Our story It began in a foreign country in Western Europe. It was the summer of 2018. We made a move and later, another decision that would change our lives f o r e v e r. The city was Berlin. The year was 2017, in the … Read more...
What to know about a shampoo (bar)?
Nature lovers headache: who would have known that a transfer from your everyday shampoo to an all-organic shampoo bar can be such a hassle?
I must admit that honestly for the longest time, I really didn’t give much thought about what I was washing my hair with. If it was in a container, it promised many good things and it was meant for hair, I was okay using it! I mean, how wrong can one go with a shampoo anyway. Right? Shampoo bar-say what?
By now I have found the hard truth on my own and it is not pretty. Transitioning from consumer products to all-natural products may be a bit complicated. The new items may not give the wished results. It may even give worse!!
Let me share my painful path from using any shampoo to an all-natural shampoo bar.
Why did I decide to start using a shampoo bar?
Since the late spring of 2018, we have been trying not to bring plastic home. Though we were really committed to not buying plastic, we oftentimes still did. Mostly when buying groceries. Also, we weren’t really committed to the whole idea, ass we were thinking like a usual Aldi, Lidl, or any grocery store user. If it was not there to grab plastic-free, then it probably doesn’t exist.
We agreed to use up what we already had in plastic containers and plastic packaging. And then make a change gradually, when we run out of different items. It took us some time to get to change our plastic toothbrushes to bamboo ones. We just recently made the switch to a toothpowder, as we used up our last tube of organic toothpaste that we cheaply stocked up on when leaving Bulgaria in the summer of 2017. Unfortunately, we are still using plastic razors, given to us by friends, so…anyways, back to shampoo containers.
My first shampoo bar – let the…misery begin!
When the last non-fuzz shampoo bottle was finished, I asked for a shampoo bar as a present for my birthday. I was so excited, as I knew the bar will come in a tin box. Or at least in a cardboard box. Well, it didn’t! It came in a little plastic bag. Oh, well. At least I tried. I wish this could have been the least of my worries with this new shampoo bar!
I took my new bar out of the package (less plastic packing than an average shampoo container) and it really felt like something special. The bar consists of wheat proteins and yellow clay. I loved its shape and size – a perfect fit for my hand and easy to apply. It lathered very well and smelled fresh, not like the average shampoo. I was happy and satisfied when drying my hair.
After a few hours of drying, I felt that my hair felt dirty. It didn’t feel anything like before washing – it felt worse! I thought okay, this is my own fault, as I thought I didn’t rinse my hair properly. I have had this issue before in my younger years – too eager to get out of the shower. My hair is really thick and long, so probably I need more care when rinsing.
When my hair was completely dry, it all looked clean and felt nice. Except for the area near my neck, the nape, which seemed to have quite a big section of smelly sebum infused clumps of hair. Since most of the time I keep my hair in a ponytail anyway, it wasn’t a big problem for me to chew through.
Here we go again!
After a week (I wash my hair once a week), it was time to wash my hair again. I washed as before and rinsed. More thoroughly this time. No luck – still the same results as before! I continued like this for almost two months. Putting so much effort each time to rinsing thoroughly. I divided my hair into different parts to concentrate more on each section.
I forgot to research the hair washing problems with a shampoo bar before washing my hair. So I kind of got used to this. And also hoping that different times would give me different results. I also believed that this was some kind of transition period anyway. I started thinking that perhaps this particular bar is not meant for my hair type.
On one fine day, I remembered to research the problem. When I found out, what was the cause of it – I was blown away. This is a common issue and it takes just a few easy steps to solve this disaster. Thanks to Chagrin Valley Soap and Salve, it all made complete sense! I made the following discovery:
Commercial liquid shampoos and conditioners often contain synthetic silicones and silica that coat your hair, to make it “feel” nice, but leave a residue in your hair. Styling products and your own natural sweat and oil production can add to residue build up.
The detergent shampoos with loads of SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) are very good at stripping EVERYTHING (even those natural oils we want) and ridding your hair of residue.
Clarifying your hair is a way to remove the build-up some products leave on your hair which can make your hair dull and lifeless. Regular household baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate aka Baking soda) is an easy clarifier to use.
Source: CVSAS
Baking soda to the rescue – once again!
My hair was emitting all the crap that I had been using for years. Once I realized this – it gave me back my hope! I didn’t blame myself anymore on the fact that I didn’t know how to wash my hair. Nor did I blame the soap. There were now solutions to try and I was ready to change the situation.
Hard water and/or residue from previous products can cause shampoo bar adjustment problems. To tackle both of these problems, baking soda rinse can make miracles.
My recommended rescue regimen for the first month, when transitioning to a bar shampoo:
- Make a simple baking soda clarifying hair rinse using:
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 – 2 cups warm water
- Make your hair wet under the shower and then add the above-mentioned rinse.
- Wash your hair with your shampoo bar – just circling the hair edges on the scalp and scattering the lather all over the head.
- Sprinkle a bit of baking soda on your fingers and massage it on the scalp. Do it in several areas of your head.
