Health Benefits
Alright, let’s talk about the health benefits. The Mediterranean diet has been praised for its heart-healthy qualities, thanks to its emphasis on olive oil, fish, whole grains, and fresh produce. On the other hand, the Vegan diet, with its focus on plant-based foods, has been shown to lower the risk of chronic diseases and promote overall well-being. So, who’s the winner here? Drumroll, please…it’s the Vegan diet! Jeff Bridges would be proud of this plant-powered victory as “The Dude” is a Vegan.

Environmental Impact
Now, let’s consider the environmental impact. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes locally sourced and seasonal ingredients, which reduces carbon footprints. However, the Vegan diet takes it a step further by excluding animal products, which significantly lowers greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and deforestation. So, who’s the winner in this category? It’s none other than the Vegan diet, which is why “Dr. Strange” actor Benedict Cumberbatch doesn’t find being vegan strange at all.

Culinary Delights
Ah, the joy of food! The Mediterranean diet spoils us with its array of vibrant flavors, from fresh herbs to succulent seafood. But let’s not underestimate the creativity and versatility of the Vegan diet, where plant-based ingredients shine in all their glory. It’s a tough call, but in this category, we’ll give a nod to the Mediterranean diet. “Roseanne” star John Goodman credits the Mediterranean Diet for his recent 200 pound weight loss.

Ease of Adherence
Now, let’s talk about ease of adherence. The Mediterranean diet allows for flexibility, making it easier for most people to incorporate into their lifestyles. On the other hand, the Vegan diet requires more commitment and careful attention to ensure proper nutrient intake. In this category, the Mediterranean diet takes the crown, making adhering to it as smooth as silk. TV host and professional chef Rachel Ray is a follower of the Mediterranean Diet, so there must be something to it.

Recipe Resources
Alright, we’re in the final round, folks! Both diets offer a plethora of delicious recipes to tantalize your taste buds. For the Mediterranean diet, check out websites like The Mediterranean Dish and Olive Tomato for a treasure trove of Mediterranean delights. But, and this is a big but, for the Vegan diet, we have our winner, and it’s none other than my queen of plant-based goodness, Minimalist Baker and Nora Cooks. While I believe that the top spot on the internet is a little website called Living Clean & Dirty, I definitely have to tip my chef’s hat to these cooking sites and more. Definitely helpful resources for everyone from master chefs to beginner cooks.

So we’ve seen a number of positives for either choice. They both have their merits, so it ultimately comes down to personal preference and goals. So who’s the real winner? We all are, these “non-traditional” food journeys have never been so readily accessible as they are now. Generations before us have followed similar paths but it was definitely more of a challenge than it is now.

Easy Teriyaki Tofu from Nora Cooks

Greek Stewed Octopus in Tomato Sauce and Pasta from Olive Tomato

Remember, whether you’re diving into the depths of the Mediterranean or embracing the plant-powered revolution, what matters most is finding a sustainable and enjoyable way of eating that nourishes your body and soul. So go forth, explore new flavors, and let your taste buds dance with joy.

And before we wrap up, I can’t forget to mention one of my recent articles “Dirty Santa, Clean Earth: Navigating Eco-Friendly Holidays Like a Pro”. If you’ve never considered a penis-scarf as a gift, then you might want to check it out.

Now, go forth and whip up some culinary magic! And remember, no diet is perfect and very few worthwhile culinary adventures are ready to go right out of the box. You need to make it work for you. There are tons of benefits to be found in either choice, so either path is a winner in my book. So cheers to good food and good laughs!

Disclaimer: Always consult with a healthcare professional before making any drastic dietary changes, especially if you have any underlying health conditions or concerns. Stay healthy, stay happy, and stay weird, my friends.

The post Battle of the Diets: Mediterranean vs Vegan appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

Yup, they’re all a thing, but if you’re a die hard, dark green eco-warrior like me you don’t care because every day is a celebration of the big blue and green mama. In this house it’s AEAYR (All Earth All Year Round), but this time of the year is definitely my favorite. Spring is springing, the flowers and gardens are blooming, and this is when everyone pays a little extra attention to the Earth.

