The Pointed Hat

The Diaper Dilemma

(View my original post here: http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Diaper-Dilemma )

My sister is pregnant. In October, she’ll give birth to a baby boy - my very first nephew. It was while talking to her one evening that the question came up: cloth diapers, or disposable ones? We had both grown up with our grandmother, who used to tell stories of her cloth diapering techniques. Her favorite tale was the one about folding little, tiny diapers for me, the premi-baby. Of course, along with these stories came some of the facts: cloth diapers back then were bulky, prone to leaks, and required hand removal of feces before they could be washed. So, when it came to the “cloth or disposable” question, of course my sister and I both answered “Disposable!”

But in my attempts to Go Green, I began to wonder: are cloth diapers still the fold-and-pin contraptions we heard about as kids? Is it really all that hard to wash them, what does is the average cost for either choice, and - more importantly - are disposable diapers really all that bad for the environment? So, as always, pulled up Google’s search engine and began my research.

Here is what I found out about disposable diapers:

Average number of single-use diapers worn by ONE child from birth to potty training (approx 3 years): 7,349
Average cost of 7,349 diapers (at $0.22 - $0.45 each): $2,694.54
Before researching, I had figured that a baby would use maybe a few hundred diapers at most. According to my research, a newborn needs to be changed 12 - 16 times per day for the first week or so of its life. That’s roughly once every two hours.

The diaper usage gradually lessens as the child ages, but the numbers add up quickly! Seven thousand, three hundred and forty-nine diapers for one child! Imagine a family with twins, triplets or even more newborns?
“Okay,” I said, “So people are willing to spend thousands on a child in order to avoid a little hard work. But is it really all that hard to maintain a selection of cloth diapers any more?”

Not according to bumGenius.
Started by parents who wanted more in the way of cloth diapers, bumGenius carries a whole line of specialty cloth diapers. They come in several colors, sizes and designs, giving parents the opportunity to select a diaper that is appropriate for their baby’s habits.

The greatest invention on the site is the One-Size cloth diaper, which can be adjusted as your baby grows, to fit a child from newborn to toddler stages, and back again. A person with several babies could purchase nothing but these One-Size diapers, and never have to purchase any cloth diapers again! They come with velcro fasteners, two inserts for two of the stages of diaper use, and a waterproof outer liner to top off the ensemble. You won’t even have to worry about leaks!

So, let’s do a little math. The average newborn uses 12 - 16 diapers a day. Let’s say you wash your baby’s diapers once a day, but would like a few extras on hand just in case. We’ll order 24 of them.

24 One-Size bumGenius diapers: $406.80

Since these diapers can be used and reused, you will not have to purchase any more of them unless you have another baby while your first is still in diapers, or some of the diapers are damaged or lost.

24 One-Size bumGenius diapers: $406.80

7,349 disposable diapers: $2,694

Total savings: $2,287.20
The disposables will pay for themselves in as little as 6 months, and can be used for years. If the cash savings aren’t enough to convince you, let’s move on to the next question:

Are disposable diapers easy to care for?

One of the biggest reservations a new parent has about cloth diapering is their need to be cleaned regularly. Let’s face it, baby poo is foul ennough on its own, but being forced to handle it while washing a cloth diaper would be far too much hassle. We come back to the stories we heard from our grandparents, of rinsing diapers in the toilet water to get most of the mess off. But today’s market has found a remedy for that, too!

There is now an easier way to get feces off of your cloth diaper, and it comes in the form of specially-made inserts that go into the diaper. It resembles a softer form of paper towel or other flushable material. It can be removed from the diaper and flushed down the toilet, taking most of the feces with it.
BumGenius even sells a tool that hooks to the plumbing of your toilet, and sprays water onto a diaper so that you don’t have to get your hands dirty by sloshing around in the toilet bowl. In short, your grandmother’s diapering days are gone!

