Monday, April 28, 2008

Green Cleaning Love

Since E was born, we've been trying to live a "cleaner" or "greener" lifestyle, as having a child really opens your eyes. Anyway, when we decided to go green, we also didn't want to break the bank doing it, either. So basically we used vinegar and baking soda with some essential oils to clean. Then I discovered Dr. Bronner's. I LOVE it. I have peppermint kind, and wow... it smells so yummy and cleans well, too. The lovely thing about Dr. Bronner's is that it goes such a long way, and it can be used for almost anything. We keep it as an all purpose cleaner. It makes me happy when I smell it.

Well, I was still using the toxic stuff for the toilet bowl, mostly to use it up and because I didn't know if I trusted Dr. Bronner's to clean it properly. Today E and I went on a walk and found Mrs. Meyer's on sale at one of our local shops... in fact, if you bring in your current half bottle of dish soap, they'll give you a full bottle of this brand for free! They have a geranium scent that is just divine. Goodbye, empty nasty chemical cleaners... hello, Mrs. Meyer's clean goodness. :) I almost want to clean the bathroom just because I want to smell it. Almost.

In other news, this past weekend marked a month since I started working out regularly... and a couple of people have asked me if I've noticed any changes in my body. Well I can now run three miles with the feeling that I could go further if inspired. A month ago, I could barely do one mile without walking. My biking skills have improved as well - when I first started out, I was averaging about three miles... now I can do 12!

As far as other changes go, I sleep like a rock every night. It's amazing. I also feel like my stomach has flattened a little, but I can't say that for sure. It could be because my attitude toward my body has changed? My confidence level in my body has gone up from a month ago for sure. Plus I feel "cleaner" now that I'm getting regular exercise.

Hopefully this exercise routine becomes habit that lasts, right?

The geranium cleaner is calling my name... time to do some serious bathroom cleaning. :)

5 comments:

Mommy of Four said...

what's mrs meyers and dr. bronners? And where do you buy them? I have been using clorox's green Works natural products. I love them!

Sheri said...

Hey Kayla -

Dr. Bronner's is an all natural castile soap. They claim that you can use it for almost anything, but I've only used it as an all purpose cleaner, and for my floors. you put a few drops with water, and voila - cleaning solution.

Mrs. Meyers is probably another brand like the chlorox green cleaners, but a little more expensive (well, at least it was at the local shop near us). The only reason I bought it was because it was on sale... otherwise I would have found another brand. They smell amazing, though. :)

As far as where I got them, I bought Dr. Bronner's at our local food co-op, and Mrs. Meyer's at a local specialty shop... not sure where you'd get that at.

Mommy of Four said...

Hmmm....I could try Oryanas. Would it be in the cleaner isle?

Sheri said...

Oryana's would have Dr. Bronner's for sure, but it was in the body products aisle (can be used for body washing as well). At the Grain Train (our co-op), we are able to bring in our own container and fill it with Dr. Bronner's. It's fairtrade and they can buy it wholesale, which makes it a little cheaper. A little bit goes a long way, and my little bottle has lasted me a long time.

I went to mrsmeyers.com, and it looks like the closest place that would sell that product is in Empire. If you really wanted some, we could bring some down the next time we come.

Amanda said...

hey sheri!

i use the clorox green stuff too and am very impressed. i'm just starting to get into "green", so this is a good transisiton for me. the toilet cleaner really works! =)