- Rinse your hair thoroughly and dry.
- Spray some ACV-water (3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar and a half cup of water) mixture on damp my hair.
After a month I stopped doing everything else, I just continued using a bit of baking soda on my fingers and my scalp, while washing. I haven’t had any problems since. But I haven’t dared to stop using baking soda while washing altogether, as the experience was too painful to go through again.
Share your experiences and tips in the comments, please!
Some valuable links to help your transition to a shampoo bar smoother:
- What is an Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse and when to use it – Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse
- How to wash your hair the best using shampoo bar – hair washing techniques
and
Mattress odors “be gone” with these simple steps
We are happy owners of the old new bed. But there is a slight issue of odors, we have to tackle before our sleep can be safe and sound.
After the cleaning of our new old mattress, it’s time to tackle the odors problem. As previously mentioned, it came from a smoker’s household which means it had a nasty stench of smoke. Sounds quite nasty and I can imagine you all squinting while reading these lines, but rest assured the mattress came with a mattress protector and a full-on zip cover, which we took off and all we saw was an old-school foam mattress of an IKEA bed.
Was it that bad?
The cover was stained, and the odors of smoke were strong. Neither of us can stand the smell of smoke, so naturally, we oppose smoking. By now, you can imagine how little we wanted this addition in our clean and tidy household.
I ripped off the covers of the mattress and squeezed it all into the bathtub (thank god for having one!). I used the hottest tap water to clean the preliminary filth off. I got most of the surface dirt out after soaking it for half an hour. Then I put the mattress cover and the protector to the washer and washed it at the highest temperature to clean it as much as possible.
While the covers were in a washing machine, I started wrestling with the 2-meter long mattress on our balcony. Before that, I did thorough research on how to get cigarette smell out of the mattress. Unfortunately, there is not much information out there. The wisdom I obtained from the few sources proved the be trustworthy and will become a good help.
Simple steps, for a clean and fresh smelling mattress:
- Use a vacuum on a low suction setting. Vacuum the mattress with the vacuum’s upholstery attachment to remove any dirt and dust, which are in the cover. If you have a traditional mattress, remove the cover and do the same covering both sides.
- If you notice vacuuming doesn’t give results, then try the old-school tapping the mattress with a carpet flapper.
- Using a spray bottle fill it with equal amounts of water and distilled white vinegar. Lightly spray the surface of the mattress. Apply enough of the solution to dampen the upholstery but not to saturate it. The same goes for the plain foam mattress.
- Allow the mattress to air-dry. Flip it over and spray the other side similarly. Allow it to air-dry.
- Cover the mattress in a thin coat of baking soda. Let it sit overnight and soak up the odors. Vacuum the baking soda off the mattress in the morning.
- Flip the mattress and cover the other side with baking soda. Let it sit overnight. Vacuum it off in the morning.
- If possible take your mattress on the tarp out for the day, letting it absorb the direct sunlight. Bring the mattress indoors overnight, then expose the other side to the sun the following day or keep it in a balcony, as what I did. We had quite warm nights and no rain, so luck was on our side!
Keep going, a full night’s rest will be your reward!
I repeated points 2, 3 and 7 over and over to make sure that the smoke stench had disappeared. I was really surprised about the vinegar-water solution, which really made the whole situation hopeful for me and indeed provided us a clean-smelling mattress.
When the mattress cover and the mattress protector were all nicely wind-dried on the clothesline I put them back on the mattress. Finally, I sprinkled some lavender essential oil on them to add a nice and relaxing fragrance of our favorite plant.
Ah, the smell of success!
In all, it took me a week to get the mattress to the frame of the bed, so we could enjoy our 10€ salvaged bed. I can tell that those 15 minutes I spent every day working on the mattress was completely worth it. Good luck working on yours. If you come across any new tips, please be kind and share them below in the comments.
You may profit from reading this article on how to get odors out of your mattress.
*UPDATE – I have successfully cleaned the vintage shoulder bag inner lining, which smelled like mold and old things, but the vinegar-water solution really did the game again.
Give promises that matter and keep them!
It is the beginning of the new year – time to give yourself some promises and keep them! Think of yourself, but also of the world around you.
I guess hiatuses are sometimes needed. Taking a break from online life is a must for everybody. But know that we weren’t resting, just working harder and more intensively on another project. Stay tuned to find out more about it. Thank you for coming back to read our Can’t Human Properly thoughts – ideas far from average and wish to contribute as much as we can to the well-being of this Earth, which will be hopefully our home for another 50 years. Join us by giving promises to yourself and this wonderful planet we all call home!
Promises to yourself
Though January is half-way down, there is still enough time to write down your promises for the year. Since you as a person matters the most, it is wise to start from yourself. Think first of how you felt last year, about your health, relationships, goals, etc. Were you healthy and active? or should you make some changes in your eating habits? Did you have enough time for your hobbies? Did you start a project, which would benefit other people?
Get moving!
