Glass Nail File to Replace Paper Emery Boards

Tags: Zero Waste; Buy It For Life

Glass nail files, also called crystal nail files, are the perfect choice for those wanting to find an alternative to disposable paper emery boards. The usual zero waste suggestion for replacing paper emery boards is a metal file, but I have found that metal files are too coarse for fingernails. 

Glass nail files work as well as emery boards, they are washable, and should last a lifetime if they are not accidentally broken. Don't get the idea that they are fragile, though. They are pretty sturdy, but they are glass, so it is possible to break them.

The only other downside to glass nail files is that most of them come in a plastic case. The one I bought came in a plastic case, but I didn't realize it came in one. 

I did a little research to see if I could find a high quality company that sold these files and it looks like Zamberg or Soligen is the way to go. They are both German companies.

I like this file from Zamberg and this one from Soligen/Three Swords.

Another option is Etsy, where you can get something really unique.

Zero Waste. Minimalism. Buy It For Life.

I've changed one of the three focus tags of my blog. Health is being replaced with Buy It For Life. Of course I care about health, but I'm very passionate about the buy-it-for-life movement and think it fits in better with zero waste and minimalism.

Buy It For Life!

Fagor Duo Combi for the Zero Waste Kitchen

Tags: Zero Waste; Buy It For Life

We have had this Fagor Duo Combi pressure cooker/pressure canner/saucepan set for ten years now and it's still in great shape. 

I love this company because not only do they produce quality products, they sell replacement parts. We use the Duo Combi on a daily basis for cooking and occasionally for canning and pressure cooking. In the ten years we have had it, we've had to buy a replacement gasket and upper handle. We also bought the 10 piece canning set, which was more metal and less plastic ten years ago.

At this point, I don't know how much longer Fagor is going to support the Duo line, so it may be worth looking at their other pressure cooker lines.

Happy canning and cooking!

Zero Waste Kitchen Tool: The Jar Scraper

Tags: Zero Waste

Jar scrapers are a great way to eliminate food and water waste. Compared to a regular rubber scrapper, the handle is usually longer and the scraper is narrower. They help get all the food out of tall and narrow containers like jars and blenders.

We buy bulk peanut butter from our co-op with our 24 oz canning jars. Not only does a jar scraper help us get our every last bit of peanut butter, it results in requiring less water, soap, and effort in cleaning the jar out once it's empty.

The jar scraper really helps with cleaning out food containers for recycling and getting out food from the bottom of a blender. I also use it for easier clean-up when making small batches of homemade toiletries out of coconut oil and shea butter.

To reduce the amount of plastic, you can find ones with wooden or metal handles:

Le Creuset

Williams-Sonoma

RSVP

Three Body Washes and a Bar Soap that Eliminate the Need for Body Lotion

Tags: Zero Waste; Minimalism

Body lotion is dangerous (just kidding) and a waste of time, money, and resources, when there are soaps and body washes out there that don't dry your skin. Here are four that I've tried that have worked for me.

EO Shower Gel
This is the body wash I currently use. I buy it in the gallon bulk-sized container and re-use the pump, which you have to buy separately. In a two adult household, it lasts us 6 months when we use these recycled plastic shower poufs*. These shower poufs also double as body exfoliators. I also use this soap in a foaming soap dispenser next to the sink for hand washing.

EO 3-In-1 Soap
This liquid soap can be used as body wash, shampoo, and bubble bath. I've tried it for all three and it works pretty well.

Chagrin Valley Dry Skin Soaps
I haven't tried all of these, but the ones I did try worked and this is the only soap bar I've tried where I didn't need to put on lotion afterwards.

Branch Basics All-Purpose Soap
To use this one, you will need to dilute it in a foaming soap dispenser at one part soap and five parts water. They also sell a reusable foaming dispenser. I personally wasn't happy with this option in the long run, because I felt I had to use a lot of the foam to get the job done. I tried using it in a regular soap dispenser, but it is so watery that a lot of it ends up going down the drain before you can get it from the soap dispenser to you body. I've thought about trying a squeeze bottle to squeeze the soap directly on the body.

*They have smaller versions now too, but I haven't tried them yet.

Zero Waste Market Kit

Tags: Zero Waste

Here's my zero waste market kit and I love it!

I use an insulated market basket* with the soft cover and before I leave to go grocery shopping, I make sure it's filled with glass jars for the bulk bins, grocery bags, coupons from my co-op, and a wax crayon to mark my glass jars with PLU numbers. I put my market basket in the shopping cart and pull things out as needed. When groceries are being bagged, I make sure that the frozen/cold items go in the insulated market basket.

Here are a couple of storage ideas for produce bags:

For both of these options, you can just pull produce bags out of the top as you need them, making it very convenient. Also for convenience sake, I use grocery bags that also fit in a stuff sack. I like the bags that have shoulder straps; I can carry more bags into the house that way and still have my hands free to unlock the door.

For the bulk bins I use glass canning jars: 24 oz jars for most bulk items and 4 oz jars for spices and small quantities. I use a wax crayon to write the PLU and tare weight on the jar lid.

I use a lid with nothing pre-printed on it, so I have more room to write. With this special lid, the tare weight of the 24 oz jar is 0.90 lbs. With the original lid, it is 0.88 lbs. The tare weight for my 4 oz jar is 0.31 lbs. Some grocery stores can't subtract the high tare weights of glass jars, so always check first.

* Use this market basket for more than just the grocery store. Use it as a cooler for camping or picnics. Use it for potlucks. Use if for non-food purposes like transporting items that need some protection and the stability of a flat-bottomed container.

Sources: Bea Johnson is the originator of the washable crayon idea. For the produce bags in the glass jar, I got that idea from seeing another blogger use this idea for handkerchiefs.

The Cheapest Way to Have a Bidet and Eliminate the Need for Toilet Paper

Tags: Zero Waste

This is so ingenious, I don't know why more people don't do this. For an investment of less than $15 you can have a clean, fresh bum whenever you want. How's that? With a travel bidet!

Just fill the travel bidet with warm water and even a little soap, do your business, bidet away, and then dry off with a towel.

This is one of those things that is certainly not going to work for everyone, but it's such a small investment, it's worth a try. I feel that the fact that you can add soap to it makes it more possible to work for everyone. You could even have one for washing and one for rinsing (or if your toilet is next to your sink, just fill it with rinsing water).

Nothing beats the clean feel of actually washing you bum instead of just wiping it with toilet paper.

For the drying off part, there are so many options. Just use your bath towel if you are confident in you cleanliness. Or, use a dedicated hand towel that has its own place to hang to dry. I use individual wipes or wash cloths. Used wipes go in an enamelware soaking container until wash time.

Update: Works for menstrual cycles too.