Has anyone seen the current KFC 'family bucket' advert? 'Look you can get all this processed, fried, brown gunk for sixpence and give mum the night off cooking...'. It's the end bit that got me so angry when I saw it for the first time: the final boast is that all the packaging is disposable, cue footage of the whole lot being swept into the bin at the end of the ad...paper cartons, cups, wrappers...
To my mind, this is criminal as we approach global environmental meltdown. Surely this kind of statement can't be considered acceptable in 2007?! I'm going to write to the Advertising Standards Agency (www.asa.org.uk) and see if I get any response...
UPDATE 17/03/07: I'm not the only one to be mad about this ad - Nick at Enviroblah has also blogged about it! There is a link to his blog from mine.
Referring back to my 'One for the Girls' blog, I've also recently seen ads for Always Ultra 'with silk'...Hello?! Silk?! It's almost as bad as scented tampons. Come on girls - we don't need this nonsense!
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Household stuff
Cleaning:
A few months ago I was asked my a market reseacher in our town centre if I had 10 minutes to spare. She was lovely, it was raining and I only had the washing up to look forward to at home, so I said yes.
The survey was for Cilit Bang, that purple stuff on the shouty adverts which promises to clean your drains, nuke soap scum, and probably walk the dog too. I can't even remember what the new product was now, but I had to watch a promotional video then answer a series of questions about it and whether or not I would be likely to buy it. I said that I probably wouldn't. The reason: it was PURPLE! Now, I love pink, purple and that whole range of girly colours, but purple toilet cleaner?! How un-natural is that?! And it fizzed in a scary way on the ad...
I told the lovely market research lady that I was an Ecover habitue, and thus unlikely to swap my eucalyptus for purple foam. Despite everything, I landed a Boots gift voucher, she was closer to her day's quota, and off I skipped.
I don't think it's overstating things to say that I LOVE Ecover stuff! Some friends of ours have been using it for a while, and they've recently gone the whole hog with washable nappies for their baby daughter, so we really felt it was time to give Ecover a go.
We broke ourselves in gently with the washing up liquid and cleaning spray. The Ecover website details their full range, as well as information about their environmentally aware production methods:
www.ecover.com
The washing up liquid is made with camomile and smells very fresh and natural - almost a bit minty. It cleans as well as standard washing up liquid, and per litre is not significantly more expensive. It is concentrated, so you don't need much.
The kitchen cleaning spray is likewise fragrant, and is perfectly effective. Building in confidence, we decided to give the toilet cleaning liquid a go. The over-riding scent is eucalyptus, which is refreshing with no chemical overtones which catch in your throat - it's about as far from horrid 'forest pine' as it's possible to get! For best results, you need to use a toilet brush too, but as for limescale, we don't find we need to use a separate limescale remover. We live in a very hard water area, so this is a bonus.
All Ecover bottles and their caps are made of the same type of plastic so the whole lot can be recycled. The products are biodegradable and do no harm acquatic life.
Laundry:
We've also been using Ecover washing powder for a few months now. It is similarly priced to other brands, and cleans everything very well. Like all their products, it has a natural subtle scent, and is meant to be ok if you have skin allergies (luckily, neither myself nor my husband suffer from these).
Our washing machine is Bosch, and rated A in terms of energy efficiency. However, I am trying to wash more at 30 degrees on the 'quick wash' setting to further reduce our energy and water consumption. This is fine for dark loads, but for lighter colours, especially towels, I still prefer a 40 degree wash. I will persevere however, as I'm aware that this may just be due to habit.
I recently bought some dolly washing balls from Lakeland (www.lakeland.co.uk). These are meant to act like old fashioned washing dollies: you put them in the machine with your laundry and the extra agitation they generate is meant to shift dirt so that you can reduce the amount of detergent you use. At £13 for 9, I thought they were worth a go, although I've not objectively tested how effective they are - it's difficult to do so unless you are washing really grubby stuff. Having no pets or children, nothing ever gets that dirty. However, I did a home hair dye yesterday and shoved the red/brown stained pale green towel into the washing machine with the balls and no detergent for a cold rinse and it came out spotless. This may have been helped by the fact that the dye had not had a chance to dry in, but I was pretty pleased.
You can also buy washing balls which ionise the water so that dirt is drawn from your clothes, meaning you can dispense with detergent altogether. The most common ones in the UK seem to be Ecoballs (try a google search). I've not tried these as I don't think you can use them if you also use water softeners (which we do as I don't want liomescale to cause my washing machine to seize up). However, you can also buy magnetised balls which claim to solve the limescale problem, which you can use in conjunction with ionising balls. When I get round to it, I may give these a go, although without opening the back of the washing machine I"m not sure how you would test the level of limescale being deposited.
There are even balls for tumble dryers which claim to fluff up your towels etc without recourse to Bounce. Not having a dryer, however, I've not tested these.
Washing balls are very noisy in your machine, so if possible set the machine to come on when you're out! If I do try the ionising/magnetic balls I'll update the blog...
Bathroom:
Who out there has tried recycled toilet paper? It's amazing how many people seem to think it is actually made from 'reclaimed' used toilet paper!!
Currently, Nouvelle is the only recycled brand available at our local supermarket - and there are NO recycled tissues available at all!! It's not triple-ply-quilted-also-makes-the-tea, but it's more than adequate than you very much. What is the point of recycling your old newspapers and junk mail if you only ever buy 'virgin' paper products? Remember reduce, reuse, as well as recycle!
