What did we call it?

[stringy]

We used to have a regular thread about what we were doing to be more environmentally conscious. Beyond the CDs of course.

What was it?

Also. Guys. I’ve gotten horrible. A tree fell on my untouched compost bin. My kids use plastic baggies for snack. And I just bought dishwasher pods bc the blue land ones sucked. I need a reset. We also started getting trash picked up instead of taking it to the dump which makes me less conscious of our waste.

Sigh. Life.

[sarenu]

Going green for good? GGG

I switched to Blue Land soap I like them. I also like their multi surface cleaner and bathroom cleaner.

I bought new produce bags. I’m excited for them.

We still compost and this week we had one bag of garbage from our kitchen.

[snowmoon]

Yeah, I’m not doing great very well in this department. I’m still doing curbside grocery pick up purely for the convenience of it, but they pack things like shit and always use so many bags. I have been doing a decent job meal planning so there’s less food waste though.

[mapleme]

We use Dropps for the dishwasher and our laundry. DH loves them and he's picky.

I wanted to buy reusable baggies for sandwiches, but I didn't like the options. But my grocery store had these www.lunchskins.com/products/recyclable-sealable-paper-sandwich-bags-50-ct-box-apple?gclid=Cj0KCQiA9OiPBhCOARIsAI0y71D6YJ-LwwCmCskOvh9wSf_gKb7zyyKqACHu4z4vnJQnUMYKQ91RJ-AaAv4IEALw_wcB so I bought them as a temporary solution until I could do more research. But it turned out that I loved them. I particularly like that they close to whatever size that I want so they can hold a sandwich tightly. And I don't have to store another big container of cloth things.

[mapleme]

It was Going Green to Save Some Green. GGSSG

[mapleme]

Does anyone here use period underwear (like Thinx)? I use PIMP cloth pads and they work, but I keep thinking about period underwear and wondering if I would like it more.

[charlotte]

Feb 2, 2022 20:31:32 GMT -6 mapleme said:

Does anyone here use period underwear (like Thinx)? I use PIMP cloth pads and the work, but I keep thinking about period underwear and wondering if I would like it more.

I do! I think mine are Thinx brand.

I have one of those washers with the little soaker bowl on top. I just soak them in there after taking them off at the end of the day and I wash laundry a bit more frequently that week to make sure they don’t get gross.

They’re kind of expensive but totally worth it IMO.

[rugger]

Feb 2, 2022 20:31:32 GMT -6 mapleme said:

Does anyone here use period underwear (like Thinx)? I use PIMP cloth pads and the work, but I keep thinking about period underwear and wondering if I would like it more.

I really like my Thinx. I have 3 pair and will prob get some more. I wear them to bed and as backup for my cup/disc and in light days, too.

And I love that Thinx has a teen line. I'm planning to get some for R in the near future

[rugger]

I just recently bought some more PW snack bags. I like them for the girls to take to school.

Also, I really like the Systema bento lunch boxes. I don't like that they are plastic, but they fit everything perfectly and the girls take lunch most days, so we needed something that was going to work easily.

I wish our HOA did recycling pickup every week. Right now, it's only every other week, and our recycling bin is overflowing every time. But we can skip a week on trash.

[mapleme]

charlotte, rugger, do you guys rinse them? I have to rinse my pads after wearing to get them totally clean, but I notice that Thinx says to put them straight into the wash.

[rugger]

Feb 2, 2022 21:02:15 GMT -6 mapleme said:

charlotte, rugger, do you guys rinse them? I have to rinse my pads after wearing to get them totally clean, but I notice that Thinx says to put them straight into the wash.

I treat them like CDs and do a rinse or express cycle first, then wash normally after. If we had a handheld bidet, I would totally give them a spray first, then wash normally.

[ovenrack]

I think I’m the one person who has period underwear and doesn’t like it.

It is inherently snug (duh) and full-coverage (my choice - I’m team full-coverage always). I usually wear breathable, thin cotton underwear, so period underwear feels super grippy and tight and thick to me.

