It's not easy being green: Part Two

I am very saddened by this. When I lived on my own as a college student I made it a habit to live green, or at least try.  Once I moved back home and living by my self I thrived on not using Clorox wipes or only using recycled trash bags. And while doing that I started the frugal living, coupons.


I have noticed that some of the reasons of why I have been dropping the ball is laziness, quickness, simplicity, and lastly "what I can clean the living room with".

Only being allowed to clean the living room with paper towels and Windex has converted my cleaning the whole house with Windex and paper towels. (AKA Laziness) After cleaning the whole house with Windex and paper towels I started to get grossed out with the fact that Windex doesn't cut out bacteria or germs. Sooooooooo Clorox wipes here I come, Then once I started browsing the shelves at our local grocery store I found Windex Multi-surface..... HEY HEY.... I'm set!

Which shows you exactly how I ended up out of my green rut and back into the commercial cleaning rut.

Moving in with someone and trying to instill your values and beliefs on them is hard. Period.

There is a lot I can control in which I just have not. Items such as cleaning the house, grocery bags, what trash bags we buy........

There are items I can not control. Items such as what he chooses to buy at the store or carry the grocery home in.

Discussing what items you choose to bring into your home with your significant other can be trying.  At least for me. My hubby grew up with specific cleaners, specific ideas. Where as my education and love for the environment has changed my parents cleaning solutions into ideas of my own. And a simple answer of "because I said so" doesn't cut it for my hubby.

D: "Why do I have to lug these bags into the store when they give us bags and we can use them for or bathroom trash...."

Me: "Good point. However it is better for the environment"

D: "Why and why do I care."

Me. "Because I said so...."

Yep that's right folks that is a conversation that me and the hubby has had and needless to say he still leaves the reusable grocery bags at home and brings those nice blue plastic ones back home with him.

Another item I never had in my house was Bleach. I replaced the Bleach with Vinegar. Before I did this I researched what was the best substitute for Bleach and yes it is Vinegar. Knowing how bad Bleach is, most likely from working in a chemical plant, I chose this wisely and was confident in my choice. D on the other hand bought bleach and uses bleach.

Take for instance: Drago's bathroom accented. D cleaned it up with a very strong bleach and water mixture, after letting it dry he went over it with Clorox wipes (almost a whole container), let it dry again and then went back and placed straight bleach on the floor, cleaned it up and left it.

I can not complain because he cleaned it up, but when I asked him why such over kill, he explained it needed cleaned and that did the job.

There is no fighting over which cleaning solution to use or how to use it from either party in our house. In all honesty I do not think his cleaning habits are wrong or unclean, just ungreen. I assume that he feels my green habits are unclean but not wrong.  However, realizing I can not change his habits and instead I adjusted my habits to fit the normal American house hold.  I need to fix my habits and form them back to my old green habits. While adjusting them to fit my hubby's habits.

I can still clean his entertainment system with the Windex and paper towels, and I can still have bleach in the house for when he wants to completely disinfect something. However, this is the challange:

What do I have control over? What do I not have control over?

Stay tuned for part three of my its not easy being green what do I have control over.......