So without further ado (or “a-dew” if you tend to be a bit punny) it’s time to send out the email with all my favorite companies that are celebrating Mama Earth with some awesome specials and discount, it’s my way to help out the green and save you some green at the same time. Feel free to check out last year’s Earth Day article HERE, which was chock full of companies that in my opinion were very AEAYR-worthy.

This year I’m doing my best to live a more minimalistic life and buying less, and I wanted to share with you 20 ways to celebrate that cost either no money or very little. I am forever grateful for all of you…my amazing, fantastic readers and I try to give you links when I can but since you live all over the world I suggest you use your favorite, trusty search engine to find places near you (Ask Jeeves isn’t going to work for everyone). There’s also a TON of great non-profit organizations that are doing fantastic work so I urged you to go local.

For 2023 I’m taking a more minimalistic path, but it’s still paved a lovely shade of green. Won’t you join me?

Some of the links in the post are affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy.

1. Donate gently used clothes you don’t wear or have outgrown to a local organization. Many have bins so you can easily drop them off.
2. Participate in a beach/park/town cleanup.
3. Check out your local farmers market, support local businesses and reduce your carbon footprint.
4. Check out your local library and sign up for a card. Libraries have ditched the confusing card catalog and offer so much more now, even online. Mine offers movies, events, and even free tickets to local museums saving me money.
5. This is it! This is the year you’re going to turn off lights when you’re not in the room, turn off the water while brushing your teeth and only run the washing machine and dishwasher when it’s full.
6. Clean out one junk drawer.
7. Get outside and take a walk or ride your bike. Want a great idea to get walking every day? Find a local animal shelter and donate your time to walk a dog. Great way to keep yourself accountable to walking every day and you get time in the great outdoors. And if you’re already a pet-parent then take them on an extra walk, you’ll both appreciate it.
8. Start composting.
9. Plant a small food garden, herb garden or join a community garden. You don’t need a lot of space. I grew herbs in small planters when I lived in an apartment in Brooklyn and I have friends who grow veggies in planters/pots.
10. Pledge to say no to plastic straws. Use stainless steel straws (be sure to keep them clean) for lemony drinks to save the enamel on your teeth.
11. Regrow kitchen scraps. Click HERE to see how.
12. Make a pledge not to buy anything you don’t NEED for a month.
13. Eat less meat. Try Meatless Monday – there’s tons of great recipes. I love everything from Nora Cooks and first tried meatless meals with the help of Lisa Project Vegan.
14. Unplug your electronics when you’re not using them. Phantom electricity is a real thing.
15. Go paperless. Pay your bills online.
16. Sell your unwanted items on Ebay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark.
17. Call catalog companies that you don’t use to stop sending them to you. Click HERE if you live in the US and want to stop junk mail.
18. Sign a petition on the Earth Day website.
19. Lower your heat by 1-2 degrees. Raise your air conditioning by 1-2 degrees. You won’t even notice it.
20. Plant a tree with The Canopy Project for as little as $1.

The post Happy Earth Day 2023 appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

There are basically three situations that in which I will get asked that question. Roughly once a month my husband will ask me that when he tries something new in the kitchen, his wood shop or the bedroom.  The second situation where I get asked that is when one of my girls “makes” me a present. These can range from Picasso-esque artwork, a decorated rock, a peanut (still in the shells) sandwich, or in one case a fresh paint job for my bearded collie. Who knew how hard it was to get paint out of dog hair?

The third situation is what we are here to talk about today.

Back when I was a hybrid girl

For six years I leased hybrid vehicles because I was too scared to go all electric. Yes, while not a perfect solution I believe that an electric vehicle is a giant eco-friendly step in the right direction, but I was terrified about all the what ifs.

• What if I ran out of juice?
• What if there’s no place to charge?
• What if my electric bill goes through my solar panel-covered roof?

