Saturday, April 3, 2010

Diary of an American Shopper day 154

Diary of an American Shopper Day 154

Okay so confession time. I hate to clean. I hate it. One of my least favorite things ever. But cleaning products are one of the few product lines that offer a wide variety of domestically made choices.

Frankly I think it stinks that there are only a few companies that make recycled trash bags here. But when it comes to cleaning supplies, the world opens up.

You have eco friendly lines like Seventh Generation, Mrs. Meyer's, and Method are all stamped with the Made in the USA label, but what about making your own cleaning products?  That way they are certainly made domestically. Hard to get more local than your own kitchen. And possibly that could make cleaning a bit more fun, as you become your own scientist in the kitchen. I for one, would love an excuse to don a lab coat and convince people that I am up to serious business.  And many of these recipes are easy to concoct.

For instance, did you know that you can make your own creamy soft scrubber with baking soda and detergent liquid?  Simply pour 1/2 cup of baking soda in a bowl with enough liquid detergent to create a texture like frosting. YUM - but resist the urge, this frosting will taste yucky.  Then take this mixture and put it right on your sponge and you're ready to go.  Simple.

Or you can make window cleaner by mixing 1/2 a teaspoon of liquid detergent with 3 tablespoons of vinegar and 2 cups of water.  Granted this window cleaner may not have that fresh clean scent that you're looking for, but most of these ingredients you might already have at home.  Just invest in a spray bottle and you're ready to go.  (And yes I realize that buying a domestically manufactured spray bottle may be near impossible, so my solution?  refill your old window cleaner bottle when you run out).

I have a pretty strong notion that this won't make cleaning any more fun, but it'll save a few bucks and that can be fun - I can use that money on some tasty frosting to put on a dessert of my choosing! Bet I can even double duty that lab coat as a new apron.

I mark Day 154 an enlightened alternative.

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