Cleanliness Standards Revised

"U.S. consumers spend nearly $1 billion a year on antibacterial products that aren't necessary" according to Mother Nature Network.

In our increasingly germa-phobic society (where people go around carrying Purell on their key chains), we are pounded by advertisement for disposable products promising a cleaner, thus healthier life: Tissues, bottled water, antibacterial wipes and the latest… Kleenex's Disposable Hand Towel (!?).

For such products to make it on the market in 2010, proving that some manufacturers are either clueless about their role/impact on the environment or simply ignoring it for the sake of their wallets, is one thing, but perpetually preying on our primal fear of getting sick and misleading us with bogus information is another (one of the reasons why I do not miss TV).

"Regular washing of bathroom hand towels does not ensure clean hands." Kleenex says...

With absurd quotes like this one, coming from (or shall I say, sponsored by) an industry leader, no wonder why our society has trouble letting go of the disposables... we have come to believe that a higher standard of cleanliness would make us healthier.
The cleaner, the better...
But have we reached the point where we're too clean for our own good?

It is apparent that since disposability has hit the market and entered our homes, our standards of cleanliness have gone extreme. Sadly, living up to these made up standards and fitting "socially acceptable cleanliness" are costing us our health (killing the good germs) and that of our planet (depletion of resources through production and pollution through disposal).

Finding the right balance between squeaky clean and hygienic seems to be in order.

We have been steered away from reusable products, and led to think that these were somehow gross, so here are 10 standards, revised for TheZeroWasteHome:

It's OK to:

1. Actually, it's not just OK, it's a must...: Switch from your antibacterial products to natural soap (Don't breed the "superbug").
2. Wear clothes more than once: I admit, it took me a few months to get used to it. Your clothes should not make you self conscious if they have stains or smell, so use your sense of smell to guide you if you're stain free.
3. Wash your hair every other day: a little cornstarch can serve as a dry shampoo (sprinkle on your hair, massage in, and brush out) between washes.
4. Let it mellow, if it's yellow: I confess, I do not let it mellow and flush when I have people coming over.
5. Blow your nose in a handkerchief: tissues are only a recent invention, people lived without them before us. And remember, a hankie being a personal item it is used only for you, so they're your own germs.
6. Use the Diva Cup: Get over your skepticism and fear of the cup; if you can insert a tampon, you can insert the cup.
7. Hold off on your weekly sheet washing: If you went to college, you know your immune system survived less frequent washes. In Europe, people air out their sheets between washes. The word "sanitizing" is actually synonym of "airing out", in french crosswords.
8. Use and reuse a cloth napkin between washes: We use napkin rings to tell ours apart: so simple and yet, it helps us go longer between washes (once a week).
9. Clean your house with vinegar, castille soap, baking soda and reusable cloths (instead of Comet, 409, Windex, Dawn, Scrubbing Bubbles, Tilex, Lysol, bleach, etc...): Seriously, that's all you need to keep your house clean.
10. Accept a stain on the kitchen towel that you just washed: Stop fighting stains on items that are meant to be stained. Kitchen towels don't have to be spotless.

I have to say that I used to be obsessed with the whiteness of my kitchen towels, worried that my cleanliness would be judged by their spotlessness. I then realized that the impact of repeat washes and bleach, were not worth it, and that my time would be better spent elsewhere.

By lowering our modern squeaky clean standards, we can refocus on what matters most... spending time with our loved ones, cooking healthy food, or lending a hand to save the Earth.

Note to Kleenex: In a house where none of your disposable hand towels are to be found, we've amazingly survived yet another winter, free of colds...

Outside the Box

Now that you have evaluated your waste all the way down to the dark bottom of your medicine box, let's take a look outside the box, outside the house...

