Rub-a-dub-dub . . .

My life in Auckland has been pretty nomadic. I moved from Fairview Lane in Papatoetoe to the Railway Campus, to the Wellesley Students Apartment, to the Forte Apartments, within just the first 6 months in the city. The nomadic lifestyle back then was purely driven by financial motives. The previous 6 months have also seen us moving in and out of 3 apartments, but this time it's entirely driven by life uncertainties.


A few good things of having a nomadic lifestyle. Number one, I manage to become less of a serial hoarder. Because I moved a lot, I am forced to frequently pack and unpack, and by doing so, allow me to either give away or throw away things and items I don't see the use of keeping/hoarding/owning. Number two, I don't develop a clinging culture, when I go everywhere with the same people and don't expose myself to other social challenges. Number three, and the point of writing this entry, is the arduous and often times expensive cleaning regime. Every time I moved, I MUST scoured, cleaned, cleansed and sterilized the apartment to the satisfaction of the agent/property manager. This is not implying that I ONLY do it upon moving out. Keeping the apartment continuously cleaned is also a challenge.


In my previous life, I bought bleach, multi-purpose cleaning agents (like Mr. Muscle), and other cleaning agents (oven cleaner, mold remover), and was amazed by the amount of options available, each catered to the types of dirt and functions.  The current apartment that we are in was in an extremely FILTHY condition. Unacceptably filthy. Spots on the carpet, oily scums on the cooktop and mold and mildew living in the fridge. Dusty floors, shelves, windows and wall edges. But we knew it was a nice-sized apartment for us. So we came to the dirt war at the apartment armed with 4 different cleaning agents: 1 Mr Muscle multipurpose cleaner, 1 Janola toilet cleaning bleach, 1 Jif, and 1 Fabreeze (fabric deodorizer and odour remover). Halfway through the dirt war, we ran out of cleaning agents. So we retreated for the day, and I spent the entire night googling homemade cleaning agents. Lo and behold, I can find cheap, SAFE, non-toxic and equally effective cleaning agents in my kitchen box (At that time, we were still nomadic, so I had all my baking and cooking stuffs in 1 box).


Here are the essential home made cleaning agents straight from your kitchen shelf.

VINEGAR. I bought a huge bottle of vinegar (well, that's the only size they were sold in) about 2 years ago to make potato salad. I have never used it since then. Vinegar is a natural, non-toxic cleaner, deodorizer and degreaser. Vinegar kills mold, bacteria and germs. It can be used as a window cleaner, and oil degreaser for your exhaust fan grids, inside oven, and counter tops. Vinegar also works as a stain remover to remove coffee/tea stains from cups, mugs and kettles. I make my own all-purpose cleaner adding one part water and one part vinegar. The smell is strong, but it dissipates within a few hours, and more importantly it leaves your counter top smelling and feeling fresh. Adding essential tea tree oil to the water and vinegar solution can lessen the strong vinegar smell. I also use vinegar and water solution to scrub floor tiles. Vinegar can also be used as a fabric softener (I have yet to experiment with this). Cost is between NZD 1.50.

BAKING SODA. Apart from being an ingredient in your cake, baking soda is a mild abrasive agent and odour neutralizer, great for cleaning water-based scums e.g., soap scums and toilet grimes. Half a cup of baking soda and water just enough to frost it up makes a safe and effective scouring powder. For better results, leave the powder on the surface for 20 minutes before (easily) scouring the dirt and grimes. Cost between 99 cent to NZD1.20

TEA TREE ESSENTIAL OIL. A bit expensive! but very effective on fighting molds and mildews. Simply mix 2 teaspoon of tea tree oil with a 2 cups of water to make a solution for those tough moldy areas (shower areas, shower curtains etc).The smell of tea tree oil is very strong, but the smell dissipates in a few minutes. Cost for 10ml = NZD 6.50.








The above three ingredients are what I use at my home. Browse here http://www.care2.com/ for more green living tips. Happy trying!

Greener PERIOD?

Eugh.

That was my first response when Modd asked me if I came across reusable pads. Since then, I've done research and readings on reusable pads, pantyliners, and even the diva cup. I was (note the past tense) an avid user of commercial pantyliners, often times panicked when my supply ran out. I even resorted to buying the pantyliners in convenience stores, consciously knowing that I would pay higher prices than in supermarkets.

It used to cost me NZD6.99 per 1 pack of 24 pantyliners and that'll just for use for 1 month (maybe less). In one year, I would have spent about NZD84.00, and a lifetime use would have cost me (given that the average lifespan of an Asian woman is 75) NZD 5,200. Is that the price of comfort?

Little did I know that the financial hazards of these commercial pantyliners also come with environmental harms. The wastes that women threw every month filled up landfills, and like us women, they take their own sweet time to break down. An average woman would have used and thrown away more than 10,000 disposable or commercial pads or about 115 kg of "periodic" waste. Not to mention the plastic packagings of the commercial pads and pantyliners.


The bad news don't stop there. Have you ever wonder why commercial pads are so white and "pure"? This is because the materials (cotton & rayon) are treated with chemicals such as bleach. In short, we have been applying bleach to our vajayjay!

There are several alternatives towards greener periods. The manufacturers now even offer organic tampons. They are priced slightly higher (NZD11.99, compared to your usual NZD 6.99 or 7.99 Libra pads). I resort to reusable cloth pads and pantyliners (Yep, you guessed it, similar to those used by our grannies and their grannies!) I found this cloth reusable pantyliners trial pack on http://www.poppypads.co.nz/ for NZD35.00. The pantyliners come with buttons to secure the placing and you can choose various designs. The pantyliners are surprisingly comfortable. I have been using these cloth pantyliners since 3 months ago, and I feel financially and environmentally liberated! I haven't bought pantyliners since then. Most cloth pads come with washing instructions when you buy them. Just soak with cold water (don't use HOT water, because hot water tends to set stain) and squeeze the excess out (I add a bit of salt). Occassional machine wash (60 degrees wash) is also recommended to keep the pads refreshed.

I have also bought myself cloth pads, also on poppypads, but I haven't been religiously using them. These are cloth pads from organic cotton. 100% washable and reusable. I admit that I am still not ready to embark on complete eco overhaul of menses. I have experimented with the cloth pad only twice, but on my less heavy flow days. Still needs a bit more guts and encouragement. Nonetheless, I have taken the first step to switching to reusable cloth pantyliners (that's what I tell myself!).


For the braver ladies, there is the diva or moon cup also for greener periods. Give it a try, ladies! Let's change our society, one PERIOD at a time :)

[Go to http://www.pleasurepuss.com/ to calculate how much you have spent on commercial pads, and realize the need for greener periods!]