Greening

So, one of my sort of resolutions this year was to start greening our house. I started with laundry detergent. We are pretty partial to original Tide, which smells great and can often be found for a great price. I've been busy, so, my first 2 Tide alternatives are available at Safeway, where we currently get most of our groceries.

First, we tried Planet Liquid Laundry Detergent. Great results, biodegradable, phosphate free, non - toxic, and not tested on animals. I don't remember how many loads it did, but it was $9.99 compared to the same size tide at about half the price.

The next experiment in laundry detergent, and what we're currently using, is Method, HE compatible, super concentrated laundry detergent . I love the high concentration because I know that powder is much grenner than liquid (aka, shipping water). But, I have a hard time using powder without adverse affects on my blacks. What is selling for $8 online or slightly more at Safeway is enough for 32 loads, much more than my usual Tide or even Planet. And, the Sweet Water smells fantastic. The one downside is the design. The cap is really difficult to deal with, locking at times and hard to secure at others. This one isn't fragrance/ color free (Planet is).

I think my next move will be trying powder again... we'll see how that goes.

I also tried to procure a greener detergent for the dish washer. The Safeway I went to didn't have any environmentally friendly brands (online, they have the Planet brand powder.) So, I decided to at least make the switch from liquid to powder. I decided on the Safeway brand tablets. I felt really proud of myself until I got them home and realized ther were INIDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED in PLASTIC! So, a big F for me on that one. I will be trying the Planet or Method, non tablet-ized powder next.

Another step that I took after being inspired by A -- I signed up for organic produce deliver from Capay Organic. (Thanks A - this was originally labelled as the name of the airline we're hopefully flying to Thailand.)

Please post any suggestions you have on going green!