My Bathroom Makeover

The fact that I've wanted a new bathroom for what feels like forever is certainly no secret. I even wrote a poem about how desperate I was to get rid of the horrendous wallpaper and tatty old suite last year! It was so uninviting and I really wanted somewhere I could escape and relax in comfort and style. Thankfully, 2014 was the year and not only did I get a new bathroom, I had the house fully insulated, rewired, and a new kitchen installed. I was a little bit spoilt when it came to renovating our home.

I opted for a minimalistic look with white paint on the freshly plastered walls and ceiling, a white suite and white tiles. It makes the room look bright and fresh but enables me to add my own accessories to personalise it. Being a blank canvas it means if I fancy a change I can just alter the

4 Outdoor Cleaning Strategies for a Better, Brighter City

Nobody wants to live in a dingy, dirty city, especially not if they want to feel good about their home, and respect the area that they are spending time in. Research has shown that people who live and work in a clean city will have a better quality of life than those who are living in squalor. Not only will they enjoy better health, but their general outlook on life will be more positive. With this in mind, it is important for cities to implement strategies and programmes for ensuring that their areas are as bright and welcoming as they can be, so that their people can be happy and productive. 

Here are four outdoor cleaning strategies for a better, brighter city.

Go Green

Join the green revolution! The more trees that are in the city area, the more fresh, clean air that will be available for everyone to breathe. Start implementing strategic plans for creating green areas within the

Homemade Christmas Crafts

The Mini Mes were really excited at the weekend to discover Peppy Tum-Tums, our Elf on the Shelf, sat on the table surrounded by craft materials! There were sequins and glue, toilet rolls and snaps - everything for making crackers and more.

With the free printed activity sheets from Cartridge Save, which are ideal for low cost family festive fun, we began our homemade crafts.

You will need 

Paper 20cm by 30cm

Pencil

Ruler

Scissors

Glue

Bangs

Toilet Rolls

Ribbon/String

You can find the instructions by printing off the free sheet from the website.

Minxy selected the jokes and wrote them onto some strips of paper. We popped these inside each cracker with some gold coins and sequins.

The tutorial for the crackers was easy to follow, although we had some difficulty with the thick wrapping paper ripping when twisting it so we opted for a thinner alternative and scoring the paper differently.

They were a lot easier to make than I had thought!

We also made a simple card wreath.

We cut out the leaf template from the website and drew around it on red and green coloured card.
The wreath circle was made by drawing around 2 bowls of different sizes.

What festive crafts have you been making?


*We received some craft materials from Cartridge Save for the purpose of this post.*

Ecover - message in a bottle

Ecover have a pledge to clean the planet one bottle at a time.

 

"We pledge to constantly innovate, evaluate and future proof our products; from the ingredients we choose, the processes we use to the bottles in your home.

We're hooked on plastic - future proofing our bottles with the clever mix of Plant-astic, Recycled Plastic and reclaimed Sea Plastic will set new standards in packaging, closing the loop in everyday recycling making it the easy choice for you.

Our pledge to you is that we will never stand still when it comes to sustainability."

                                           

Philip Malmberg, Ecover CEO

 

 

 

Cleaning the seas, one bottle at a time. Visit The-Splash for more information and to read our pledge.

 

 

Will you be switching to Ecover?

 

 

Greener Days - Win a £30 Wikaniko voucher!

We can all do our bit for the environment and Wikaniko can help us in the process - they are the UK's largest online Eco supermarket!

 

 

Many of their products are sourced specifically for them and contain organic and natural ingredients and come in recyclable packaging. You can switch your normal products for greener alternatives without spending a fortune.

"At Wikaniko, ‘green’ is not being rammed down your throat at every opportunity, just to scare you into buying something. Instead, through a process of education, the supply of information, and explanation, we hope to help you improve your outlook with regard to the environment."

 

Some Wikaniko products...
 

Made from sugarcane waste, these toilet rolls are biodegradable and 100% tree free!

Presented in a silver tin, this natural soy candle will fragrance your home with Mimosa & Mandarin.

 













Alcohol, paraben preservatives, sodium laureth sulphate, synthetic perfume and colouring free this is super soft on delicate skin!