Last year when the lease on my Hybrid was up, I asked the universe for a sign. Was it time to Pass the Gas and do the Electric Slide?  I decided to go for a test drive and see how I felt. Aside from a golf cart I had never driven an electric vehicle (EV) so figured I need to check it out before pulling the trigger.

this is the actual penny at the dealership. this is not a re-enactment

Here’s what I can tell you, the ride was super smooth, the acceleration was positively absurd (the fastest vehicle I had ever been in) and the sleek interior were all positives. I wasn’t convinced, but I was starting to feel pretty good about it. After my test drive I decided to sit in the back seat. I have no idea what compelled me as I’m always the driver or, worst-case scenario, I’m the passenger when hubby takes over (I like falling asleep in the car – not while driving of course) so why did I care about the backseat? The last time I was in a back seat was “date night” years ago with my husband in the driveway while my kids were up late watching a movie. Back seats are usually pretty standard, how different could this one be?

As I slid into the faux leather backseat (this time with panties) something on the floor caught my eye. There sat a shiny penny looking up at me. That was my sign. It was my dad telling me to get the car I’ve always wanted (just for reference he passed away years ago, but I believe in “messages from beyond” so  stay tuned for my article about meeting with a psychic). The car made me feel like I was part of a community who was trying to do the right thing and it felt good going even greener than I already was.  It was the right time, the right car and the right sign. The something funny happened…somehow I became the unofficial (unpaid of course) spokesperson for electric vehicles, specifically Tesla. I really should get a marketing job with them because I get stopped everywhere. Parking lots, waiting in the car line at school and my favorite was the old guy at the red light honking at me to put my window down to ask the same question, “Do you like it?”.

Read on for my answer as well as the other four questions (not the Passover kind) I always get asked.

1. Is it WAY more expensive than a gas car?

It depends. Are you driving a Maserati or a Mazda? My Tesla definitely is the most luxurious car I ever owned and feels it. So no – if I bought a similar type gas-powered car it would have been roughly the same amount. Now they’re coming out with more EV models so you have more choice and different prices.

2. How low do you let your battery go?

It depends. I charge at home (usually I plug in 2-3 times per week at night so I get a rebate back from my electric company and cheaper rates – thanks T.O.U.) so if I’m driving local I really don’t like going below 30%. My dad used to always ask if I had enough gas in my car and I was taught under ½ tank to fill up. If I go below 30% I can almost hear my dad yelling at me.

3. What does it do to your electric bill?

Honestly…it goes up. But you do have some control over how much. I charge it after 11pm so I get a rebate and cheaper rates. Another super important factor in the overall cost is I no longer pay for oil changes, tune ups or new brake pads (read the next question and you’ll understand why) so although you’re electric bill will go up, you’re still saving money.

4. What’s one thing no one told you about owning an EV?

Two words…regenerative braking. That’s ok, I had no idea what it was either. This is how Tesla describes it, “In a battery-powered electric vehicle, regenerative braking (also called regen) is the conversion of the vehicle’s kinetic energy into chemical energy stored in the battery, where it can be used later to drive the vehicle. It is braking because it also serves to slow the vehicle. It is regenerative because the energy is recaptured in the battery where it can be used again.” In plain English, it’s like a golf cart. When you take your foot off the gas pedal it stops the car. This would have been fabulous to know before getting on the highway at rush hour. Who knew so many people would honk their horns at an abruptly stopped Tesla in the middle lane?

BONUS QUESTION:

1. Any regrets?

HELL no, I only wish I had done it sooner, but timing is truly everything. I needed those hybrid years to prepare me for the EV plunge. It’s definitely different than driving a gas-powered car, but like anything else you get used to it.

And speaking of my taller half, when he’s ready for a new truck it’s gonna be electric (boogie, woogie, woogie).

So “Do I like it?” You bet your “gas” I do. I love it so much that I entered and WON a “I Love My EV” contest a few months ago. Check out the video below. (It’s only 4 minutes long and the woman singing is a hoot!)

