Since I was so inspired to make the set of homemade cleaners (with labels!) from The Toby Show and never got to make them for holiday gifts, I decided they would be the perfect thing to package up as an item for our preschool fund raising auction. Wouldn't you buy a set if someone had done all the hard work for you?
In her post Jonah Lisa reused old bottles, which is the greenest way. However, I wanted new bottles that were clean and pretty to entice people to bid a good price for them. I'll add some cute labels, include the necessary ingredients, and put it all in a basket.
To find my empty spray bottles I went to a Container Store. I found some simple ones made by Casabella. They weren't as cheap as some others I saw online, but it saved me some time to buy them locally.
I was excited to see another Casabella bottle at the store that was really cool—it had homemade cleaning recipes printed on it! Similar idea to what I am making, but I love that it is available for the mass market.
7 comments:
KIWI Magazine is searching for hometown heroes that are making a difference in their kids communities with healthy initiatives, big or small! If you think you are a Mom of the Revolution or would like to nominate a mom you know - share your story!
Visit http://www.kiwimagonline.com/momsoftherevolution/ to learn more!
Dear Parents:
please check this new eco friendly website:
www.itiseasybeingreen.com is pleased to be the best resource for the finest eco-friendly furniture, organic baby products, organic maternity, quality bedding, bath, organic food and unique products for natural & healthy living. We donate a percentage of each transaction to non-profit organizations. We can ALL make a difference.
Easy Being Green, Inc
When considering the spray bottles made by Casabella I have to agree with you that they are very expensive ($12.99) and have been around for less than a year. Plus they are made in China!
There is a much neater, and greener, brand of 'recipe' spray bottles that have been on the internet for more than 10 years (www.SafeSpray.com). The spray bottles start at $4/ea and they are made in the USA.
Our local watershed disitrict was giving them away last fall at a farmer's market. I was lucky enough to get both their "Household Cleaning" and "Garden Pest Control" bottle.
Thanks for the link to safe spray. They look like another good option. To be fair, the casabella bottle is 6.99. I'm glad to learn about safe spray and would love to try their recipes. I know the casabella product isn't perfect, but it may reach many people who would never be looking at a green blog or website. Hopefully it can help demonstrate how easy it is to get on the bandwagon!
You are right about the benefit of reaching all types of people. That is very important in deed. I had considered the Casabella bottle you posted an image of, and it is the same one I've seen (minus the fiber cloths stuffed inside). Was your bottle at $4.99 empty, or stuffed with fiber cloths? I know for sure that the ones I've seen filled cloths are $12.99. Just curious.
I still like to chime in and recommend goods made in the USA whenever possible - especially "green" products.
I checked into those bottles with The Container Store (your link). These bottles are made of PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) which is NOT biodegradable. They are not BPA free.
I was afraid that my cleaning people would not respond well to my homemade cleansers in random bottles, so I bought a kit with the recipe markings on the bottle from Eco-Me. Not only did the essential oil provided smell great, my cleaning people begged me to tell them where I bought it (Amazon) and were using the products all over including my ceramic tile.Now that I have the bottles, I estimate that I might end up buying the ingredients (white vinegar & baking soda) to refill them no more than once a month at about $7 and am still saving $25-30 per month replacing all the chemical cleansers they used to ask me to buy.
Post a Comment