Before we begin our room-by-room make-over process of creating greener homes for our families, I want to start off by encouraging anyone who may be overwhelmed at the thought of the process as a whole.
A few key things to remember before tackling this project:
- A greener home is about a different lifestyle, not a trend. The point of a green home is ultimately, a healthier home.
- Since it’s about a lifestyle, this will not be an overnight change. It will take time to re-order, re-organize, and re-think the way we do things in our homes, the products we use, and to develop new habits.
- Start out slow. Trying to change everything in every room all at once can create panic, cause you to be overwhelmed, and maybe give up. By moving categorically, developing those new habits as you go, it’s easier to continue on the journey of creating a greener home. Baby steps are important here!
- Don’t be afraid to ditch old products and methods that you’ve always used. By this, I mean literally, don’t be afraid to throw away the Comet scrub. Don’t assume that Windex is the only glass cleaner that really gets glass clean just because that’s what your grandma and mom always used. Don’t be afraid to try homemade, all-natural recipes for making your own cleaners.
- If the concept of a greener home is new to you or your family, be patient. Allow family members time to adapt to the changes that are taking place in your home. Your husband will eventually get over the scent of vinegar in the kitchen. If mine did, yours can, too!
- A greener home doesn’t mean you spend more money, and often, it means quite the opposite. Many of the household cleaners I’m referring to are a fraction of the cost to make in comparison to the commercial brands on the market. And it’s not just about the cleaners, but the savings rack up when you start to add in money you’re saving by cloth diapering, making your own laundry detergent, re-using bags, or using glass instead of disposable containers. The list goes on and on. So quite often, greener = more frugal!
Next week, we’ll begin in the kitchen. We’ll be discussing food storage, greener cookware, glass instead of plastic, and more.
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Looking forward to this series! Pinned it and shot you an e mail. Happy Friday!
I use a lot of vinegar. I use it instead of fabric softener. I once sat across from a woman who owned a dry cleaning business at a wedding shower and she was talking about what exactly fabric softener does; it rinses out the laundry soap residue and she said to try vinegar as a cheap alternative. I started doing that 5 years ago and haven’t bought fabric softener since. I also bought dryer balls a few years ago and haven’t had to buy dryer sheet either.
I’ve also started researching how to make some of our pantry staples at home and I have been pleased with the results. So far we’ve done onion soup mix, taco seasoning and I have a recipe for italian dressing that I will be making soon.
I went for a special trip (once or twice a year) to Trader Joes yesterday and although I remember so much of their food being yummy, I realized how little of the prepackaged/premade stuff went into my cart this time. And how low our grocery bill was!
Good stuff!!! Love this, Heather!
You are so right about it being more frugal. I am slowly making more and more of my home cleaning products and even my own personal care products. I am finding it is making more room in my grocery budget for healthier eating.
Oh, you hit the nail on the head, Victoria! It is more frugal in so many ways, and it does help balance that organic and healthier foods can sometimes be more expensive. Thanks for bringing up that valuable point!!!
“A greener home is about a different lifestyle, not a trend.”
ahhh! love it, and so excited!
Danny totally went for the vinegar thing when I mentioned how much more cost effective it was. PLUS, the kids can clean.. the girls love to be able to spray and wipe down, so vinegar makes that possible.
Looking forward to this series. Baby steps are important I think, and if you try to change everything at once you can quickly get overwhelmed. Focusing on changing one thing at a time is easier because it allows you to get used to new ways of doing things and new habits. Now ee wouldn’t even want to go back to using things like regular all purpose cleaner and paper towels, because vinegar and cloth towels (wipes, rags, or whatever you call them) just work better for cleaning up messes little boys make.
I also agree that is nice that greener home products do usually cost less (if you make them) instead of more, as “greener” food can often cost a lot more.