Boiling Sheets

It happened. The thing that all parents fear and have experienced at least once.

The dreaded crayon through the dryer. Ugh.

I was washing a load of sheets and at the last minute threw in a sweatshirt that needed washing. That sweatshirt had a broken orange crayon. ORANGE. With khaki colored sheets. FAIL. Sheets, really?

This is what they looked like. It was bad. I kind of wanted to cry.

I was traumatized.

I needed to sleep on it (literally and figuratively), but the next morning I woke up with a fire to fix my mistake. So I did some googling and got some ideas.

I knew I needed heat to melt the wax. There were too many bits all over to do the ironing method (and I HATE ironing) so I chose not to go with that. I also knew that I needed some strong soap to lift the wax. There were a few sites that recommended WD40, but I felt like it was just replacing the crayon with an equally damaging stain, and I didn't want to deal with the whole chemical aspect as well.

So I pulled out my large canning pot and filled it with water, a few squirts of dish soap, and a few tablespoons of borax and put it on medium heat. Once the water got hot, I tossed in the pillowcases. I let them simmer for about 30 minutes, vigorously agitating them and scrubbing them with a wooden spoon. After a while, I replaced the pillowcases with the fitted sheet. (Luckily the flat sheet escaped without any stains.) I did the same to the fitted sheet, but let it simmer for a little longer. I turned the heat off and let the pot cool for several hours. I poured the excess water out, but dumped the rest into the washing machine and washed them with other stuff just like normal. I let them hang out in the sun for a few hours, which I think helped a bit as well.

I didn't need to go to the gym that day after this.

I'm satisfied with the results. There are still faint orange stains where the crayon was, but we can live with it. I think I should have tried straight up lemon juice for the stains before tossing them into the wash, but its too late now that it has been through the dryer. I might try it anyway. I'm just glad I didn't have to toss 800 thread count sheets. Yeah chemical-free stain removal!

ACV: Magic Medicine?

I have previously discussed my love of vinegar. There are so many different kinds with so many uses, how could one not love vinegar? The fact that it is a naturally occurring substance from a long fermentation process, that is safe for human consumption without containing any harsh chemicals or additives to hurt the environment, makes it all that much better.

I have at least 4 different kinds in my house right now:

White: Uses include cooking, cleaning, deodorizing, softening, etc. Use it for ALL the things!!!

Rice: Sushi and other delicious Japanese cuisine. Mmmm...

Balsamic: Salad dressings, roasted vegetables, and a dash in marinara really deepens the flavor.

Apple Cider: My new love, and what this post is about.

(Did you know there are lots of other types of vinegars like coconut, beer, and raisin? Whoa.)

Word to your mother.

A couple months ago, Shawn and I started taking apple cider vinegar as a supplement once or twice a day. I always get the unfiltered stuff, and the kind you see above is my favorite. (Even though the Braggs seem like a couple of crazy hippies. But who I am to judge?) Just a few teaspoons to a tablespoon diluted in about a half cup of water. I had heard for a few years about people doing this, and then came across an article that outlined the various health benefits to it, so we decided to give it a shot. It seemed like a pretty easy, non-invasive thing to try out in the name of health and well-being. What did we have to lose?

We started taking it every morning before work. Shawn has trouble with the taste, but I don't mind it so much. We tried it with honey, and it was gross for both of us. I once took a little bit too much with not enough water, and did feel a burning in my stomach for an hour or two afterwards, but other than that it's been fine. We just dig deep and chug it like a frat guy shotgunning a PBR.

Let's talk about the health benefit claims made by people who take ACV (not PBR) as a supplement, and then I'll tell you the things we've actually noticed:

* Better circulation
* Lowered blood pressure
* Weight loss
* Lower cholesterol
* Lower blood sugar
* Cures hiccups
* Acts as a decongestant
* Boosts energy
* Prevents leg cramps
* Prevents bad breath
* Prevents indigestion and acid reflux

I know. It's a lot. Looking at this list, some make sense, while others take more thinking. Vinegar in general is known to have antibacterial and anti inflammatory properties so some of these seem less far-fetched than others. This list makes me realize that had I taken it throughout my pregnancy, I might have been a much happier person. If/when the second round happens, I can guarantee that ACV will be a regular part of my diet.

Now let's talk about the health benefits Shawn and I have noticed from our little experiment. In the beginning, we didn't notice much. We were taking it pretty religiously each day, and having the bottle right there in the kitchen made it easy to do in the mornings. I have to say I did feel more energetic (whether that was because of the ACV or just drinking more water while taking it, I can't say,) and it became something I looked forward to.