Working-out may be the answer to your low health state. Do not think of joining a gym, as this way, you just contribute to the never-ending consumerism and capitalism. Instead, save your money, log online and find a beginner’s exercise package through an app instance. Set two days and get into work-out gear. Though the beginning is tough, the good feeling will kick in soon and you start loving working out.
If working-out is really not your thing, then make a goal of 10 000 steps daily. It makes you feel better, even without sweating at the gym. If walking aimlessly is not your thing, then download an e-book and listen to it, while walking to meet your partner or going to do grocery shopping.
Eat food that matters
How about food? Do you like what you eat? Do you know where your food comes from or how it is made? If there are plenty of no’s as answers, then it is the time to stop and think. Perhaps you realize that ready-made, overly salty and sugary meals are not good for your health. Also, foods that take a long way to travel to your table do not contribute to the well-being of your local farmers. Check online for your local farmer’s markets or if there is nothing around, start learning more about what you can do to change this situation.
January is known also as a Veganuary. It is your chance to try not to eat meat and dairy. Why should you want to do that? Animal farming is known as one of the most devastating industries for Mother Earth. It is extremely strenuous for the environment, needs many resources and hence has a very big ecological footstep. Animal products are not needed and we can survive without consuming their bodily fluids, skin, and meat. There are plenty of plant-based options for every taste and craving out there. And if Meat Loaf can do it, so can you!
We will take the Liberation Pledge and be more dedicated and environmentally friendly vegans.
Do more for yourself
There are plenty of things you should have time for, as they help and make you feel good:
- reading
- sleeping in
- breakfast in bed
- going to the movies
- walk a nature path
- inviting friends over for a potluck
- decluttering – fewer things, fewer worries
- listening to music, I mean, really listen to music
- cleaning out your fridge and discover food you can eat!
- start a project you feel strongly about, which would help some special group of people or tackle an important issue
- etc., etc., etc. Insert what makes you happy here and share it in the comments!
Perhaps you have a personal project or goal you neglected last year, this is your chance to tackle it with fresh energy. Personally, I will try to update my photography website and make it modern. It is a big cross I have dragged along with me for the longest time. I also want to hone my skills in architecture photography, which I have always found very interesting. In addition, I want to scribble down more of my thoughts, who knows perhaps one day they will be put together for a book! Dreams, dreams, dreams.
Promises to your close ones
This one is easy: JUST SPEND MORE TIME WITH THEM!
Promises to Planet Earth
We here, at CHP appreciate nature a lot. We do not like consumerism and plastic and we love animals and saving food. So it is not difficult to guess what we are going to offer you, as something you can do in 2020 to make life better. Not just for yourself, but also for people around you and the environment.
We are going to follow this little list below. And we are offering you to try at least some of the things yourself, whether it’s for a few weeks, a month or even for a year. As long as you feel comfortable:
- fasting
- no buying
- saving food
- trying not to eat out
- not buying items in plastic
- not eating sugar and gluten
Conclusion
I guess there are always things we want to improve, start or continue what we like. But dedication is what we lack. Make sure you do not overcrowd your goal list and concentrate on up to 10 items.
You should come back to your goal list every month and see how you are doing. This is how you are not going to neglect them and actually work towards completing them!
Make sure to share your list, if it is not personal, also with your close ones, to inspire them to take steps to make their lives better too. And also to preserve the world around us.
First steps on shopping plastic-free
A year ago we decided to cut down bringing plastic into our home. Following is the result of our first time trying plastic-free shopping. Our future is bright!
June 2018 thoughts
Those who have read our earlier posts know that we are on the path of consuming less, saving more, putting our minds and home into a minimalism mode and trying to survive without a fridge and buying less plastic. We can manage with most of the above-mentioned things just fine. Now we have to tackle the plastic matter. Is it possible to shop plastic-free?
Little (plastic-free) steps do matter
So far the first month has passed quite nicely for us. As we were able to save food from going to waste. Eve rescued it from the work canteen. So we were able to save more money and put it into our savings. Eve’s posts should give you a better overview of this subject. We haven’t been buying a lot. As all the little things we need, we already have. And if we have run out of something, then we are always looking to buy it in a glass, tin can or some other form, except in plastic.
Since it is the end of the month, it means we are ought to cook a complete new vegan meal we always have wanted to cook. This is part of celebrating our wedding date every month. I guess you need some kind of traditions in your family. And we are proud that we can join our forces on something we both love equally, maybe Eve a bit more than me – food!
Let’s investigate the (plastic-free?) haul
Let’s talk about the photo below, our haul for the anniversary cooking. Most things on the picture we bought for the two-course meal: oven-baked nachos and American style strawberry cake. As you can see most is in glass or in tin jars. (There will be a post soon talking about the difference between a can and a can) BUT of course, there are few BUT’s: starting from the left, vitamin B and Magnesium drink tablets, lemon extract, margarine, toothbrushes, glass noodles, nachos and strawberries in a plastic container. The potatoes are in a recyclable green bag.*
What we failed at?
The toothbrushes – we desperately needed them (I know, what a lousy excuse!). But we could have waited a day and get a bamboo one from some other store.