So if you’re ready to dump the pump and hug the plug, know that not only do you have more options than ever before but also a growing community of eco-warriors like me who are leading the charge and leaving the gas stations in their rear view mirror.

And all it took was one penny in the right place.

The post A Penny for your thoughts…about Electric Vehicles appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

So all kidding aside, I didn’t raise my electric usage so how is my cost going through my solar panel-covered roof? Well my friends, after some investigating it turns out that much like my dating failures in the 90s the problem isn’t me…it’s them. Without any notification my electric company just decided to increase their rates.

As you probably know by now I’m a bit of a talker (or typer) so I got on the phone with my electric company to get some answers. The representative I spoke with was an absolute doll who felt bad for me and told me about this hidden gem that’s going to change my life.

T.O.U.

Ever heard of it? Nah, me neither, and I was shocked when she told me.

I asked each member of my family what they thought TOU stood for…

My adoring husband: Take Off Underwear

Dark-humored 17-year old daughter: Tunnels Of the Underworld

Social Media obsessed 15-year old daughter: Thinking Of U

Wrong (but I like where this is going), wrong (would it kill you to watch a comedy?), and so wrong that’s not how you even spell it (but honestly I thought the same thing).

Welcome to the wonderful world of Time Of Use (TOU) Rates. Here on Long Island, my electric company gives me the option to switch to a program where I save money when I use electric from 11pm-6am. It’s like the cost difference between riding the train during peak and off-peak hours.  I can shift my energy use to a time that energy is less expensive giving me a lower rate. I have an electric car (yes it’s a Tesla and yes I feel superior 😉 ) and I already get a rebate if I charge it during 11pm-6am. But with this new program I switched to, those overnight savings are compounded and if I do nothing else differently then I could save up to $500 over the course of a year. It basically costs them less to provide energy in the middle of the night so it ends up being cheaper for the customer.

So your mileage may vary depending on where you live and what plans are available to you but it’s definitely worth looking into. As an eco-warrior (and a night owl) I plan to do my laundry and run my dishwasher during those hours and save even more money. And as a woman who was born somewhere between 1969 and 1971 I have been blessed with the gift of night sweats. Now I don’t feel so guilty about keeping the air conditioning running all night when we sleep. We still save money and I don’t wake up feeling like I went for a night swim. Not sure if your local electric company has this feature, but you should check their website or give them a call. With a little luck maybe in your house TOU will now stand for Time Of Usage and not That Outrageous Utility.

The post I Love T.O.U. appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

It may be hard to believe but on that day in 1990 I couldn’t have cared less about Earth Day or the environment. I was 20 years old and a student at GWU. I cared about the important things in life like getting tickets to the Richard Marx concert, going to see Pretty Woman in the theater and getting home in time to watch that new show called Twin Peaks. My friends and I happened to find ourselves people watching at the Mall (National, not shopping) on a lovely Sunday afternoon in April. We decided to walk around and ended up joining what turned out to be an Earth Day demonstration because…we were 20 and it was a nice way to kill a few hours before going out looking for adventure.

Fast forward to Earth Day 2022, still no Burt Reynolds (because that would be creepy) but I strut around the house like it’s Ellen Day, although let’s be honest, most days are Ellen Days and I really should strut more. I get dressed up, I prance around my house like I won an award and try to do one really big thing to celebrate . About 11 years ago I got solar panels on my roof, 7 years ago I got a hybrid car, 6 years ago I started a food garden, and last year was my favorite…I brought home Tess (my fully electric Tesla). My whole family’s favorite holiday is Halloween, but Earth Day definitely has a special place in my heart. This is the one day every year that I can do my Snoopy dance and scream at the top of my lungs “if loving the Earth is wrong then I don’t want to be right!”, unfortunately my family believes this is one day too many, but you get the idea.