I've just starting using washable cotton face pads made from towel offcuts and polyester (the middle bit, so your products don't soak into the flannel covering completely). I found them at www.lovetheplanet.co.uk and they're great! They come in little mesh bags of 5 (use this for washing them as otherwise they can get stuck in between the drum and the door of the machine). I've not yet used them for removing nail polish etc, but when I do I plan to keep one specifically for this so as not to spoil the others.
Right, that's your lot for now.
A few months ago I was asked my a market reseacher in our town centre if I had 10 minutes to spare. She was lovely, it was raining and I only had the washing up to look forward to at home, so I said yes.
The survey was for Cilit Bang, that purple stuff on the shouty adverts which promises to clean your drains, nuke soap scum, and probably walk the dog too. I can't even remember what the new product was now, but I had to watch a promotional video then answer a series of questions about it and whether or not I would be likely to buy it. I said that I probably wouldn't. The reason: it was PURPLE! Now, I love pink, purple and that whole range of girly colours, but purple toilet cleaner?! How un-natural is that?! And it fizzed in a scary way on the ad...
I told the lovely market research lady that I was an Ecover habitue, and thus unlikely to swap my eucalyptus for purple foam. Despite everything, I landed a Boots gift voucher, she was closer to her day's quota, and off I skipped.
I don't think it's overstating things to say that I LOVE Ecover stuff! Some friends of ours have been using it for a while, and they've recently gone the whole hog with washable nappies for their baby daughter, so we really felt it was time to give Ecover a go.
We broke ourselves in gently with the washing up liquid and cleaning spray. The Ecover website details their full range, as well as information about their environmentally aware production methods:
www.ecover.com
The washing up liquid is made with camomile and smells very fresh and natural - almost a bit minty. It cleans as well as standard washing up liquid, and per litre is not significantly more expensive. It is concentrated, so you don't need much.
The kitchen cleaning spray is likewise fragrant, and is perfectly effective. Building in confidence, we decided to give the toilet cleaning liquid a go. The over-riding scent is eucalyptus, which is refreshing with no chemical overtones which catch in your throat - it's about as far from horrid 'forest pine' as it's possible to get! For best results, you need to use a toilet brush too, but as for limescale, we don't find we need to use a separate limescale remover. We live in a very hard water area, so this is a bonus.
All Ecover bottles and their caps are made of the same type of plastic so the whole lot can be recycled. The products are biodegradable and do no harm acquatic life.
Laundry:
We've also been using Ecover washing powder for a few months now. It is similarly priced to other brands, and cleans everything very well. Like all their products, it has a natural subtle scent, and is meant to be ok if you have skin allergies (luckily, neither myself nor my husband suffer from these).
Our washing machine is Bosch, and rated A in terms of energy efficiency. However, I am trying to wash more at 30 degrees on the 'quick wash' setting to further reduce our energy and water consumption. This is fine for dark loads, but for lighter colours, especially towels, I still prefer a 40 degree wash. I will persevere however, as I'm aware that this may just be due to habit.
I recently bought some dolly washing balls from Lakeland (www.lakeland.co.uk). These are meant to act like old fashioned washing dollies: you put them in the machine with your laundry and the extra agitation they generate is meant to shift dirt so that you can reduce the amount of detergent you use. At £13 for 9, I thought they were worth a go, although I've not objectively tested how effective they are - it's difficult to do so unless you are washing really grubby stuff. Having no pets or children, nothing ever gets that dirty. However, I did a home hair dye yesterday and shoved the red/brown stained pale green towel into the washing machine with the balls and no detergent for a cold rinse and it came out spotless. This may have been helped by the fact that the dye had not had a chance to dry in, but I was pretty pleased.
You can also buy washing balls which ionise the water so that dirt is drawn from your clothes, meaning you can dispense with detergent altogether. The most common ones in the UK seem to be Ecoballs (try a google search). I've not tried these as I don't think you can use them if you also use water softeners (which we do as I don't want liomescale to cause my washing machine to seize up). However, you can also buy magnetised balls which claim to solve the limescale problem, which you can use in conjunction with ionising balls. When I get round to it, I may give these a go, although without opening the back of the washing machine I"m not sure how you would test the level of limescale being deposited.
There are even balls for tumble dryers which claim to fluff up your towels etc without recourse to Bounce. Not having a dryer, however, I've not tested these.
Washing balls are very noisy in your machine, so if possible set the machine to come on when you're out! If I do try the ionising/magnetic balls I'll update the blog...
Bathroom:
Who out there has tried recycled toilet paper? It's amazing how many people seem to think it is actually made from 'reclaimed' used toilet paper!!
Currently, Nouvelle is the only recycled brand available at our local supermarket - and there are NO recycled tissues available at all!! It's not triple-ply-quilted-also-makes-the-tea, but it's more than adequate than you very much. What is the point of recycling your old newspapers and junk mail if you only ever buy 'virgin' paper products? Remember reduce, reuse, as well as recycle!
I've just starting using washable cotton face pads made from towel offcuts and polyester (the middle bit, so your products don't soak into the flannel covering completely). I found them at www.lovetheplanet.co.uk and they're great! They come in little mesh bags of 5 (use this for washing them as otherwise they can get stuck in between the drum and the door of the machine). I've not yet used them for removing nail polish etc, but when I do I plan to keep one specifically for this so as not to spoil the others.
Right, that's your lot for now.