You can earn Eco points on your purchases and as Wikaniko believes that no animal should be harmed for the purposes of producing cosmetic and toiletry products, they use ingredients that have not been tested on them

 *** WIN ***

 

Greener Days is an independent distributor of Wikaniko products and they have kindly provided a £30 voucher to purchase some products of your choice.

 

For your chance to win you can enter via the Rafflecopter entry form below before 11th May 2013.

Good luck!

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Climate week 4th-10th March - Are you getting involved?

 

 

What Climate Week is

Climate Week is Britain’s biggest climate change campaign, inspiring a new wave of action to create a sustainable future.

Culminating in a week of activities, it showcases practical solutions from every sector of society.

Each year, half a million people attend 3,000 events in Britain’s biggest ever environmental occasion. Events are run by schools, businesses, charities, councils and many others.

You can help accelerate action on climate change by making Climate Week happen where you are.



How you can get involved

There are many ways you can help the environment including doing things more sustainably at home.

You can reduce the water you use when you flush the toilet
Take a quick shower instead of a bath
Turn off lights and electronics when not in use rather than leave them on standby
Insulate your home with curtains and draught excluders
Recycle
Wash laundry at 30 degrees instead of 40


To find out more on how to make your home green you can visit the Climate Week website here: http://www.climateweek.com/climate-week-at-home/
 

 

How we are getting involved
 

We received a bundle of goodies from Andrex, who have created a new Eco toilet tissue which is still soft and affordable but made from 90% recycled fibre and 10% natural bamboo. We are hoping to cut costs and help the planet this week and every week after. The small daily changes can make such a big difference and you can join in too.

 

We have added a Hippo Water Saver to our cisterns to save 2-3 litres per flush

We have added an extra bin to our bathroom for recycling

We have put a Efergy shower timer in the shower

We are using Andrex Eco

 

Will you be doing something for Climate Week?

Penny-pinching throughout 2013: How to save money around the home

As Christmas becomes a distant memory and you settle into 2013, you might be looking to improve your finances. A new year is the perfect time to reduce your outgoings and boost your funds, so what cutbacks can you make around the home?

Go green
Implementing green initiatives not only protects the planet but it can also save you a shed load of cash. Small actions and changes can make a big difference, so arrange a boiler service to ensure your heating system is working economically, save water by investing in an eco-friendly shower head and try washing your clothes in lukewarm instead of hot water. Every little helps, so get in the right frame of mind and start making savings.

Make some home repairs
If you’ve been meaning to fix that leaking tap for a while now – do it! This will save water and could cut your utility costs significantly. Similarly, sealing up draughts, having your windows double glazed and fitting keyhole covers to your door will all help you retain the heat in your house more efficiently – which in turn should reduce your energy payments. While you’re in a DIY mode, don’t forget to switch traditional light bulbs for energy-saving alternatives and continue to look after the environment.


Get your bills in order
Are you paying too much on your utility bills? If you’re not sure, do your research and see what other companies are charging. Once you have the information you need, call up your suppliers and see if you can negotiate a better deal. If you have been a customer for a long time, they might reward loyalty or match the price of other packages you’ve found online. There’s no harm in asking and you might reduce your outgoings with just a few short phone calls.


Get hands on
If you pay for cleaners, gardeners or any other home help, it might be time to do it yourself. Money isn’t easy to come by at the moment, so if you’re struggling it’s wise to limit the amount you spend. Of course, you shouldn’t have to do all the hard graft completely alone, so get the family involved and allocate a chore to each person. Washing up, hoovering, general tidying, laundry, cooking and other tasks should be shared, so divide up the workload evenly.

Penny-pinching is relatively simple when you put your mind to it and you’re sure to notice the difference in no time.

Eco Force - Review and Giveaway

Wherever possible I like to do my bit for the environment and use Eco-friendly products. I also avoid the tumble dryer and dry clothes on the line and airer which saves on the electric bill too!

When EcoForce got in touch asking to review some of their household cleaning products I was therefore keen to give them a go and we were sent a variety of sponges, scourers, cloths, dusters, pegs, a washing line and the wonderful Dishmatic!

All of the EcoForce products are made from recycled materials and are greener, affordable alternatives to other household products that are available. I am eager to teach the Mini Mes about the importance of recycling so using these products helps to influence their choices in later life and sets an example for them.

