Whether you’re into Christmas shopping or not, you can’t deny the siren song of free stuff. But classy free stuff. Downloaded with restraint and elegance, none of that jump-through-hoops-give-me-your-email-and-first-born-child crap.
If you’ve noted I live in Vancouver, you’ve probably rolled your eyes: tofu-eating, yoga-pant-clad GreenPeaceniks. It’s worse than you think. West Coast hippies come disguised in Beamers and Brooks Brothers. And they’re totally on to something: Green cleaning.
Whether your house or apartment is as ugly as mine, whether you clean it yourself or outsource it daily – green cleaning makes sense in every column. My apartment’s ugly – but it’s healthy. No toxicity allowed. While I don’t know you well enough to dig through your cupboards and chuck out the Febreeze, I like you plenty. So how about no lectures, just free stuff?
- Download 14x green cleaning recipe cards, easily printed on business card stock (Avery #5371)
Triple-threat Christmas present
These cards were born last year – I planned to print some green cleaning recipes on Avery templates, laminate them, put them on binder rings and give them to family as inexpensive but heartfelt Christmas presents. In a gift-bag alongside the fantastic Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
As with most of my ideas – these took a while longer to bear fruit. That’s their this year present. (Act surprised, guys!) And you? Whether you just print them off and use at home, or do as I plan to do & give as gifts – I hope they help to take a little bit of ugliness out of your day-to-day. They’ll print on Avery business card templates, #5371. Double points if you print them at work, on someone else’s dime.
Why try green cleaning? 3-point proselytizing:
1) It’s cheap & easy – really!
If green cleaning has ever seemed a hassle – too much bucket chemistry, I assure, it’s not. Whether you choose to swap out one potion or all 14, you might find the green alternative both cheaper and easier once habit.
2) Save space
Vinegar, Dr. Bronner’s soap, baking soda – bought in bulk – that’s your lot. Add in some washable cloths and a spray bottle and you’re set. For space, it gives us back the equivalent of an entire cupboard or 2 whole shelves.
3) Comparative cleanliness
To keep things equally clean (green cleaning vs. commercial crap) is the easiest thing on earth – if you stay on top of it. Bachelor brodeos or “oh!shit!buggerbuggerbugger!” Bridget Jones types might struggle to get similar results with binge and purge cleaning. Baking soda wasn’t meant to tackle your life’s build-up of can-we-please-not-talk-about-it yuckiness. But once or twice a week across a bathroom counter? Noooo problem.
Convinced?
Good. Download your very own: green cleaning recipes or forward them on to people you love. Any great successes (or memorable failures) in your green cleaning experiments?
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Thanks to Young House Love for getting the green cleaning ball rolling in their previous post on cleaning potions.
Hey, you want a s'more? Some more of what?
Aw, and here I thought that no discussion would be tolerated!
Na, the ayatollah tendencies are saved for special occasions.
What a great idea for a gift! Thanks for sharing – I’d much prefer to clean green
Kelly
PS You bet I’ll say good things about my West Coast blogger buddies tomorrow night!
Thanks Kelly! Enjoy!
Crap, when am I going to remember to change my profile BEFORE I submit my comment?! Sorry again.
Kelly
Which is which? Are both blogs still active?
Wow….. such a great idea for a gift basket .
‘Animal Vegetable Miracle’ is absolutely my favourite book of the past 2 years. Quite simply, life changing…. Everyone, and I mean the whole planet should read it over the Holidays.
Well done Ugly Baby!
Mine as well – became quite the little garden gnome after reading it. (And looking forward to reading it again over Christmas — to get excited for more growing!) Thank you!
I have to admit, we don’t use a lot of green cleaning products around here–but I do go for Seventh Generation’s Lemongrass and Clementine dishwashing soap. The stuff works just as good as anything else (whether on dishes or paintbrushes–a DIYer’s friend), and the smell is subtle but pleasant. Plus it’s barely more expensive than the regular stuff.
Lemongrass anything – yes please! Hadn’t thought of using dish soap to wash up brushes – great tip.
Hey, great idea. I must say, you sure have some imagination. Good Luck!
Thanks!
I make a vinegar/water/lavender oil mixture for cleaning. It works well for counter top cleaning.
Btw, I asked for worms for xmas…oh hippie-ness.
Lavender oil? Yum. Where do you get that?
(And A++ re. Xmas wish-list. Can’t imagine that’s a big hit for Black Friday sales, haha).
Haha!! I am not sure what was better – your great idea for a Christmas gifts or the funny comments from the other blog readers!!
I’m with Lisa … vinegar, water and lavender oil is a great cleaning mixture. But I did NOT ask for worms. I might be a west coaster but I was born and raised in the prairies.
They’re a precious bunch, aren’t they? I have to read the comments at home – learned my lesson after one too many choke-on-hot-coffee moments @ Starbucks.
(And what do prairie kids grow up doing if not eating dirt and playing with worms?? You might want to address that misconception. I think we killed our worms during the recent freeze…. animal abuse!?)
Vinegar is our green cleaner of choice – we use it just about everywhere (except our hardwood floors, because over time it can ruin the finish). We used to be on all kinds of chemicals but ultimately threw most of them away for the greenness of vinegar and also the cost savings.
Ooh good point – I wonder what laminate thinks about vinegar? When I get truly sick of renovating I might do a cost-comparison on these recipes vs. the normal/commercial ones — I bet it’s pretty compelling!