Like I mentioned we didn't notice anything at first, but it was after we stopped taking it regularly that we both noticed a change. The first thing both of us noticed is how our digestive system was so much more healthy and regular while taking it. Yes, our poops were awesome on days we take ACV in the morning. Having awesome poops really makes your day better.

I also lost 4 pounds. I was exercising quite a bit preparing for a 15k that Shawn and I did a few weeks ago, but I think the ACV helped. I've worked out in similar fashion in the past, but have never really lost much weight. Being on ACV put me about 4 pounds below my baseline average where I have been for years. I think another reason it helped me lose weight was because I started taking a shot of it each time I would get a sugar or snack craving. It only works to cut that craving about 50% of the time, but eating 50% less sugar and snacks has got to make a difference.

Shawn is borderline with his blood pressure and cholesterol. His numbers aren't to the point where he needs meds or anything, but it is something he's been instructed to watch. He eats relatively healthy, doesn't smoke, and drinks only occasionally, so it's just the way he's built. We haven't checked his numbers since we've started taking ACV, but it will be interesting to see what his numbers are now. I'll update this post if and when there is something to report.

I think the benefits we've noticed are enough to keep taking apple cider vinegar as a supplement. Maybe we'll see more benefits as we take it longer term. Here's to natural health!

The Fab Four!

O.M.G.

I haven't done a book review in ages, but this one's a good one to break the fast.

I was doing some Christmas shopping at Barnes and Noble and saw this little gem in the discount table. I picked it up thinking, "what a lovely little gift for myself!"

Salt, Lemons, Vinegar, and Baking Soda by Shea Zukowski.

I am already a huge fan of baking soda and vinegar as all purpose cleaners throughout my house. I rarely buy any cleaners and now come to think of it, I don't really know why I do at all. I use vinegar and BS (ha! BS!) so much that I buy vinegar by the gallon, and make special trips to Fred Meyer to buy the GIANT boxes of baking soda.

These two are just so great for so many things. Some of my regular uses include:
* Washing and conditioning my hair (baking soda and apple cider vinegar)
* Making a 50% water/vinegar solution and keeping it in a spray bottle for general cleaning purposes.
* Cleaning the toilet (both)
* Cleaning the bathroom sink (both)
* Cleaning and deodorizing the carpet in areas that Gus used to decide to relieve himself (both)
* Helping clear up a slow drain (both)
* Use as an ingredient in my home made laundry detergent (baking soda)
* Home made dryer sheets (vinegar)

I'm sure there's more, but I think you get the picture.

Now that we have a mobile little lady who loves to get into things, I'm even more happy about the fact that we have very little chemical cleaner presence in our home.

So you can imagine how excited I was to find this book. It has information (history, chemical makeup, etc.) on each of the four ingredients, as well as tons of recipes and other super cool uses for them. Obviously it's a super quick read and one that is awesome to just peruse when you have a few spare minutes. My favorite part about it is that every time I pick it up, I learn some new use for something that literally makes me say "whoaaaaaah, cool." Granted, I'm a giant dork so this is the kind of stuff that makes my wheels turn.

A few of the uses from the book that made me a little too excited when I read about them:
* Spraying your windshield down with a salt solution at night to prevent ice build-up, thus preventing the need to scrape your car on the morning. (Something we all hate.)
* Making a candle no-drip by soaking it in salt water overnight.
* Lemons are a natural stain remover. They can help get grass and sweat stains out of clothes, clean coffee and tea stains out of mugs, reduce age spots on your face, and add blond highlights to hair.
* Putting baking soda and/or salt on spills on the carpet or tablecloth can help prevent staining by neutralizing the substance and lifting it up out of the fibers.
* Adding a small amount of baking soda to the soil when planting tomato seedlings will help make the tomatoes sweeter.
* Spraying kids toys with vinegar as a natural disinfectant.
* Spraying seeds with a diluted vinegar solution will help with germination by preventing mold and mildew growth around the seed.

Oh, so cool. There's so much more too. I feel so inspired to fully embrace a chemical-free lifestyle. The best part about it is it's easy, and so frickin' cheap!

Ah, I love this book, and even more what it represents.

I don't often take selfies, but when I do, it's with really nerdy books.

Quick Homemade Dryer Sheets

So it's flannel sheet season.

While Eddy was napping this afternoon, I decided that it was time to give our bed the winter makeover. I pulled the flannel sheets from the linen closet, only to be greeted by sheets that just smelled funky. Like closet. They're clean so I didn't feel the need to wash them again, but I felt like they needed a quick romp in the dryer with a dryer sheet.

There was one problem. I don't have dryer sheets. I haven't bought them in years. I don't really know what's on them and since Shawn and I both have sensitive skin, I just tend to avoid them.

But I still needed something to get the closet smell out. So, to the internet I went, and found some info on homemade dryer sheets.

