2:07pm
Old and New, Tried and True
56 comments
As I live through my sixth decade, reading "environmentalists" talking about what's good for the planet is amusing. How many of them brush their teeth with good old environmentally friendly baking soda? How many of them pull weeds in their yards rather than use chemicals? How many use [hydrogen] peroxide around the house rather than the latest marketing products?
Visit: www.using-hydrogen-peroxide.com and read a lot more about the benefits of hydrogen peroxide.
I've never used bleach, and while I don't run an animal shelter, with the inherent issues relating to parasites, odors, etc., my home is clean and safe for both Wiggles and me. The simple act of sweeping regularly keeps pet hair and other things from becoming ground-in soiled floors. Taking off the shoes at the door is a great way to keep from tracking stuff in on your shoes. Wiping doggy paws at the door, on the porch or deck before coming inside is another way to help keep the inside clean naturally.
Peroxide and baking soda are household staples and healthful "old-timey" solutions to issues that today's youth may not recall from their grandparents or great-grandparents' time.
"Everything old is new again." Perhaps that saying is apropos (the "s" is silent) in today's return to the old ways by using what is now called "biodegradable."
Shed pet hair placed in shrubbery is used by birds for nestbuilding!
Cedar bark mulch keeps fleas, ticks and other insects at bay in addition to helping keep weeds down naturally, and makes a nice outdoor scent around the home.
If you have the place to do so, pruned branches, eggshells, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable peelings, can all be composted, eventually breaking down into a wonderful natural plant food!
That's what we used to use when waxed paper and other paper products were used. Paper is biodegradable. The pulpwood from which most paper is made comes from softwood trees grown especially for paper. It doesn't come from "old growth timber," "the rainforest," etc. Such trees are a crop plant (trees are plants), and by recycling paper, we help ourselves, animals and plants. When I use a paper towel, either at home or in a restroom, that damp paper towel becomes a way to wipe off the car windshield, rear-view mirrors and taillights. The paper towel serves more than one purpose and just getting paper wet with water is not a reason to throw it away. Environmentally friendly AND safe!
One other thought, while I'm on this soapbox: Burning paper trash (usually in trash barrels) is forbidden in many places, said to be "environmentally degrading," yet "prescribed burns" and other "natural" fires appear to be all the rage with many current Forest Service and "not-for-profit" "environmental" organizations. Fire is fire. One of the byproducts of fire (like a volcanic eruption) is ash. Ash is a useful and beneficial, "earth-friendly" product used to keep weeds at bay, among many other applications.
So many basic products that our parents, grandparents, and/or great-grandparents used still hold true today. Naturally occurring products and compounds can be very good to use.
I'm cheering this cyclical "return to sensibility" and hope other ZooTooers will, too!
4 months ago
I have a clothes dryer, but I still like to hang my clothes on a clothes line. My mom did that when we were young and I just love the natural freshness.
I remember brushing our teeth with baking soda and peroxide and I have noticed now, that alot of manufacturers are putting that in their toothpaste.
We are doing some major changes around our house trying to save energy. Replacing our incandecent bulbs with floresent,we have ceiling fans throughout the house to circulate the air and we use those all the time. Sometimes we don't even need the AC.
We grill out alot in the summer to keep from heating the house so much.
I'm learning as I go , but this journal entry has been extremely helpful..
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Common sense is something we can't do without for long. I'm just pleased as punch to see it rebounding from the "throwaway" society that manufacturers sought (so we'd keep buying and buying and buying ... ) into the fix it and make do society.
I have only respect for energy-efficient products and am saving almost forty percent with a new high-efficiency gas furnace, but many products don't need to be tossed. Old towels make great washcloths and dish cloths (just tear into whatever size you want)! They're great to take along on dog walks for wiping paws, too!
Confession: I am DELIGHTED to see this Journal Entry receive such wonderful tips and comments. Thank you, one and all! Let's keep adding tips/ideas!
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Thanks again for sharing your wisdom with us. I use peroxide and baking soda to clean many things around my home...it is good for the environment and inexpensive. And, if you don't know it peroxide makes an excellent natural teeth whitener.
4 months ago
The best part of this Journal Entry are the number of good folks reading it and offering their own experiences, asking great questions, etc. ZooToo is having so many positive impacts on people's lives!