And if you still aren’t convinced, here’s a little food for thought:

Natural Family Online says:

“More than 4 million disposable diapers are discarded in Canada per day (1.6 billion per year). Disposable diapers are not biodegradable and make up a significant amount of municipal waste. A landfill site does not provide the conditions necessary for the single-use diaper to biodegrade. The “Diaper Genie” now mummifies single-use disposable diapers into our landfill sites for eternity. Consider the cost to operate additional landfill sites and the depletion of our natural forests.”

Peroxide: Miracle Cleaner?

(View my original post here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Green-Living—Peroxide )

Regular Price of a 26 oz bottle of Windex: $3.99
Regular Price of a 16 oz bottle of Tilex Mold & Mildew Remover: $3.99
Regular Price of a 32 oz bottle of Fabuloso Degreaser: $2.99
Regular Price of a 60 oz bottle of Clorox Liquid Bleach: $1.99
Regular Price of a 33.8 oz bottle of generic mouthwash: $3.49
Total cost of household cleaning supplies: $16.45 +tax**

Regular Price of a 16 oz bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide: $0.89
Regular Price of a dollar store squirt bottle: $1.00
Total cost of household cleaning supply replacement: $1.89 +tax

Total savings: Approx. $14.56**Prices taken from Walgreens.com

Take a look under your kitchen sink. What do you find there? If you were anything like I was six months ago, you’d find bottles upon bottles of various cleaners. Some for getting the grease off the stove, some for killing the mildew that springs up in the shower. Some for getting spots off of glass, some for removing water spots on the faucets, some for cleaning the toilet…

And in other parts of the house, there were products for removing stains from laundry, brightening whites, killing bacteria in the mouth, whitening teeth and improving the freshness of breath. Products that, had I stopped to think about it sooner, were putting a small leak into my bank account.

Then, I received an email. One of those chain letters that claims to be from the friend of a friend who’s married to a man whose wife is someone important. “Do you ever notice that when you go to the hospital, it doesn’t smell like bleach?” it wanted to know. It was a valid point, but I wasn’t going to make life changes by reading information that has been presented to me in a chain letter.

Already I knew that - as opposed to most chemical cleaners - hydrogen peroxide breaks down into water and oxygen as it ages. Both are harmless, natural elements found in daily life, safe for rinsing down drains. But without further proof of the uses of peroxide - and their safety - I wasn’t going to make the switch.

I checked immediately with Snopes.com - a website known for seeking out those chain letters and other circulating email/internet myths and proving (or in most cases, disproving) them. Snopes had this to say:

“Hydrogen peroxide is a first aid staple in many households, routinely used to disinfect small wounds. Bottles of it are readily available at drug stores, with the compound formulated for home use vended in a dilute form of 3% to 10%. Hydrogen peroxide also finds applications as an antiseptic gargle, a clothes and hair bleach, and an aid to ear wax removal. A paste of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda is used as a tooth scrub, and hydrogen peroxide is the major component of any number of tooth-whitening products.” [X]

Snopes continues to say that while most of the suggestions listed in the chain email (such as using peroxide as a gargle, or using it to disinfect wooden cutting boards) are valid, suggestions like spraying peroxide into your nose to clear sinuses may do more harm than good. “Given the Center for Disease Control’s statement that, ‘When used for household disinfectant purposes (3% to 5%), [hydrogen peroxide] is mildly irritating to the skin and mucous membranes,’ we’d have to advise that trying out either tip might not be such a good idea.”

Armed with this new knowledge, I set out to make my own cleaner. With the suggestions that peroxide is a skin irritant and may bleach fabrics, I diluted 1/3 cup of 3% peroxide into roughly 28 oz of water, in a new squirt bottle to avoid any residual chemical reactions. I also added a few drops of lemon essential oil (an holistic antibacterial agent… But mostly I liked the scent!) just for kicks, and set out to clean. The first surfaces to receive a generous misting of my new solution were the kitchen counters and sink faucet. After reading Snopes’ advice that “…the 3% dilution hydrogen peroxide is commonly sold at won’t be the ’sudden death to all germs’ answer that this list of tips presents it as,” I decided to let the mixture sit a while. After about one minute, I wiped the counters with a clean sponge.