Holy cow, this may be the quickest project in Urban Hobby Homesteader history.

Ready?

Find some fabric you can cut up. This could be an old t-shirt, or in my case, a crappy dollar store dish towel that has been sitting in my closet for years without use. You will also need some white vinegar, essential oils of your choice, and a container to put it in (I chose an old peanut butter jar.)

First cut up the fabric into dryer sheet-sized pieces. Mix a quarter cup of vinegar with 5 drops of essential oil (tea tree in my case) into your container and shake it up. Add the fabric and they're ready. You can make more solution when you need it and reuse the pieces of fabric by throwing them back in the jar.

My staging skills leave a bit to be desired, but you get the picture.

Non-toxic, no waste, super cheap, and smells good. Everyone wins.

And to end, here's Eddy in her Halloween costume jammies - NASA astronaut!

Frickin' adorable.

Cloth is Our Friend

Watch out! Mom post here!

Cloth diapering is a big deal, people. There are lots of opinions and options out there and I know some people who are obsessed with the process as well as trying all of the different combinations to find the best solution.

I knew from early on that cloth diapering was my goal. When I was deciding what system to go with, I did some internet research but mostly asked other mom friends. I didn't want to go down the internet rabbit hole and get even more confused by the TONS of options out there.  What to go with? All-in-ones, prefolds, inserts? And which brands? Fuzzibunz, Bummis, Thirsties, Prowrap? There are so many.

After some limited research and mostly friend interviews, I decided to go with organic cotton prefolds with Snappi fasteners, and several brands of diaper covers (Bummis, Thirsties, and some others on loan from friends.) It also helped that Amazon has a limited selection, which helped me make my decision.

So I am not as obsessed with cloth diapering like some.

But I love it for several reasons.

#1. The environment. Duh. There's no garbage. The amount of trash (that goes to landfill) that results from disposables is insane. We used disposables for the first 8 days of Eddy's existence because of her umbilical cord and the cloth diapers rubbed the area too much. Even with those 8 days of tiny newborn diapers, it was crazy how much garbage we created. It was nice to be able to make the switch as soon as that disgusting little stump of stinky necrotic tissue fell off. Gross.

#2. Health. Disposable diapers have a very strong perfume-y odor. (Well, the mainstream ones do anyway.) Why? I get that it's probably to mask the odor of the stink that comes out of a baby's butt, but it's not necessary. And what of the chemicals that make those odors? I would rather not have my tiny fragile human offspring to be exposed to that on a constant basis, thanks.

#3. Cute covers. Diaper covers are cute. Babies butts are cute. Put them together and they're double cute.

Cute baby bum alert!

#4. Saving dough. Yes, the initial price upfront is much more for the cloth diapers, but once you have them, you can use them forever. (Though you do need several sizes.)

#5. Potty training. I've heard cloth diapered babies are easier to potty train eventually because they feel the wetness and the discomfort that comes with it and are more eager to get out of them. We'll see about that.

Cloth diapering does have its disadvantages also.

#1. The laundry. It happens almost every day. Annoying, but ok since I'm home all day, everyday. For now. It's also not so bad because her poos are still breast milk poos which are highly washable so dirty diapers go directly into the machine without having to preclean them by hand. (But the diapers do need one rinse cycle prior to the regular wash cycle.) Oh and this whole thing can be avoided by hiring a diaper service, which we didn't opt for since it costs money we don't have.

#2. Water and energy wastage. Yeah, it is a lot of water to do a load of laundry almost everyday. But think about the water it would take to make each and every disposable. I'm sure the amount of water and energy that goes into the manufacturing of each disposable is comparable to the extra amount needed to wash the cloth ones. (And I like to add a few gallons of rainwater to each load so that offsets some of the negatives.)

#3. Changing more often. It's amazing and a little creepy how much liquid disposables can hold. Cloth just gets wet and stays wet. Who wants to wear wet underwear? Not babies, I'll tell you that.

#4. An extra step. There are two things you have to attach to your baby (prefold and cover) vs. the just one of a disposable. And when you have an hangry baby on the changing table, you can't get that diaper on fast enough. (But this can be avoided using an all-in-one.)

Like I said, I'm not obsessed with cloth diapering. Sometimes we run out of clean prefolds and I don't have the time to do laundry so we may use a couple disposables for overnight. We're ok with that. Eddy is finally getting big enough to where she can start wearing the size 1 prefolds (and not just the tiny newborn ones) so we now have more prefolds that we can use so we won't have to do laundry as often or use disposables.

Our setup: wipes in the container, diapers in the basket, happy baby with a dry bum.

