Green.Sexy

Product Review: Kirk’s Original Coco Castile Soap.

Sanssouci July 6, 2015September 9, 2015 Reviews No Comments

I tried Kirk’s Original Coco Castile recently. At first I wasn’t overly impressed. I mean, I had no complaints about the soap at all. But it just seemed like regular soap. And after all I’ve been hearing about castile soap lately, I don’t know, I guess I expected something magical. So I was kind of “meh.” But then I read up on it.

It’s only got a few ingredients. It’s Leaping Bunny certified. It’s vegan. It’s made in the US. It’s biodegradable. It’s hypoallergenic. It’s non-toxic. It’s septic system safe. It’s kosher. It’s gluten-free. It contains no known irritants or allergens (it’s even safe to get it in your eye). It’s good for all skin types. They have an aloe version and a fragrance-free version for extra sensitive skin. It’s got coconut oil in it (which is crazy good for skin). It’s good with different water types. You can use it as laundry detergent. You can mix it with water and spray it on your garden to keep bugs away. And you can use it as dog or horse shampoo.

So it’s just all around good for pretty much everyone and everything (including the Earth). And if my only complaint is that it’s not literally magical, well, that’s pretty good. So then I was like, ok, that’s a pretty awesome soap. Green thumbs up.

Peeing in the Shower

Sanssouci May 6, 2015May 6, 2015 Information No Comments

Do you pee in the shower? If not, you should start.

It saves on toilet paper. Even if you use a green toilet paper, using less is still better than using more.

It saves water. According to Go With the Flow, if 15,000 people peed during their daily shower for one year, it could save enough water to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool 26 times. If everyone in New York City peed in the shower every day for one year, we would save enough water to fill over 14,000 Olympic sized swimming pools.

Saving water also means saving money.

And it leaves you cleaner than even the best toilet paper or wipe ever could.

And if you’re wondering, yes, it is perfectly clean and safe. Pee seems pretty gross, but it’s actually sterile. And if you pee in the shower, then your pee and dirty shower water will go to the same place that your dirty toilet water would go.

If you’re not ready to start peeing in the shower yet or if you want to take the next step, try putting a bucket in the shower with you. The bucket will collect water that was about to go down the drain anyway. The next time you use the toilet, instead of flushing the usual way, pour the bucket of water into the toilet. This will cause the toilet to flush. The only difference is your toilet won’t waste as much clean water on that flush.

Another option is to not flush for pee. Many households use the motto “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.”

Giving New Life to Old Teapots

Sanssouci April 15, 2015August 21, 2015 Reuse/Crafts/DIY No Comments

A lot of us have inherited teapots in one way or another over the years. And a lot of us never use those teapots. If you have any unwanted teapots sitting around, don’t throw them away. Donate them, sell them, or turn them into something new (anything that keeps them out of the landfill!)

You can decorate your teapot and turn it into a planter like this person did:

(If you’re not crafty you can skip the decorating part and just use it as a planter as is)

You can turn your teapot into a birdhouse like this person did:

If you’re handy you can turn your teapot into a water fountain like this person did:

Even if you’re not very crafty, you can paint your teapot to match your decor. Or you can use it to hold pencils, pens, scissors, etc. on your desk. Or you can use it as a watering can. I leave mine in the garden as a decoration and a rain catcher, then water the plants with the rain that it collects.