Happy Thursday to you!! I had to change up today's post which I planned a few weeks ago to share two things with you ... our new grill + replacing plastic containers in the kitchen. The Hubs birthday is Saturday and we are replacing his charcoal grill with a pellet grill but he is so cute deciding which one he wants. I picked out the one I wanted to get him and then he got involved and now it is more complicated. He is so funny when he purchases something, he has to check them all out, talk to all his BBQ friends and then we have to see them in person. I am a ... this is the one I want girl and its done. So ... we are still shopping and the post got moved.
I decided it was the perfect time to check in on our progress with going green. I started making a list of the progress we had made and was feeling very on top of it as I also made a list of what was left to conquer. I was so excited to see all the areas we have tackled and mastered, it is truly going so well and is way easier and cheaper than I ever thought possible.
Let's take it by category and room ...
Kitchen -
All of the cleaning supplies have been swapped out for green and clean products. We are using all the Thieves products and I added a large bag of baking soda for times I need to scrub the sink. I simply pour in a little in the sink, spray some Thieves household cleaner on top and then use the sponge to scrub it clean. It actually works way better than anything I was using before. For the wood floors I am still using Murphy's Oil Soap + water and they are clean with no residue left behind. I traded out our dishwasher tabs with safe ones without chlorine bleach and phosphates. This week I traded out our sponge for this silicone one my friend Ashley told me about and I really love it. I bought a number of cotton towels to cut down on our paper towel use and it is been amazing to see us with the same package of six rolls for sooo long.
Bathrooms -
We traded out the hand soap for Thieves Foaming Hand soap. Everyone loves it and I love that I can refill the bottles as I need to. I also replaced the toothpaste and mouthwash, and we are now using Tom's toothpaste and Young Living mouthwash. Yesterday the Hubs shook his bottle of mouthwash to see how much was left and then asked me to buy some more. I call that a major win! In the shower I replaced all our shampoo with Beautycounter products (everyone's hair looks better!!) and body wash with either Beautycounter for us girls or Young Living for the boys. I only use Beautycounter makeup and baby girl is still makeup free but when she is ready she will be using it as well. Her face care is all green (Beautycounter Counter Control + Frankincense oil) and both of us are using deodorant. I have had no luck with the boys switching out theirs, but I am still working hard on this one.
Bedrooms -
All the laundry in the house is being washed with Thieves Laundry Soap (cut in half to make two bottles) and they are dried with wood dryer balls sprayed with either a lavender oil mix (sheets and towels) or Thieves (everything else). We are diffusing oils next to the bed at night to help support us with the best sleep along with emotional support. Life has never been crazier or harder and honestly I feel great emotionally way more than I would otherwise.
Plastic -
I am doing really well in this category in some ways and in others have so far to go. I am using totes for the market vs. plastic or paper bags. The Hubs is still using the bags from the store and I am recycling the ones he brings home in the bins outside the market. I do not buy any water bottles at all and either use my reusable Starbucks cups (one for hot + one for cold) when I go out. I don't always remember them when I am in the drive thru and need to make a better effort in this area. I just recycled all of our plastic "tupperware" for glass containers and I am loving them already so much. We own either metal or paper straws for the house and only use these to entertain. I decline all the straws out in public with the exception of the Starbucks drive thru I already mentioned. We use a number of Ziploc storage bags which I need to examine. If we are focused on breaking up with plastic I need to figure this out and I am no where near a resolution.
I am feeling good about the areas in our lives we have already changed and am now focused on the areas that still need our attention. Since we are four months into the year I am thankful for all the ground we have covered and I feel really good about the different products we have begun using. I was sure going green would cost more money and I am surprised to find we are saving money, most definitely in the areas of beauty + cleaning products. I was so naive and now know that better products means you use less which equals a reduction in spending.
When you know better you do better!
To purchase Thieves products for your home check out this post to enroll in Young Living.
To purchase safe, luxury beauty products you can shop with me here at Beautycounter.
Happy day to you ... and here's to a clean and green year!! 🙌
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