Clean Fun: Going for the Green Clean

There's nothing like a throw back to the good old days when having fun was playing with the water hose, sprinklers and that kiddie pool in your backyard! Those were the days before sunscreen was mandatory, cellphones were non existent, and you could play outside until the sun went down. Ah, those were the days.

Unfortunately for Alberto, his only version of the good old days is basically playing with the water hose, sprinklers and that kiddie pool in the backyard. No matter how well he tans, he wears sunscreen and we will discuss things such as cellphone and playing outside unsupervised when he's graduated from high school.

But let's be honest, there is nothing fun like a little clean fun. And I must admit when it comes to fun, I can be geeky. Maybe a better way to describe it is that it sometimes takes very little to amuse me. I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing but it's me.

Last weekend, I was checking my emails as I do routinely and there was an email from Kim. Of course, Kim had me on "cheap" and I was goner; not that I'm cheap, far from it, but I am a savvy shopper. I watched the YouTube video of a woman making her own detergent. And guess who was at the store buying supplies to make her own detergent? Yep, you have it right...Ms. Ana was at the store getting supplies to MAKE HER OWN DETERGENT.

I actually had a fun time grating a bar of Fels Naptha soap with a fine cheese grater. Granted, there were times that the scent of the soap made me dizzy and my arms felt like I was getting a major workout. But I had fun and couldn't wait to try out my new detergent. Yep, geeky.

To my surprise being the laundry detergent snob that I can be, my homemade stuff actually does a pretty good job. This gave me even greater motivation to discover an entire world of homemade products. I suppose I might become the new Rachel Ray cooking in the kitchen, with the exception that you don't eat what I make but rather clean with it.

At this point, most of my friends are worried about me. When I beam with enthusiasm about my new found hobby, most of them just look at me as though I've told them something completely absurd such as I am going to sell all my worldly goods and become the first Tibetan female monk. Then, the same question from all my friends is this? "Ana, why? Don't you know that there is an entire aisle at the supermarket lined from the floor to the sky with laundry detergent?" And then continue to look at me as though I've told them that I will only eat steam vegetables and nothing fried ever again.

But I'm having fun with all my new homemade products and their green. Let's face it, I drive an SUV, I use disposable diapers, wipes and paper towels. I run the a/c all the time and I use my electric washer and dryer. I do try to recycle but I must confess that I have tossed a few of those pediasure bottles in the trash. You can't call me GREEN. But much to my surprise my new hobby is a very GREEN hobby.

I have no idea how long this hobby will last. If it's like most of my hobbies, not very long but at least I can write on the list of things I have accomplished in my life..."made my own laundry detergent, fabric softener, air freshener, and multipurpose cleaner". And of course, I also have a great punch line when people want me to use my time for something I DON'T want to do..."I'm sorry, I have better things to do with my time, like make my own laundry detergent."