Vitamin drinks, as we are deficient on B12 and Mg, and had no medicine by hand.
Lemon extract, well not sure why did we buy it maybe thinking of using it for a long time. Definitely not to be bought in the future in such form.
Margarine was a must for the cake and since there are not really many vegan options available in the first place, let’s not even go to plastic-free options here…perhaps in the near future.
Glass noodles are our favorites and we have really grown on them. But if consuming them means bringing all this plastic home, then I think we should change our habits than continue this flow of plastic.
Nachos, are there really plastic-free options?
Strawberries, after we bought them we thought they could have poured them all in the red plastic bag, what we had with us. So we could have saved three containers, but since we were on a long walk from the store with heavy bags, we realized when reaching home it all would have been a big mush.
This amount of plastic really made my heart hurt. It was the last time we did such a purchase. Next time we would have our own containers or bags with us not to take anything from the farmer.
So there you go, not bad at all, but many changes could still be done. Moral of the story:
prepare ahead of time, know your needs, do your research and bring your own containers or bags, when shopping for produce.
November 2019 plastic-free update
As time has passed, we have become more environmentally aware, conscious of our actions and adjusted our needs. Also, we have found alternatives for products coming in plastic containers in different stores.
Let’s see what has changed 1,5 year later:
*Vitamin B and Magnesium drink tablets – we no longer buy them. They come only in plastic and are not really healthy. We have liquid B12 we take from a glass jar.
*Lemon extract – this actually lasted for a while, as we finished it perhaps a month ago. But now we would never buy it. As real lemon is the real way to go!
*Margarine – it is a very processed product, so we have been avoiding it. We mostly use coconut oil now. Recently we found small cubes in the store, which come in paper.
*Toothbrushes – we have turned a long time ago to bamboo brushes.
*Glass noodles – we have stopped buying those. Have twice bought big bags of noodles to last us for long.
*Nachos – haven’t bought any since then!
*Strawberries – we have always put them in our own containers.
Stay tuned to read more about our current life, while aiming for zero-waste, plastic-free, and less consuming life.
The beginner’s guide to composting at home
Composting is a vital step that we all take to reduce the current garbage crisis. In other words: roll up your sleeves!
Composting is an option to manage food waste. It is the process by which organic material is decomposed in order to provide nutrients and fuel to enrich the
There have been different studies on the efficiency of household composting. One of these found that on average, composting saved 125 kg of waste per person per year. (The link of this research can be found at the end of this post.) If you do not trash your organic waste, your garbage doesn’t fill up so easily as well.
Let’s get back to those harmful greenhouse gases, which appears when food decomposes in a landfill. As it is underground, which means that it doesn’t have any access to oxygen. It undergoes a process called anaerobic decomposition. This releases methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. The better and less harmful is when organic matter decomposes above ground in compost. Since it has access to oxygen, it undergoes aerobic decomposition, which doesn’t generate methane.
All you need to know on composting
If you choose to compost, the process is quite simple, but there are some guidelines to know.
You can compost eggshells, nutshells, teabags, coffee grounds, fruits, vegetables, and other plant matter.
You cannot compost dairy products, grease, oils, bones, and meat scraps.
If you are composting at home:
- Select a dry shady spot in your yard to keep your compost.
- Mix food scraps with plant materials such as dead leaves or branches.
- Add water to your compost pile as needed to encourage decomposition.
- Turn over your compost pile regularly to mix the top additions into the base of the pile.
Composting at a small apartment, the cold method
If you have limited space in your apartment, which is common in big cities, you might think that composting is not for you. Luckily there are two easy ways to compost indoors.
The simple way is called vermicomposting, which is managed by the help of worms to break down the organic matter.
The idea is simple:
You need a bin with a lid, filled with soil and some red wiggler worms. Now, your organic matter is ready to dump in there. The worms will do the work to break down your garbage into something called castings, which are extremely rich in nutrients. Then you can transplant your castings into potted plants or a small garden. At the end of the post, you can find a link, which describes vermicomposting in full-depth.
Composting in the backyard, the cold method
This method of composting for people is for those who live in the suburbs, in the countryside or just happen to have a backyard. The low-maintenance composting is the so-called cold method. It requires an enclosed area or an unused spot where you dump all available leaves, yard waste, and grass into the pile. Now, wait six months to two years, then continuously more stuff to it, and turn it around a bit with a rake or a shovel. You’re done, it will eventually decompose.
This is what the gardeners in our area are kindly doing, though I do not think that people actually turn the piles around.
The hot method of composting
The hot method is for those, who do not want to wait around but rather do some muscle work. For this method, the right type of “starter” material is needed. That involves an equal balance of ingredients that are carbon-rich and nitrogen-rich.
Things like paper, twigs, and leaves are rich in carbon, while grass, coffee and, tea grounds, fruit, and vegetables are rich in nitrogen. The proper mixture is key – you should have far more carbon than nitrogen. Once you have enough material to create a pile that is at least 1 by 1 meter, start adding the organic matter in. When carbon and nitrogen are mixed, the microorganisms inside will begin their work immediately and the mixture will keep heating up at first, but after about a month, it will cool down and finish the composting at about half that temperature. It takes a few month’s time, but the process will yield nutrient-rich soil that you can use throughout your garden.
