tread lightly

To look at me, you wouldn't know that a hippy-greenie lurks beneath the surface. I am really, really suburban. But then we moved near this

(aah. so looking forward to summer really hitting)

and watched some of these guys make their merry way, quite literally, past our doorstep.

                                 

(picture from here)

Well, almost. We aren't quite posh enough to live on the water. But we did do some crazy shenanigan driving following a whale family up the coast, stopping at lookouts and beaches.

Now don't get me wrong, I've bought my share of Enyo cloths and had a go at scrubbing grout with baking soda. But in my deeply conditioned brain, clean isn't clean unless it burns your nostril hairs. The stronger the chemicals, the better. "Household Strength"- bah! Pass me the Hospital Grade. Just put on some gloves first. And maybe use some tongs. But I am changing. I am worried. I have concerns about the chemicals my family is ingesting, and the ones I am sending out for others to ingest.

So, I am on a mini-mission. To check out gentler products for the home.

First on my list: Laundry detergents.

Freshly washed clothes should smell freshly washed, like the artificial smell of "Fresh Linen" or "Wild Frangipani". I don't buy the super expensive detergents, I usually use a powder, and like to buy the same one because I like the smell. Summer Breeze I believe. I use fabric softener. I've bought the no-phosphate types for a long time because I used to put the grey water out onto the lawn, in a vain attempt to soften the clay soil in the suburbs.

Last week, the baby girl had some sensitive skin rash thing on her face. Perhaps it's the laundry powder! thought I, and into the shopping trolley I put these:

Picked up in Coles as part of my normal shopping, cool. Reasonably priced- in fact a bit cheaper per wash than my usual stuff, cooler. And it works, and smells like fresh laundry. Kid's clothes, my sweaty walking clothes, some cloth nappies, towels, everything came out like clean laundry! I'm happy. Because I didn't have to go to a great deal of trouble or expense to make a more gentle choice. I also like the gigantic bulk pack and the tap. It reminds me of a box of wine.

If you want to find out more about this particular brand, you can go here, and watch that ad.

And Jodi has some lovely organic, gentle things for bubs up for grabs at her place.

Oh. and the baby girl's rash? Gone!

S.