So while it’s not as sexy as a new car, solar panels or even 1990 Burt Reynolds this past year I’ve been embracing minimalism in all of its forms. I’ve been getting rid of toxic people (if you’re reading this then congratulations, you made the cut), simplifying my life and getting rid of stuff I don’t use or love.

However, this Eco-mama does love a good sale, especially an eco-friendly one.  This year Earth Day falls on a Friday so while Green Friday (yes, it’s a thing, look it up) doesn’t come until November, I think there is room enough on the calendar for another Green Friday. If there are already holidays called Count Your Buttons Day and National Crouton Day then the criteria for adding holidays sounds pretty lax.

While I’m not the shopper I once was (think shopping mall and not National Mall) you can get some amazing Earth Day deals and support Earth loving companies.

Your power is in your wallet. My hubby still thinks his is somewhere else, but we’ll save that debate for another day. The math is simple, If we support more eco-friendly companies and stop buying single use plastic, throw away items and boxed products with more packaging than product then we are sending a message. If you demand more eco-friendly shopping then the market will move in that direction. Never in my life would I have imagined a fully electric pickup truck yet almost every automotive company is in a race to be the first. Ford alone has 200,000 pre-orders for an electric pickup truck so the people have spoken.

My goal here is to show you how to go green while saving some green. And if you’d like to give back then send this article to your friends, families, enemies and neighbors and have them subscribe to my newsletter. Whether you’re a fan of Burt Reynolds, Debbie Reynolds or Ryan Reynolds we all like to save some money and we should all be interested in saving the Earth too.

Enjoy your Earth Day and be especially kind to mother Earth today.  And while you’re at it, it wouldn’t kill you to call your mother, you know how she worries. If for no other reason she will probably get a kick out of a Golden Girls and Burt Reynolds reference and she’ll explain who Debbie Reynolds is.

I listed just some of my favorite companies that are celebrating Mama Earth with some specials and wanted to pass the info onto you. Click on the images and it’ll take you right to their site.

Some of the links in the post are affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy.

The post Happy Earth Day 2022 appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

Water, it’s kind of a big deal. But what’s really in it, is it safe?

Millions of people around the world suffer from illnesses spread by polluted water.  I’ve seen enough of those heart-wrenching commercials about a small village in a country thousands of miles away with no access to clean drinking water. The stories are awful and my gratitude goes out to those who volunteer to do their part in improving the quality of life for perfect strangers.

You might say, “but that’s on the other side of the world, that wouldn’t happen here.” I’ll bet there was a time when the residents of Flint, Michigan said the same thing.  Ever since I first read about Flint’s water crisis in 2014 I haven’t looked at my water the same.  Over the years I bought a whole house water filter, a filtered instant hot spout on my sink and even a filtered water pitcher which sits on my counter.  Because like dad always said “If you’re going to do something, then take it to the extreme”.

Recently I reached out to my local water company to ask the tough questions

• Is my water safe?
• If I don’t just take your word for it is there a publicly available report I could read?
• Where did I leave my other green dangly earing?

Well, two out of three ain’t bad. Their representative told me our water is incredibly clean and perfectly fine to drink and he provided me with a report that may or may not have been in English. I recognized a lot of the letters and numbers but when you put them all together it was like a word salad, and not the kind you would toss.  Let’s just say my chemistry knowledge to this day still rivals that of Gene from high school, meaning I really didn’t understand most of it.

So next stop …the Environmental Working Group’s Tap Water Database (https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/) where I learned I had 30 total contaminants in my water and 5 exceed their guidelines. But what does that mean? I know it’s not crystal clean water that came from a babbling brook in Maine (why they babble I have no idea) but am I the next Flint, Michigan?  I was pretty sure the water company wasn’t going to tell me “Oh, your water is garbage, you should probably keep your mouth closed when you shower”. I needed to get impartial answers from someone with nothing to gain.  At this point the Wikipedia side of my brain had kicked in and I spent many a sleepless night wondering what sort of physical damage our water could be doing to do my family.  Now don’t get me wrong, emotional damage is just part of good parenting, but physical is where I draw the line.

