Less Waste While Shaving

Some time back I wrote about a few thoughts on "Zero Waste Living". I said then, and I still maintain, that absolute zero waste is impossible.  That doesn't mean we shouldn't try to lessen the amount of waste we put into the waste stream.

One area I've tried to cut back my waste is in shaving.  No, I'm not growing a beard. (Side note, I look good with a beard but my employer frowns on them).  So how did I cut back? I went old school.  Not old, old school (as in a straight razor) but old school.  First, I ditched the 3 blade disposable razors I was using. I instead switched to a Double Edge Razor.  It took a few shaves to get the hang of it again, but I had started shaving with a double edge razor so it wasn't all that difficult. The biggest thing is to remember not to press down, let the weight of the razor do the work, and to go a little slower than when using the disposable razors.

I also ditched the cans of shaving creme for a brush and shaving soap. I'm amazed at how long the soap is lasting.  To be honest, I almost wish it would go a little quicker as I'd like to try other shaving soaps.

So what has this gained?  Instead of throwing away a disposable razor every week, I am instead throwing away one razor blade.  Instead of throwing away a can of shaving creme about every 4 - 6 weeks, I throw a small cardboard box and a small amount of plastic into the recycle bin. The razor blades are saved in an old vitamin bottle, when it gets full these will be taken to the local hospital to be included with their recyclable bio-medical waste. I was told that was the responsible thing to do with the used blades.

One other gain is $$$.  Yes, the good old greenbacks.  The best price I could find on the disposables was about $1.25 each, if I caught them on special.  So I was spending about $65/year on disposable razors.  I bought my Double Edge Razor and a 105 razor blade sampler for about $67. I'm not quite getting a whole week out of all the blades.  Some I do, some I don't.  Since the razor also came with 10 blades, that gives me 115 blades to go through.  I figure I'll get at least a year and a half, maybe almost two years.  At that point, another sampler should get me through a similar time frame, for 1/2 the cost of a years supply of disposables.

So in addition to lowering the waste thrown into landfills, I am saving money by going "old school" with a double edge razor.

Little steps, little steps.  :-)

Happy Thanksgiving

Laundry tips for people with Sensitive Skin

If you have sensitive skin and are prone to things like skin allergies, eczema and rashes, even doing the laundry can be a challenge. I know, it's something I deal with myself. here's a few tips I have come up with along the way.

#1 Use the right detergent: I've tried many different brands. One major manufacture has a "free" version of their detergent. It is blue, so I assume the "free" portion just means no added scents as the blue must have come from a dye or other additive. I do know that using their product caused my skin to break out. A store brand I tried also had the same blue color, gave me the same rash and has me thinking they must have this major brand package their store brand. I've heard several people make the same comment about this detergent and it's effect on their skin. There are two other brands which state no added dyes or scents. I can use these in a pinch, but after a bit the optical brighteners begin to give my skin problems. i have found using Fuller 86 Laundry Detergent meets my needs the best. I generally use the liquid, however I have also used the powder and usually have both on hand. In either case, you can generally use about 2/3 of the amount recommended on the package.



#2 Pre-Treating Stains: Here is another area where irritating chemicals can get into our clothes. So far, I have used two methods to pre-treat my clothes when needed. I simply put the Fuller 86 liquid full strength on the stain. Since I am using 1oz per load, if it takes the whole ounce to treat the stain I do not add any more detergent to that load. UNLESS, it is a load of very dirty clothes. I have also made a pre-treatment stain spray by putting 6oz of Fuller 86 liquid in quart spray bottle, fill it with water and gently agitate it to mix. I then use that as a pre-treat spray and add detergent as normal.

#3 Color Boosting: Here is another area where chemicals that can irritate skin are added.  For as natural a booster as possible, try using Borax.  It is most commonly sold as "20 Mule Team(R) Borax" as a natural laundry booster.  That is what it does, it boosts the laundry detergent and provides an alternative to color safe bleaches.

#4 Softening: To avoid the chemicals in fabric softeners, try adding 1/4 - 1/2 cup of baking soda to your wash water.  This will help make your clothes soft without chemical irritants.  Once you've tried this and if you desire to get the best price on baking soda, call a local feed store (or two) and ask about food grade baking soda.  It will come in large bags at a much lower price per pound then the 1 or 2 pound box in the grocery store.

