Earth Day is coming

amazing how time flies...i've been meaning to post for over 2 weeks now and just haven't had the time or energy...now all my blog ideas have passed but I will try ..

In honour of Earth Day I wanted to post about a few things I have tried recently around the house. Some have worked for me and some...well we'll just say at leave I tried.

Things I like
1) using baking soda to scrub the sinks. They really do come out shining and clean looking. Just don't use too much or you end up with a bit of a mess to contend with. I finally got the proportions right after a couple of tries.
2) hanging some laundry rather than using the dryer. I tried hanging everything but found that my underwear and socks didn't feel quite right on when they weren't dried in the dryer. They felt kind of crunchy and uncomfortable. I will continue to use the dryer for those garmets.
3) using vinager to clean the counter tops. I don't mind the smell and it basically gets things clean. If i really want to disinfect I will use a cleaning product with anti-bacterial components because I'm not sure vinigar contains any.
4) using old towels cut into smaller cloths to scrub counters and other surfaces rather than paper towels. Not only are we helping the environment but also saving $$ on paper towel.
5) walking as many places as possible rather than driving. This can be a hard one for many people as in todays world so many people live in the suburbs and driving is a neccesity but for us there are many things close by that driving seems a waste (and it can take longer to make the left hand turn onto the street in front of our house than it takes to walk to where we are going!!)This one also depends on the weather, now that it is nice out it is MUCH easier to do this..i personally can't imagine walking to the grocery store with a stroller in the disgusting snow we had this past winter!!
6) using reusable bags at the grocery store and other shopping excursions. I just don't get why more people don't do this. It just seems to make sense, yet you'd be surprised how many store clerks look at me funny when i tell them i don't need/want a bag!
7) using compact fluorescent lightbulbs. I resisted buying these for a while because they seems so pricey but after needing to replace our bedroom light bulbs more often than i felt needed we took the plunge and bought the compacts, they are great! AND I only need one verses two or two verses three as they are super bright!! Now i won't have to replace them for quite some time (I hope!!)

Things I'm not so keen on
1) I read that one can unclog a sink by pouring baking soda, followed by vinegar and boiling water down the drain...this method just isn't working for us. And now that i've been losing tonnes of hair due to pregnancy hormones the sink is seriously clogged..we need some liquid Drano to do the trick i think :(
2) reusing my dishwater. I don't actually wash dishes by hand that often but when i do I just can't imagine taking that water and going to water my plants (i should say plant-we don't do well with plants around here) SOMETIMES i do take the vegitable water I used to boil/steam vegitables and use it to water my outdoor flowers(when i have actually taken the time to plant any...none so far this year)
3) ...hmm i thought i could think of a few more things i was having trouble with but when i really think about it so much of it just seems to make sense...