Mooncups!

Going through my bathroom I realized I'm tired of using pads. I've been wanting to stop using them for a while, but out of repetition's sake I keep buying them.  I wanted a green alternative that would also cut down on the odor that I worried so much about.

Before I got pregnant with my last child, I wanted to try out mooncups. They are like Divacups, but made out of silicone. Now, I'm no longer pregnant and figured I would take the dive.  I read the reviews and I even looked up instructions on youtube on how to use it.

I received it last month and for the first time in a long time, eagerly waited for my period. Finally 2 weeks ago, I tried it on for size. I ordered the size for women who are over a certain age or have had a vaginal birth. (Size A) Many women have complained about the initial first usages as having some spillage when removing the cup, that it's messy or uncomfortable. There is a tab that you can cut off, it's just there so you can pull it out. I cut mine off completely because even when I left a little bit on, I still felt it when sitting down.

I'm happy to say that I had no problems with the mooncup at all. I didn't leak in the middle of the night, and I have a heavy flow. I just emptied it before I went to sleep. The plus of the mooncup is that you can reuse it over and over and you can also leave it inside for a whole day if you like without there being health risks. I've heard of some people getting UTIs, but that could be from the material or even the soap they use to wash the cup in.

I'm not going to post the instructions on the usage because I will post the youtube video that helped me out a great deal instead.

mooncup troubleshooting

Finally done with the kitchen!

So, it  must've been over 3 weeks since I've started this kitchen and finally I'm done. I will post pictures later, but I'm so excited.

GreenEx came this morning to pick up all my junk and they were super fast and awesome. Of course because everyone seemed to be spring cleaning as well, it was hard getting an appointment.

Now all that is left is bathroom, living room and bedroom.

Throw your sponge away!

Do it, now!

Here is a better and cleaner way to wash dishes. Instead of using a sponge that will spread germs from one place to another use a dish rag. A clean one for every new job around the kitchen. Now, you might think that is a waste of money buying all these rags and even waste of water to wash them all, but here are some tips.

• When you have old towels, hand towels or other, cut them to size and use them for dish rags. This goes the same for using them as dusting rags. You can also use socks that are missing a partner, old cotton shirts and so on.
• Get a separate laundry basket or something similar to place your rags that are used to wash dishes. Kitchen rags are greasy and you don't want them mixed in with your clothes.
• Before placing them in said laundry basket let them dry, so you don't get moldy rags.
• At the end of the week you can wash them. Use the hottest and longest setting for your rags to ensure they will be clean.
• Use the plastic mesh bags that carry oranges and onions as a scrubber. Just place the rag inside the bag, tie it off and your ready to go.

• After you are finished just hang it to dry. See, you are recycling already. :D

Here are before and after pics:

Drought washing.

Once again another useful tip from Organic Housekeeping:

Wash your dishes as if you were in a drought. Remove all dishes from your sink. Start off with utensils, place them in the sink and add dish detergent to your dish rag. Wet it with hot water and proceed to wash all the utensils with just the rag. Put the utensils in a rack to "marinate" as you wash more. Once you are finished turn on the hot water and rinse off the soap and let the utensils dry.

Then do the same for the plates. Soap them up, set them aside, and once all done wash them off.

Last but not least, your greasy pans. Repeat the process and you're done.

This way you save water.

Bags of clothes!

This is my kitchen before all of these things get picked up. The majority of these are bags of clothes. I can only imagine what it will look after all of this is gone. Can't wait until Thursday.

A new site!

Thanks to my friend and owner of the awesome Barcey's in Bushwick, NY, Christine, I now have a site for another green place in NY.

It's called Build it Green, NYC This place will take old building materials, furniture and other household items for free and sell it. After the sale you will get a tax receipt. They have some really nice things for sale. I saw a nice antique stove, I love antique stoves.

The awesome thing about this place is that they will deconstruct your kitchen for free and sell everything. So not only do you get free demolition, you also get paid for the things you get rid of. Paid in the sense that you get a tax receipt. Well come the time I decide to remodel this ugly kitchen I will give them a call.

A place kind enough to take my junk...

I was hesitant on cleaning a lot of my rooms because of the fact that it was getting harder and  harder to take out large amounts of garbage.

I started becoming irritated because this was going to take forever to finish. I surfed the web and found this place: http://greenexcleanouts.com. Of course I find the site on Thursday at midnight so I can't call to ask for a quote, but I'm so excited anyways. I called the next day and the owner answered and he sounded really friendly.

Of course there is a fee, but considering it's NY, it's a reasonable fee. $280, was the estimate he gave me. I have a lot of things to get rid of and if it stays in that amount I will be super psyched. Come Monday I, as well as everyone else, will know how this all turned out.