I can take rings off tubs just like that!

"Have no fear of that ring,"
Laughed the Cat in the Hat.
"Why, I can take cat rings 
Off tubs. Just like that!"

– The Cat in the Hat Comes Back by Dr Seuss

Finally removing that ruddy ring of grime that never comes off the bath became my mission today. I went at it with all of the cleaning products I could find but it barely budged. Ugh.
I decided to consult the interweb and came across eHow, which listed a number of home remedies to clean that pesky ring around the bath tub.

I'm glad to say they didn't advise using Mother's white dress. The remedy that immediately stood out to me was, in fact - SHAMPOO! Who'd have thought?

Well, I got out the cheap Aldi shampoo and squirted a line of it around the bath. I scrubbed at the shampoo with a damp brush which made it form a bit of a paste, and then worked my way around the bath. I wiped it over with a wet cloth and, to my delight, was staring back at a shiny, white, spotless - no, RINGless! - bath!
The shampoo left it so silky and smooth. And it smelt great too!


I then had a thought. If shampoo works on the ring in the bath tub, would it work on the limescale on the shower door? I had tried everything on the glass of the shower door too but nothing worked. May as well give it a go!


Same method. Awesome results! Even though the photos are a bit blurry (it's hard to photograph glass), you can see the difference!

Now that you can actually see into the shower, I'd better get working on that hideous grout! I wonder if the shampoo will work on that too?

Ah, shampoo... my new must-have cleaning product.

Onya Weigh bags

I'm really on a mission lately to rid my life, and the world, of plastic bags.
(You may have noticed).

It's probably my guilty conscience about continuing to use disposable nappies that is really spurring me on right now. It makes me feel better about the nappy thing when I can tell myself, "well, at least I'm -insert eco-friendly thing here-".

I'm excited to share my latest eco-find with you: Onya Weigh Bags!
These mesh bags can each hold up to 2 kilos and come in a 5 or 8 pack. I bought these bags to use at the fruit and veg store. They have been so easy to use. Heaps of people have commented on how great they are and one fruit shop owner even asked where I got them because he wanted to sell them to customers at his shop. I bought my 8 pack on Ebay (of course!) for $16.95 plus postage. That was the best price I could find.

These bags can also be used to wash produce, or store it in the pantry, or not even for food at all! You could use it to store anything really - or use it as a laundry bag in the wash. I haven't been that creative with them yet. I'm just pleased that we've now got even less plastic in the house!

the Bokashi Bucket - composting system

I received some great suggestions after expressing my concern about having to buy bags for our general household rubbish. A friend suggested using bread bags for rubbish. A great idea! Very resourceful. But it left me thinking, "that would last about two hours in our house before having to be emptied". The reality is that we just have too much waste.

There are different ways of reducing household rubbish, but one particular thing I noticed about our household is that half of our bin was always full of organic scraps! Cores, peels, bones, fat, uneaten crusts, forgotten fridge food, and more. But, since we live in a unit, I didn't think we had any option but to throw this stuff in the bin.

How wrong I was! Another dear friend introduced me to the Bokashi Bucket. ($69.90 from Todae online eco store for a single bucket and a 1.5kg bag of Bokashi Mix). This surprisingly simple product allows anyone at all to turn their food waste into a rich fertiliser. You can put ANY food scraps into this thing including citrus, egg shells, raw and cooked meats. You can even chuck tissues and small bits of paper in.


It doesn't take up much room and can easily be used on a balcony and even inside. And here's the best thing: it doesn't smell!

After I ordered our bucket, my three year old couldn't wait for it to arrive. He loves to help with our composting and even remembers to keep his banana peels out of the rubbish bin.

Here's how it works:
1. Place your waste into the bucket
2. Mash the waste to remove air
3. Sprinkle a hand full of the Bokashi mix over the waste

You just keep layering your food scraps in the same way until the bucket is full. The Bokashi Mix is made up of wheat, grains and microbes which aid the fermenting process. You can drain off any liquid if necessary from the little tap at the front. The liquid is called 'Bokashi juice'. When diluted it makes a really great liquid fertiliser for your garden.

When your bucket is full just bury the contents in your garden to allow it to completely biodegrade. After a few weeks you will then have nutrient rich fertiliser for your plants! (Or, in our case, for our families' gardens.) Then rinse out your bucket with water and start again.

We are loving our Bokashi Bucket and are excited that our rubbish is becoming something so useful. It has also been a great way for our boys to learn about the environment and how waste breaks down.
Who knew composting could be so fun!?

