Reduce waste by Reusing

Remember when we were little and Reduce, Reuse, Recycle was the big slogan on Earth Day?  Might still be, or I'm dating myself. Anywho, I never applied that slogan, ever.  I was a super consumer that used something once and threw it away and couldn't understand why my Grandma uses a paper towel then hangs it up to dry to reuse.  Where was I?  So now, I'm stuck with all these consumables when I'm trying to go green.  Instead of pitching them or using them as intended I decided to find ways to get the most out of the money I already spent.

Here are my take aways from today on how to reuse items to save money with items I have:

Swiffer Sweeper Mop: bought this for convience instead of traditional mop.  The commercials advertise using one cleaning pad and tossing it.  I might just have a big house, or maybe a super dirty one, but it would take me four to five pads.  Here's my reuse tip: Fill a bucket with warm water and vinger (five to one ratio) and dip cloth cleaning pad in bucket and use to wash a no-wax needed floor.  When dirty, ring out pad in bucket and reuse.  Repeat until you have a clean floor. 

Swiffer Sweeper Dusters: Once fully nasty looking I cleaned in same vinegar water mixture as mop pad, then put on the porch to dry in the sun.  And all clean to reuse.

Swiffer Extended Handle Duster for fans:  When refills run out, use a microfiber towel wrapped around and safety pinned in place.  Clean and wash.

Baby Wipes: I found a great recipe for baby wipes out of paper towels. It is located on my Pinterest page on the  (www.pinterest.com/yesitsthateasy/baby-crafts).  The existing wipes I tear in half.  Most number 1s can be cleaned with half a wipe.  Most number 2s can be cleaned with two halves.  (Keep in mind i have a 10 week old, the larger the child, larger the mess I hear.)

Store Bought Cleaner Bottles: I reuse each spray bottle as I use up the product.  Make sure to clean the bottle very well, I clean with dish detergent then vinegar water solution (50/50, it's my go to disinfectant).  I do not reuse the bottles that contained a bleach product, those get recycled.