The thing about cloth diapering that people don't really talk about is cloth wipes. Disposable wipes, though much smaller, also are a piece of garbage that can be avoided. Now I really like these. I have about 30 wipes that I keep in a tupperware on the changing table and use one for each change and just wash along with the diapers. I bought a bottle of a concentrated natural wipe solution that I make and keep on hand as well that smells divine. I thought keeping up with the wipes would be a pain, but it really isn't and I love it. I still use these even when she's wearing a disposable.

Seriously, it smells so good.

So that's the cloth wearing scoop on Eddy.

Now on to me. Men, this is your cue to stop reading, as it doesn't really pertain to your daily lives.

Yep, I've been sporting the cloth too! Remember the testing I was going to do on reusable menstrual pads? Well, post partum bleeding is a great excuse to test those out! Hooray!

My small collection. From L-R: Domino pads, Diva Cup, New Moon pad. (Not pictured: Gladrag.)

For the first few days after delivery, I did have to use the super mega pads that the birthing center gave me, but once things settled down to a more "monthly" level, I switched to these. I didn't get to use the Diva cup though, since I'm not allowed to use anything internal for the first six weeks. So the testing for that will have to wait until a normal period, and after I get a new one since women who've given birth require a slightly larger size cup.

Ok, so of the three brands of pads I tried, I would recommend two: the Domino pads and the New Moon pad. They are both awesome. They stay in place, are absorbent, and don't bunch. They also wash off super easily, and haven't stained at all. (It must be the material they're made out of.) They are also really soft and comfortable. I might like the Domino pads a little better because of the slight tapering in the middle, but they're both awesome. The Gladrag I've had for a few years now and it really isn't my favorite. It doesn't stay in place and bunches too much, making you feel like you're wearing a diaper. Yuck.

Washing them is pretty easy too. I just give them a little cold water rinse and throw them into the cloth diaper pail and wash with them. If you're in a public restroom, you can use a wet bag to store them until you get home and do the same.

So go out and green-ify your periods, ladies. It's surprisingly comfortable and easy, and it feels nice to do a little favor to our environment. Oh, and they're kinda cute too.

Here are some links:

New Moon Pads

Domino Pads

Luna Pads and Diva Cup (I'm gonna try these next. They're the most expensive though.)

What's Eating My Plants?

Something is eating my plants.

I know that the chickens are responsible for the few sad lettuce and kale plants. (Elsa found them the other day and has now made it her mission to get a bite every chance she gets.) 

But something else is eating a bunch of the other stuff. I have been meticulous in picking off the eggs of the cabbage butterflies so my kale (other than what Elsa has gotten) is doing great. The ones that are suffering are my pepper and eggplant plants, the soybeans, the dry beans, and the strawberries. Even the potato plants are showing signs of herbivory.

It's not just isolated to my veggie garden either. My little baby kinnikinnick has been preyed upon as well.  All of the fresh new leaves were devoured by a mystery creature in one evening.

So I'm angry.  I've checked for aphids and I really don't see many. There are a few here and there and they don't really eat the leaves anyway.  I've also been checking for slugs but can't find any either. But that doesn't mean they aren't around.

I think we have a various array of pests at work here.  My soybeans look like the slugs are getting to them.  Maybe the same goes for my already struggling bok choy (below). 

The strawberries are another story.  Though I know the slugs love strawberries, the evidence is of something bigger.  The little green strawberries are being stolen off the vine as a whole.  It looks as though something has come along and cut them off.  So my thought is rats.  We've seen them around the chicken coop so I wouldn't be surprised if they were getting into other stuff too.

Unfortunately, the herbivores aren't the only problem in my garden.  Some stuff is just not growing.  The onions are totally stunted and aren't doing anything.  ALL of my broccoli died, so I had to replant it two weeks ago.  My cucumbers suck, and the eggplant isn't doing anything either.  Even the zucchini is struggling.  What's going on?  Zucchini is supposed to be a like a weed.  I didn't add much to the soil this year, and I think I'm paying the price.  I have been fertilizing, but it doesn't seem to be enough.  Blerg.

Missing: Three green strawberries.

But, there are some things that are happy.  The potatoes are gorgeous, the peas are producing like the zombies are coming, and we have an artichoke!  So I guess not all is lost.  And look at the beautiful garlic scapes!  I think I'm going to be cutting them and eating them this year.  Yum!  Now if I could just figure out what's eating my plants.

No 'Poo: The Conclusion

Before I get started, I have a challenge for you.  What is this a picture of?  Hint: it came from the kitchen.  (Don't scroll down if you don't want the answer right away.)

So it's been five weeks since I started my no shampoo experiment.  Last time you heard from me at the end of week two, I was feeling a little disappointed in how little my hair had improved and the stickiness that was lingering.  I was also noticing dandruff that I didn't notice before, which just about made me quit the whole thing altogether.

