Living Green

Cinderella!  Cinderella!

Clean the kitchen!  Make my food!  Mop the floors!  Condition the cork countertops!

Sparkly

Along with the nursery the kitchen got a good hard scrub down over the weekend.  Some weeks it looks better than others, but when the sink starts turning yellow/orange with grime I know its time.

My justification for chaos is that a used kitchen can never always look put away(like the photo above).  It’s my opinion.

When we got the countertops installed they coated them with this jelly that was suppose to make them more water resistant and add a nice top coat of protection.  The counters looked great, but smelled awful for about 3 days.  We knew it was time for another coat, but couldn’t figure out a good time to vacate the kitchen for 3 days while the jelly off-gassed.

Then we found this product at OSH(Ace had it too) and decided to give it a try:

Mineral Oil, Carnauba Wax, Vitamin E, Beeswax

The ingredients are simple and the product was super easy to use.  We put the bottle in a bowl of warm water to loosen the mixture and then rubbed it into the coutertops in a circular motion with a rag–like waxing a car.  The bottle said to let it soak in for at least 20mins and wipe off any excess, but we let it soak in over night and by the next day there wasn’t any excess to wipe off.  It didn’t smell and gave a good condition to the counter tops.

I know most of you out there don’t have cork, but this product is intended for butcher block and would work great on any other kitchen wood products.

While the countertops were clean and clear, Tom was able to caulk in some areas that were never sealed.

The kitchen is very happy with its refreshed face…now back to chaos!

Old Plastic Tupperware

Awhile back, there was a lot of buzz surrounding chemicals in plastic and the possible health concerns associated with those chemicals.  Most of the news involved Bisphenol-A–a chemical that can leak when plastic is heated.  Bisphenol-A is thought to be a hormone disruptor and carcinogen.  At that time, there was a big push for manufacturers to start producing plastic products without the chemical and now it’s pretty common for plastic to be labeled ‘BPA free’.

I had been concerned about the repeated heating of our plastic tupperware and the possible side-effects, before the whole BPA revolution.  We were already warned to avoid microwaving food in plastic, but how would heating plastic in the dishwasher be any different?  The plastic does have a chance to cool before use, but the possibility of other chemicals leaching into our food didn’t seem very far fetched.

After a little research, I decided to make the switch from plastic tupperware to glass.  Not because there is a big push to shy away from plastic, but because it seemed like a healthier and safer choice for my family.  I figured the little up front cost would definitely pay off in end.

New Glass Tupperware

My two biggest concerns with glass were cost and convenience.  Neither ended up being a problem.  I did a full switch for about $60, and have more tupperware than I did before.  I have a set of pyrex from BB&B(don’t forget your 20% coupon) that I like.  However, I like the 2 sets(here and here) I purchased at Crate & Barrel better, mainly because the tops are easier to put on and take off.

Not only is the glass not cumbersome to use, but it’s more versatile.  For example, it can be popped in the microwave without having to worry about switching containers.  You can pour hot food right in and not have to worry about staining or leaching.  It’s freezer and dishwasher safe.  I have one of the smaller ones from Crate & Barrel sitting in the freezer right now with some leftover jam.  The tops are still plastic, but most of the time they don’t come into contact with the food.

Cheap tip: don’t be afraid to save your used glass containers.  I have a few old honey, salsa, and tomato sauce jars sitting in my cabinet.  After you’re finished with the original content just run the jar through the dishwasher.  They are great to have around and can store anything from leftover salad dressing to homemade tea.

We’re back with another installment of painting with milk…here is your host, Jasmine Rasmussen with Mr. Tom as her trusty assistant.

I’m sure you’ve been sitting on the edge of your seats since yesterday; waiting patiently for us to share with you our experience of painting with SafePaint(Milk Paint for your walls).  I hope not to disappoint.

Yes, We Removed Our Closet Door

After reading through the directions a few times, we decided to test a little area in our room with the SafePaint.  Not only to test out the color, but also to test out the possible ‘unknown’ side-effects of the paint on our plaster walls.  The company states that SafePaint dries quickly and shrinks–this reaction can pull on previous layers and if the underlayers of paint or plaster are not bonded properly, the SafePaint can actually start to crack and tear the wall.

We were worried.

I had my assistant, Mr. Tom, run a quick risk analysis to calculate…what else, but our risk.  A few drops of sweat slid off his forehead onto his calculator before he gave me the thumbs-up to proceed…with caution, of course.

Before I do proceed, I want to stop all you haters who view me purely as a work tyrant who forces my minions do all the laboring, while I leisurely sit and watch.  First, someone has to take the photos.  Second, Tom is prettier in front of the camera than me.  Third, I take better photos than Tom…sometimes.

Mr. Tom

Back to the review of SafePaint.

We like it.  A lot.  It didn’t stretch or snap our plaster walls; it actually blended with them really nicely.  We followed the directions and painted a base coat, let it dry for 2 hours, and applied another layer.  The paint itself is dry to the touch in about 30 minutes.  They explain the first coat acts like a ‘primer’; and since our walls were already painted with a flat white, we didn’t need to do anymore prep work.  Because our walls are textured, we thought a thin roller will work better to apply the paint evenly and to get into the all the little nooks and crannies(sounds like an english muffin).  However, for the test chunk we used a regular paint brush.  It appeared with a microscopic lens that areas where we applied ‘too much’ paint, tiny little bubbles/fissures occurred.  Again, you can only tell if you get up-close-and-personal; in general, our textured walls hide any imperfections.

We have decided to proceed with the project; and we’ll see how the rest of the room goes.  You’ll see too, eventually.

The Color Looks Better In Person

If you’re interested, you should check out the company website.  They sell other products that you can add into and over the paint to make it more workable with your particular surface.

Here’s to happy painting and healthy breathing!