Veg boxes
We've had two veg boxes from Abel & Cole now, so thought it ought to be the subject of my next post.
Their marketing clearly worked on us, as a leaflet shoved through the letter box early in January (doubtless cashing in on the New Year 'detox' market, although we've never subscribed to that!) persuaded us to give Abel & Cole a go.
Their website is very informative with regard to the contents of their boxes, and the vast range of products they offer, including bread, meat, and Ecover cleaning products:
www.abel-cole.co.uk
There are two of us in our household, and on average we cook 'properly' about 4 times a week. We opted for the 'mixed organic box' to be delivered fortnightly, which costs £14.80. Whilst we have not weighed and calculated the cost of equivalent organic items in a supermarket, our guesstimate is that the box represents reasonable value. Setting up an account was very easy via the website, and the deadlines for ordering products are pretty flexible. Our box is delivered on Mondays, and we can cancel any time until the preceding Friday night. Abel & Cole prefer you to set up a regular order, although you can amend/cancel them at any time with no obligation. Payment is taken via direct debit after delivery.
The amount of vegetables in the mixed organic box is sufficient for us for a week, although more fruit would be welcome as we both take packed lunches to work every day. Whilst you can state likes and dislikes via the website, you can't swap items in some boxes, so check for this if that is something you would like.
Our reasons for trying a veg box were several:
1. Convenience of doorstep delivery
2. British produce, with minimal imports (bananas being the obvious exception, and those are at least fair trade)
3. Imported goods are brought by ship rather than air, so helping to reduce their 'carbon footprint'
To be honest, neither of us are really that bothered about the organic element of Abel & Cole. I'm not 100% convinced as to its viability in terms of rates of production: if the world's food was produced via (UK standard) organic means, we'd run out of room to grow/rear everything. Thoroughly washing all fruit and veg prior to consumption/cooking must surely get rid of the nastiest pesticides etc or else they wouldn't be permitted for use.
However, we love the fact that the majority of Abel & Cole produce is British. Who really needs mange tout in February anyway? We have had some pretty interesting things in our box so far (the more obscure items come with suggested recipes): jerusalem artichokes this week prompted us to try a scrummy sausage dish that we wouldn't have found otherwise. A few days before delivery, the contents of that week's boxes are posted on the Abel & Cole website, so nothing comes as a complete surprise, which is great.
The produce in our (cardboard) box comes either loose or, joy of joys, in paper bags. The whole lot is tied up with string. Empty boxes left outside on delivery day will be taken back by the driver and re-used, or else you can just recycle them yourself. I was very excited to receive the first lot of potatoes complete with mud!
I'm well aware that an organic veg box is a luxury, and that farm shops provide less expensive British produce, but for convenience, you can't beat a box left on your doorstep.
I think when we get a bit more confident with the whole thing we might try some of the different boxes too - the salad one would be great for summer. So far, none of our produce has gone to waste and I'm discovering some nice soup recipes as a way of using things that I can't think what else to do with.
I would say a veg box is worth trying, and there are other companies out there doing similar things. Anything which diverts money being spent in supermarkets has to be a good thing.
Their marketing clearly worked on us, as a leaflet shoved through the letter box early in January (doubtless cashing in on the New Year 'detox' market, although we've never subscribed to that!) persuaded us to give Abel & Cole a go.
Their website is very informative with regard to the contents of their boxes, and the vast range of products they offer, including bread, meat, and Ecover cleaning products:
www.abel-cole.co.uk
There are two of us in our household, and on average we cook 'properly' about 4 times a week. We opted for the 'mixed organic box' to be delivered fortnightly, which costs £14.80. Whilst we have not weighed and calculated the cost of equivalent organic items in a supermarket, our guesstimate is that the box represents reasonable value. Setting up an account was very easy via the website, and the deadlines for ordering products are pretty flexible. Our box is delivered on Mondays, and we can cancel any time until the preceding Friday night. Abel & Cole prefer you to set up a regular order, although you can amend/cancel them at any time with no obligation. Payment is taken via direct debit after delivery.
The amount of vegetables in the mixed organic box is sufficient for us for a week, although more fruit would be welcome as we both take packed lunches to work every day. Whilst you can state likes and dislikes via the website, you can't swap items in some boxes, so check for this if that is something you would like.
Our reasons for trying a veg box were several:
1. Convenience of doorstep delivery
2. British produce, with minimal imports (bananas being the obvious exception, and those are at least fair trade)
3. Imported goods are brought by ship rather than air, so helping to reduce their 'carbon footprint'
To be honest, neither of us are really that bothered about the organic element of Abel & Cole. I'm not 100% convinced as to its viability in terms of rates of production: if the world's food was produced via (UK standard) organic means, we'd run out of room to grow/rear everything. Thoroughly washing all fruit and veg prior to consumption/cooking must surely get rid of the nastiest pesticides etc or else they wouldn't be permitted for use.
However, we love the fact that the majority of Abel & Cole produce is British. Who really needs mange tout in February anyway? We have had some pretty interesting things in our box so far (the more obscure items come with suggested recipes): jerusalem artichokes this week prompted us to try a scrummy sausage dish that we wouldn't have found otherwise. A few days before delivery, the contents of that week's boxes are posted on the Abel & Cole website, so nothing comes as a complete surprise, which is great.
The produce in our (cardboard) box comes either loose or, joy of joys, in paper bags. The whole lot is tied up with string. Empty boxes left outside on delivery day will be taken back by the driver and re-used, or else you can just recycle them yourself. I was very excited to receive the first lot of potatoes complete with mud!
