Quick Laundry Tip: Waste Not Want Not

     Hopefully, you have made the switch from America's favorite laundry detergent brands to something more eco-friendly, something not formulated with dyes, petrochemicals and fake fragrances that irritate skin, mucous membranes and the environment. In Kitty's laundry dungeon, current favorites include all the products manufactured by Seventh Generation, ECOS detergent, and dryer balls.
     One of the quickest ways to maximize laundry product efficacy and frugality is to drastically reduce the amount of soap you use. In my front loader, regardless of the product I may be using at any given time, I only add a drop of detergent the size of a quarter. When I bought my Maytag Neptune a few years ago, the salesperson told me I could continue to use my regular (not HE) Tide as long as I added this small amount. I have noticed even the HE formulations only require this tiny amount as well.
     My clothes are just as clean with this small amount of soap and cold water, and I am spending a whole lot less on products. The hours spent toiling in the dungeon, however, have not been curtailed. I still do over 10 loads/week!

In the Event You Like Skiing as Much as I Do!

Kittens, I apologize for not blogging and bringing you the Zen of Homekeeping recently. Between all the shopping and mopping, I have had to choose between posting new insights and less pleasant chores like laundry and wall-washing! In the event you like skiing as much as I do, I have a North Face promotion for you (below). After all, "homekeeping" includes getting the winter gear out of storage and replacing pieces here and there, right? BTW, my first purchase of the winter is a helmet for shizzle!

FTC Compliance

This morning, Liberty Post pointed me to a new FTC rule. Because I care about lawful compliance (although, I like to think I can discern for myself what is and is not malarkey in the media, and likewise I strive to be honest in everything I publish), I am posting the Advertising Policies for the entire domain.

"Innerspace OMnimedia publishes a variety of blogs and electronic magazines celebrating and supporting conscious lifestyle choices." That's the mission. Here are the facts: We are a privately funded corporation. We want to bring sustainable culture to people in many ways, from traditional news features to essays and yes, advertising. We like to think we are uniting cool people with cool stuff when indeed our editorial content is appropriate for "stuff." The companies featured throughout the domain demonstrate an aspect of sustainability, whether they are purveyors of organic clothing, natural cosmetics, or yoga products. Whatever.

Innerspace OMnimedia chooses our advertising partners with discernment; sometimes a brand is featured because we ourselves use and endorse the products, and sometimes we feature ad banners from the aforementioned partners simply because we like the graphic effect. We pretty much do what we want when we want and we believe our readers are astute enough to know media is supported by advertising.

When a customer clicks on these visual elements, she might or might not be taken to a place with further product information or the ability to purchase said item. If she buys the item, Innerspace OMnimedia is given a commission. It's called "affiliate marketing." It's an aspect of media in the digital age.

During the holiday season, we sometimes run Seva Projects which take those commissions and distribute them to Indiana children's charities. During the rest of the year, those revenues keep the Mothership up and running. When readers' buying sprees go to charity, we are very explicit about run dates for the project, as well as who will receive portions of our revenues. In other words, you'll know about all the love you are about to spread by buying cool stuff!

As for consumer reviews (particularly on Kitty channels), your Kitty personally buys the products in question with her own funds, tests the products on herself, and gives a "transparent" and honest review. We do not review swag or samples. Your Kitty does not review anything she has not paid for herself; products posted in clickable links may or may not generate revenue, and exist mainly for the readers' convenience. Now you know. Thanks