The Dishmatic is a great product that allows you to have a constant flow of washing up liquid to your sponge. You simply flip up the end of the handle, insert your washing up liquid and then use the scouring head to clean dishes as usual. It has a textured handle for better grip and the sponges are replaceable when worn out. There is a softer one for Teflon or more delicate items too and it gets off dirt just like my usual sponges - I was pleased!

All of the cloths, sponges and dusters that we were sent contain atleast 97% of recycled materials and the packaging is recyclable too. The quilted cloths are highly absorbent and as they are machine washable you can use them endlessly, saving you money in the long run! The sponges are great at getting grease and tough food off of pans and the dusters have been perfect for cleaning our leather suite and the car interiors as they are soft and pick up dust well. You can use them wet or dry.

The clothes pegs are made from 93% recycled materials and as they are metal free there is no need to worry about rust! They have a strong grip to keep your clothes hanging and they are even washing machine and dishwasher safe. The clothes line has a 30kg break strength which is plenty for your all towels and is 20 meters in length so it's suitable for most homes. We really love the bright, funky colours!

You can pick up your own EcoForce products and the Dishmatic online or at selected supermarkets, charity shops and DIY stores. You can find your local stockist information here: http://www.ecoforce.co.uk/shop.htm

*** WIN ***

For your chance to win a green cleaning kit from the lovely people at EcoForce worht £50 you can enter via the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway closes on 9th November 2012.

GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Smencils - Scented Pencils

With the Mini Mes returning to school next week we have been busy purchasing new bags, uniform and of course stationery. 

We were recently sent some Smencils to review from Learning Resources and we will definitely be popping them into their character pencil cases to take in with them!

Smencils are made from 100% recycled newspaper and are the world's only scented pencils. They have their own biodegradable tube to guarantee freshness for two years and come in 25 scents. You can buy them in colour and graphite and there are also black ink ballpoint pens known as Smens available too!

We received a starter set of 5 original Robinsons Fruit Shoot Smencils to try. The scents included were blackcurrant and apple, summer fruits, tropical, apple and orange. They all smell delicious, just like the scent that they are meant to. After having a sniff the Mini Mes got a pad of paper out to test them, discovering that they sharpen and draw well and the rubber to the end is handy for errors - they were keen to doodle for much longer than usual due to the yummy smell.

Smencils can be purchased in sets or individually so you can soon have a collection of all of your favourite scents. They are great value so ideal for both party bags and to use pocket money on with seasonal Smencils available too for Halloween, Valentine's Day and Christmas.

Learning Resources currently have a competition where you can win 1 of 10 sets of Robinsons Fruit Shoot Smencils. You can enter here before 7th September - Smencils competition. Good Luck!

Naturally Powered Review

Being a mum I seem to spend a lot of time cleaning, cleaning and erm cleaning so when we were offered the chance to try some new concentrated non-bio laundry powder I jumped at the chance. Anything that may help to get dirt and spilt dinner out of clothes is always helpful!





The box we received was 800g which is enough for 13 washes based on a normal load with little soiling in medium hard water. The laundry powder comes within a bag inside the box and there is a small card cup with a 30g fill line supplied to use as a scoop.

I first noticed how mild the blue and white powder was in scent, it was still pleasant but not very strong.  It is made from plant-derived cleaning ingredients and is dermatologically tested though so it's skin friendly which is great!

I followed the detailed instructions on the rear of the box and loaded my machine ready for action.

After a 40 degrees wash I checked the variety of clothing and although it was nice and clean (thumbs up) it did lack a 'fresh' scent which I've come to expect. This happened again on a 15 degrees wash - the product website states will still provide 'brilliant results'. This may be good for those that don't like an over-powering smell on their clothing but personally I like my clothes to smell fresh after a wash. I was pleased however that there wasn't any residue left on the clothes from the powder which I've found has happened with alternative brands in the past.



The product is independent performance tested and supports the production of certified sustainable palm oil. The packaging is card and therefore recyclable - bonus.

For more information on this product you can head over to Naturally Powered's website.

Available at £3.50 from Tesco


*I was sent Naturally Powered to review. My views are my own based on my experience of the product*