The fact is if you are composting at home or bringing your food scraps elsewhere to be composted, you are benefiting the environment with minimal effort.
If you happen to keep a home garden, you will soon see the benefit as your soil quality improves and your plants and universe thank you!
Tips for writing this post came from Maximumyield.com and Popsci.com
Read more: How about organic waste?
Why plastic is nasty and why to stop using it
We are daily surrounded with so much plastic, that we even do not notice how much of it is out there. It is practical, it is poisonous and it is forever.
Look on your table, in the kitchen drawer, and in your bag? How many plastic items you can count? I bet quite a few. These are the things we need in our lives. We buy more of these things every week. Then we trash these. We toxicate ourselves every day with plastic. Plastic is forever. Plastic is nasty!
Why plastic is nasty?
You may wonder why all this fuzz about plastic, while this is a strong, lightweight and waterproof all at once. Making it really a wonderful product. No? But maybe you do not wonder so much about the fact that most plastics are oil-derived and non-biodegradable. Which means plastics last for centuries and more.
We are using this wonderful product just for our convenience and greed. But all plastic, especially food and product wrapping are discarded very hastily. And all that ends up as litter, polluting all water bodies and damaging the life of all life on earth.
Most plastics are non-biodegradable. This is the main problem with plastic. It never disappears. At least nobody’s eyes can see that in their own lifetime. It can’t be burned, as it releases dioxins, a group of highly toxic chemicals to the atmosphere, therefore contributing to global warming. Plastic is nasty!
People love plastic
The other problem is us – the users. We value comfort, cheap price, and the lightness of plastic. Actually so much that we hoard the stuff home mostly in plastic. As we are at home start cooking or eating, we discard the plastic wrappers just like that – easy come, easy go! As plastic makes sense only during the transporting. For example in the UK, people generate 3 million tonnes of plastic annually.
Think of the first three items that come to your mind when you think of plastic litter? Perhaps you were thinking of food packaging, disposable cups, and sweet wrappers. The wrapper lives only a few seconds in our hands and then flies to the bin. And then it becomes a litter if you discard it in public and do not care where you are throwing your rubbish.
Sore sight for an eye, right?
Plastic is nasty everywhere
If you can’t really think of how bad the situation really looks, then please take a look at this wonderful gallery by Atlantic. It doesn’t matter that it may happen far away from you. As it all affects the air, the oceans and wildlife and humans everywhere on this planet. If this again is too broad then think of:
- Fish and sea birds ingest plastic which can kill them or stuck in plastic,
- Drainage systems get blocked with plastic causing flooding,
- Layers of plastic trash choke grasslands and lakes
Since the ocean is downstream, much of the plastic trash generated on land ends up there. It has been estimated that 6.4 million tons of debris ends up in the world’s oceans every year. And that some 60 to 80 percent of that debris, or 3.8 to 5 million tons, is improperly discarded plastic.
The nasty plastic degrades rather than biodegrades, which means it simply breaks up and becomes smaller pieces. These are microplastics. Synthetic clothing releases thousands of plastic fibers every wash. Some cosmetics include small beads, which all end up in the water somewhere.
The sea salt you are using, definitely consists of some microplastics. We can’t see it but we eat some of it in our healthy meals every day. The same is happening to animals, who seeing little pieces of plastic think it is food. Since it has no nutritional value it makes the animals underdeveloped and underweight. The chemicals in plastic poison them secretly and many get tangled in plastic twine and ghost fishing nets and starve to death.
Plastic is poisonous
There are many different categories of plastic. Exactly 7, which determines how the plastic is made and how it can be used. Even the most common plastic with a marking 1, though recyclable, proven to be cancerous and advised not to reuse after the first time. But most of the food comes in plastic containers with such marking! Manufacturers are not obliged to reveal what they use in their plastic mixes. Though the polymers used in base plastics are mostly considered to be harmless, the potential toxicity of the additives is often unknown.
Take a look at what plastic does
Visit Chris Jordan’s project Midway: Message from the Gyre and take a look at what birds have eaten and how their bodies look filled with all plastic found in them.
Or visit Plasticrubbish.com about the sad stories what is happening to animals all around us, of whom we hardly ever think or pay attention.
In conclusion
I hope this a bit hectic post gave you an overview that plastic is nasty. And perhaps next time when shopping for groceries or anything else you happen to need in your life, then you are making a better choice than buying disposable and short-life items that quickly end up as everlasting rubbish.
Perhaps now it is the right time to read also this article about minimalism on our website and get your decluttering on ASAP.
Reference from: Why we hate plastic.
Baking soda – the household wonder helper
I have known that baking soda is good, but I never realized how good it is for the environment, my wallet and my everyday life!
