"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Thursday, 1 December 2011

Recycling for cleaning purposes

Like many other people out there I used bicarb and vinegar for a lot of my home cleaning - most of the cleaning which takes place, in fact.

So, from my wholesale supplier, I purchase bicarb in 1kg (1 lb) packs, and my vinegar in 5lt (1 gal.) containers.

I find lugging those containers around a tedious addition to my daily chores, so I gave that some lateral thought.

What I came up with is this.

For the bicarb, I decanted the powder into an empty spice bottle. The perforated lid makes the job of sprinkling bicarb quick and direct, with as little wastage / mess as possible :)
Empty spice bottle - perfect for sprinkling
bicarb on kitchen surfaces, or onto food which
has caught on the base of my cooking pots  
And, for the vinegar - I decanted that into a small spray bottle, added a drip or two of liquid soap and, voilà, I have a quick, easy to use eco-friendly spray which sits next to my kitchen sink, both here and on the farm.
A spray bottle filled with vinegar and a
drop of soap - stored next to my kitchen
sink it is perfect for a quick eco-friendly
clean up of my kitchen surfaces :)
Lugging these two items around is now a pleasure :)  In fact, as soon as I have another couple of empty spice bottles I am going to leave one of each in each bathroom.  Then there will be no necessity for me to schlep to the kitchen to collect what I forgot... again LOL
Posted by Dani at 07:27:00
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9 comments:

  1. Sue1 December 2011 at 10:54

    Great idea!

    And I LOVE that header picture!

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  2. Dani1 December 2011 at 15:06

    Sue - The pic is of a cold, misty winter morning. My favourite too, as it shows the hills and dales :)

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  3. Mr. H.1 December 2011 at 15:32

    Excellent idea. Not sure what else to say as I am still trying to get over how good that cake in your previous post looks.:)

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  4. Jane @ Hard Work Homestead1 December 2011 at 16:29

    Good idea with the spice bottle.

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  5. tffnguy1 December 2011 at 17:54

    Dani, I try to save all the spray bottles for use in other things. Yours sounds like a good use. I also keep a few empty spice shake bottles around in case I come up with something i could use them for. Actually though I'm one of those people who have a hard time throwing a lot of stuff away. I have a tenancy to see something useful in about everything.

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  6. Dani1 December 2011 at 19:37

    Mr H - Thanks. And Thanks LOL :)

    Jane - It is a definite improvement than schlepping round a box or bag :)

    David - I'm a hoarder too. Only problem is the farm has limited space, so when we sell our town house, and move to the farm, I've got a load of decisions to make LOL

    Don't lose your tendency - wish more people were like you - there would be less going to landfill or recycling (which uses power in its process) if only people could think more out the box and re-use what they have been given / bought. If it's in good nick, and can be re-used as it is, then we should all be doing so :)

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  7. Astra1 December 2011 at 23:51

    thats a great idea, I've just recently started cleaning with these products, cant buy bicarb in bulk atm tho, would save a bit im sure :) btw just got my 'following' thing working! so Im offically a follower :)

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  8. RobynLouise2 December 2011 at 01:12

    Dani, good thinking! Good for your back too not to be lugging around heavy containers.
    My hubby complains I'm a bower bird but not when I can produce a container that is just right for his storage/transporting needs!
    Cheers,
    Robyn

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  9. Dani2 December 2011 at 07:29

    Astra - I love using bicarb - the feel on your hands as opposed to after using a chemical abrasive - no comparison :)

    Robyn - Similar habits - similar husbands LOL

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment - it makes my day and removes the "loneliness' of sitting at my screen blogging supposedly to myself ;) I try and reply as quickly as possible so please forgive me if sometimes my response is delayed.

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