Michelle's Green Guide

Bath Tips

Michelle — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 15:00:36 +0000

Hydrogen peroxide when swished in your mouth will whiten your teeth and works as a cheap disinfecting mouthwash.
Brushing your teeth with baking soda and water paste will whiten your teeth too.
A solution of 2 tsp. Tea Tree oil mixed with 2 cups water in a spray bottle, sprayed on and left, will eliminate mold spots in your shower for a month or so. Straight vinegar will do the same, most of the time.
Rust and hard water stains can be removed with full-strength lemon juice.

How long should my showers be?

Michelle — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:00:24 +0000

Five minutes. But, don’t despair, you can measure how long you’ve been scrubbing with nifty tools from the Water Bureau. Call today to get your home water audit kit and see where you can cinch up your water bill.

Bathroom References

Michelle — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:00:37 +0000

Some Really Expensive Toilets are Terrible. Intini, J. 2006. Maclean’s. 119(10):84. (Magazine article)

If you’re thinking about greywater for the toilet idea… not all low-flow toilets are created equally efficient, and price is not always indicative of a toilet’s efficiency. This and other points are made by Bill Gualey, an engineer who tests the performance of low-flow toilets. Obviously invested seriously in the subject, Gualey has engineered a test to gauge how well low-flow toilets perform, and he is currently working on a new ranking system similar to the energy star rating for appliances that will identify the best-performing toilets for shoppers.

Water Savers. 1995. Consumer Reports. 60(2):118—124. (Magazine article)

Consumer Reports tested and rated 29 low-flow showerheads and 32 low-flow toilets and compares them in this report, by cost, brand, and performance. The article also reports on payback time for low-flow fixtures, which is 2 years, or less for a showerhead, and 9 years for a low-flow toilet.

Low-flow toilets with performance ratings in the very good-to-better range cost from $200-$700. That may be a hard sell for some budgets so Consumer Reports has added suggestions for retrofitting existing toilets to save water, including tank water displacement and dual-flush levers. While more cost effective in the short run, such options are not as effective at saving water in the long run.

Consumer Reports believes low-flow fixtures to be effective at saving water and costs and more efficient than the conventional models. One caveat: if they don’t perform well, you might be taking longer showers and making more flushes.

Toilet Papers: Recycling Waste and Conserving Water. Van der Ryn, S. 1995. Ecological Design Press. Sausalito, California. (Book)

Alternative home waste disposal methods, such as composting toilets and the use of grey water in and around the home are important sustainable solutions. “Toilet Papers” outlines a number of viable options for composting toilets, complete with illustrations and detailed diagrams. Like a primer to grey water systems, the book describes how plumbing can be modified to direct grey water for use as irrigation or toilet water. Lavatory history and a human anatomy lesson make the rest of the book an interesting resource and it serves as a how-to manual for those folks with either some building and plumbing expertise, or simple determination.

Water. 2008. Rocky Mountain Institute Homepage. www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid123.php

The Rocky Mountain Institute’s website offers advice and information on the following water topics:

Water-efficient fixtures & appliance
Landscaping and irrigation
Greywater systems, compost toilets, and rain collection
Wastewater treatment systems
Drinking water quality

Civil action: promoting water efficiency and protecting rivers

This site is comprehensive and useful. Regarding composting toilets, there is a warning to homeowners that many local jurisdictions are unfamiliar with the technology, and therefore do not have codes enacted — making it difficult to pass inspections. The Rocky Mountain Institute provides numerous links for further information on all of these important topics.

Products for Water Conservation. Green Home Building Homepage. www.greenhomebuilding.com/Products/waterconservation.htm#composttoilet

A good source page for information on water conservation products, Green Home provides links to suppliers or manufactures of:

Conservation Kits
Clothes Washers
Composting Toilets
Bathroom Fixtures
Grey Water Supplies
Barrels & Tanks

Check out this site to get ideas for your next home project.

Living Room Tips

Michelle — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:00:54 +0000

½ tsp olive oil and ¼ c. lemon juice makes furniture polish.
You can clean windows with vinegar in a spray bottle, then wipe clear with a dry newspaper.
Rubbing alcohol on cloths will disinfect most surfaces and costs much less than Mr. Clean wipes.
A solution of 2 teaspoon Tea Tree oil mixed with 2 cups water in a spray bottle, sprayed on and left, will eliminate mold spots in your shower for a month or so. Straight vinegar will do the same, most of the time.

Kitchen Tips

Michelle — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:00:14 +0000

Rubbing alcohol on cloths will disinfect most surfaces and costs much less than Mr. Clean wipes.
You can clean windows with vinegar in a spray bottle, then wipe clear with a dry newspaper.
Clean bottoms of iodized copper pots with sprinkled on salt and ½ a lemon. This also works on rust stains.
A solution of 2 teaspoons Tea Tree oil mixed with 2 cups water in a spray bottle, sprayed on and left, will eliminate mold spots in your shower for a month or so. Straight vinegar will do the same, most of the time.
Rust and hard water stains can be removed with full-strength lemon juice.
½ tsp olive oil and ¼ c. lemon juice makes furniture polish.
For your morning coffee – use either unbleached filters or a ‘gold’ filter, which is a mesh material that you reuse every time.
Compost those food scraps – in a 3′x3′x3′ homemade composter or an Earth Machine.
Disinfecting those countertops – use white-distilled bleach and hydrogen peroxide. They must be kept separate. Have vinegar in one spay bottle and peroxide in another (it must be in a dark container, easy solution put a sprayer on the bottle it came in). Spray area to disinfect one after another and wipe dry. This has been known to work better than commercial counterparts.
Keep in touch with natural rhythms – especially when meal planning. Keep in mind the seasons and what is currently available when making those weekly menus. Think about food storage and planning for later, especially when considering what do do with those leftovers. Freeze what you don’t expect to use in a few days for a quick, easy meal in a few weeks.

