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I was planning a one year recap of everything I have done since I started blogging last summer, on the anniversary of starting this blog. On August 3rd I went to go see when my first post was. August 2nd. Oops. I could have sworn it was later, but there you go. So here is my 1 year + 3 days recap:

I started this blog to share homemade cleaning and hygiene recipes I had found and started to use. You can see all of these initial posts (a 14 part series) on my Transition to Chemical Free page. I’m happy to report that I actually still use all of these products. I wash my hair with baking soda every few days and condition with apple cider vinegar every day. With my eczema, I learned that I don’t need deodorant if I shower in the mornings, but when I shower at nights I follow it up with natural deodorant. It works perfectly and when I don’t use it, my scent is not as bad as it was when I was using the gross conventional stuff. Homemade tooth powder, black soap face wash, olive oil soap, and shea butter are a part of my every day routine. I still wash my clothes in homemade detergent, and they get clean (this summer has been putting that to the test, and the detergent is working better than the commercial stuff I’ve had to use a few times).

Cleaning supplies, however, I am not in charge of. I sweep my dorm room with a reusable Swiffer cloth, but I’m going to be honest – I don’t clean it as much as I should. My mom makes an effort to only clean with vinegar, but she’s busy and human. However, I still highly recommend the vinegar and baking soda recipes I have posted. We have water issues, so my mom stopped using the dishwasher detergent recipe I posted about. She experimented a lot trying to find something that would get our dishes clean. This recipe was the best after commercial detergent. If you don’t have bad water AND a bad dishwasher, I’m sure it is great.

I haven’t used a single disposable feminine hygiene (see my post on alternatives) product since last fall and I have been pretty good about only using handkerchiefs (as opposed to Kleenex). I do my best to compost, use reuseable containers, and recycle. There is only so much I can do until I have my own place, but as we plan our wedding and our life afterwards, Will and I are being very conscious of how we may reduce our trash when we have more control.

There are many things I was hoping to accomplish in the past year regarding this blog and healthy living, but did not. I also accomplished some things that I didn’t think I would. I have added new goals for the next year and the years after. My experience blogging as been a good one. It keeps me honest and moving forward. It is not always as satisfying and rewarding as I would like, but that’s okay. What is important is that I am reducing my footprint and improving my health, one step at a time. If I get the word out to other people, that’s just a bonus.

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