I would caution ZooTooers, though, that because someone says something has worked for them or someone they know (I'm including myself and what I write), does not mean it will work for you or your pet/pets. I've had people tell me that applying bleach to poison ivy is good. It is NOT. It is caustic and burns tender skin that's already in the throes of an allergic reaction.
Another caution: Using a little of something means just that. Using more is not necessarily better and can actually have a negative effect. Like taking a bath: Taking one bath cleans the bather. Taking four in a row dries the skin and hurts it. Moderation and common sense are twins. Let's always use our own "gut feelings" when reading and trying the suggestions of others.
God bless us all for trying our best to help others and to also learn from others!
Julie and Wiggles
4 months ago
When I lived on an organic farm. I was told to take my hair from my comb/brush and place it on the edge of the garden to help keep the ground hog out. The ground hogs don't like going around human smells.
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Do you know if the hair trick will work with moles? We have tons of them tearing our fields apart. Thanks.
Sheila
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Sheila
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A friend of mine, who passed away in a tragic car accident almost two years ago, diligently washed plastic storage bags. I watched her doing this while visiting her and her husband's very rural Nevada ranch, seeing the big sinkful of soapy suds and the other sink filled with hot rinse water.
My question was, "Do you ever get to the point where it costs more in soap and water to wash and reuse the bags than to simply use a new one?"
She paused in mid-wash, her eloquent hands enrobed in soapsuds, and considered that possibility. Then she sighed deeply, shook the suds from her hands and wiped them on her apron. "Julie," she said gently, "It's over five hours to the grocery store. In addition to being frugal, I don't want to run out."
This dear friend, this lady who was tough as nails, but a lady through and through, was a former U.S. Congresswoman from a western state (not Nevada).
She exuded gentility, yet cooked for a ranch crew of dozens, using an old gas stove that she'd considered replacing -- until she priced a new one. That made putty knives and other cleaning efforts bring about a restoration of the blackened stove to almost its original "pristineness." She never forgot that being frugal was a quality to be admired.
Her greatest adornments were her honesty and kindness, her love for husband, family and country superceded only by her love of and faith in God. She was an animal lover, her border collie named Digger still living at the ranch. She was also quite fond of Wiggles Blue Heeler (there's another story here that will go untold at this time, but it's memorable!).
No matter our station in life, we can and should "consider all the possibilities." I use used baggies for poop bags, which are then :-) discarded.
4 months ago
Rosemary and Eucalyptus will help with fleas. Put some under where the pets sleep. Kind of like you would for cedar. The smell will help keeps fleas away. You can also do a rosemary rinse for your pet. Small pot of boiling water, 2 teaspoons of Rosemary. Once the water has cooled off, you can use it on your pets. Can also use Apple Cider Vinegar diluted in water to rinse to help with fleas. However, know that if you have a major flea problem, these will not help. You have to get the fleas under control first.
I was told my mother in law that cats don't like Lemon, so if you can use lemon scented soap on furniture to keep the cats off. Also lemon peel around plants to keep the cats away. Can't try these as I don't have cats.
Apple Cider Vinegar can be used for the following. I have used for some of these, but not all. Burns and skin acne (used on the acne as a teen, worked for me).
Apple Cider Vinegar can be used to help supplement your pet's diet. You have to use unpasteurized. It can be added to the dog's food or pet's drinking water. It is suppose to help with the digestion and help in preventing the growth of bad bacteria in the digestive tract and also helps with the balance of acid in there. Most holistic vets recommend this. It goes by weight. So make sure to find out the amounts.
Apple Cider Vinegar can also be used as an ear clean. ACV does not like Bacteria. So mixing 50% of ACV and water, you will have a nice ear cleaner. Use at least 5 days in a row to work.
You do have to make sure your pets are not allergic to yeast before using any Apple Cider Vinegar.
A few more things is Lavender and salt help with fleas. Either can be sprinkled over the carpet, wait then clean up. Of course the lavender smells better.
There is so many things that was used many years ago that we need to go back to some of them. Going Green or aleast some green is what everybody should be doing.
Also another big one that I love to do is leaving the dog hair outside for the birds to make nest of. I would have thought that since it smelled like dog, they would not, but they love it. At least around my house.
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The uses and worth of vinegar are legion, but if using apple cider vinegar, be sure it's naturally flavored and not artificially. There is a difference in its potency.