I'm well aware that an organic veg box is a luxury, and that farm shops provide less expensive British produce, but for convenience, you can't beat a box left on your doorstep.
I think when we get a bit more confident with the whole thing we might try some of the different boxes too - the salad one would be great for summer. So far, none of our produce has gone to waste and I'm discovering some nice soup recipes as a way of using things that I can't think what else to do with.
I would say a veg box is worth trying, and there are other companies out there doing similar things. Anything which diverts money being spent in supermarkets has to be a good thing.
Friday, February 2, 2007
Daily pinta
Remember when everyone had their milk delivered by a cheery chap with a white jacket and a worn brown satchel for collecting the money? Then supermarkets got in on the act and you could buy 4 or 6 pints in one go, and it all seemed so much more convenient that way...
Ever since I left home I've always bought milk in plastic bottles, on the premise that milk deliveries seemed to be getting later in the day (where they still existed), and I didn't want the milk to go off sat on the doorstep all day, especially in the summer.
Then just a couple of weeks ago a newspaper article made me think again, and another one has since galvanised me further. Due to the falling price of milk, partly driven by supermarket 'price wars', there are now half the number of dairy farmers in the UK as there were a decade ago, and if things carry on in the same vein (including a continuing increase in dairy product consumption), the UK will need to import milk within the next few years to meet demand. How mad is that?! Apparently some organic milk is already imported.
A milkman calls mid-morning, three times a week in our road, and one Saturday I nipped out to ask how to go about setting up a delivery. All I had to do was email/phone the dairy with my order, and wait. You can amend delivery details online, including changes to the products you want and the days you want them delivered (e.g. to account for holidays/house guests etc).
So far so good. We are having milk and fresh orange juice (also in glass bottles) delivered twice a week. The juice is lovely, and our main motivator for ordering that is to cut down on the waste generated by the laminated cardboard cartons the supermarket variety comes in, which we can't recycle in our area.
I plan on buying a 'milk minder' to keep the bottles cool on summer days before we can get home and put them in the fridge. I am a little bit apprehensive about this, but time will tell. We may just have to be more organised and order deliveries for days when we know we'll be at home. Updates will appear here!
Useful links:
www.expressdairies.co.uk
www.dairycrest.co.uk
Both companies offer a postcode search facility which will tell you if your address is on a delivery route.
Give it a go - if it doesn't suit your needs, you can always cancel, and if you do persevere, you'll be supporting your local milkman and reducing waste.
Ever since I left home I've always bought milk in plastic bottles, on the premise that milk deliveries seemed to be getting later in the day (where they still existed), and I didn't want the milk to go off sat on the doorstep all day, especially in the summer.
Then just a couple of weeks ago a newspaper article made me think again, and another one has since galvanised me further. Due to the falling price of milk, partly driven by supermarket 'price wars', there are now half the number of dairy farmers in the UK as there were a decade ago, and if things carry on in the same vein (including a continuing increase in dairy product consumption), the UK will need to import milk within the next few years to meet demand. How mad is that?! Apparently some organic milk is already imported.
A milkman calls mid-morning, three times a week in our road, and one Saturday I nipped out to ask how to go about setting up a delivery. All I had to do was email/phone the dairy with my order, and wait. You can amend delivery details online, including changes to the products you want and the days you want them delivered (e.g. to account for holidays/house guests etc).
So far so good. We are having milk and fresh orange juice (also in glass bottles) delivered twice a week. The juice is lovely, and our main motivator for ordering that is to cut down on the waste generated by the laminated cardboard cartons the supermarket variety comes in, which we can't recycle in our area.
I plan on buying a 'milk minder' to keep the bottles cool on summer days before we can get home and put them in the fridge. I am a little bit apprehensive about this, but time will tell. We may just have to be more organised and order deliveries for days when we know we'll be at home. Updates will appear here!
Useful links:
www.expressdairies.co.uk
www.dairycrest.co.uk
Both companies offer a postcode search facility which will tell you if your address is on a delivery route.
Give it a go - if it doesn't suit your needs, you can always cancel, and if you do persevere, you'll be supporting your local milkman and reducing waste.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
One for the girls!
Although curious chaps are more than welcome to read on... :-)
At first glance, this might all sound a bit ick, but stay with me!
Have you ever wondered, as you're chucking another box of bleached white cotton/paper/plastic/super absorbent gel at not inconsiderable expense into your supermarket trolley, that perhaps there's an alternative to disposable pads and tampons? I hadn't especially, but one day, whilst reading an article on the BBC Woman's Hour website, I came across a mention of washable cloth pads and something called a Mooncup. To be honest, the latter looked a bit scary, but the former piqued my interest early last summer. I think I was getting into the green vibe, now we had set up our new compost bin!
Now, I can hear some 'Ewww's out there, but bear with me - it gets better and you never know, you may even be persuaded by the end! The more I thought about it, the more it made sense and it's no different to using washable nappies, and arguably a lot less yucky than that. And at the end of the day, periods are a natural process, and what's dirty or disgusting about that? No less disgusting, surely, than throwing used disposable products into landfull where they take an age to breakdown, or flushing them away only to see them washed up on the beach. That really is 'eww'!!
