I’m going to highlight an Etsy shop once a month (maybe more) on a Thursday.  Etsy is a social commerce website where anyone can “open” a shop to sell their crafts or antiques.  If you ever spent time on Etsy, you know that there is SO much great stuff.  I LOVE buying directly from the crafters and even more, I love hand made products!  So, I’ll spend the time window shopping and introduce you to the greenest and the coolest shops around!

This week, I’m highlighting DOMESTICALLY GREEN and her uber cool wool dryer balls.  Check her out at www.domesticallygreen.etsy.com

(Please click “Read More” for product review & GIVEAWAY!) 

First of all, Yoreganics should win an award for the coolest name.  “In the days of yore…life was simple and cleaning was natural”.  That’s there motto, but I think it should be:  “In the days of yore… products had to actually work and so that’s what we do.”  Not as catchy, but oh-so-true.

In order to do a better laundry product review, I did some true product testing.  Ok, my home isn’t sterile like a lab should be… in fact I can’t think of anything sterile within these walls.  However, I received a sample of the Yoreganics products and I put them through the ringer!  Here are my deep thoughts:

(Click Read More for product review & giveaway) 

Earlier this Spring, right around Earth Day, I stopped by my friend MaryBeth's house.  She is one of those ladies who is overflowing with domestic advice AND she runs a Day Care AND she is always willing to lend me baby gear.  So, every time I stop by, I leave with a recipe, cooking tip, baby tip, etc...  Boy she makes me tired!  Anyway, back to Earth Day.

MaryBeth and her Day Care kids made their own laundry detergent, put it into recycled bottles (obtained by rifling through the neighbors recycling bins... if I have to put Zel in Day Care, I totally want her there!), and delivered it to every neighbor on the block.  HOW COOL IS THAT?

There was more than enough left over for her to give me a few cups worth and she offered to refill it for infinity... which she is also doing for her neighborhood.  Well, I LOVED it and begged to learn the process when she makes her next batch.

(psst:  click "read more")

Ok, maybe that’s a little extreme, but I also think that the typical American is a little extreme when it comes to washing their clothes.  I tend to follow a more European approach:  wash when it’s dirty and there’s no shame in wearing the same outfit 2 days in a row (or more!).  Well, that’s true when I’m home, but when I’m out and about, I do make an effort not to be seen in the same outfit day after day.  I wish I could be more Euro, but BABY STEPS.  That’s what this blog is all about.

When I was in college, I got to travel to Russia for a week.  I was shocked to see the administrators at the college I visited and the wealthy hosts I spent time with wear the same outfit more than once!  Since then I’ve spent about 2 months travelling Europe (I’m a very lucky lady!) and noticed the same thing there.  Granted, they don’t have (what my German brother-in-law calls) an “American nose” and sometimes took things to a ripe level.

Let’s find some middle ground and SAVE WATER while we’re at it!  I was flipping through the current issue of Real Simple and was tickled pink to discover this article:  When to Wash It:  The Summer Edition.

Click on the above link for the detailed article, but here’s a quick run-down for those of you who are too lazy (or busy!) to do that J

HOW OFTEN TO WASH:

Bras:   after 3-4 wears

Jeans:  after 4-5 wears (clearly this doesn’t account for all the baby goo that comes with the territory of having a less than one-year old!)

Dress Pants:  after 4-5 wears

Jackets and Blazers:  after 5-6 wears (better yet, stop wearing them… it’s SUMMER!)

Khaki Shorts and Pants:  after 2-3 wears

PJs:  after 3-4 wears

Skirts:  after 4-5 wears

Swimsuits:  after EVERY wear

Tops and Dresses:  after 1-3 wears

T-shirts, Tanks & Camisoles:  after EVERY wear (I’m gonna pretend I never heard that.  I follow the “sniff” test on these items.)