Sweet Greens
Your Earth Friendly Guide to All Things Green | Green Parenting | Eco Kids | Green Families
Hello, Friends!
Happy 1st night of Hanukkah to everyone who celebrates! I hope you have an amazing eight nights of beautiful light with everyone you love. We have nights of menorah lighting, family dinners, macaroon noshing and dreidel playing. How are you celebrating?
Happy Hanukkah!
I love this simple menorah for kids via Parents Magazine – brilliant!
The 4th annual Scotties TREES ROCK! Video contest is back! Kids in grades 3rd-8th may now create an essay about the importance of trees and win $10,000 for their school! The more creative the essay the better! Think your kids would like to enter? Just have them answer the question “Why do trees rock?” in a written essay. Trees Rock encourages individuals or groups of kids in grades 3-8 to think about the importance of trees. In each group, the grand prize winner (determined by a national vote) will win $10,000 for their school to use towards a sustainable project. So fun!
Full Disclosure: This blog post was sponsored by Scotties Trees Rock
I have another fantastic giveaway for you today! A giveaway that is perfect for the kiddos in your life. The prize is away 2 Laptop Lunches Bento-ware lunchboxes – which means there will be two winners!
Laptop Lunches Bento-ware lunchboxes are mix and match with three lidded water-tight containers and two unlidded containers. These are fun lunchboxes that are BPA free and perfect for those school lunches! Eben used his Laptop Lunches Bento-ware boxes all through elementary school. We were a big fan of them because they were very easy for him to pack and open himself.
Laptop Lunches offers a lot of fun menu ideas and recipes on their website too – which just making packing lunch even more fun!
To enter leave a comment telling me who you will give your laptop lunches bento-ware lunchbox! The winner will be announced on December 10th!
NOTE: This post wasn’t written by me – thank you for supporting the companies that help keep Sweet Greens in business.
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Ironing is a chore, but there are ways you can easily improve the efficiency of this job to make it less of a hassle and to have less of an impact on the environment. A steam iron can be a great investment because it can significantly improve the appearance of clothing and at the same time prolong their longevity. And the longer that we can use our clothing, the less often we have to buy more – making it a better choice for the environment too. For similar useful tips that will make ironing more efficient, including during the washing and drying process, check out the advice below.
Iron Temperature
Once your clothes are washed and dried, it’s important to use the correct iron temperature to efficiently get rid of those creases. The iron temperature you use will depend on the clothing material, for which there are basic temperature guidelines found on the label. Nylon and silk, for example, should be ironed out on a low heat. Medium to high temperatures are reserved for wool, cashmere, mohair, cotton, ramie and linen – the same for polyester, but preferably using a steam iron. Once you know the appropriate temperatures, “organize the garments so that you start with the coolest setting first” to make for a more efficient ironing routine.
Reducing Wrinkles
Before you even start to iron your clothes, there are some steps you can take during the wash and dry stage to minimize wrinkles and, ultimately, improve your ironing efficiency. The first thing to take note of is the guidelines on a garment’s label, which will tell you the best temperature for washing. With synthetic materials, the permanent press feature of your washing machine should be turned on, and the water needs to be warm to hot. Fabrics that only require a light wash can be spun in cold water.
Other Energy Efficient Ironing Tips
•         The preferred type of water to put in your iron for prolonging its life is soft water; hard water contains minerals that will precipitate and, over time, block your iron, making it less efficient.
•         Hang your clothing straight after ironing to prevent new creases from forming.
•         You shouldn’t iron soiled clothing as the stains will be harder to wash out.
See For Yourself
Hopefully these tips will help you improve the efficiency of your ironing and make it less laborious. Tips like using the correct iron temperature to remove creases will certainly make for a more efficient task. As will washing and drying correctly. Give the tips a try and find out for yourself.
This year, the mister and I really started to focus on buckling down and saving money. We started by establishing and sticking to a reasonable and responsible budget, made financial goals and plan to continue our strategy for 2015, in hopes that we can reach all of our financial goals in the coming years. To set yourself up for financial success in 2015, I have put together some of the tips that we are using for inspiration. I hope they help you save more money!
Now that the Thanksgiving celebrations are done, be sure to add Capital One 360’s Black Friday Sale to your shopping list. Visit Capital One 360 to give yourself the lasting gift of financial peace of mind by taking advantage of Capital One 360’s deals on banking, brokerage and mortgage products.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