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I haven't ever heard of suggesting pet hair for bird nests but I've been throwing it out for the birds for several years. I throw out tiny yarn scraps too when I'm crocheting in winter.
While we're at it, It's quite possible to dry most of your laundry by hanging it out in your back yard or on drying racks in your bathroom. If you hang things in the sun they smell much better too. I also turn my AC off when ever possible and if it gets down to the low 60s at night an attic fan will make your house much cooler unless you have your AC set at "refrigerate". Both save on energy costs.
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I also do dishes by hand and save rinse water to put on plants (except this year, when it's been so rainy that everything outside doesn't need watering!).
By composting fruit and vegetable peelings (but NOT meat trimmings), I save the electricity that would be used by those thinghies under the kitchen sink.
I've had three heatstrokes and so use air conditioning (besides, this mobile home doesn't have an attic, so can't have an attic fan!), but keep the thermostat set on 65 all winter long, so don't have huge heating bills.
While I do keep a jug of water cold in the fridge, I don't make or use ice cubes (don't need 'em with milk!).
There are lots of ways to live naturally and inexpensively. I'm sure glad today's article on 'green' things got posted at ZooToo -- it's gotten all of us to thinking and maybe remembering how it used to be done and can be done again!
No electric can opener, either, but I'm not opening canned pet food. Wiggles gets some canned veggies (like me), some fruits and veggies that are frozen and some that are fresh. We do use canned tuna and some chicken chunks, but so far, the manual can opener works for us just fine.
4 months ago
Another tip... for those of you who do not have AC but do have attic fans.... in REALLY hot weather you can stand in a cold shower or even bring a top sheet with you and then go to bed wet. You will be shivering. To some degree this also works if you have a window fan blowing out (somewhere in the house-a direct path is helpful) with another window very near your bed open. The air will be sucked in that window much like an attic fan would do but usually not as powerful.
4 months ago
Those older guys that may read this may chuckle and consider that heat and moisture (when working with older cars) can produce the dreaded VAPOR LOCK!!!
4 months ago
I've known about pet hairs and even dryer lint for the birds and put some out every year--along with 5-6" pieces of string. It's fun to watch the birds take them since I know they will help make a cozy nest for the little ones.
4 months ago
While birds will incorporate some odd things into their nests, I do not recommend foil, colored or otherwise, or buttons. Pets and children can and will ingest these things.
4 months ago
As for the poison ivy... I've gotten it for months at a time and have seen it covering fences and the garage so I make an exception for poison ivy. If I find small patches I wear gloves, covered in baggies and slip a trash bag over the poison ivy to pull it up. (Can't be too careful.) I've also heard there is some cream you can put on your hands that will protect you. But if there is big patch I'll break down and spray Round Up. I'm embarrassed to admit it but I just can't afford repeated doctor and medication bills. And of course, if your animals get into it you will pick up the toxic oils from their fur even if you are otherwise careful.
4 months ago
HOWEVER: If you are CUTTING/PRUNING vines, don't handle the pruners/loppers UNLESS and UNTIL you have cleaned Them, because the oil will be on the handles and blades. When putting the bagged vines in the trash, put the first bag inside another bag. Don't touch the trash can lid or top with anything that's been in contact with the plant/vine. You may want to remove the trash can lid BEFORE this chore.
I don't know if Lysol disinfecting/cleaning wipes will cut the urishol oil.
When taking off clothing, gloves, shoes, etc., be sure to peel it off, wrongside/inside-out and use something like "Fast Orange" on the shoes/boots to remove the oil. Don't rinse this contaminated stuff anywhere you or your pets will be, because the oil is still in the rinsed-off stuff.
You can probably tell that I'm really, REALLY careful around poison ivy, with good reason!
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http://www.using-hydrogen-peroxide.com
From that website address comes this: "...using hydrogen peroxide for cleaning tends to keep your sponges, mops, and scrubbing pads a whole lot cleaner (They'll all get a bit of disinfecting every time you use them)."
4 months ago
4 months ago
www.using-hydrogen-peroxide.com
From that website address comes this: "...using hydrogen peroxide for cleaning tends to keep your sponges, mops, and scrubbing pads a whole lot cleaner (They'll all get a bit of disinfecting every time you use them)."
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