The sun is a’shinin’ and the car needs washin’. Lots of people wash their cars during the spring and summer months and as innocent as it seems, washing a car in the driveway can be super unfriendly to the environment. Here are some tips for staying green while polishing your ride and some eco friendly alternatives for keeping your car clean.

My brother-in-law will not allow anyone else to wash his two vehicles so I know that these kind of people do exist although I do not personally relate. So if you must wash your car in the driveway first make sure you are using a phosphate free, biodegradable soap. Simple Green makes a car wash soap that is biodegradable or you can even make your own homemade car wash. If you can, wash your car on the grass. Biodegradable soaps do need to travel through soil to biodegrade properly. If you are washing the soap down the driveway and into the gutter it is entering storm drains and will end up in nearby creeks, rivers and oceans.

Choosing a commercial car wash can be a more planet friendly choice. Most commercial car washes have regulations they have to follow regarding the treatment of the water and they also recycle rinse water. The actual usage of h2O can be much lower when using a commercial car wash. But make sure the carwash you use does recycle water. If it doesn’t, you would be better off washing your car on the lawn with biodegradable soap and a nozzle on the end of the hose to keep water from flowing.

If the car wash is a fundraiser, check with your city to see if they offer free fish-friendly car wash kits. (tip: try googling “your city+fish friendly car wash kit.”)

More tips on cleaning up our water.

This year we are growing Cilantro, Basil, Parsley and Thyme. When I grow herbs I like to pick only what is needed so that the rest can stay on the plant and be super fresh when I am ready to use it. But there are times that I pick too much and there are other times that I like to cut some cilantro to encourage more growth to occur.

So for whatever the reason is that you have for needing to keep your cut herbs fresh try this tip next time. Just put your herbs in a small glass container with water in it just like you would cut flowers. This keeps them fresher longer. The glass can even be placed in the refrigerator if desired but if you plan to use the herbs in the next day or two the windowsill is just fine.

I was able to harvest a good amount of organic gourmet lettuce today and as I was on my way into the house to wash it I commented to Sammy that we needed a salad spinner. As I entered the house I began brainstorming a way to dry the lettuce quicker and more efficiently than my hand-patted small harvests had been over the last couple of weeks.

Here is how I was able to dry my organic lettuce quickly, from start to finish.

We grew heirloom Rocky Top Lettuce Mix from www.rareseeds.com. This is the type of lettuce that does not grow back so when I harvest it I pull it up by the roots and gently shake off the excess dirt so it stays in the garden.  Before I place it in our bowl I cut the roots off and keep them in a pile to add to the compost later.

Next, I fill a clean sink with cold water and place all the lettuce in the water. Swish, swish and then I take the leaves of lettuce out and lay them on a towel that is layed flat on the counter. When I’ve gotten all of the lettuce out of the sink I place a folded up kitchen towel in the bottom of a large bowl and I place all of the lettuce in the bowl with the cut ends down.

Leave the bowl of lettuce sitting out at room temperature for 5-10 minutes and when you return it will be as dry as a salad spinner would get it. Now you can put your bounty in the fridge to keep for your next meal. I like to keep mine in a reusable produce bag.

Placing all of the lettuce in the bowl with cut ends down may seem like a big organizing task but it isn’t. And not every piece has to be lined up perfectly, just getting them vertical for the most part will drain the water down into the kitchen towel.

Do you have any tips on cleaning garden produce that tends to yield more soil than is desired? Share them here in the comments.

Do you have some tee shirts or tank tops that are too big, too small or maybe you just don’t really like them anymore? Turning them into baby pants or toddler shorts is really quick and simple. I was able to do it quickly and I’m not even that crafty!

A friend had pointed me in the direction of Rookiemoms.com where I found her post  ‘How to Make Baby Pants or Toddlers Shorts from Tee Shirts.’ Of course I loved the idea but I didn’t jump on the opportunity right away but I did collect some t-shirts and tank tops for a couple of weeks and then I hopped on the sewing machine.

This is super quick and easy tutorial. Repurposing t-shirts into baby pants or toddler shorts is a smart and simple way to save money and recycle material that you already have on hand. You don’t even need anything fancy or much sewing experience at all.

I took some pics of the first shorts I made for Annie but Sammy ran off with the camera for his evening mountain biking ride. I’ll post them soon.

Here are the pictures of my first pair of shorts. Sorry for the color variations…I started cutting early in the day and finished the pants later after dinner. All in a day’s work.

We made a huge move to a different state with our three children last November. It took us awhile to get the clothesline back up but we did it! We are officially using the sun’s natural drying and bleaching power.

Can I tell you just how fun it is to hang clothes? I know it may feel like another thing on the to-do list and how would you ever find time to hang clothes out to dry but I have to say that when they come off the line you are left with clothes that are in a somewhat orderly fashion.

If you’ve been thinking about line-drying let me encourage you to stop procrastinating and let this be the summer you enjoy your domestic duty of laundering the family clothes. Check out our easy-to-read instructions on how to build a clothesline.