So I set about doing some internet research. The following sites are helpful:
http://www.plushpants.co.uk/
www.daisyboxonline.co.uk/
http://www.treehuggermums.co.uk/
http://www.weenotions.wahmall.co.uk/
www.peeweezrecycled.wahmall.co.uk
www.wen.org.uk - click on 'sanpro' for a fuller list of suppliers, and a pattern to make your own cloth pads if you're handy with a needle and thread!
Dayzee (through Daisyboxonline), Peeweez and Weenotions offer pads made in the UK by women working at home, with the former also offering pads/liners for g-string underwear. Treehuggermums and plushpants offer Wemoon pads, which are Australian. Other foreign manufacturers include:
http://www.pleasurepuss.com/
http://www.hagrag.bigstep.com/
www.manymoons.biz
If you type washable cloth pads (or similar) into Google you'll get loads of hits. Bear in mind that some companies' main business is cloth nappies, so you might have to click on the 'for mum' bit.
Sadly, the lady who made my favourite pads, Clothmadmummy, no longer makes them :-(
I bought a selection of Wemoons, Dayzee, Weenotions as well as the Clothmadmummy ones to test them out. I don't plan to write an exhaustive review of each brand here as there are already myriad sites with this info on on the web. www.ciao.co.uk offers reviews of some products. Feel free to pose questions in the comments bit if you like though.
How do they work?
Basically, the pads work like this: they have an absorbent core (usually made of hemp), and cotton/jersey/fleece outers. The thickness of the core will determine the absorbency of the pad. Some pads also have a thin waterproof bottom layer inside them to give extra peace of mind. All mine are the 'all in one type', although you can get pads which are composed of 2 parts - an outer and individual pad sections which fit into the outers. These are useful if your flow varies as you can adjust the number of inserts accordingly. As well as pads, I have also bought panty liners for use in between periods. These are very thin indeed with no absorbent core, and do the job perfectly. Almost all the pads and liners I've seen have wings, which wrap around your knickers (like disposable pads) and fix with poppers. This keeps the pad perfectly in place.
What are they like?
The most comfortable things ever! All my pads/liners are roughly the same length, width and thickness as their disposable conterparts (ultra slim type) and are thus just as discreet, and about a million times more comfortable. It is SO nice just having soft fabric next to your skin.
What's so great about them?
A few of their many plus points, in no particular order. I really don't have a bad word to say about cloth pads!
1. I'm not supporting multinationals, particularly in their assertion that periods are somehow dirty and shameful and need to 'dealt with' by ultra white, super absorbent, scented (?!) products.
2. They come in some very funky fabrics - cats, leopard print, stars, flowers, frogs!
3. They are just as absorbent as disposable products.
4. They are 'natural' and don't expose your skin to bleaches/chemicals.
5. They don't leak.
6. They don't bunch up.
7. They don't feel damp, and if this worries you then for extra reassurance choose a pad with a fleece outer. Fleece itself is non-absorbent so everything goes straight through to the hemp core.
8. No nasty adhesives to catch your pubic hair (we've all been there!).
9. No need for 'period pants'. I love frilly knickers, but didn't like the way the sitcky goo on disposable pads pulled the delicate fabric, so every month I ended up wheeling out the plain boring cotton ones in the back of my underwear drawer. But no adhesives on my washable pads means I can wear nice knicks every day of the month - hooray!
10. No tell tale ripping and scrunching noises in public toilets - just quiet 'snaps'.
11. They save you money! Washable pads will last you for years with proper care.
12. Last but by no means least, they are better for the environment in that they generate no waste. If you are concious about saving water, the pad soaking water is very good for your plants. You can use an economy cycle on your washing machine and/or make sure you fill it up each time you wash your pads - you don't have to wash them on their own.
Aren't they yukky to wash?
NO! All you need to do is rinse them once used and either bung them in the washing machine, or if your next wash day is a little way off, put the pads into a small bucket of cold water to soak, preferably an opaque one with a lid. I like to add some tea tree oil to the water which keeps everything smelling fresh. Mine only ever get washed at 40C, and have not stained. It is wise, though, to choose dark/patterned fabrics when selecting your pads.
What about when I'm not at home?
The design of most pads allows them to be folded in on themselves into a little envelope, which means they can then be popped into a small make-up bag until you get home. If you're on holiday, then you can rinse as you go and wash them properly once home.
I really really wish I'd known about these pads years ago. Give them a whirl!!
But I'm an avowed tampon user...
Well then read on!
Last summer my mum of all people asked me if I'd heard of the Mooncup as once of her not-quite-menopausal friends was thinking of trying one. See http://www.mooncup.co.uk/
I had heard of them, but had just bought myself lots of lovely cloth pads and was quite happy with those. I was still using tampons whilst swimming/on holiday though.
Then one of my friends got one last September and hasn't looked back...I finally took the plunge earlier this month and, like cloth pads, only wish I'd known about this fantastic thing years ago! I bought mine from a local independent health food shop, but you can get them from Mooncup directly via their website, or larger branches of Boots (I was thrilled to see them on sale at the Reading Oracle branch last week! :-) )
The mooncup is a silicone cup which you use instead of a tampon. It's worn much lower in the vagina than tampons are so coil users worried about threads catching on a tampon needn't have concerns as long as you take care to release the seal properly when removing the mooncup. The cup collects your flow, rather than absorbing it, which means your delicate tissues don't get all dried out, especially towards the end of your period when your flow is usually much lighter. Plus you're not exposing your body to the bleaches and other chemicals used in tampons manufacture, and the mooncup has not been associated with TSS. The mooncup is flexible and comes in 2 sizes: A for those over 30/who have given birth vaginally and B for those under 30/haven't given birth vaginally. It might look a bit big, but it does squish to fit you, honest!
