Simple Solutions:Old T-Shirt Turned into Reusable Bag

I recently saw this posted on Facebook (I can't remember where) and felt compelled to share.  Who doesn't have old T-shirts that they no longer wear?  Before you toss into your rag pile (as I know none of you throw them in the trash any longer), here's another use.  Turn it into a cloth bag for your shopping pleasure.  Kids tees make great produce bags and the best part is that they are free!  How cool to be able to show off your favorite team/school, etc.?  This would make a great weekend craft project with your kids too.  You can teach them to reuse, sew and have fun!

Simple Solutions - For Women's Eyes Only

I am guessing that most if not all of my audience at this point are women.  But if there are any male readers out there, feel free to skip this week's post.  Then again, if you are one of those men that have had to make the ever embarrassing tampon run for your wife or girlfriend, then you may want to read more because this would eliminate you ever being put in that position again.

Simple Solution #2: "Feminine Care Products"

I know many of you may be reluctant to open your mind to this alternative, but I can say with 100% honesty that I wish I had learned about it sooner.  Zero Waste aside, I completely prefer using these products.  In the 5 months that I have been using them, I have never had a leak, not even at night.  Another benefit is the cost savings.  For about $50-$60, you will never have to by tampons or panty liners again!!

Tampon Alternative: The Mooncup.  It comes in 2 sizes depending on whether you have birthed a child and can be found at Amazon.com (and other places I am sure).



Panty Liners: Cloth Washable Liners.  There are several brands available at Amazon.com or etsy.com in all sorts of fun colors and designs.  See links below.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_11?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=cloth%20panty%20liners&sprefix=cloth+panty%2Caps%2C176&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acloth%20panty%20liners

http://www.etsy.com/search?q=cloth%20panty%20liner&order=most_relevant&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US&ref=auto3

Helpful Tips: I got a washable wet/dry case (i.e., separate compartments for each) to carry my supplies and use a small squirt bottle (it's actually a travel shampoo bottle I found in one of my drawers) for rinsing.  These are particularly handy for work, travel or public restrooms.  I keep the bottle filled with water and use it to rinse the Mooncup after emptying into the toilet.  Then when I wash my hands, I simply fill the bottle back up for next time.  The wet/dry tote (see pic and link below), comes in all sorts of patterns/colors.



http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Wise-MINI-Wet-Dry/dp/B005WWHU86/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1377205170&sr=8-7&keywords=planet+wise+wet+bag

Simple Solutions - Dry Cleaning

My apologies for not having posted anything on the blog since May!  I thought that summer break would afford me more time given we aren't bogged down with the kids' busy school load and activities, but instead I've been tied up on the major renovation taking place on our house, which included having to move into a rental house for 6 months.

Given, I only have sporadic chances to blog (as opposed to taking several hours to write a longer, more thought out post), I decided to use this opportunity to post about one-off solutions that don't require a lengthy entry.  I hope to hit you with as many "Simple Solutions" this month as possible BEFORE school is back in session.

So, here goes #1: "Dry Cleaning"

A couple of months ago, I had a "aha!" moment when it came to the problem of dry cleaning, namely those single use plastic bags in which your clothes are returned.  Looking back, I have to laugh at myself for not having thought of it sooner.  Honestly, it was more of a "duh!" moment than "aha!"

Obviously, I had choosen an environmentally-friendly dry cleaner years ago.  But it was only recently (once my Zero Waste mission commenced) that I realized I needed to tackle the problem of the single use bag. My first solution (rolling my eyes in hindsight) was to return all of the bags to the cleaners to use again (fingers crossed).  I have been returning hangers for years thanks to the convenience of a hanger caddy compliments of the cleaners, so why not bags too?  They can reuse them, right?  Then one day, while stuffing the plastic bags along with my dirty clothes into a "cloth" laundry bag to be handed off to my cleaners, the light bulb went on.  Instead of the single use bags to return my clothes, the cleaners could simply put them in a reusable "cloth" garment bag like this:

You only need 2 and they cost about $10 each (http://www.amazon.com/Travel-Five-Gusset-Dress-Bag/dp/B0000YRQEE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1376504631&sr=8-4&keywords=garment+bag): 1 to drop off the first visit, and 1 more to drop off on the second visit when you pick up the previously dropped off clothes.  So, for $20 bucks you can help eliminate the need for single use garment bags.  Heck, many of you may already have these laying around from dress or suit purchases from department or other high end stores.  Before you go buy some, check around your house to see if you already have them.  A simple and inexpensive (if not free) solution!