#5 Avoiding Dryer Static: To avoid "static cling" in your dryer do two things.  One, dry cottons and man made fabrics separately.  Two, try Static Eliminator Re-Usable Dryer Sheet in your dryer.  I have been using these for years and am super satisfied with them.

By following some or all of these tips you should be able to have clean clothes and give your sensitive skin a break, not a break-out!

Vitamins from a Brush Company?

I had known about Fuller Brush selling vitamins (under the Stanley Home Products label) for some time before I actually tried them. To be honest, my first thoughts were "Everybody sells vitamins, so what?"

I purchased my vitamins at the big nationwide vitamin store. No matter where I was in the country, if I needed vitamins, they probably had a store close by. I would go in every other month and buy two big bottles of pills of their "Men's Formula". One bottle would be the vitamins, the other a mineral supplement. If I recall correctly, I would spend about $40 every other month, or $20 a month for these supplements.

Then I started hearing some of the other distributors saying good things about the Fuller Brush vitamins. So one month as I was placing an order, I added a bottle of the Multi-Vitamins to test them. I noticed one thing right away. I was sleeping better at night. Possibly these vitamins had a supplement, or correct combo or dosage, that I needed and was missing. I know its from the supplements, because when I quit taking them for more than a few days my old disturbed sleep patterns return.

I am also more energetic during the day. Whether this is from the vitamin supplement directly or because of the better sleep I get when taking the Fuller Brush vitamins, I don't know. I also don't particularly care. I'm not going to over analyse what works. I did run out one time and decided to use up some leftovers from the big vitamin store. In a few days my sleep was back to the old pattern and I was sluggish during the day. I got on the phone and ordered a bottle of the Fuller vitamins right away!

In addition to feeling better, these are more economical. At $27.99 for a 4 month supply (120 tablets), with $7.95 shipping these are about $8.25 a month. If you catch them on sale they are even more economical.

I'm sold on the Fuller Brush Multi-Vitamin supplement. Like all Fuller products, it has a 100% satisfaction guarantee. So give them a try, I think you'll be satisfied too!

Things to remember when you order from Fuller Brush:

• All Fuller Brush products are satisfaction guaranteed
• Fuller Charges a flat $7.95 shipping per order*

Thank you!

* $7.95 flat rate shipping applies only to orders shipped to the contiguous 48 states. AK, HI and APO/FPO orders may be higher. Call 1-800-522-0499 for estimated shipping charges and please give them Distributor ID #532600.

Hi Folks,
Here is a post from an old blog I used to have. It deals a little with water storage for emergency preparedness.


All the sources I've checked said 1 gallon per person per day is the right amount to set aside. How many days is the question. The minimum appears to be 3 days worth, 7 days being even better. For a family of four, that means up to 28 gallons. Not impossible. However, I do recall reading an article 2 (or more) years ago which stated in the event of a catastrophic earthquake, the water supply to the bay area could be lost. I seem to recall that article claiming it would take 90 days to re-establish a basic/emergency level of service, and up to 2 years to restore full service. But my memory could be wrong about that. I could not find that article online, but I did find this article on the InsideBayArea.com website which states that ' "The Bay Area's Sierra Hetch Hetchy water supply is highly vulnerable to disruption for up to 60 days following a major earthquake," stated Betsy Lauppe Rhodes, a spokeswoman for the utility, in an e-mail.'

Is it feasible to store 60 gallons of water, per person? I guess that depends on how much room you have for storage. Imagine placing a 55 gallon drum of water in each person's bedroom in your home. Makes it kind of a daunting task, doesn't it?

Now comes the "tell on myself" part. I used to always have a couple extra cases of bottled water. They run about 3 gallons per case. Right now, I have 1/2 of a case. I do drink bottled water constantly, and when my awareness is heightened I will have several cases on hand. But as time goes by and I use my stock, I replace them at a more leisurely rate. What I am thinking of doing is buying those 2-1/2 gallon jugs for the kit storage, that way I won't be so tempted to use them when I run out of bottled water.

Don't forget, your hot water heater will probably have 35+ gallons of water available, and if you have a pool or hot tub you have another source. Just be sure to have a good water filter. If you have a well on your property, make sure you have a means of getting water if the electricity is out.

One thing I have done, and still do, is reuse those water bottles. I read one time that a freezer should be around 75% - 80% full to operate at peak efficiency. So I started filling water bottles with tap water and placing them in the freezer (or removing them) to maintain about 80% space used. That will provide extra water, but since that amount is constantly fluctuating I will not count it as part of my supply. In addition to being a source of water, if the electricity is out for an extended period of time, these frozen bottles will help keep foodstuffs cold.

