18 May 2020

Being Green - Ask Me, Like 3 Things...

From the It's Not Easy Being Green post, Swistle and GiGi asked:

Also: TELL ME MORE ABOUT BAKING SODA AND DAWN AND SLOW DRAINS

Tell me more about using shampoo to clean the shower...does it help with the scum on the glass?

Yes, shampoo keeps the glass shower door clean.  It was explained to me as "What is shampoo but a degreaser?"  If it has built up because I haven't kept up with it, I will use Kaboom, which for a ridiculous name works really well.  

When I notice the drain slowing in our bathroom....Wait...we have two sinks and I have to admit here that we both use the same sink.  When we designed our bathroom, we thought two sinks and the garden tub was everything.  Now I think I'd use the real estate for something else.  The point being is one of us should us the other sink and then this wouldn't happen as quickly.  Nah, that's too easy of a solution.

Anyway...

When the sink starts to slow, I do the Sink Volcano.  Half a cup of baking soda and a quart...pint?  which one is bigger? of vinegar.  Let it sit for about an hour then pour boiling water down the drain.  

But when I ignore it because that's what reasonable adults do (they don't)  I boil a stock pot full of water, a little bit of Dawn soap and a shake of baking soda.  (Super precise measurements. I should be a chemist)
It has taken as little as two pots and as many as eight.  Depending on my level of neglect.

Years ago a plumber taught me to watch the water drain down the drain. You want to see a whirlpool because it shows there is vacuum.  Once you figure out what's normal, then you can notice when it starts to shrink/slow or disappears.

Maybe twice I might have managed to get permanent marker (not sharpie) on the countertop.  Baking soda and dawn soap took it right up without dulling the surface.

Kevin has one of those igloo lunch boxes and it gets pretty grubby.  Dawn and baking soda paste will clean it up to nearly new. 

It has also taken stains out of favorite hoodies and work clothes.  

Kevin says that Baking Soda could cure cancer.  I'm starting to think that vinegar could be it's sidekick.

What began this whole thing with me is realizing just how many chemicals are being used on the regular.  We have a well and a septic so it's been something I've thought about and now I'm trying to continue applying it to all.of.the.things.

Also, it occurred to me that for centuries natural cleaning products have existed. While I'm not going as far as using lye and cleaning our clothes on creek rocks, I am interested in finding ways to not add any more chemicals into our lives.

AND, realizing that sometimes there is a need for something more powerful.  It's about moderation.

4 comments:

Swistle said...

Thank you <3 <3 <3

I'm going to try this!

Gigi said...

So...what? You take the shampoo, work it into a lather and scrub the shower? I'll give it a shot. Thanks!

Surely said...

GiGi...Oh, yes. LOL. *face palm* Hi, I have a really short attention span. I'm sorry that I forgot the How To Part. :)

I usually do while I'm in the shower already because cleaning a shower is super low on my Enjoyable Tasks list. I use a rag but have used a soft scrubby sponge also. Dump it on the sponge/rag, work it in so it starts to bubble but not dissolve then wash the walls and door like you would a car.

Then I leave it be, wash my hair, etc. and the shower rinses 3/4's of it by itself. Then rinse the part the shower doesn't rinse. We have a water pik in the shower so I use it to rinse everything.

Also, I will sometimes use a rag to plug the drain so the soap water washes the floor too and it rushes the shower drain clean.

Oh and when I use a cleaner and am not in the shower, I use the small watering can to rinse the glass door. Just reach over the top! It works perfectly for someone like me who is not tall. Keeps me from flooding the bathroom.

Hope this makes more sense. :)

Gigi said...

Thanks! I will try this...I HATE cleaning the shower...so hopefully, with this method, maybe I'll do it more often!