Luckily, things have gotten a ton better since.  First, I experimented with the amount of vinegar I was using, and found that it really doesn't make too much difference.  I think using less worked better for me, and I focus spraying to the ends of my hair to help with de-tangling.

At the end of week 4, my hair went through a breakthrough.  The stickiness I was feeling, which made it feel like my hair wasn't clean at all, suddenly went away.  It still gets too greasy to go more than 2 days without washings, but now, each time it's been washed it feels just like it did when I was using shampoo. 

I've also begun using baking soda to wash my face.  It's got great exfoliating powers, and it rinses away much easier than face soap.  And my face feels super clean.  I use it every other day.

To top it all, I'm so used to the hair washing proecss now that I don't even think twice about it.

I was skeptical there for a while, but I think this no 'poo thing is here to stay.  Yes.

Ok, now for the answer to our little riddle.

Eggs!  It happened when I was trying to oil them.  Usually when an egg cracks while boiling only the white comes out.  But for some reason, the yolk broke and all of it came out and solidified in ribbon form.  So cool and kind of gross at the same time.

The No 'Poo Diaries: Week 2

Sunday
Much the same.  Went to the gym so had to give it a wash.  Still feels pretty good.

Monday
Finally woke up with bad hair.  It just doesn't lay right, and it feels a little sticky.  I think my bangs are just starting to get a little long.  I should trim 'em up a bit.  Maybe this means that all the residue from years of using chemicals to wash my hair has all been stripped out.  Now my hair has to get used to this new stuff.  It doesn't smell like my old shampoo and conditioner anymore either.

Tuesday
Looking a little greasy through the day, had to put it up to make it look ok.  Washed it using the normal process.  What I noticed during blow drying though, that my hair seems to be lighter in color.  I wonder if the vinegar and heat combination is adding highlights to my hair?  That would be totally cool.  I like it.

Wednesday
Woke up with awkward hair again, still haven't trimmed my bangs, I really need to do that. 

Thursday
My hair feels super sticky today.  It's not really soft, but honestly, it still looks pretty good.  As long as you don't touch it, it looks fine.

Friday
Pretty much the same as yesterday, sticky feeling, but looking fine.  By the end of the day it was starting to get pretty greasy again.  Now that I'm coming up to on two weeks since starting this, I'll have to think about some tweaks to my regimen.  Still washed it with the regular amounts of baking soda and vinegar.  Blow dried it and if feels GREAT.  And it looks great too.  It's a shame I'm going to bed and will likely wake up tomorrow morning with bedhead.

Saturday
My hair feels a little different today.  Not sticky, more smooth, and looking great.  I won't be washing it tonight but starting tomorrow, I think I'm going to change up the amounts of stuff I'm using.  Now that it has been almost two weeks since starting this experiment, the little soldiers on my scalp that make oil should be getting used to not being stripped of all their hard work and should be slowing down production.  I was hoping that eventually it will get to the point where I only have to wash my hair every 3-4 days without it looking greasy.  I really hate washing my hair and blow drying it is such a pain.  Clearly I'm not there yet though, and I'm wondering if lessening the amount of vinegar I'm using as conditioner will help.  I think  I'll try that.  Let's see how it goes!

And here is a lovely picture of Nikolai:

All Life is Sacred... Unless It's That of an Ant

The Sounders say no to ants under the sink.

For the last several days, the hubs and I have been waging war against ants.  And unfortunately, this is the second battle we've faced since moving in to our house. 

Even before we officially moved in, I had a feeling ants would be a problem since they were crawling up the outside of the house.  Within days of moving in, we were fighting them.  They were coming in through under the molding around the front door to get to the cat food in the dining room, through a power outlet into the kitchen to get at anything on the counter, through a mystery access area from our closet to get to a hairball extruded by Gus in our bedroom, and through a crack in between our bathtub and vanity to get to water in our bathroom. 

Seriously.  Think orcs and uruk hai swarming the fellowship in Lord of the Rings.  There's a never-ending supply of them, and they just keep coming, no matter what you do.  The only thing to defeat them is something more sinister and evil than they are, or to just run away.

Since we can't run away, the only thing we've been able to do is kill the ones we see, try to close off entryways, and keep minimizing their food source by being extra clean and meticulous about putting things away in sealed containers.