Zero Waste Living

There's been talk lately of "Zero Waste Living"". Over the last 6 months or so I've seen blog posts, articles, even a report on the local news of families who are trying to live a Zero Waste Lifestyle.

In addition to solid waste, California also talks a lot about water wasting. With a 2009 population estimate of almost 37 Million people (US Census Bureau Quick Facts) living here it's easy to understand why. Solid waste landfills are rapidly being filled, and water can be a precious commodity in years of even mild drought.

This topic has been on my mind lately, and some of it came home during this past week as I fought with a cold. Kleenex or handkerchiefs? A true "zero waster" would definitely grab a handkerchief. I am not a true "zero waster". I do try to be conscious of my decisions, and try not to be wasteful. But the thought of using the same rag over and over and sticking a wet, slimy piece of cloth in my pocket just does not appeal to me. I don't want a germ laden piece of cloth in my pocket and feel it is best and more sanitary to use a tissue and properly dispose of it after use. Yes, sometimes that does involve putting it in a pocket until you are where you properly dispose of it. But then it is gone. If at home, they can be burned in the fireplace. No matter what, you're not storing wet, slimy, germ filled cloth until it can be washed.
That's my thoughts on Kleenex vs handkerchiefs, and you're not going to change my thinking! :-)
UPDATE: Some have called me "wasteful" because of my admission that I am not a true "zero waster". First of all, zero waste is a nice concept and sounds good, but if you're alive, you create waste. I will continue to try to reduce the amount of waste I generate. I'll post some of the things I do here. So please bear with me, grow with me and maybe together we can all become better people. Thank you.

Durable or Disposable?

Even before I became an Independent Distributor for Fuller Brush I was aware that in household goods there were two main types of products. Disposable goods are those that are cheaply made and sold inexpensively, with an estimated life of 2 or less years. These include many of the items sold at the big discount stores. They include almost any item you would use in your house. As an example, you can go to the big discount store and buy a household broom for about $4. And you can go back again & again, buying those $4 brooms once or twice a year for the rest of your life. Or you can invest in a Fuller Brush Broom and most likely never need to purchase another for the rest of your life. The Fuller Broom was laboratory tested for over 1 million sweeps! That’s equivalent to sweeping the average kitchen every day for over 20 years.

If you check for similar quality products, you’ll find they are of comparable price. This is very much like any tool you purchase. Quality costs a little bit more up front, but pays for itself in the long run.

To read a little more about the Fuller's Brooms, go to my Fuller Factory Direct Page.

A Coincidence?

I have to wonder if it is a coincidence that today, March 6th, is both "Dentist's Day" and "National Frozen Foods Day"? NFFD was created by an Act of Congress and Proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan. No history was found for Dentist's Day. I have to wonder if the Dentists just hopped onto the bandwagon hoping to pick up business from teeth broken on frozen food. Just a thought...

I'm of two minds about this.....

According to our friends at Holiday Insights today, March 5th, is "Multiple Personality Day". Part of me thinks their nuts. The other part thinks it could be a fun day. A good day to do something bad and blame it on your "evil twin". Just don't blame it on me if you get in trouble. :-)

Too Much Day

No, today is not "Too Much Day". But it's how I feel when seeing the list of "special days" that today is designated. Let's see, there's...

Employee Appreciation Day
Holy Experiment Day
Hug a GI Day
National Salesperson Day

Now I can get into the first one because I am an employee at a large company, and the last one because I sell Fuller Brush products as my own business.

Hug a GI Day is nice, our returning Vets deserve all the love & appreciation we can show them.

I disagree with the premise of Holy Experiment Day. A day to "try something religious". Do we have a "Sin Day" when we can try something forbidden? Well, that might be most days. Maybe a better thing for "Holy Experiment Day" would be to try and be Holy, or at least as close as humanly possible, as one can for a day.

Just my 2 cents.

Pig Day & Hairbrushes.

What does National Pig's Day and Fuller's Beechwood Hairbrushes have in common?

Each brush is made with the finest natural boar bristles, which have tiny scales to actually clean your hair as you brush, removing dirt, excess oils, and scalp flakes. They distribute natural hair oils for an all over silky luster and help reduce split ends. Bristle ends lift hair to add body. They can last a lifetime with proper care.

Click here for more info.