It got me thinking on how much we rely on electicity. My boys thought it was exiting up until they realised that they needed electicity for the telly, charging up things. Thank goodness for our pump up tourch and the candles).

I do feel that if we did not have electricity we would struggle with day to day living, it is supprising how much we take it for granted. I didn’t miss the tv or drinking tea.

Our two local town centres were clossed due to not having any electricity for work there tills. My local pet shop said that they wanted to use the old swipe cards and paper but they were told that they were no longer valid (which to me is a strange thing because what if there is a power cut for a longer period of time no one could buy anything) with the tills being electical they couldn’t be opened.

I did get more sleep when it got to dark to see propally even with candles it was time to go to sleep. It did remind me alot of my grandma and how she used to live, she had many a tail about what it was like when she was younger. she always said that she seemed to get alot more done.

This is a real concern for me due to the amount that is flushed away each day, the way around it is to use recycled paper even cloths that could be washed after use (not an area i have ventured in, i think this would take a lot of persuasion for my family). With toilet rolls i don’t like the packaging that they come in, i can’t recycle them which means they end up in landfill. An other issue is that my son does not understand one at a time so alot of toilet roll is wasted at the moment. I have found an alternative though, recycled box of tissues from tesco which does not contain any plastics which some boxes do. I am giving it a trail run for the month because i am not sure how James and the boys are going to react to it.

Noses

The concept of blowing a runny nose on a hanky would put my family off, this is only because we have never done it. I used to have a hanky when i was younger, it was second nature then and they are very easy to wash so my family are going to get another shock when i send them out with a hanky instead of tissues. This will save on the amount of tissues my family will get through.

I think it is down to frustration though of how i used to love the adverts and then buy them, now i am not drawn into them anymore they don’t mean anything more that chemicals that are going to ruin our planet.

I have just purchased my door knocker from the door knocker company.

I have just bought a carpet sweeper and for the first time tried it out on my hall carpet. It is really good i was so impressed with the amount of dust it picked up. It takes up hardly any room but so easy to use and empty.

I think this is such a great idea because it goes straight back to baciks, no electricity needed and it costs me £230 less than my vacuum cleaner. it is a great workout but does not take that much effort. I am now looking for a mettle and wooden household dustpan and brush for the edges were there seems to be little pickup.

My son really enjoys this sweeper because its really light weight and fun to use i hope from now on that he will be hovering his own room.

I saw these at the weekend in John Lewis and thought they looked really elegant. I know that Ecover do them but these i thought looked a lot nicer. I do like scents and air fresheners but i think they are too strong now because all my cleaners don’t smell that strong. The thought of breathing in the sprays you can get scares me because you really don’t know how its effecting you. I also have to take in to consideration how I’m going to recycle the left over product. once i have purchased one of these i can then make up my own sects using oil and organic essential oil. With these you can alter how strong you would like them by having fewer or more sticks in the oil.

Thank you Diane for your comment i would like to say thank you i never thought of putting “A drop of essential oil on the vacuum cleaner filters can make your home smell nice too”

I have found a website called Treehuggaz and it sells one litre bottles of soarnut cleaner which can be used on anything. Even the washing up.

You can use it for washing the dishes, cleaning surfaces including floors, glass, bathroom, kitchen and even in your car as a windscreen wash! Rather than use preservatives.

Once all my ecover squirtico has been used up i am going to give this a go. I like the idea of not needing a trigger spray because i have not found anywhere to recycle them. It is a really great space saver one product for everything which means my cupboard can be used for something else.

My kitchen cleaning cupboard is looking so much better at the moment it has a few ecover products which i think are great. Could do better and i will keep surching for things until i find the best to suit me. looking to minimise waste.

Update

Treehuggaz no longer sell the one litre bottle of cleaner but they do sell a biodegradable bottle, soap nuts and oils they even have a recipe to make your own which is really easy to do. So why not give it a go. I am going to start making it because then i do not have to pay for the transport and this will take my carbon footprint down.

It should cost you no more then £15 a year for all the ingredients how great is that.

Soapods are easy to use, So organics sell them with a small bag that you put 6-8 pods and then simply pop in with your washing. You can use them up to three times. And because they have a completely neutral odour, you can add essential oils to the water to give your washing a personal fragrance. When you’ve finished with the pods simply through them in with your compost. Summer naturals sell them in bulk with out the bags so you can save on materials.

Environmentally friendly: Completely natural & biodegradable. No excess packaging & No harmful waste products.
Saves you money: Up to 50% cheaper than other washing products & No need for fabric conditioner.
Allergy Free: Good for your skin. No added perfume or chemicals at all!
Sustainable & Eco-Friendly: Soapnut trees live up to 90 years. The wood and foliage are also used, making Soapods a sustainably cultivated product. .By using Soapods products for washing your clothes, you are taking one simple step towards making your household truly Eco-friendly. Natural & Pure: Soapods support a ‘greener’ lifestyle, help in protecting our planet & our products are good for your clothes & for you!

I am really looking forward to trying these out, at the moment i really do not like the strong smells on my laundry and conditioner is a big no no in my home now.

I am a great lover of Anthea Turners Perfect Housewife and this recipe was on one of her programs.

Anthea Turner’s (perfect housewife) recipe for washing-up liquid:

2 ltrs boiling water
2/3 drops tea tree oil
8 gm soap flakes
8 gm of soda crystals
tsp vinegar

Mix and put in soap dispenser

My tea tree oil, soda crystals and vinegar are bulk bought from summer naturals. Organic soap fakes are from so organic.

My first to try will be

the washing up set which consists of

1 x Washing Up Pad (11 x 16cm)
1 x General Purpose Cloth (green)(32 x 32cm)
1 x Tea Towel (40 x 70cm)

Washing-up Pad – To be used for general washing-up. It cuts through grease and grime, with a slightly more abrasive side for those harder, stuck-on stains.

General Purpose Cloth – The General Purpose Cloth cleans and shines the sink area for the perfect finish. Great on stainless steel.

Tea Towel – The absorbent tea towel leaves glass and crockery smear free and dry in seconds.

A full E cloth range