You will probably find that you need to empty your mooncup less often than you need to change a tampon. It does take a bit of practice to get the hang of inserting and removing it (with regard to the latter, the trick is to 'bear down'), and I had to remove nearly all the stalk of mine to get it comfortable. But, as with tampons, once it's in the right place you won't be able to feel it at all. It forms a seal with your vaginal walls and your muscles hold it in place. I've used mine during exercise and swimming, and it has been absolutely fine. No leaks and no movement whatsoever.
When it needs emptying, you just tip the contents of the cup down the toilet. If you're at home/have a basin in the cubicle next to you, you may like to rinse it, otherwise you can wipe it with tissue paper. The outside tends to stay clean. Then you just reinsert and off you go! Mooncup recommend that you empty it every 6 hours or so. Between periods, you should sterilise your mooncup by boiling it in an open pan of water for 5 mintues, or by immersing it in sterilising solution (e.g. Milton). The latter may be a better option if you live in a shared house!
With proper care, your mooncup should last you several years. They cost about £18, but this is probably what most women spend on disposable products in 6-7 months. And think of all the waste you'll be saving, with no more tampons, applicators, boxes, etc etc. No more scuttling to the loo with your handbag at work, or stuffing your suitcase with tampons before you go on holiday. One mooncup is all you need! I haven't had any problems regarding leaks when using my mooncup, and neither have any fellow users that I know, but if this is something that concerns you, a small stash of washable panty liners (see above!) will compliment your mooncup nicely.
I'm currently very happily using a mixture of my mooncup and washable pads, depending on what I'm doing and my mood. Their discovery has easily been the best thing about my green journey so far.
Good luck!
At first glance, this might all sound a bit ick, but stay with me!
Have you ever wondered, as you're chucking another box of bleached white cotton/paper/plastic/super absorbent gel at not inconsiderable expense into your supermarket trolley, that perhaps there's an alternative to disposable pads and tampons? I hadn't especially, but one day, whilst reading an article on the BBC Woman's Hour website, I came across a mention of washable cloth pads and something called a Mooncup. To be honest, the latter looked a bit scary, but the former piqued my interest early last summer. I think I was getting into the green vibe, now we had set up our new compost bin!
Now, I can hear some 'Ewww's out there, but bear with me - it gets better and you never know, you may even be persuaded by the end! The more I thought about it, the more it made sense and it's no different to using washable nappies, and arguably a lot less yucky than that. And at the end of the day, periods are a natural process, and what's dirty or disgusting about that? No less disgusting, surely, than throwing used disposable products into landfull where they take an age to breakdown, or flushing them away only to see them washed up on the beach. That really is 'eww'!!
So I set about doing some internet research. The following sites are helpful:
http://www.plushpants.co.uk/
www.daisyboxonline.co.uk/
http://www.treehuggermums.co.uk/
http://www.weenotions.wahmall.co.uk/
www.peeweezrecycled.wahmall.co.uk
www.wen.org.uk - click on 'sanpro' for a fuller list of suppliers, and a pattern to make your own cloth pads if you're handy with a needle and thread!
Dayzee (through Daisyboxonline), Peeweez and Weenotions offer pads made in the UK by women working at home, with the former also offering pads/liners for g-string underwear. Treehuggermums and plushpants offer Wemoon pads, which are Australian. Other foreign manufacturers include:
http://www.pleasurepuss.com/
http://www.hagrag.bigstep.com/
www.manymoons.biz
If you type washable cloth pads (or similar) into Google you'll get loads of hits. Bear in mind that some companies' main business is cloth nappies, so you might have to click on the 'for mum' bit.
Sadly, the lady who made my favourite pads, Clothmadmummy, no longer makes them :-(
I bought a selection of Wemoons, Dayzee, Weenotions as well as the Clothmadmummy ones to test them out. I don't plan to write an exhaustive review of each brand here as there are already myriad sites with this info on on the web. www.ciao.co.uk offers reviews of some products. Feel free to pose questions in the comments bit if you like though.
How do they work?
Basically, the pads work like this: they have an absorbent core (usually made of hemp), and cotton/jersey/fleece outers. The thickness of the core will determine the absorbency of the pad. Some pads also have a thin waterproof bottom layer inside them to give extra peace of mind. All mine are the 'all in one type', although you can get pads which are composed of 2 parts - an outer and individual pad sections which fit into the outers. These are useful if your flow varies as you can adjust the number of inserts accordingly. As well as pads, I have also bought panty liners for use in between periods. These are very thin indeed with no absorbent core, and do the job perfectly. Almost all the pads and liners I've seen have wings, which wrap around your knickers (like disposable pads) and fix with poppers. This keeps the pad perfectly in place.
What are they like?
The most comfortable things ever! All my pads/liners are roughly the same length, width and thickness as their disposable conterparts (ultra slim type) and are thus just as discreet, and about a million times more comfortable. It is SO nice just having soft fabric next to your skin.
What's so great about them?
A few of their many plus points, in no particular order. I really don't have a bad word to say about cloth pads!
1. I'm not supporting multinationals, particularly in their assertion that periods are somehow dirty and shameful and need to 'dealt with' by ultra white, super absorbent, scented (?!) products.