The results were definitely pleasing! Grime that had hardened on the counter top was effectively removed with only a little bit of scrubbing. The mildew around the seal on the sink faucet wiped away — along with water spots that’d been there for quite a while! And the lemon scent was great, too! I quickly moved on to the bathroom, where I promptly sprayed the mirror and counters. It didn’t leave any streaks on the glass when promptly wiped with a clean, dry towel, and it helped with the mildew around the sink faucet there, too!

From there I found laundry with old stains and soaked them in the diluted peroxide, scrubbed lightly and rinsed thoroughly, and much to my delight, the fabric was not bleached, but the stain was gone! (This, of course, depends upon the age and nature of the stain. Stains caused by substances with protien in them - such as blood and some foods - will be easier to remove than others, like grass or dirt)

Best of all, with two cats in the house (I don’t have children yet), I won’t have to worry that they’ll hop into a puddle while I’m cleaning, and burn their little toes. I don’t need to fear that using this cleaner around them will bring on a case of pneumonia or lung damage, either. According to my vet, chemicals, smoke, and even natural outside agents like dust and pollen can be very harmful to a cat’s respiratory system - especially when they’re kittens. Our smallest kitten had a bad case of pneumonia when he was about 5 months old, which makes him highly susceptible to a repeat attack. After a $500 vet bill and the stress of nearly losing a “furry baby,” I believe that this change is one of the smallest I can make to prevent further harm (and unplanned expenses!).

I’m uncertain, but I would wager that using diluted peroxide as a cleaner is also healther around pregnant women. Doctors informed my pregnant sister to stay away from cleaning agents entirely. How many women with homes to upkeep would simply stop cleaning for 9 months, and leave the work to someone else? It’s definitely a subject to research further.

For now, I’ll leave you to consider your own options, and with the following thought: Even if you aren’t interested in saving the planet, think about the money you’ll save! That puts the ‘green’ in Going Green!

Going Green - Not Just for Tree Huggers

(View my original post here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Green-Living—Not-Just-for-Tree-Huggers )
Doubtless you’ve heard the term over and over again. It’s been plastered onto organic products, slapped into every recycling PSA, and thrown at you by various non-profit organisations. Go Green!

But what, exactly, does it mean? Perhaps hemp and peace symbols come to mind, but rest assured — we don’t all have to switch to wearing Birkenstocks and refusing to shave to get a little greener. For decades the idea of living in an earth-friendly manner was largely associated with extremest hippies and tree-huggers. It has been frowned upon, jibed at, ignored… But if we take a look at Going Green from a wallet’s perspective, perhaps some of it will make a little more sense!
Join me, The Pointed Hat, as I embark on a quest to “Go Green,” while scouring the internet, text books and various other sources for easy ways to make a change in the home. Thanks to modern technology and a renewed sense of duty to preserve the earth, Green products are now readily available in most supermarkets and even some clothing stores. Say goodbye to the stigma that has followed environmentalists, and say hello to a few extra dollars in the bank!

Interesting Articles

Check out my HubPages account, which I’m using to write about things that matter to me, like Green Living.

http://hubpages.com/profile/The+Pointed+Hat

On the right hand side of the screen, there’s a box that says “Latest Hubs.” Those are my most recent articles. I hope you enjoy them!

Updates

Did some major work on the site today. Got all of the basics up for each page and will add information to them as I have the time to do so.

Ah, my first post!

Well, here you have it, folks. The first post on my website’s brand new blog.
I know, you were hoping to see something a little more elaborate, weren’t you? Unfortunately, as of this post, that site is under some serious reconstruction. I simply was not satisfied with the current layout and wanted to try something else. So, in the mean time this blog will be a place holder, and after I successfully create a new layout, it will be moved to a page of its own. After that, I’ll probably get to snazzing this blog page up a bit. It IS rather plain right now.

I’ll keep you posted.