Well thanks to the good folks at envirotestkits.com I can put my worries to rest.  They sent me an awesome water quality test kit so I could get the answers I so desperately needed.  So check out the video and see how we did. And if you happen to see a green dangly earing in the background anywhere let me know.

Envirotestkits.com provided me with a SafeHome water quality test kit to facilitate this review; however, all opinions expressed are my own. 

Editor’s note (2026): This review reflects the information available when it was originally published. Water quality standards, testing methods, and recommendations continue to evolve, so always check your local water utility’s most recent Consumer Confidence Report and current independent resources if you’re evaluating your own drinking water.

The post Take care of your largest organ appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

2020. What a mess!

But like the filthy Genie that I am (without the Barbara Eden outfit), I have 3 pieces of good news for you.

First, as you can see, we’ve been hard at work (well, he’s been hard at work) putting a fresh coat of paint on the Living Clean and Dirty website.  Still living green, still staying filthy, but with a cleaner, simpler look. Drop me a line and let me know what you think, and if you haven’t subscribed yet then you know what to do.

Second, you all remember meeting our new pup Leia at one of our Saturday Night Lives.  Well our Leia has found her Han (literally we named him Han Solo), the picture below is our scruffy-looking Nerfherder (ask a Star Wars fan) playing leap frog with our princess.

The third bit of news I think may even be more exciting.  When I made the pureWash pro video last year I never would have guessed that JUST YESTERDAY i would still be getting comments…in Italian. Thanks google translator for letting me spread the clean and dirty to an international audience.

I thought it would be helpful to answer the most popular question I get (yes, they’re real and they’re spectacular), and the second most popular question…does the pureWash Pro really work?

So here’s the honest truth…10 months later. It TOTALLY still works, I haven’t used a drop of laundry detergent, clothes (and laundry machine) smell great, but about a week ago my clothes started to smell like I peeled them off of a dead body (don’t ask me how I know).  At first I thought maybe my homemade deodorant was failing me until one of my girls pulled a sweatshirt out of the laundry, threw it on and then winced.  “Ugh, did one of the dogs shit in the laundry machine?”  Obviously Han and Leia both took great offense to this and will probably shit in her bed out of spite (and so the cycle of laundry continues). I was hopeful that the advised yearly cartridge change would be our one-way ticket out of stinktown.

Do I have your attention now…of course I do.

You’ll have to watch the video to find out what happened.

The post pureWash Pro X2 10 Months Later…so many loads appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

Here’s one source of plastic I never really thought about until recently…my daily vitamins. Yep, even the mayor of Awesome-town takes her vitamins. I try to stay on top of my Vitamin C, Vitamin D and probiotics. (When my hubby talks about me getting my Vitamin D, he means something completely different…and sadly, it isn’t a daily supplement.)

Much like this weird guy Steve I used to work with, most vitamins come in plastic containers. Please don’t ask how I know Steve came in a plastic container. Some questions are better left unanswered.

Fortunately, I found a win-win with Truvani. It’s a company I already trusted, but what really caught my attention was that their vitamins come in glass jars instead of plastic. It’s a small change, but those little choices add up over time. Saving the planet doesn’t always mean installing solar panels or buying an electric car. Sometimes it’s as simple as choosing the glass jar instead of the plastic one.

So this Earth Day I’m saying no to plastic, hell no to Steve, and yes to Mother Earth.

💰 Save Money. 🌎 Save the Earth. 😀 Save Yourself.