2. They come in some very funky fabrics - cats, leopard print, stars, flowers, frogs!
3. They are just as absorbent as disposable products.
4. They are 'natural' and don't expose your skin to bleaches/chemicals.
5. They don't leak.
6. They don't bunch up.
7. They don't feel damp, and if this worries you then for extra reassurance choose a pad with a fleece outer. Fleece itself is non-absorbent so everything goes straight through to the hemp core.
8. No nasty adhesives to catch your pubic hair (we've all been there!).
9. No need for 'period pants'. I love frilly knickers, but didn't like the way the sitcky goo on disposable pads pulled the delicate fabric, so every month I ended up wheeling out the plain boring cotton ones in the back of my underwear drawer. But no adhesives on my washable pads means I can wear nice knicks every day of the month - hooray!
10. No tell tale ripping and scrunching noises in public toilets - just quiet 'snaps'.
11. They save you money! Washable pads will last you for years with proper care.
12. Last but by no means least, they are better for the environment in that they generate no waste. If you are concious about saving water, the pad soaking water is very good for your plants. You can use an economy cycle on your washing machine and/or make sure you fill it up each time you wash your pads - you don't have to wash them on their own.
Aren't they yukky to wash?
NO! All you need to do is rinse them once used and either bung them in the washing machine, or if your next wash day is a little way off, put the pads into a small bucket of cold water to soak, preferably an opaque one with a lid. I like to add some tea tree oil to the water which keeps everything smelling fresh. Mine only ever get washed at 40C, and have not stained. It is wise, though, to choose dark/patterned fabrics when selecting your pads.
What about when I'm not at home?
The design of most pads allows them to be folded in on themselves into a little envelope, which means they can then be popped into a small make-up bag until you get home. If you're on holiday, then you can rinse as you go and wash them properly once home.
I really really wish I'd known about these pads years ago. Give them a whirl!!
But I'm an avowed tampon user...
Well then read on!
Last summer my mum of all people asked me if I'd heard of the Mooncup as once of her not-quite-menopausal friends was thinking of trying one. See http://www.mooncup.co.uk/
I had heard of them, but had just bought myself lots of lovely cloth pads and was quite happy with those. I was still using tampons whilst swimming/on holiday though.
Then one of my friends got one last September and hasn't looked back...I finally took the plunge earlier this month and, like cloth pads, only wish I'd known about this fantastic thing years ago! I bought mine from a local independent health food shop, but you can get them from Mooncup directly via their website, or larger branches of Boots (I was thrilled to see them on sale at the Reading Oracle branch last week! :-) )
The mooncup is a silicone cup which you use instead of a tampon. It's worn much lower in the vagina than tampons are so coil users worried about threads catching on a tampon needn't have concerns as long as you take care to release the seal properly when removing the mooncup. The cup collects your flow, rather than absorbing it, which means your delicate tissues don't get all dried out, especially towards the end of your period when your flow is usually much lighter. Plus you're not exposing your body to the bleaches and other chemicals used in tampons manufacture, and the mooncup has not been associated with TSS. The mooncup is flexible and comes in 2 sizes: A for those over 30/who have given birth vaginally and B for those under 30/haven't given birth vaginally. It might look a bit big, but it does squish to fit you, honest!
You will probably find that you need to empty your mooncup less often than you need to change a tampon. It does take a bit of practice to get the hang of inserting and removing it (with regard to the latter, the trick is to 'bear down'), and I had to remove nearly all the stalk of mine to get it comfortable. But, as with tampons, once it's in the right place you won't be able to feel it at all. It forms a seal with your vaginal walls and your muscles hold it in place. I've used mine during exercise and swimming, and it has been absolutely fine. No leaks and no movement whatsoever.
When it needs emptying, you just tip the contents of the cup down the toilet. If you're at home/have a basin in the cubicle next to you, you may like to rinse it, otherwise you can wipe it with tissue paper. The outside tends to stay clean. Then you just reinsert and off you go! Mooncup recommend that you empty it every 6 hours or so. Between periods, you should sterilise your mooncup by boiling it in an open pan of water for 5 mintues, or by immersing it in sterilising solution (e.g. Milton). The latter may be a better option if you live in a shared house!
With proper care, your mooncup should last you several years. They cost about £18, but this is probably what most women spend on disposable products in 6-7 months. And think of all the waste you'll be saving, with no more tampons, applicators, boxes, etc etc. No more scuttling to the loo with your handbag at work, or stuffing your suitcase with tampons before you go on holiday. One mooncup is all you need! I haven't had any problems regarding leaks when using my mooncup, and neither have any fellow users that I know, but if this is something that concerns you, a small stash of washable panty liners (see above!) will compliment your mooncup nicely.
I'm currently very happily using a mixture of my mooncup and washable pads, depending on what I'm doing and my mood. Their discovery has easily been the best thing about my green journey so far.
Good luck!
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Compost
Get greener by getting green fingered!
My darling husband is out in the back garden stirring the compost heap as I type (now the snow has melted), so I thought this would be a good time to write about it...
Last spring our council put a leaflet through the door offering garden compost bins, with a small caddy for the kitchen, for free! (see www.recyclenow.com). The bin for the garden is about 4ft high with maximum diameter of about 3 1/2ft (it tapers toward the top slightly). We've put it at the very end of the garden, next to the fence behind a screen of trellis (up which evergreens are growing) and, carefully following the instructions, began using it last summer. Even in the heat, it doesn't particularly pong - it just has a kind of earthy aroma. And now, 9 months on with regular additions and slightly less regular stirring, the stuff at the bottom of the pile is beginning to look compost-ish. There is a little trap door at the bottom of the bin, so you don't have to lean into the bin to fish the compost out. Hopefully it will be ready for use this year for the summer bedding plants...