From some readers' comments, I take it that the title of this blog might lead some to believe that a "zero waste home" advocate cares only about his or her own trash can:

Anonymous, for example, wrote: "With all due respect, I feel strongly that we all have the responsibility to look outside of our homes as well at all of the places we can make a greater impact, by working together, by writing letters to our elected officials, by working with colleagues to make our places of work and learning more green."

I agree that we all have the responsibility to do more... and while my posts are mostly based on practical tips to reduce one's household waste, it does not mean that the broader community issues are being ignored.

Here are some of the things that we do outside of the home, for those concerned about our broader efforts:

• I write weekly email/letters to manufacturers worthy of constructive feedback, urging them to push their sustainability further. For example, I have written letters to find alternatives to the plastic seal on the returnable yogurt glass jar (St Benoit), to offer their products in bulk (Seventh Generation), to switch from a recyclable to a reusable cap (flip tops caps at Straus Creamery)...and encourage others to do the same.

• I also suggest changes in products that I used to love and now miss. For example, I loved Oil of Olay eye lifting serum, but the packaging was a joke and the ingredients were toxic. Here is a past letter to them:
  "Re: Regenerist eye lifting serum: Such a great product, one that I am addicted to, but one that also really stands out in my Zero Waste Home. Isn't it time that Oil of Olay found an alternative to parabens and excessive packaging for their products? You are a leader in affordable skin care that works, I think it's about time that you became more environmentally friendly...To the many people who care, shopping is voting. On my future election (shopping trip), I will vote for an environmentally friendly product, but I'll miss you. Sincerely, Bea."

• I sometimes send something in the mail with an explanatory letter (Don't tell Scott... he most likely would not approve the mailing expenses, that are not in our budget): Plastic corks back to Barefoot (good and affordable local wine, but bad corking choice), half toothbrushes back to Radius (the disposable, unrecyclable, unsustainable half), a free and unnecessary contact lens case (came in with the lens cleaner), etc…

• Scott and I both participate in Credo Action Campaigns (one stop shop for busy activists) which sometimes includes signing a petition or writing/calling an elected official (made easy by simply following a link in Credo's emails).

• I joined Sustainable Mill Valley, whose purpose it is to promote "the adoption and implementation of public policies that reflect sustainability principles". I serve on the waste committee of course. Last month, our meeting included both our local waste hauler and city's sustainability coordinator, with whom we discussed better waste solutions for our town.

• I participate in our town's sustainability discussions: in February, we had a Climate Action Plan meeting.

• Scott is on our elementary school site council, and I recently participated in a PTA discussion panel on "Ways to Make our School Greener" which raised school waste concerns.

• We participate in trash pick-up events as a family such as Coastal Clean Up (where we find the oddest, indescribable items floating about), Polk Street Neighborhood Association Street Clean Up in San Francisco (where my 73-year-old mother-in-law, visiting from Texas, bravely joined in, and where I found out that smokers desperately need quitting at best, or public ashtrays at least, picture above), and Earth Day pick up (where I filled my 20 gallon reusable bag within 10 minutes at our local baseball field).

• We make a point of "leaving the place cleaner than we found it" (If scouting taught me one thing that would be it). Pick up as you go, whether camping, hiking, beach going or simply walking the dog.

• Lastly, we were both inspired to make career changes: I am focused on changing one house at a time with BeSimpler, helping people to live more simply and to move towards zero waste; and, Scott is focused on changing one business at a time, launching his company, FairRidge Group, to address broader social and environmental issues (he spoke at Opportunity Green last fall). We don't know yet if these were the right financial decisions for us – but it is an exciting time to be trying to find out (can you say "Great Recession").

Could we do more? Of course we could! If we did not have two fun boys, a needy dog, a yard in progress and the great outdoors to enjoy. But frankly, we are satisfied with the amount that we manage to contribute and balance in our jobs, activities, and home (we only have so many hours in a day). We are now at least relieved from action paralysis that once afflicted us.

Because while environmentalists debate the importance of individual vs. collective action, we agree with Colin Beavan that, "We cannot wait for the system to change, we individuals are the system", and that actions speak louder than words.