The post Plastic ain’t Fantastic appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

In my house whenever I say, “I need to do the laundry” my hubby jumps up and down screaming, “I’m the laundry”.  Unlike most people I know I like doing the laundry, the one where I actually clean our clothes, and even my husband’s version that messes up my sheets.  Ideally I don’t see a reason to do the laundry more than a couple of times a week, but there are times I find myself in the middle of doing it and don’t even remember how I got there.  Sometimes it’s just easier to give in and do it rather than listen to “the laundry isn’t going to do itself”. It’s easy, you throw a load in while you’re doing other stuff, ok the longer I go down this road the weirder the similarities get…

So anyway, I consider myself a pretty eco-friendly gal. I think I do more than most, but I’ve still got a long way to go.  When it comes to “clothes” laundry, I’m always trying to make this domestic ritual more eco-friendly. I never, and I mean never did a laundry that wasn’t a full load using cold water. I’ve tried every eco/green/non-toxic laundry detergent on the market, washed my clothes with soap nuts, attacked stains using only eco-friendly stain removers and line dried almost all my clothes. It should come as no surprise that both my washer and dryer are Energy Star and if I wore a pair of jeans or a top for only an hour or two – I hang them back up to wear again before cleaning them. Stop judging, you know you do that too.

The problem has always been, unless I’m using some sort of actual “detergent”, my laundry is missing two things. My clothes aren’t clean and they don’t smell nice, both of which are factors that seem pretty important in my laundry adventures.  So the hunt has been ongoing for a magical laundry solution and I think I just recently found it.  I’m a research geek and never met a google search that I couldn’t get lost in like Alice down the rabbit hole.  Let me introduce you to my new Bestie, the pureWash pro. Much like the return of Beverly Hills 90210 it sounded too good to be true and I expected crushing disappointment. I finally found a friend who actually had one and she said it was the Holy Grail of eco-laundry.  She swore that everything good I had heard about it was true and so much more. I was still skeptical; but I decided to be brave and hope for the best.  I reached out to the makers of the pureWash Pro, explained who I was and what I was about, and now a few weeks later I’m writing about a product that has literally changed my life.

“Giddy with delight” is the best way to describe how I felt when I found the delivery box on my doorstep from the wonderful people at Greentech Environmental.  At last the wait was over…I had a pureWash Pro X2 in my house, ready to install and review. Let me rephrase that…for my husband to install and me to review.  Hubby knows his way around a pipe wrench but he said that even I would have been able to install it and I’m way more Dora the Explorer than Bob the Builder. He said if you understand how to hang a picture on a wall and attach a garden hose to the nozzle outside your house then you have all the skill required to install this in your laundry room. The fine folks at Greentech Environmental also sent me an awesome magnetic mounting kit, which includes all the hardware and bracketing to mount my purWash unit to the back of our washing machine but because of the way my hubby modeled our laundry room it was better for us to mount it to the wall. I will say that the magnetic mounting bracket was genius and would make it even easier to install, especially if your laundry is in the basement, nobody wants to start drilling holes into concrete walls.

In anticipation of this laundry revolution I took a page out of my family’s book when it comes to laundry…I left it on the floor.  It piled up for over a week, even our dog started to make a little bed for herself in this miniature mountain of dirty clothes. My kids were forced to wear the clothes in the back of the closet. You know what I’m talking about, the other 90% of their clothes that they just never put on. After a quick hubby installation I was elected the mayor of LaundryTown, population me.

“Holy Shit, it works!”

The first thing my whole family noticed about my pureWash pro X2 experiment was the smell. Our clothes came out with a clean almost electric smell, one of my daughters actually said “mmmmmm, smells like lightning”.  Now don’t ask me how or why she would know what lightning would smell like or if lightning even has a smell, but in a strange way I have to agree with her.

I have been using the X2 for about a month and not once have I added laundry detergent to any of my loads. My clothes come out clean and fresh; although to be fair, for the past few years all my detergents were fragrance free.  The other smell I noticed was the smell that was missing. That dank, moldy smell in my washing machine after using it a few times. If you have a front loader you know exactly what I’m talking about. You have to dry the machine after every single use and each month you have to wash your washing machine. It’s friggin’ crazy, you actually have to run an empty load using white vinegar to clean your washing machine. Clean your washing machine, how stupid and wasteful is that? Next you’re going to tell me that shampoo running down your body doesn’t count as showering.