Be warned that this is going to be a mammoth post, but it has do be done, as EVERYBODY should know the tens and tens of wonderful purposes of SODA. The best part about baking soda is that it is CHEAP and comes oftentimes in a carton box – a real treat to those, who want to save money and save planet earth!
Baking soda or washing soda?
There are two kinds out there – baking soda and washing soda. I have mainly used baking soda. If you want to know what the difference is between the two, then it is water and carbon dioxide.
Baking soda’s chemical makeup is NaHCO3 (1 sodium, 1 hydrogen, 1 carbon, and 3 oxygen molecules).
Washing soda’s chemical makeup is Na2CO3 (2 sodium, 1 carbon, and 3 oxygen molecules). Some of that school knowledge must have floated in, right? 🙂 If you want to read more about them both, please kindly visit this website for more information Science Struck.
How to use baking soda?
For your health
1. Use soda as a deodorant, rubbing it into the underarm – you can do it like that, but rather, mix it with coconut oil, some starch and add a little bit of essential oil, whichever is to your liking (ie. lavender or tea-tree). Your own natural deodorant is done!
Eve says: “When I first made natural deodorant, I felt my life and social life had changed because I had no odor! Sadly, the excitement was short-lived and my armpits started to burn. I had used too much soda and it burned my armpits! What we do know is to keep a jar of coconut oil and an open jar of baking soda. Ideally each morning, I take a tiny bit of coconut oil with my first two fingers and rub it gently under my arms, I then I dip my fingers into the jar of soda and then apply them to my underarms.
I can’t help but think that it may be unsanitary – so it’s probably safer to dip into the oil and rub it till it melts some, then dip into the soda then apply to your pits or just make the recipe Kerly provided above. I’m shutting up now! 🙂
2. Mix half a teaspoon of soda with a peroxide paste and use it to wash your teeth – would love to try that, but have to find peroxide paste first! (It sounds a bit dangerous, so before you try it, research it and be careful.
3. Add a cup of soda bath to make your skin softer.
4. Reduce pain caused by sunburn, while applying soda on it.
5. To remove strong smells from hands, rub them with baking soda and water.
6. Apply soda to rashes, insect bites and irritated skin of poisonous plants.
7. Add soda to bathwater to relieve skin irritation or to heal diaper rash, while washing infants.
8. Does heartburn afflict? Drink half a glass of water with a tablespoon of baking soda stirred in.
10. Freshen your breath by gargling a cup of water, mix half a tablespoon of baking soda and the same goes to heal any cuts in the mouth.
11. Use soda to heal bee stings.
12. Use a baking soda to reduce the pain caused by a medusa touch.
Home use
13. You can keep your vase flowers fresher longer if to add a tablespoon of soda to the water.
14. It is possible to get rid of unpleasant smells from the fridge if an open box of baking soda is placed in it.
15. Sprinkle the soda to the ashtray to reduce the smell of smoke and the smell of butts and use to clean the trays with soda as well.
16. Sprinkle soda to remove unpleasant odors in your wooden homeware, boots, shoes, and socks.
17. Removing the food smell, wipe baby’s chin and chest after eating with a wet cloth sprinkled with baking soda.
18. Rub the car’s windshield with soda to counteract rain.
19. The smell of a washing sponge can be improved if the sponge has been soaked in soda water.
20. Suck soda into the vacuum cleaner to ease the unpleasant smell coming from inside of the machine.
Eve says: ”This one made me laugh out loud!”
21. You can mix soda with some scented bath salts to refresh the air and put the mixture into small bags.
22. Soften rigid brushes by cooking them in a solution consisting of two liters of water, three tablespoons of vinegar and a bowl of baking soda.
23. Keep the soda near sink and basement windows to control cockroaches and ants.
24. Sprinkle baking soda on flower beds to prevent rabbits from eating your prized vegetables.
Eve says: ”I have a vision of Bugs bunny eating your carrots if you don’t try this.”
25. Improve the taste of tomatoes by sprinkling baking soda in the soil surrounding the tomato plant.
26. Sprinkle the soda in your cat’s sandbox to lose that unpleasant odor.
27. Sprinkle the soda on your pet’s ridge or comb to make the sheath smell more pleasant.
Cooking
28. Use soda as a substitute for baking powder by mixing soda with tartar or vinegar.
29. Wash with soda fruit and vegetables to remove the greasy residue.
30. Soaking the dried beans in a soda and water solution makes the beans easier to digest.
31. Make your own sports drink by mixing baking soda with boiled water, salt, and juice powder.
32. Reduce the acidic content of tomato-based dishes by sprinkling them with a pinch of baking soda.
33. Use soda to reduce acidity – I made a large pot of leek-mushroom risotto and added a tad too much of lemon juice. Thought that it is all ruined, but found out after short research, that a half teaspoon of baking soda would save my dinner. It sure did!
Eve says: ”It was so delicious, and I was in awe of the magic of that stuff.”
For cleaning up
34. Pour a cup of a soda into the toilet bowl, allow it to stand for an hour and then flush it down. Soda cleans the inside of the toilet bowl and absorbs bad smells.
