Sunday, March 04, 2012

Something sad. Oh well.

I've long believed that as a Christian I should be careful in my stewardship of the earth. Regardless of your stance on global warming it makes sense to be conservative with resources if we want humankind to be sustainable.

Homemade cleaners seemed to fit the bill as far as honoring that stewardship. Vinegar and peroxide are certainly friendlier to both man and beast than bleach, and homemade products are far cheaper than their commercial counterparts. Asthma and fragrance sensitivities merely clinched my decision to break from the main stream and give natural a try.

What a bust. Maybe I just need to fiddle with the recipe a bit more or look into the science of how I can get a good cleaner out of these things without clogging sprayers, leaving streaks, or carefully monitoring and waiting for natural cleaners to remove mineral deposits.

Did you know that liquid plumber is by far more effective than any other means of clearing out a stubborn drain? And vinegar can't even touch the effectiveness of Lime Away. My Borax and vinegar solution doesn't cut through soap scum the way 409 does, and baking soda just doesn't leave things as bright as Comet powder.

At this point I just can't afford the fancy "green" cleaning products, especially as I wrestle the kids into cleaning in an effective but conservative manner.

Sigh. No wonder going green is this big elitist thing now. It's so expensive!

1 comment:

Mediocre Renaissance Man said...

Yes. It is truly a sad state of things when doing what is best is more expensive or less effective than going with the cheap, quick, easy, and damaging solution.

I dread the day McDonald's becomes less expensive than crafting a homemade meal from individual ingredients. Yes, McDonald's is already faster than the homemade meal, and many restaurants (maybe not McDonald's) offer food that is significantly better than anything I can cook, but at least it is still more cost effective to eat at home than to eat out.

When living in Mexico, I heard that in some of the more poor areas, Coca-cola was actually less expensive than clean water (and since the tap water wasn't safe enough to drink or wasn't reliable enough, purchasing water was the only option for many people). I think that's super sad when you have to make a financial sacrifice just to have something to drink that isn't full of sugar and caffeine.

You just wait - when McDonald's breaks the cost barrier and becomes cheaper than home-cooked meals, that's when it'll all go to heck. Mark my words!