Saturday, June 19, 2010

Reducing Our Carbon Butt Prints

Diaper wipes, baby wipes, wet-wipes, "wipies" whatever you call 'em they sure come in handy, don't they? So much so that, for a while now, manufacturers of these products have been marketing them toward adults for every-day use as well. I've heard of many, many uses; everything from automotive to zoological. Their use extends beyond the diapering stage. Bicyclists use them, athletes, use them, even Brad Pitt admittedly uses them....for himself. According to his co-star, Eli Roth, "...after a scene, Brad had to get next to me for a close-up shot, and he said, 'Damn, you're ripe,'  I said, 'I didn’t have time to shower.' He said, 'Baby wipes, man, baby wipes.' " Way to go, Brad!

I like the pop-up dispensers and keep one in each room; they're used most often at my house for changing diapers and cleaning dirty little faces but they are also great for me. My motto is: if it's safe enough for baby's bum it's safe enough for my face...or the cat. I often use a wipe to remove my war paint after a day in the trenches and our cat likes to sleep on our bed after rolling around in the dirt so I use them on him as well, which he detests.

We go through a lot of wipes on a regular basis. I'm not too pleased with the type I am using now and am ready for a change. I want to help my kids reduce they're carbon butt-prints but I like the convenience-factor so I did a bit of research and here is what I found:

Seventh Generation (http://www.seventhgeneration.com/) offers wipes that are hypoallergenic, whitened without chemicals containing chlorine, unscented and alcohol free.

To go a step further into eco-friendly territory, Elements Naturals (http://www.elementsnaturals.com/) makes wipes from "...man-made fiber created from 100% annually renewable plant resources..." that are 100% natural, biodegradable and even compostable. Imagine that! Every little bit helps.

I have yet to try and am not endorsing either of the products/websites mentioned, they just looked interesting. Check them out for yourself and let me know what you think. I also plan to check our local "natural" market soon. Happy wiping!

2 comments:

  1. 7th Generation Wipes are not very soft and leave your hands feeling sticky. I haven't tried the other kind. The thing about "biodegradable" is that there needs to be enough air flow in a landfill to allow for things to biodegrade. There usually isn't. So, really, it is more important to pick something with as few chemicals and bleaches in it as possible... or choose flushable wipes.

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  2. We don't use many disposable items so I don't mind the wipes at all (we use costco brand). We're cloth diaper users (you should seriously look into it, ask if you have ?s!) so when we have diaper changes we use cloth wipes. But I love using baby wipes for the car or morning diaper changes (we use disposables at night). I don't buy napkins or paper towels and use cloth instead so I figure I'm doing my fair share!

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