I use a cup and cloth pads for light days.

[ovenrack]

My kids are still using the same bumkins sandwich bags that I first posted about in GGTSSG! Wow.

I’ve bought more - they’re used for snacks daily, along with various stainless steel and plastic food storage.

I’ve also been experimenting with various dishwasher detergents. I liked dropps but I get anxious having too many subscriptions. Ha ha.

[stringy]

I haven't found reusable bags that I actually like and that keep things somewhat fresh. Tho maybe for snacks it doesn't matter as much as sandwiches which they only take one day a week and use bentos.

Any new better ones on the market? Zip or velcro or something better?

ETA: I don't like the silicone ones...tried those.

[snowmoon]

Feb 3, 2022 8:36:41 GMT -6 stringy said:

I haven't found reusable bags that I actually like and that keep things somewhat fresh. Tho maybe for snacks it doesn't matter as much as sandwiches which they only take one day a week and use bentos.

Any new better ones on the market? Zip or velcro or something better?

ETA: I don't like the silicone ones...tried those.

There are baggies that are like the beeswax wraps, or fold them somehow to make them a pouch. I still love beeswax wraps and use them all the time.

[milano]

I feel like I am not as green as I once was, but I am trying to get better.

I'm currently back to regular All laundry detergent in the obnoxious plastic jugs. I liked Dropps, they occasionally left a portion of undissolved pouch in my laundry but it was rare and tolerable. I switched to Blueland laundry tabs so I wouldn't be putting plastic residue into the waterways but I was using 3 tablets per load and it still wasn't sudsing and it didn't remove stains at all. So I started using the regular ALL in the interim until I could figure out what I wanted to do and just haven't given it any more thought since. I think I will try Dropps again though, they work well and don't take up much space.

I have silicone snack bags that I dont love but use as much as possible. I find that having more plastic containers of various shapes and sizes are easier to fill with kids snacks/lunches than dealing with the bags. We use glass for leftovers and stuff that stays home but plastic if it is leaving the house.

I also feel like we consume a lot of individual sized snacks and drinks so our recycling bin is always overflowing. And cans. But I bought a sodastream so that is helping with the can quantities a little bit.

[stringy]

Yes milano, to all of that. Its gotten busy and so many snacks that I do buy the individual bags sometimes.

I've given up on blueland, just didn't like the products much.

Laundry detergent is an issue, BM loves her dryer sheets and I loathe them. Its increasingly hard to find powdered laundry detergent in a cardboard box too - that was always my go-to.

Someone posted in our local page recently about recycling which led to a long thread about how nothing actually gets recycled anyway, especially if single stream. and that made me sad and prompted this.

Don't get my started on dog poop bags.

I do still use my menstrual cup...and converted BM too.

Its the plastic man. So much plastic in kids crap.

[sarenu]

I agree on the plastic. So much with everything.

We need individual snacks for school.

We use the massive Tide powder box from Costco. I’m tempted to try making my own once we get the addition and remodel done.

I stopped using body wash and moved to bar soap about 4 years ago. Plus we use wash clothes in the shower. No more loofas.

We invested in a Tushy and will not be going back. If you want one sign up on their site, they will email you deals. Trust me you do not need hot water for this, and I hate cold anything.

Does it count that I have not been in the office since December?

[sarenu]

Also, dish washer tabs. I see Drops works well. Any other suggestions?

We will finally have a dishwasher!!!!

[mapleme]

Right before this thread I bought a few more PIMP, but now I just bought three thinx to try. When I switched over to cloth I realized that I had been needlessly suffering in the disposable world. So I can't go back. I'm excited to try something that works better than cloth pads though.

[mapleme]

Yes to the Tushy! Best thing ever. I miss it when I'm away from home.

