Ladies Eyes Only! Men, you’ve been warned.

Men, you might be curious but be warned, this post is about feminine functions. You might want to read ahead to see if your lady might like to hear about this awesome invention but I’m trying to give you a chance to press delete or browse on ahead to your next feed. Don’t blame me if you read on and regret it.

Ok. Any men left? You sure?

Ok…

LADIES!

Check this out. Did you know there was an alternative to tampons and pads? I sure didn’t. By pure happenstance (of which I don’t even remember the circumstances) I learned of the menstrual cup. Say what?

Apparently these ingenious, re-usable devices have been around in some form or another since the late 1800′s. But societal views of menstruation have kept us from talking about our feminine products very well over the years, and when there was a larger push in advertising, the focus was on disposable solutions. Well I don’t know about you, but I’m all about less waste. I’m SO excited to have found a solution that reduces my feminine product waste AND reduces my expenses. For $27.27 US dollars I now have one product that is re-usable, made from medical grade silicone and therefore contains no toxic shock syndrome risks, and that will last for years before needing to be replaced.

Think of it ladies…think about all the tampons or pads you use in one month, multiplied by 12 months, then by years…then by millions of women! Think about how much less waste we will be leaving younger generations if we switched to cups.

Yes, it requires a little more in terms of being comfortable with your body, but I really think anyone already using tampons should not have any trouble switching to cups. It’s hardly different in terms of functionality and actually way better in my opinion. I was able to leave my cup in for a full 11 hours (testing how long I could go) without any leakage or problems. You can’t do that with tampons – or you shouldn’t anyway.

If you need a little more convincing, let’s look at numbers…

I typically bought a 100 count pk of tampons at Sam’s for $12.44 which would last 4 – 5 months (purchased twice in the year.) Another 40 pk at Walmart for $4.34 would round out the year which puts my annual expense for feminine products at about $30. Over the last 16 years of buying my own products, that’s $480 I’ve spent, give or take a little for price differences.

Now, if my $27 (let’s call it $30) cup lasts me for the next 5 years (the suggested life of the brand I chose), I’ve saved myself $120 already. Ok, so that’s not a HUGE number but think of those same 240 tampons going down toilets (and clogging the septic and sewer systems – they are made from absorbent, expanding material and not meant to be flushed, as much as the packaging might suggest otherwise) or going in landfills. Yuck. I know, none of us really wants to think about that but we should. It’s a reality that can’t be wished away by ignoring it.

There are actually a TON of menstrual cups out there to choose from. There is a GREAT blog with very detailed comparisons of the different cups to help ladies look at the different makes and models before choosing. After thoroughly reading through the blog I narrowed down my preferred choices to either the Femmecup or Lunette. In the end, I went with Femmecup** for a few reasons. My friend who turned me on to this (Thank you D!) has a Femmecup and loves it; Femmecup comes in one size only (Lunette you have to choose size 1 or 2 and how the heck do I know?); and Femmecup was less expensive.

As to be expected, I was nervous at first. Nervous about trying something new, whether it would work, whether it would leak, whether I would be able to insert it properly, whether it would get “lost” up there. And yes, some women do have trouble getting the hang of things, I was cautioned that there is a learning curve. I did have one fleeting moment on the first day that I inserted too far and would, god forbid, have to enlist assistance, but after a few deep breaths I worked things out on my own and after about two days I felt comfortable that I knew what I was doing. It’s super easy once you get the hang of it and I had less leakage than when I used tampons. I know, TMI for some people and sorry guys if you kept reading, but I really want to get the word out to other ladies about this amazing product. I don’t care what brand you decide on, it will change your life. Think about not having to cart around tampons or pads in your purse. What if you are camping or on a boat? What do you do with those disposable products? With a cup, just rinse it out and re-use. Seriously. If I’d known this was available I would have switched years ago. Tell your friends! Let’s change the world of feminine products as we know it!

Waste is a tax on the whole people. 
~ Albert W. Atwood

**I have not been compensated or contacted by Femmecup for my opinion; I just want to help spread the word that these are an alternative option for women.

I’m in LOVE with Soap Nuts

This is what I’ve been washing my clothes with for over a month now and my clothes have never been fresher!

No more two-step laundry detergent and fabric softener or dryer sheets. No more harmful chemicals or perfumes. Soap Nuts are a natural, hypoallergenic, eco-friendly alternative to traditional laundry cleaners. And I’m in LOVE.

Not that I ever had any problem with the perfumes in detergent, although Don seemed to from time to time. Many people do have sensitive skin that may react badly to the many unknown chemical ingredients in traditional cleaners. Yet, we’ve all been trained to trust these products and to believe they are what we need to clean our clothes. They are not the only option. My eyes are open now (thank you CaveGirl!) and I’m in love with my new soap nuts. Not only are they better for me and the environment, I’m certain that I’m already saving money on the cost of two products for laundry. The bag you see pictured cost me $13.68 (including shipping – which will differ slightly depending on your location or your choice of shipping speed.) I’ve been using them since Dec 7th. Here we are more than a month later and I’ve maybe used half the bag. I never wrote down how often I bought laundry detergent and fabric softener in the past, or how much I was spending, but I’ve got a good sense of it after doing it for 15+ years and I am confident that the soap nuts are costing me less. Maybe not wads of money but definitely less, whether a couple of dollars or even just pennies, over time that will add up and make a difference in my budget.

