What laundry detergent should I use for greywater applications?

February 7, 2014

...Even the various eco-detergents, even ones marked “biodegradable”, are not appropriate for the soil because they are essentially salt-based (look for the word sodium on the label). They play well with aquatic life, bless them, and they’re a fantastic alternative to more toxic detergents if your laundry water is going to the sewer, but they aren’t good for soil microorganisms. Surely you’ve heard that salting the land is a bad idea? You don’t want...

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Tippy Tap, Beta Version

Mrs. Homegrown

June 26, 2014

Domesticus, Water and Power, Water Conservation

9 Comments

...er, usually fabricated out of simple found materials. Erik and I both love appropriate tech, and this is a really good example of the form. The tippy tap literally saves lives by allowing people to wash up after visiting the bathroom. Erik included a tippy-tap, a rather fancy version of one, it turns out, in one of our link roundups. I’d never heard of such a thing, and, intrigued, promptly fell down a deep YouHole watching tippy-tap videos. The b...

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Non-Toxic Cleaning for the Home

Mrs. Homegrown

May 20, 2019

Cleaning, Domesticus, Miscellaneous, Tidying up

11 Comments

...Bronner’s products, both the soap and Sal Suds, are very concentrated. The label famously says “Dilute! Dilute!” and they aren’t kidding. So while a bottle of Bronner’s might seem pricey, one bottle will last a long time if used properly. Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap is widely distributed, and can be found at Target and Trader Joe’s and some regular grocery stores as well as health food stores. Sal Suds is more likely to be found only at health food...

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What does the loving landscape look like?

Mrs. Homegrown

April 16, 2015

Back to the Garden, Gardening

18 Comments

...tains, while the edges of the built areas are planted thickly with climate appropriate plants, often with an emphasis on fruit trees and herbs. Though it is human dominated, it is not hostile to other life–birds have places to roost and bathe, and lizards can sunbathe on the pavement– and it can host a great diversity of plants, which pleases the pollinators. The photo below is a corner of a larger garden, but could just as easily be the design of...

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A Day of the Dead Altar

Mrs. Homegrown

October 30, 2015

Domesticus, Thoughtstylings

13 Comments

...tyle of ofrenda, there’s really no “right way” to build one–it’s perfectly appropriate to use any religious imagery which seems appropriate to you, or to make it a secular table of remembrance. What you see in the photos: The deer is a permanent part of our decor (such as it is). People often ask if we shot the deer. Ha! Erik picked it up in a Goodwill when we first moved into this house back in 1998. The deer was mounted the year I was born. He’s...

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