and I went through and peeked at all the squash growing on the vines under the big leaves, the onions peeking up from the soil, one lone green bean on the vine and lots of green tomatoes. We looked for all the "good bugs," and my adventurous eater sampled every herb and like them all. It was a beautiful morning.

Where in the world is Paul Goettlich?

May 12, 2009
JAY

Paul Gottlich is the director of Mindfully.org, a nonprofit dedicated to exposing the effects and costs of technology on our bodies and society. He wrote inspiring articles on getting plastic out of your life and diet and why we want to. The site mindfully.org now does not exist (it's up for sale by the way). I've looked for him over the past month hoping he'd re-post and all I could find were one of his articles preserved on someone else's blog. Read It Here