Inspiring DIY projects, beauty recipes and advice to green your daily routine.
Inspiring DIY projects, beauty recipes and advice to green your daily routine.
Welcome to A Green Routine! This blog chronicles our journey toward a greener lifestyle. We hope to inspire you to try some new things and that you’ll share your experiences with us too.
Last year I attempted to trade up and buy Loving Naturals Sunscreen instead of my usual spray can of Coppertone Sport. Loving Naturals Sunscreen is 100% natural and vegan, and it has a score of 1 in the EWG Skin Deep database. The score is the reason I originally chose the sunscreen, it was the best ranked sunscreen that was also available on Amazon.com. This was an epic fail. The sunscreen is thick and doesn’t absorb well into skin, leaving bright white streaks behind. Applying the sunscreen ended up being an unpleasant, time consuming...
read moreIt’d be nice if we could spend all day in the sun without applying, and reapplying, sunscreen. But, unfortunately, that’s just not an option … and neither is staying indoors all summer. So, today we’ll talk about what to consider when buying a sunscreen and how to find a greener, healthier alternative to some traditional options. Hopefully, this guide will help you find a sunscreen that fits your needs and your ideals. Why Sunscreen? Younger looking skin and minimizing your risk of the most common type of cancer are...
read moreThis spring, I decided to finally build a soil sifter, with the help and tools of my boyfriend George. I had been wanting one for several years but kept putting the project off. This year, I couldn’t delay it any longer because I needed all the soil I could possibly sift out of my compost in order to prepare 200 square feet of my yard for a significant gardening project. When I told George what I wanted to build, he hit the information superhighway to look for better ideas. My idea was simple, requiring only a rectangular frame with a...
read moreToday, we’re celebrating A Green Routine’s 100th article and the completion of our first full year of blogging! A big thank you goes out to all of our family members, friends and readers for your continued support, encouragement and engagement. You’ve helped keep us motivated as we move, step-by-step, toward a greener lifestyle. We’ll be honest, blogging twice a week isn’t always easy. We both have day jobs and busy lives. But seeing our readership grow over the last year has kept us motivated to continue trying...
read moreHave you expertly crisped lettuce or taken a knife to a batch of past-their-prime strawberries to get your fruits and vegetables looking presentable for your next meal? Or are you more likely to throw fading produce in the compost? No matter what your style is, there’s no denying you’d get more for your money (or gardening labor) if produce stayed fresh a little longer. But an odorless, colorless gas, ethylene, that causes many fruits and vegetables to ripen and eventually spoil is being released in your fruit bowl and fridge. In...
read moreThe stainless steel trash can in my kitchen was smelling pretty ripe this weekend, even after I took the garbage out. Unsure of the best way to clean stainless steel, I referred to the book, The Naturally Clean Home. The basic sink cleanser recipe for stainless steel and porcelain looked promising and, as a bonus, I was able to make it right away. The recipe called for just three ingredients: baking soda, vinegar and essential oil. I made the solution in a small mixing bowl so I could dip my cleaning cloth in it and filled a large mixing bowl...
read moreClean but far from a germaphobe is how I’d describe myself. You don’t normally see me toting around hand sanitizer unless I’m traveling, camping or there’s a serious threat. What counts as a serious threat? Earlier this year when the flu was at its worst, I was going to be taking public transportation (not the norm for someone who lives in New Hampshire) to a busy office in a city where the virus had run rampant, causing the mayor to declare a public health emergency. So the night before I made the trip, I surfed the...
read moreLast weekend, I ran out of foaming hand soap for the kitchen and invented a new recipe worth sharing. My previous kitchen foaming hand soap recipe used lavender essential oil so it had a strong floral scent. This time I went a little lighter and brighter in anticipation of summer with an exotic, citrus scent. When I make foaming hand for the kitchen I always include a bactericide to kill any bad bacteria, like salmonella that may be left on my hands if I’m unlucky enough to handle contaminated food. Bactericidal essential oils also act...
read moreFull disclosure: I’m wearing one of my four pairs of Green Apple bamboo yoga pants as I write this. I got my first pair several years ago from the clearance rack at Marshall’s and the sustainable, organic label was really just a nice add. They were a great price and super comfortable. But I’ve always wondered whether bamboo clothing is really green or greenwashed After all, the same material that can be used for hardwood floors is being turned it into a soft fabric. That process must use some chemicals, right? As an avid...
read moreMother’s Day is just around the corner so in honor of my Mom I’m going to share a tip she gave me for unclogging drains. Short hair is nice because it washes down the drain without any trouble. Since I’ve been growing my hair out to donate it, however, my hair is now long enough to start clogging the drains in my bathroom. Previously I shared information about using baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice to unclog your drains, but when the issue is just hair it’s less expensive and just as effective to turn plastic...
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