We haven't had to resort to the real sinister stuff thus far.  (By sinister stuff, I mean the hardcore chemicals.)  First we put down a nice layer of diatomaceous earth all around the outside of our house.  We definitely saw fewer ants after this.  And dude, this stuff is CRAZY.  While putting it down, we saw it in action.  Any ant that fell into a pile would writhe in agony for about 15 seconds and would go still.  It was AWESOME.  How it works is that the tiny dead diatoms (one-celled organisms made of silica) instantly absorb the lipids on the outer layers of the ants' exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate.  I like to think of it as like the ants falling into a pile of super sharp samurai swords.  (At least that is the effect it has on them.)  Diatomaceous earth is considered a mechanical insecticide, and since it is not a chemical and is a naturally occurring substance, I feel completely at ease with using it around the house.  This also took care of the ants coming in from the front door.

As far as the ants coming from inside the house, we started off with Terro ant killer, which is basically a sugar/Borax mixture.  (Borax is also a naturally occurring chemical known to nerds as sodium (tetra)borate.)  This is a clear liquid that you drop onto a piece of thick paper.  The ants take it back to the colony and it is supposed to kill the colony from the inside out.  The bottle says that it could take up to two weeks to take effect, but we used it religiously under our sink for three weeks and the ants just kept coming.

Our semi-effective arsenal.

We then got tired of this and tried an ant spray.  Shawn found a spray that was soybean oil-based that said it was safe to use in the house around kids and pets so I was ok with this.  This stuff also kills ants instantly but it only works if the ants are doused in it.  It leaves an oily residue that the ants don't like so it also works to close off certain entry-areas.  This worked to take care of the ants in the bathroom.  We sprayed the ants under the sink and where they were coming from so I assumed that we had beat them.

Terro is delicious.  But does it kill them?

Until 3 days ago.  (Sigh.)  This time, they were coming in from the crack between the molding and the brick that lines the outside of our fireplace.  And the worst part of it was that they found the food in Skipper's cage.  They were ALL OVER.  It was so sad.  His food dish was full of them.  We tried spraying the crack where they were coming in but it only worked for a few hours, and unfortunately we couldn't spray the carpet or lay down diatomaceous earth.  For now, we've killed all the ants that were around and put down a bit of Terro.  They are still coming in, but at least the bait station has deterred them from getting into his cage.  They are also back under the sink.  I think the cold weather we had for a while made them go away, but since it's been a little warmer they're coming back again.  I'm hoping when it gets cold again they'll go away once again.

I hated ants before, but now my hatred toward them has reached an all-time high.  I kill them like it's nothing.  I squish them, decapitate them, stomp on them, collect their dead bodies on my fingers, and on paper towels, suck them up with the vacuum cleaner, wash them down the drain, and watch them try to run away from certain death and laugh as they die under the pressure of my finger.  This is not the normal me.  I love all life.  Look, I'm a person who can't even kill a spider.  I always take them outside.  But ants are a different story.  They are a different kind of evil, and when you come into my house and disturb my peace you are messing with a different kind of Hana.

But now I don't know what to do.  Now that the rains have started, diatomaceous earth has lost it's power and I really don't feel like throwing away a bunch of Skipper's food every time the ants find it.  The Terro stuff doesn't really seem to work and the spray has minimal usage.  So now we are finally contemplating bringing in the big guns.  Maybe an exterminator?  Maybe buy a big bottle of the mean stuff at Home Depot?  I don't know.  What I do know is that I'm angry and frustrated and feel like killing millions of tiny... little... black... ants.

The No 'Poo Diaries: Week 1

So it has finally come to this.  I started cleaning my toilet with it, then my laundry.  I haven't gotten to brushing my teeth with it yet, but I have now started washing my hair with good 'ole sodium bicarbonate, aka Baking Soda.  Come on, I know some of you were expecting this.  My crunchy granola-ness has finally taken me there.

Here it sits, ready to clean our hair.

For those of you unfamiliar with the No 'Poo phenomenon, it's basically the new hippy-dippy fad of washing your hair with baking soda and conditioning it with apple cider vinegar.  It supposedly helps your hair retain its natural moisture, aids in good scalp health, helps you avoid harsh chemicals that are often found in mainstream shampoos, and is more environmentally and financially friendly.

I've been hearing and reading about this for a little over a year now.  I was always curious about it, but was afraid to try.  Then my hair got long.  And dry, and angry, and split.  It was totally gross.  I don't cut my hair much, and it really shows after a year or so in between cuts.  So I cut it last week.  Then I decided that it would be a perfect time to start the No 'Poo challenge because it's nice and short and impossible to tangle.

Reading through testimonials of people who have done this resulted in, of course, mixed opinions.  Some said that their hair was gross for a while and took a few weeks to get used to the new routine, some had an easier time, some used a whole quarter cup of the miracle white powder, some used only a tablespoon.  Some used a cup of undiluted apple cider vinegar as conditioner, some diluted it and sprayed a bit on just before stepping out of the shower.

After reading several opinions, I gave it a try.  Here is the day to day breakdown of the first week.