35. Use sodas for scouring sinks, shower cubicles, plastic surfaces, and porcelain baths. Works like a miracle on white coffee and teacups! Removes all lines!
36. Use soda for cleaning the walls, mirrors, and kitchen counters.
37. Add a spoonful of soda to the dishwasher to simplify the cleaning of the dish.
38. Remove grease stains from pots and pans with soda.
39. Dry clean carpets and upholstered furniture – sprinkle baking soda on the items and scatter it gently with a cloth. Leave the soda to stand there for a few hours or overnight and then clean the surface with a vacuum cleaner.
40. Increase the cleansing power of your washer, sprinkling a handful of soda on dirty clothes.
41. Stainless steel and chrome surfaces can be polished with water-soda paste.
42. Scratches can be removed from the linoleum floors and walls with soda.
43. You can clean waste bins with soda.
44. Hairbrushes and combs soaked in the water-soda mixture will get rid of the grout. You have no idea how useful this tip came to me not long ago – read more in the future post of our site!
45. Use a damp cloth to absorb soda and then clean with the cloth laminated surfaces.
46. Use soda to remove stinking odor from coolers and thermoses.
47. Heat the soda in the coffee machine and then rinse with it the contents of the machine.
48. Sprinkle the soda on the dirty garage floors, rub the floor and rinse it with clean water.
49. Remove easily burned food from the pan, soaking it before washing for 10 minutes in a soda solution.
50. Clean the drain pipes by pouring in them every week four tablespoons of baking soda and then flush it down with hot water.
51. Clean the shower curtains by soaking them in soda water.
52. Use soda to clean your dentures.
53. Make a thick paste from baking soda and water and use it for scouring your baking oven.
54. Use soda to scrub clean your kitchen cupboard doors. Matte or shiny works on both!
55. Baking soda doesn’t make you poor!
Thank you for making it to the end.
Translated from an Estonian site.
All in all once more
The most amazing thing about baking soda is its cheap price. All of the above points can be made at a very low cost. Baking soda is a real miracle product, whether it is used in cooking or elsewhere. These 55 listed points here are not all the good uses of soda, there is plenty of more and I am sure the readers can add their own recommendations, which would make a great addition to this list here!
My praises of baking soda are not done yet!
Berlin Clothing Swap – time to swap!
“Here We Swap Again” was the witty name of the latest Berlin Clothing Swap which took place on September 22, 2019. We encourage you to swap with us!
Berlin Clothing Swap is a non-profit organization that organizes a clothing swap for all every season. The next swap proudly takes place at the Museum of European Cultures on November 24th, 2019.
Berlin Clothing Swap is invaluable and has grown monumentally. Founder Jenna Stein is a natural at running well thought out and seamless events. Recent events have been buzzing with limited space, packed with busy swappers who couldn’t believe their luck in getting through the doors, with a long cue outside the entrance.
This community event has reached over 49 000 people. Hundreds of whom filled the space on that exciting Sunday afternoon.
Recent swaps have been noticeably the busiest events yet!
What you need to know to attend the next Berlin Clothing Swap!
Follow Berlin Clothing Swap on:
Share the events on all your socials
Share the event on your socials and tell your friends and family to join the thrifty fun! You can keep such a generous event to yourself, there’s plenty of clothing, shoes, accessories and even household items waiting to find new homes.
Declutter and bring what you don’t need to the next swap
Marie Kondo all your belongings starting with your clothes. Put all your clothes on your clean floor, carpet, or bed and go through each item one by one and ask, “Does this spark joy?”. If the answer is no, put it in a pile to swap!
Do this with your shoes, household item, and electronics.
Now, look through all that does not spark joy for you, would you take it home if you saw it at the Berlin Clothing Swap?
Quality check guide
- The item has been washed and is clean.
- The item is tear-free (unless it’s the manufacturer’s intended style). Open seams can be fixed.
- The electronic wires are all provided with the item and are free from tears and frays.
- The free-from pilling (tiny balls on the clothing).
- The item is not so old that it’s completely faded.
- The jeans are free from stretched out and fragile crotch. If this is the reason you are getting rid of them, add to the discard pile.
- Refrain from taking size tags off to help swappers choose quickly without trying on.
- Lingerie (undergarments like bras) are clean and new or lightly used.
- Jewelry is not green or rusted/ corroded.
Now ask yourself this…
Would I take this item home or gift it to someone I care about?
The value of swapping
Swapping is the anti-culture solution to shopping. Our society is consumerism, fast fashion is a sick norm that has damaging effects on the environment, financial independence and most importantly the space labor it takes to produce quickly and cheaply in run-down and collapsing buildings. The other end of our consumption habits is ugly.
Make a change
Watch the documentary on fast fashion, The True Cost to learn the shocking truth behind where your clothes come from! It may give you the shock you need to swap till you drop!
Also recommended: Fashion Factories Undercover
Visit the upcoming Berlin Clothing Swap!
Attend the upcoming swap on November 24th, 2019 at the Museum of European Cultures from 1-4 pm. It’s free! Take advantage of this free offer, engrave is normally 2€.