Our main reason for getting the compost bin was to cut down on the amount of kitchen waste going into our household bin. We rarely throw food away, but peelings, cores, egg shells, tea bags etc are all excellent compost fodder. If anything, our compost bin should smell of tea what with all the bags in it (although be sure to take the tags and string off herbal tea bags)! The little caddy came with biodegradable liners and sit neatly in the cupboard under our kitchen sink. I would say it probably fills up quicker than our (equal sized) rubbish bin (especially with helpful contributions of peelings from friends!), although neither fill as fast as our recycling bin! (More on that in a separate blog)
Wycombe Council are gradually rolling out a kitchen waste collection scheme, which is great although it seems to have been a long time coming. If you're interested in composting, contact your local council who should be able to provide advice/contact details. The waste/recycling dept will probably be your best bet. Or else, try www.recyclenow.com
'But I don't have a garden!'....Well, you can get a wormery (with a lid!) which will sit quite happily in your kitchen whilst the worms inside munch their way through your kitchen waste. I don't know much about the world of wormeries, but I'm sure lots of websites do! And worms really are quite cute :-)
My darling husband is out in the back garden stirring the compost heap as I type (now the snow has melted), so I thought this would be a good time to write about it...
Last spring our council put a leaflet through the door offering garden compost bins, with a small caddy for the kitchen, for free! (see www.recyclenow.com). The bin for the garden is about 4ft high with maximum diameter of about 3 1/2ft (it tapers toward the top slightly). We've put it at the very end of the garden, next to the fence behind a screen of trellis (up which evergreens are growing) and, carefully following the instructions, began using it last summer. Even in the heat, it doesn't particularly pong - it just has a kind of earthy aroma. And now, 9 months on with regular additions and slightly less regular stirring, the stuff at the bottom of the pile is beginning to look compost-ish. There is a little trap door at the bottom of the bin, so you don't have to lean into the bin to fish the compost out. Hopefully it will be ready for use this year for the summer bedding plants...
Our main reason for getting the compost bin was to cut down on the amount of kitchen waste going into our household bin. We rarely throw food away, but peelings, cores, egg shells, tea bags etc are all excellent compost fodder. If anything, our compost bin should smell of tea what with all the bags in it (although be sure to take the tags and string off herbal tea bags)! The little caddy came with biodegradable liners and sit neatly in the cupboard under our kitchen sink. I would say it probably fills up quicker than our (equal sized) rubbish bin (especially with helpful contributions of peelings from friends!), although neither fill as fast as our recycling bin! (More on that in a separate blog)
Wycombe Council are gradually rolling out a kitchen waste collection scheme, which is great although it seems to have been a long time coming. If you're interested in composting, contact your local council who should be able to provide advice/contact details. The waste/recycling dept will probably be your best bet. Or else, try www.recyclenow.com
'But I don't have a garden!'....Well, you can get a wormery (with a lid!) which will sit quite happily in your kitchen whilst the worms inside munch their way through your kitchen waste. I don't know much about the world of wormeries, but I'm sure lots of websites do! And worms really are quite cute :-)
Where to start
I think (hope!) the worm is slowly starting to turn with regard to environmental issues, and more and more people are becoming eco-aware (still not enough, though!). However, modern (western) society can seem to contradict eco-living principles, for example myriad energy-sucking electrical gadgets, 'protective' multi-layered packaging, disposable single use products (contact lenses, cameras, nappies and so on...the list is endless). I wonder if these contradictions put some people off becoming greener? Also I think there are so many angles to environmental issues, that it can all seem very confusing and a bit 'where do I start?'. Shall I reduce my carbon footprint first, or get a wormery, or make my own yoghurt, or go organic....
I would describe my own efforts as being aimed at waste reduction above most other things, with a dabble in 'green' electricity and ethical banking. I drive to work (no suitable public transport, although I do usually car share) past a landfill site every day and the smell, let alone the sight, is nauseating. To think that that is replicated countless times across the globe is a depressing thought indeed. Each person acting alone makes a negligible difference, but imagine what could be achieved if we all made even a small effort... I remember once telling my dad off for not putting a yoghurt pot into the recycling box, and he said 'what does it matter, it's only a small pot', to which I replied 'but if 60m people in the UK alone all thought that then where would we be'. I guess that's part of the point of writing this blog - that if it encourages even a few people to change one or two habits, and they tell a couple of their friends, and they tell some of theirs....the revolution starts here!
I would describe my own efforts as being aimed at waste reduction above most other things, with a dabble in 'green' electricity and ethical banking. I drive to work (no suitable public transport, although I do usually car share) past a landfill site every day and the smell, let alone the sight, is nauseating. To think that that is replicated countless times across the globe is a depressing thought indeed. Each person acting alone makes a negligible difference, but imagine what could be achieved if we all made even a small effort... I remember once telling my dad off for not putting a yoghurt pot into the recycling box, and he said 'what does it matter, it's only a small pot', to which I replied 'but if 60m people in the UK alone all thought that then where would we be'. I guess that's part of the point of writing this blog - that if it encourages even a few people to change one or two habits, and they tell a couple of their friends, and they tell some of theirs....the revolution starts here!
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