How do you walk your talk?

What about meds?

People who visit our house feel like they've hit the jackpot when they see our "pharmacy" container: "Ah, ah! Do I spot packaging over here?" they ask teasing.

Medications have been hard to eliminate of course, but we've found ways to reduce our packaging here too. In the process, we went thru some trial and error. One of them was finding natural medication in bulk at Good Earth, where you fill your jar and pay by the ounce for decongestant, flu relief or echinacea. Besides the fact that these were really expensive, they did not even work! Well, at least not as well as the regular drugstore stuff.

Since then, we have found a balance between natural alternatives and drugstore products. Here again, it's all about paring it down to essentials (you knew I was going to write that). Sincerely, is there a point in keeping medications that do not work or are expired?

Every family has different medical needs, but here is what we did in our home:

• We took expired meds to our pharmacy
• We now keep only a minimal supply
• There is no way around the occasional plastic prescription bottle and it's illegal for pharmacies to refill them in CA, but our pharmacy takes them back to recycle them (#2). I figure they have a better chance of getting those recycled than we do thru our household recycling.
• We choose tablets (pain reliever, for example) in a glass or at default a plastic jar (usually a recyclable #2), instead of the tablets individually wrapped in aluminum/plastic and then a box (that's what I call obnoxious packaging).
• Although they are cheaper by the count, we do not buy jumbo size medication jars, they expire way before we can finish them.
• We choose metal tubes instead of plastic (Arnicare is magic on bruises)
• We invested in a Neti pot (Santa gave one to Scott this year, picture above): Great to clear out your sinuses with just water and sea salt.
• We researched and tested a few natural alternatives: I forage Yerba Santa in the winter for its decongestant properties (tea), but many plants are available in bulk at health food stores also. For example, you can make a corn silk tea for prostate relief, a senna leaf tea for constipation relief or an oatmeal bath for skin relief. By the way, you can also roll a fresh California bay leaf in your nose to relieve a headache – I agree, it's a great look:) or eat a small amount of local honey each day to relieve allergies. I also found this cough suppressant recipe (all ingredients available in bulk), but we have yet to try it (Knock on wood that we won't need it for a while): 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1 T honey, 1 T apple cider vinegar, 2 T water mixed in small sterilized jar.
• Instead of plastic band-aids, gauze and surgical tape work fine. We use hydrogen peroxide as an antiseptic on small scrapes and cuts before we let them air dry or apply surgical tape directly on deeper cuts. How often do you really need a band-aid? My son thinks that band-aids are a cure to any "owie"... but a smoothie works just as well. Update: Per a nurse's email: "Hydrogen peroxide is not recommended on wounds anymore. It may (with reservations) be diluted and used to clean, initially a very dirty wound but is actually damaging to healthy tissue. Tea tree oil or honey products are a natural antimicrobial alternative". Old fashioned Lugol's iodine has also been mentioned on the forum.
• We do not use everyday antibacterial products, most contain Triclosan, and only make bad bacteria stronger. As Mayo clinic warns: "Antibacterial soap is no more effective at killing germs than is regular soap. Using antibacterial soap may even lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to the product's antimicrobial agents — making it harder to kill these germs in the future."
• To answer a question from a couple of readers, we do not take vitamins. Like Michael Pollan (in his book, "In Defense of Food"), we believe in a varied diet instead... but I did take them while pregnant and we might reconsider them when we're older.
• We believe in moderate sunscreen use (we worry about skin cancer as much as vitamin D deficiency). I do use it on my face everyday, for vanity reasons;), but we use clothing as sun-shield as much as we can (the rays penetrates it in a small percentage), and use sunscreen for prolonged exposures on our bodies. When we're out of my favorite, we'll give this recipe a try. I just have to find zinc oxide in bulk...

Do you have some natural remedies (that work) to share?