Garage References

Michelle — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:00:49 +0000

Concrete Thinker Website. 2008. www.ConcreteThinker.com

As you drive your nicely cleaned auto up the driveway, think about that hard surface and how it aggravates runoff problems. Or, think about how water cannot percolate naturally into the ground and eventually replenish our soil and groundwater reservoirs. ConcreteThinker.com is a LEED-certified company that introduces homeowners to pervious concrete pavers and something we, the editors, like to think about as ‘daylighting the soil’.
The pavers are ideal for:

Residential roads, alleys, driveways
Sidewalks and pathways
Patios
Tennis courts
Swimming Pool Decks

Typical flow rate for these pavers is 3-8 gallons per square foot. The company boasts, “pervious concrete can be instrumental in recharging groundwater and reducing storm water runoff.” While you’re thinking about these pavers, Google “pavers” and look at the images – there are some pretty cool options. Also, the Lucky Lab picture in this section use permeable pavers.

Permeable Surfaces and Filter Drains. 2006. Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA). www.ciria.org/suds/permeable_surfaces_and_filter_drains.htm

This quick read offers a how-to guide in creating permeable surfaces. Systematic instructions in an easy-to-grasp format make this a valuable resource.

Eco Car Wash Homepage. www.ecocarwash.com

Eco Car Wash in Portland offers an eco-friendly alternative to washing a vehicle at home in the driveway where it can spill over or burden the capacity of our sewer system. The owners say they use recycled water and biodegradable soap products. They indicate that while they care strongly about environmental stewardship, they also provide top quality service. The website lists five area locations and discount coupons.

Stain Remover

Michelle — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:00:31 +0000

A paste of baking soda and club soda together will remove stains like red wine and blood.

Where can I find local fruits and vegetables in Portland, Oregon?

Michelle — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:00:45 +0000

Here, in the fertile Willamette Valley, we are spoiled by great harvests. A question that seems to interest people, especially in the summer time is, “Where can I go to get good, local (and organic) fruits and vegetables (food)?” My family, in particular, is in interested in cutting food costs without sacrificing nutrition. So, how can we do that?

Living in Portland for 5 years has taught me the following:

Uncle Paul’s (SE 23rd & SE Hawthorne Blvd) offers year round local produce in his open-air tent at great prices.
Sauvie Island farmers offer many U-pick fields where you can purchase your fruits and vegetables at a fraction of the grocery cost. We picked 6.25 lbs of blueberries from Sauvie Island Farms for $10.15. This yielded over 20 cups of blueberries, 18 of which is portioned in 2 & 3 cup bags in the freezer, with the 2 remaining cups divvied into pancakes and snacks.
Sheridan Fruit Company is going green, and they are still the best place in town for grains. Visit them for discounts when buying in bulk, especially flours and oats.
Cherry Sprout Produce (formerly Big City Produce) on N Albina & N Sumner.
Co-ops around town including Food Front, People’s, and Alberta.
Fruit stands around town… keep on the lookout! Two I know of off hand, SE Foster & SE 80th across from Fred Meyer & SE 28th between SE Steele & SE Bybee.
Farmer’s markets… not only do farmer’s markets serve as a great place to gather good food in one place, most of the markets give out free literature including recipes and why buying local and hormone free is important. If you can stand the crowds, visit, learn and eat tasty treats.

Garage Tips

Michelle — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:00:18 +0000

Let Metro help you sort those recyclables. Learn about hazardous waste, like used motor oil.
Be sure to check out the City of Portland’s Office of Sustainable Development for other information, like those new roll carts.

How do I make my whites whiter?

Michelle — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:00:23 +0000

If you can’t use bleach to make your laundry shine, what should you use? The answer: vinegar and baking soda or super washing soda.

In the previous post, I described three items to have in your home for everyday cleaning: vinegar, baking soda, and soap. We do have additional cleaning items, such as a specific laundry soap (BioKleen), and I even have a specific toilet bowl cleaner (Ecover). There are some things to keep in mind that I learned the hard way.

I have suffered from eczema for almost ten years now. The first five years of having this skin condition, I did not know what it was. By accident, though, I found that by not using products with scent or dye, my skin was simply happier. Soon, I found myself replacing Tide with All Free and Clear. I like static free laundry, so the dryer sheet was replaced with a dye-free, perfume-free variety. Over time, I gravitated to biodegradable products, such as BioKleen and Ecover (Lord knows there are others!), and found that I could do lightly scented things, but it had to be natural.

Research showed me that city-dwellers have higher incidences of allergy than those who grow up on the farm, more specifically, people who grow up with livestock like cows. Some conjectures drawn from these findings are that we keep things too clean in the city, and our exposure to allergens is fewer than those living in rural settings, so we don’t allow our bodies to build up proper immunity. Allergies include asthma, seasonal allergies, and skin conditions like eczema. As stated above, one way to remedy these irritations is to get back to basics in cleaning.

So, if we shouldn’t use bleach to clean because it’s poisonous and kills too many good things, it brings us back to the question of what we should use. For our laundry, we use the standard measurement of BioKleen (which happens to be highly concentrated and costs less in the end because you use less) with baking soda in the wash and vinegar in the bleach spout. Try a tablespoon of vinegar at a time.

Having a baby has shown us that there are some stains you do want removed, and for those tougher stains we use Ecover’s stain stick.