Wednesday, June 18, 2008
How will I wash my clothes?
I did a load of laundry today and realized I will need to buy detergent in about three loads...hum. I know you can buy powder laundry detergent in a box but then there is a plastic scoop inside—I don't want a plastic scoop. I don't think throwing a bar of soap in the washer is really going to get me very far either... I will have to do some research here. I wonder if powder dishwasher soap that comes in a paper box (without a scoop) would work just as well? Really how discerning can soap be? Where there is dirt and mess—it cleans it up! It’s banal really. At any rate I will be moving to bar face soap, bar shampoo and have already bought bar hair conditioner, maybe a small bar of soap (oh! or little chiplettes of soap) in the machine isn’t such a bad idea. I think this is an experiment I should have with a laundromat machine though, not with my aunt and uncle’s washing machine that they so graciously let me use for free. Well, three loads of carefree, careless, luxuriously simple laundry left and then on to the great bar soap-dish soap adventure!
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4 comments:
I'm trying to do some research.. i feel like 7th Generation powder detergent might not have plastic scoop. in the meantime, here's a handy report on eco-friendly detergents from Ozolife.com:
http://ozolife.com/ozoreport.do
enjoy!
kerry
Kerry and Erin,
I also work with Suzanne and am enjoying reading your blog every day! I never really thought about how difficult it would be to live without plastic, but I love hearing about your creative ways to reduce the amount of plastic in your lives! Do you have to avoid writing with plastic pens? What about buying Metrocards? (they definitely do not pass the rip test!)
Anyway, I thought of another suggestion if you really can't find powder laundry detergent without plastic scoops - you could make your own detergent! If you're interested, here's a link to a recipe: http://www.recipezaar.com/76779
If that sounds too complicated, I've heard that powder detergent that is sold in a taller cardboard box (shaped like a borax box) is less likely to have a scoop...you might have to test that out though. 7th Generation sounds like a good idea too - if it has a scoop, at least it's probably made of recycled materials (does it only count as a half of a piece of plastic, if someone else has already used it?)
Good luck!!
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth! I think we met at Starbucks once? I'm so excited you're liking the blog. CIT is so green. you guys should plant some trees in the disco lobby.
Here's the thing: we don't have to avoid pre-existing plastic in our lives, and I have plenty of pens around to use, but BUYING new pens is a different story.
Funny you mention Metrocards.. my new job pays for our subway pass and they come WRAPPED in plastic.. what a bummer. because i'm sorry, i can't turn down an $81 subway pass. and you're right, definitely doesn't pass the rip test either.
that's a cool recipe.. i don't know much about borax but will check it out. one of the good things we're learning is that there's tons of stuff you can make at home.. i'll never buy a $20 tub of exfoliating scrub again.. i just mix some granulated sugar and honey.. it's the most amazing thing ever.
thanks for reading and please spread the word!
kerry
Also, Natl Geographic has a Green Guide to Cleaner and Greener laundry..
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/119/laundry/6
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