Going Granola (change part 2)

I am, by no means, a crunchy mama, nor do I plan on becoming one. But semi-crunchy is ok. We did not decide to cloth diaper the Monster because of environmental concerns- it was a perk, not motivation. However, the more I read, the more I want to go organic.

Someone once mentioned on babycenter that vinegar can be used as fabric softener and, by doing so, mildewed towels will be a thing of the past. Since I'm married to a man who just tosses his twisted towel over the shower door, I figured this trick was worth a shot. Not only does it get rid of the stink, the towels come out super soft. All of our towels and sheets are now softened (is that the right terminology?) with vinegar. I found a great site online that list all of the various ways that vinegar (alone or mixed with other regular household items) can be used to clean things around the house. Vinegar is now our all-purpose cleaner.

As nice as the site is, I remembered once reading an article in Parents/Parenting magazine (I can't remember which) about a woman who decided to upgrade her housekeeping skills and one of the books she referenced was called Organic Housekeeping. The article is not about becoming a green housekeeper, but a more organized and efficient housekeeper. Since this book is all about doing just that in a way that's safe for everyone living in the house, I figured it was worth looking into (and lord knows that I need help in the organization department.) So far I have learned that I should recycle more and that clutter makes cleaning more tedious. Ok so that (clutter) should be pretty obvious, but I didn't really think about it quite like that. She refers to a hotel roomp-keeper she knows who makes the bed(s), vacuums, and cleans every surface in a suite in just 30 minutes. This is possible because hotel rooms don't have clutter. De-cluttering our house is going to be a huge task, but it will be worth it in the end.

As I read more, I may share little tips... but we'll see.

I do want to go all organic in the food department, but it's expensive. Perhaps once I get a little better at clipping coupons, we'll take the plunge.