Monday
I haven't washed my hair since Saturday afternoon, so it was nice and dirty and greasy.  I put 2 tablespoons of baking soda in a cup and took it into the shower with me.  I also filled a spray bottle with a 50% apple cider vinegar dilution.  In the shower, I added about 1/2 cup water to the baking soda and swished it around until it was well-mixed.  Then I poured it slowly on different areas of my scalp and rubbed it in.  Of course, it didn't get foamy and the bit that dripped into my mouth tasted awful.  But it felt good to massage my scalp with the baking soda since you can feel the exfoliating and scrubbing.  After rinsing it out, I spayed the apple cider vinegar all over my hair until it was "well-coated."  What does that mean?  I dunno, maybe 30 sprays.   I ran my fingers through my hair to untangle, and though it didn't feel anything like regular conditioner, it actually did the trick.  That rinsed out really easily and I was done.

Afterward, my hair didn't feel the same after I got out and while it was still wet, but it definitely didn't feel dirty anymore.  I let it air dry a bit and then blow dried.  This was the real test to see if the greasy-ness was gone.  And guess what?  It is!  It took a bit longer to dry, I don't know if there is something in regular conditioner that helps hair dry faster, but it took a bit longer.  My hair feels nice and soft, and clean.  And no vinegar smell.

Tuesday
This morning, it still looked clean, though it seemed a little flat.  It lasted the whole day and I was happy that it didn't look greasy all day.  I normally wash my hair every other day and I thought about washing it again, but decided to keep my normal routine to see how long the "cleanliness" lasted.  It still doesn't really feel the same, though I can't say it feels dirty.  Just a little heavier and maybe a little sticky.

Wednesday
I woke up to maybe some greasiness and the same flatness from yesterday.  I put it up halfway to hide the greasiness.  Throughout the day, it stayed about the same, and by the end of the day was looking like I hadn't washed it in 48 hours.  So I repeated the same washing process from Monday.  After I blow dried, my hair feels pretty great, and SUPER soft.

Thursday
It feels pretty much the same as on Tuesday.  Though what I noticed is that it is able to avoid bedhead.  My bangs sometimes look really scary in the morning, and they've been looking pretty good since I started this new regimen. 

Oooh, should this hair be in a Baking Soda commercial?

Friday
It's a day off for me, and since my house isn't heated during the day, I decided to take a nice hot shower to warm up.  This was my third baking soda hair washing, using the same process as the last two times.  I blow dried as usual, and this time I noticed it was a bit fuller than before, and felt a little cleaner.  It still feels great and looks good too.  Is this really going to be this easy?  What I've noticed today is that the smell from my old shampoo and conditioner is still lingering.  My hair still smells like the other stuff, even though it hasn't been used to wash my hair in a almost a whole week.  Crazy.  So maybe my hair is still hanging onto chemicals.  I wonder how long it'll take for all that to wash out?  Or does apple cider vinegar just smell really good when heated?  Who knows.  This is fun.

Saturday
This morning I woke up to fabulous hair.  I think this new fad is for realz.  Oh, did I mention Shawn is doing this too, and totally loving it?  Yeah!

Move over chemicals, Baking Soda and Vinegar to the rescue!

Trying to take a picture of your own hair sometimes results in awkward kitty photos.

Cleaning Clothes with Science!

About a year ago, I read and reviewed a cool book from New Zealand about a lady who went completely chemical-free in her home.  She handmade all cleaning and personal beauty products and eventually made a living off of it.

Since reading the book, I too have slowly starting phasing out chemical products in my home.  I haven't bought toilet bowl cleaner since then, as well as all-purpose surface cleaner and glass cleaner.  All of these things have been replaced by the very cheap and effective team called baking soda and vinegar.  It's been awesome.  Not only are these things super cheap (I buy baking soda by the pound now, just 2 bucks!) but it feels good knowing that these cheaper options are also much less harmful to the earth as well as all the lovely inhabitants of my home.

Yesterday, I took the next step and made my own laundry detergent.  The recipe I used is a combination of the recipe in the aforementioned book as well as other instructions I've read in earth-friendly blogs:

I used Boraxo, not Borax, I hope it works.

1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 bar of soap, finely grated  (this comes to about a cup)

Mix 'em all up and use 1/4-1/2 cup per load in a top loading machine.  (The water needs to be warm or hot to melt the soap.)  More efficient side loading machines only have to use 2-3 tablespoons.

I made a small batch this time to make sure I liked it, and next time I'll make a larger batch.  The soap I used was Dr. Bronner's, made of all fair-trade ingredients, and I got the rose-scented one since that's Shawn's favorite smell.  The borax I had left over from our epic ant-war of 2008, and the baking soda... well duh.  The biggest problem was the Washing Soda.