What about organic waste?
As you probably noticed, I didn’t tackle the organic waste subject in my previous post. From several ways how to manage your biowaste, with our little tips below, you can easily find yours!
In a short period of time, we got used to collecting organic waste. When we’re doing the first garbage disposal after moving in, we couldn’t find a bin for, what I like to call – alive trash. As it seems, our property managers haven’t invested in disposing of green waste. Therefore we are left to our own devices – to throw all alive waste in the same bin as garbage or? Yeah, what else is there really?
There are basically two options, to compost or scatter the scraps back to nature. If you throw your organic waste in the garbage, it will travel to the landfill. From there, it will start to create methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, which harms our environment.
Once you create compost with the help of the earthworms and some soil, you need to use the final product or take it where it is needed. But what if you do not have a garden, plants or a green thumb friend to give it to? I guess the only option is to take it back to nature, which is not so bad, right?
Taking your organic waste back to nature
This is far from the ideal option, but if you happen to have some wild nature area where you live, then why not? Do so in moderate amounts. Of course, it is not the best to take banana peels, avocado seeds and orange peels to your European forests. This is because such fruits do not grow here and therefore it conflicts with the local flora.
Maybe you’re wondering how I came across the idea to scatter food scraps in nature?
The story
We were staying in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria in the summer of 2017 hosted by a wonderful soul Andrei (name changed for privacy). Our Bulgarian friend is also vegan and into saving the planet. He has a big heart. Because he didn’t ask for money from us during our month stay at his humble abode. He is quite awake, knowledgeable and works out daily, trying to prove that when vegan, you can be as fit as an omnivore.
On garbage disposal day at his place, he asked me to take the green waste while he threw out the garbage near his home. I was left to carry the green bag quite far from his house. We were talking while walking to his training spot in the wild huge park in the middle of Sofia. I really didn’t want to interrupt, but when we were quite deep in there, I asked, “So where is the green recycling bin?”. He replied: “Just scatter the content of the bag wherever you want and trash the plastic bag in the bin”. I was, probably like you are now reading these lines – very surprised! Yes, all the green waste back to nature to do its natural thing there – decompose.
This is exactly what we are doing now in our small building without a green waste disposal unit; we gather the little waste we create in a glass jar with a lid. The jar came home from the store with pickles and now has another use and when it is full, we scatter it in a nearby large nature spot. Don’t worry, it is not a park or anything, just a woman-made dirt path, otherwise, completely wild!
Give your organic waste a chance!
The only reason we are able to do this is that we happen to live not far from nature. Also, we only create plant scraps. We do not recommend taking your meat scraps and wasted prepared food to nature! We only scatter peeled potatoes, carrots, onion skins, apple hearts, and occasional banana peels. If once in a blue moon some food that we saved happens to go to waste, it will find its final resting place there as well, but only in small quantities.
The other reason why we get away with doing this is that we are most likely the only people in this area who are doing it. Even so, I must say I have noticed that some people, who have their little summer houses in the area, have created a huge pile of garden waste, which is honestly huge and always there.
We create so little waste that it withers in just a few weeks with no harm done. It is nothing like putting your waste in Central Park, no, we would never do that or recommend you doing it!
Look outside of the box
If you like the idea of taking nature back to nature but happen to live away from natural areas or wilderness, then there is still hope. Just bring the jar of food scraps with you in your basket and scatter at a suitable place. In bigger cities, there are always opportunities around. It is important to choose areas away from human traffic. Also, it is wise to use different spots to avoid accumulation, as the gardeners in our area have created.
We are proud to save green waste going to the garbage bin. It makes us really happy contributing to the wellbeing of our planet. This is great that we were able to solve the problem of not having a green waste collection point.
We’ll see how the winter goes while doing this. At least the bin can be bigger and kept outside on the balcony in cool temperatures. I definitely will keep you updated.
… A note from Eve:
Be creative when green bins are not part of your living situation. This is another great lesson we learned on our travels in Bulgaria, from two different people on opposite sides of the country. First, discarding green matter by the Black Sea (in the wild there), and smack in the middle of the bricky capital city, Sofia.
Learning that it is okay to bring organic waste to nature was so important. We have been made to feel that it would be considered littering, but then again – look at our world. There are millions who live on human waste in landfills, trying to survive.
To return nature back to itself seems obvious. Still, it will take some time to get used to it. We have been heavily indoctrinated to follow rules and to do things are you are instructed to do even if it makes no moral sense. I would rather the food be poked at by animals than to join our discarded goods in landfills. These food scraps would otherwise sit in landfills, creating greenhouse gases with other materials that will never be part of the earth anyway.
Think outside of the box that modern humans create since they are often at odds with the wisdom of nature.
Want to learn to compost at home easily?
The Beginner’s Guide to Composting at Home
*UPDATE 2019
Since spring we also have organic waste bin, so we have been happy users of that. First, it took some time educating some of the people in our building, but now it finally works. People have started to use it more eagerly, which only makes us happier. As more waste is put to good use and fewer ends to a landfill.