I have another organised room to reveal in a few days too! Stay tuned.

reusable shopping bags / green bags

Also known as 'green' bags, reusable enviro bags are now everywhere in many different sizes, colours and designs. It seems as though we have one of every variation in our house. We have TONNES!
They love to attack us every time we open the cupboard under the sink.

I went to sort through the bags we have when I started wondering...
"Do we have too many reusable bags?"
"How many do we actually need?"
"Where should we keep them?"
"What happens if they get dirty?"
"What should we do with them when they wear out or break?"
"What does all this mean for plastic bags?"

I started doing some research to find out more about them. I know, I know. Very nerdy.
But you are about to benefit from my nerdiness.

How many reusable bags do you need?
Did you know that, in a household consisting of four family members, the suggested number of reusable bags required is EIGHT? (greenbag.com.au)
I take that as meaning eight for general shopping use because I know we have way more than that, but some are used to store clothes and things in the wardrobes.
After counting them all I discovered that we actually have at least 36!

I'm thinking I should make an installation artwork with them. That would be awesome.
The Green Bag site suggests keeping the standard reusable bags at home and for each individual to keep a compact reusable bag in their handbag or backpack for day-to-day convenience shopping. Tick!

Do you have too many reusable bags?
Yes? Mission Australia gladly accepts donations of any unwanted bags. Most op shops would happily take bags to give to customers too.

Where should reusable bags be kept?
This question had been plaguing me for a while since I am very unhappy with where they are at the moment. We access the cupboard under the sink regularly and they fall out every time the door opens. Also, our garbage bin resides in that same cupboard which can't be very healthy. Germs!

I went to the brains trust (ie, my friends and family) for some ideas:
30% under the sink
25% boot of the car
15% kitchen cupboard
15% laundry
10% on or next to the fridge 
5% garage

So, really, keep them wherever they are most handy for YOU (probably not next to your garbage bin, though). I have decided on keeping a bunch in the car boot, another bunch neatly folded (I'm allowed to dream) in the laundry cupboard and a couple of compact bags in my handbag.
We'll see how that works out. 

How do you clean a reusable bag?
It's inevitable that all reusable bags will get dirty. Things spill, leak, and flake into the bags.
So, it's important to keep them clean.
It is recommended that you clean your reusable bag with a damp, soapy sponge to get the longest life out of them. Occasional machine washing is ok, just don't put them in the dryer!  

What should you do with old, worn out reusable bags?
Recycle them! Green Bag have a recycling program called RED to encourage the proper disposal of these bags. You may need to check with your local council to see where is the best place to drop these off for recycling in your area. Any non-woven polypropylene (NWPP) bags are classed as a #5 plastic which can be reformed into many things, like school chairs! 

So, what about plastic bags?
After we started using reusable bags for all our shopping, we completely ran out of plastic bags. I then had to buy some plastic bags for the rubbish bin! I hated having to do that, but I didn't really know what else to do. Someone did mention that you can buy 'biodegradable' plastic bags but that turned out to be an even less environmentally friendly option - much to my surprise.

Research carried out for the Commonwealth Government found that, compared with ‘green bags’, the manufacture of single use plastic bags created over three times the greenhouse gas and used almost five times as much energy. And, that same report showed that biodegradable bags are an even worse option than single use bags, stating:
“Little or negative gain was found to be derived from the shift from single use bags to other single use bags such as biodegradable bags and paper bags, with potential litter gains offset by negative resource use, energy and greenhouse outcomes.”

And now...
I care about the environment. Why? Because to love God and to be like Him is to care for the things that He cares for. I care about God's creation and everything that lives in it, including the people and wildlife still to come. Having said that, though - I am not perfect. Not even close. A lot of areas in my life need improvement. This is just one that I'm working on at the moment. And, it's a no-brainer - reusable bags are the best option to care for the environment while shopping.

So, right now I'll be sticking with the regular bin liners for the household rubbish and using our reusable bags for everything else. But, I will be sourcing the bin liners from a new shop, since Aldi only stock one size: huge. I'll also keep thinking about possible alternatives for our rubbish.

A lot of the regular plastic bags are now recyclable. A lot of the major supermarkets have a special bin to put them in. They shouldn't be put in your yellow-lid bin with the rest of the recycling, though, because they jam the machinery at the recycling plant and cause a lot of other problems. I also suggest tying them in a knot if throwing them out with the general rubbish so that there is less chance of them blowing away or floating on water and being swallowed by animals.

So, after all that... even though I am currently drowning in reusable bags - they are good and they are 'green' and they are one way of caring for what God cares for.

I now feel like I have some direction. We will cull down to what we need and donate the rest. They will always live in a convenient place and will never be forgotten when we head to the shops.
It will happen. I'm determined to make this work.

I hope this info has been informative and helpful for you too.