So how exactly do I use these? I put a few nuts in a muslin, draw string wash bag and place it in my wash. It stays in the washer through the wash and rinse cycle. When the wash is done, I take the bag out, empty out the nuts, let dry until the next wash. Then I take my clothes out and dry as usual: a few minutes of fluff drying and then hang to dry for most of our outerwear, full drying for socks, towels, sheets, and other such things. No dryer sheets necessary. No fabric softener added during the wash. And no static. I think that amazed me the most. And the clothes smell CLEAN. Not perfumed. Just clean. I admit, it’s really weird at first. But the first time I washed my sheets and slept in freshly, soap nut washed sheets, I was in heaven. You just have to experience it to believe it.

I’ve washed campfire smoked clothes, hunting clothes, smelly gym clothes and every one of them came out fresh and clean. I find that the nuts are best for about 4-5 washes before they start to lose their potency and natural cleaning agent. I wanted to test the length of their use and at 6 or 7 washes I noticed a little bit of lingering smell (sock stink and smoke) so now I keep track of how many washes I use the nuts and stop about 4 or 5, composting the used nuts when I’m done.

I sent some to a friend and she sent me this last night. “Ok, my verdict is in.  I love them for my regular laundry.  For my (cloth) diapers, I needed just a bit more kick.  So I am doing a medium low water level wash with 2 rinses and a half tsp of my normal diaper detergent.  Then I do another wash with one rinse with the soap nuts.  This has left my diapers so much fresher when clean and no ammonia smell whatsoever after they are used.  I think this is a great wash plan and I think it is going to completely solve my detergent build up issues (which is what causes the (ammonia) smell.)”

I gave some to another friend whose newly born baby has been breaking out regularly due to traditional detergents and although I have not been able to get her feedback yet, she was excited to try them and I’m hopeful they will be as equally beneficial to her and her family. I would love to share them with everyone I know but I’m afraid many of you who have known me for years already think I’m off my rocker and turning “hippie.” (The acceptable term these days is crunchy. Yes. I’m certainly going crunchy. Although I think I always have been. I’m just finding more ways to embrace my inner crunchiness.)

To learn more about Soap Nuts, which aren’t truly nuts but dried berries, visit Green Virgin Products. They offer a trial size purchase that is good for 4-7 washes for only $1.89 if you’re interested but skeptical.**

**I’ve not been compensated or had any contact with Green Virgin Products regarding my opinion. I’m simply sharing my love of something with those who would listen in the hope that it might help someone who is looking for alternatives and hasn’t heard about this amazing natural product.

Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself.
~ Harvey Fierstein

My New Favorite Thing

My Aladdin Recycled AND Recyclable Coffee Cup! 

REALLY? It’s made from recycled materials AND it’s recyclable when worn out?!!! Holy crap! I thought I was dreaming when I decided I wanted such a thing.

My trusty daily coffee tumbler that I’ve had for probably 2-3 years, from Starbucks, died during the holiday. It cracked in the side and it was no more. Since I was off work, I let it slide for a week but knew I had to get my butt out there to see if I could find a replacement before I went back to work. I was wishing for a recyclable coffee tumbler ever since I let that cracked Starbucks cup fall from my hand to the trash. Ugh, it still pains me now. I wish we had more recycling possibilities where I’m located but sadly, the local drop station only takes plastics 1 and 2. No 4 or 5, of which I’m sure this cup was made from, if it was even recyclable at all. I honestly can’t remember because I’m just trying to put it past me.

Happily, I chanced across this little gem, at Target of all places. I really, really didn’t expect to find anything that would be recyclable, much less MADE from recycled materials. But it is! And they make a lot of products! Who knew! (Apparently lots of people other than me; they’ve had this technology and product around since 2006. LOL  Hey, better late than never.)

Some hard-core coffee people might think it’s a little plain but I’m so over the moon excited about its construction, and ridiculously reasonable price at $10, that I’ll take a little plain if that’s what it takes. Most fancy, dressed up coffee tumblers are upwards of $15-$20 (even more if you’re really silly) and many aren’t green friendly. So I think this little Aladdin cup has a lot going for it.

How about some more good things about it?

• BPA free!
• Dishwasher safe
• Microwave safe
• Leak-proof lid (so far no complaints here!)

And I know I’m repeating myself a bit but I can’t help it!

• Made from 97% recycled food-grade polypropylene containing 25% post-consumer content
• Recyclable where [5] is collected (shoot! still going to have to find that someday; hopefully it will last me enough years that [5] collection will be a mainstay like [1] is now)

For more information about Aladdin and to shop their other many products, you can find them at www.aladdin-pmi.com. (Check ‘em out! Their products are available in many stores.)**

**I’ve not been compensated for my rant about my new cup. I’m just shouting my own personal excitement about it to anyone who will listen. (Thanks for listening!)

The supreme reality of our time is…the vulnerability of our planet.
~ John F. Kennedy