We are forever on FST instead of paper towels too. Paper towels just don't work very well. I think that DH still brings a small section of paper towel in his lunch, but I pack FST in the kid's lunch (which has the added bonus of catching anything that spills in there). And we use paper towel for pet messes and bacon fat.

We still use dryer balls.

And I use little snap lid containers for the kid's dry snacks. We use glass at home, but I send the kids with plastic because they're cheap and I don't get sad if they get lost. But we need a container refresh. We've been using the same glass containers since before DH and I met (our containers are 13+ years old!) and the lids are finally giving way. I should get something new there.

I am a little sad that cloth masks are no longer enough. I hate throwing away masks on the reg. I wear my KN95 for a week and the kids get a similar amount of wear on theirs (but they cycle through a few, if they get damp at school). I do rip the straps on my old masks though, so wildlife don't get tangled in them.

[tj]

mapleme where do you get your FSTs? Maybe we could make the switch to those at home. We were using reusable wipes and bamboo towels for a while. But they got gross looking and we put them somewhere when we moved and that was the end of that. Oops.

[mapleme]

Feb 3, 2022 10:14:00 GMT -6 tj said:

mapleme where do you get your FSTs? Maybe we could make the switch to those at home. We were using reusable wipes and bamboo towels for a while. But they got gross looking and we put them somewhere when we moved and that was the end of that. Oops.

I love the Walmart FST more than anything else. These ones

www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-20-Pack-Flour-Sack-Kitchen-Towel-Set-White/384571547?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&&adid=22222222227162675412&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=277763677860&wl4=aud-1219917706781:pla-527451487357&wl5=9003059&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=384571547&veh=sem&gclid=CjwKCAiAl-6PBhBCEiwAc2GOVEb1M7RFbgK9Rat2yjh8ehcOjR3RMJKOOlu8Yoex52bbXOtySOFWvxoCIT0QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds 

I use them at work too. Both at home and work we use the shit out of them (bleach in every load at work). When they get too far gone we toss them and replace them. I put the prettier/whiter ones in my kid's lunch. We end up buying a chunk of new ones maybe once a year? But we're only replacing maybe 1/4 or 1/3 at a time, so they last a really long time. And I'm unabashed about putting them in the wash as often as possible. My kids and DH leave them everywhere and then randomly use them again, so I just pick them all up and throw them in the hamper at every opportunity. 

[stringy]

well sarenu, I recently discovered that the cascade platinum pods work great. little microplastics everywhere.

Powdered cascade was fine but I can't find it anywhere anymore.

The blueland tabs just weren't getting it done. But a new dishwasher is prob so clean and nice it'll be great regardless. Mines kinda gross.

[stringy]

Yes! Need moree cloth napkins - have gotten lazy on that too.

Dogs also seem to require a lot of paper towels, but she's gotten better so maybe FSTs would work.

[milano]

We do use cloth napkins still, and I have so many kitchen towels and rag towels that I rarely reach for a paper towel unless it is a bodily excrement.

I wish dishwasher tabs worked for me, I have yet to find any that work in my current dishwasher or my last one so I just use Cascade in the jugs.

[mc13]

This reminded to me to order new cloth napkins. My original set of 30 lasted us 7 years but so many have holes in them now or are just rough looking.

[charlotte]

It’d be great if someone could convince my kiddo to poop in the potty so that I can stop throwing diapers away.

I’m doing sorta well with using reusable bags/containers, cloth wipes, & the period underwear.

But yeah, the single package snacks are tough. I don’t buy individually packaged chips or anything like that but we do a lot of granola bars, Gogurt tubes, etc.

We’re hoping to buy a house next year and I really want to start a veggie garden.

[charlotte]

Also ovenrack I agree that the period underwear def is not as comfortable as regular. It feels a bit suffocating. But I don’t like how disposable product feel either so .. it’s all bad 😅.

[mapleme]

squeak, we use Dropps for both laundry and the dishwasher and like them both. DH is picky about both of those things and he'd happily use all the chemicals to get the results that he wants.