Before I go into the deets of my quest for this elusive product let me tell you a little bit about it.

Washing soda is Sodium Carbonate, or Na2CO3.  (The science nerd part of my brain is totally excited right now.)  It can naturally be extracted from the ashes of plants, but is synthetically produced though a process called the Solvay Process from salt and limestone.  Washing Soda is used in all different kinds of ways, from making glass to developing film, and browning German pretzels to getting all the tissue off of skulls in taxidermy.  (OMG, so cool!)  The reason it works so well in laundry is because it's a natural water softener, by competing with the calcium and magnesium ions in hard water which prevent laundry detergent from working.  By doing all this, it helps get out grease, alcohol, and oil stains.  (My head just exploded with the awesomeness.)  Washing soda to the rescue!  It's a bird, it's a plane, it's WASHING SODA!

This basically explains why I went through all the trouble of getting this stuff.  I had a feeling it wouldn't be easy to find, since I've never seen or heard of it before I read about it in the book.  A little bit of research online resulted in a lot of old discussions on blogs of people asking where they can get it.

I started my quest at Central Market to no avail.  I didn't see it on the shelves, so I got home and called them just in case, but the lady had never heard of it so I knew they didn't have it.  The people at QFC, Fred Meyer in Shoreline, or Safeway had never heard of it either, (they all responded with: "washing.... soda....?") so I felt a little sad that maybe my laundry detergent dreams were never going to be fulfilled.  Then I read online that someone found it at Fred Meyer in Ballard so I called them and the got the response of "oh yeah, we have it.  It's right next to the borax in the laundry detergent aisle."  YES!

So I drove to Ballard and got it.  And I was happy.

I calculated the price of this detergent to see if it was cost efficient compared to just buying it, and came up with the price of this home-made kind to be about 28 cents per load.  Compare that with a similar earth-friendly detergent that is 35 cents a load, and I think I have a reason to keep doing this!

The results?  It's totally awesome.  The clothes were not only clean but they smelled like.... nothing!  All the usual smells that accompany well-worn clothing was gone.  If you're the type to want your clothes to smell all perfumey, then you might want to add some essential oils to the recipe but I like it when my clothes smell like nothing.  To me, that's clean.  And they seemed softer too, but that may just be something I wanted to notice.  Either way, I'm happy with the results and will make a bigger batch next time. 

Added note:  Even if you don't want to go through the trouble of making detergent, adding washing soda to your regular load with regular detergent will make your detergent work better, thus resulting in you having to use less detergent.  So if you find yourself in Ballard, you should pick some up.  Just saying.

Pest Control

In past posts I've talked about our wars against pests around our yard.  Some are easier to combat than others, but there are a few that we are constantly at war with and that we can easily say we loathe.

The first of these is dandelions.  Ugh, just typing that word makes me angry.  Why do dandelion seeds have to travel so well?  And how long can a dandelion seed remain dormant in the ground anyway?  It seems like you pull one up and three more come around to replace it.  I know that if I were to buy a couple bottles of Roundup the problem would go away.  But everyone knows that there is only one thing more evil than Wal-Mart, and that is Monsanto. 

So, the other day, Shawn decided to try to make chemical-free herbicide.  He did some research online and found this pretty cool website that has recipes and reviews of the different strengths.  After the research he decided to go with a recipe of vinegar and a squirt of dish soap.  We found an empty spray bottle and he went to work.  He pulled the really big ones, but sprayed the smaller ones.

At first, it seemed like it was working because the weeds were withering and turning brown almost immediately.  But, a couple weeks later, I checked the weeds and there were more baby leaves coming up from the middle of each of them.  Dandelions have a pretty thick taproot so I wasn't surprised that it wasn't actually dead.  We haven't tried again, but I think if we make an effort to soak the roots and not just the leaves, it might work.

And on to pest #2:  APHIDS.  You know how much I hate them.  I really should have tackled them sooner, since my cauliflower plant is already starting to give me a nice cauliflower but hopefully my home made herbicide will take care of them before they ruin it.  Aphid-killing was my job in the garden when I was a kid.  My mom would give me a small spray bottle with slightly soapy water and I would go to town in the garden.  So even before I did my research on possible aphid killer recipes, I knew that it would include dish soap. 

After some looking here and there, I also decided to add some mineral oil.  The mixture I ended up making was mostly water, with a small squirt of eco dish soap and a couple tablespoons of mineral oil.  I just used it today so I'll let you know how it goes.  I hope it doesn't kill my plants.  I've read that it kills the aphids quickly so I may wash it off the plants tomorrow and reapply in a few days.  Oh, and if you want a link to some info, try this one.

Don't worry I made sure he put sunscreen on.