Because I’m a wild woman who lives on the edge, I even started a load of wash before I went to bed and didn’t take it out until the next night. We’ve all done it and usually when you open it up your clothes have that “ugh I forgot we left that dead body in here” smell and you’re forced to wash them yet again.  Well, I don’t know exactly what sort of sorcery they’re using over at Greentech Environmental but the “death smell” was gone, not “better” but completely gone.  Clean clothes in a lightning storm, that’s what I smelled and I’m not ashamed to say I loved it.  I put them in the dryer and went about my day.

So let’s recap

Clothes smell great…check!

Washing machine doesn’t need to be cleaned or wiped down all the time like a toddler running with a full glass of grape juice…check!

Not spending an embarrassing amount of money on strictly organic laundry detergent…priceless!

I can quote you all of the technical specs from their website and from other reviewers, but that’s stuff you can look up yourself and honestly I’m more concerned about the “does it work”  than the “HOW does it work” so here are three important facts I want you to walk away from this review with.

1.  It works
2.  It works
3.  A 2^nd season of BH90210 should happen

Laundry has never been easier, come out cleaner and fresher or been more eco-friendly. The downside is now I have no excuse to not throw a load of laundry in before bed and leave it until morning.  Now that doing the laundry is even easier to do, Hubby has volunteered to help me with the laundry anytime I want.  We may each be talking about different versions of doing the laundry, but now I feel like I’m winning either way.

Greentech Environmental provided me with a pureWash Pro to facilitate this review; however, all opinions expressed are my own. 

The post Saving Money and the Earth…One Load at a Time appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

One of my husband’s favorites is “Shaft” which by the name alone is funny enough and should be on one of those Facebook lists “movie names that sound like porn”. There’s a line in the movie where Jackson’s character John Shaft is putting the moves on a lady and delivers the line “You know me…it’s my duty to please that booty”. I know, not exactly Shakespeare in the Park but still pretty good.  Why am I talking about this movie? Obviously this falls under the Dirty category but what does this have to do with Living Clean? Well, “hold on to your butts”. (that’s a Jackson quote from Jurassic Park)

Let’s talk about butts. My husband’s famous line to our girls is “opinions are like butts, everyone has them and no one wants to hear yours”. We use expressions like “being the butt of a joke”, “butt naked”, “butt-ugly” “work your butt off” or my favorite “butt-munch”. There are a myriad of songs dedicated to our moneymakers.  We like dropping off our older daughter at her friend’s house with the windows and top down and “I Like Big Butts” cranked up on the stereo, she thinks it’s hilarious (no, she doesn’t…not even a little and I think she hates us). The point is…as a society, we seem to have a rump-obsession, but I think we are “behind” the times in truly taking care of them.

Me? I absolutely love my Tushy.

My husband has become a huge fan of my Tushy too. My younger daughter thinks my Tushy is pretty great. My teenager is…well…a teenager, so enthusiasm isn’t really her thing.

Before this gets any weirder, I’m not talking about my actual rear end.

I’m talking about my Tushy, a bidet attachment that mounts under your toilet seat and washes your backside after you do your business.

Everyone poops…it’s not just a child’s bedtime story, it’s a fact of life. As Americans we have become accustomed to a roll of toilet paper being our chief caboose cleaner, but if you travel anywhere outside of the US you’re likely to come across a bidet and you know why… because they’re not as gross as we are. “Are you ready for the truth?” (Jackson quote – Unbreakable)…

Picture if you will…you and I walking down the street probably to or from a bar and out of nowhere I flung shit at you (mine or someone else’s, let it be your choice) and it landed on your arm, would you calmly ask for a napkin and gently wipe it off? Hell no! “Who the fuck is this asshole?” (Jackson – Coming to America) You’d freak the fuck out that I soiled you and immediately start scrubbing your arm Silkwood-style. I’m picturing water, soap, bleach and probably a flame thrower. There would be crying, vomiting, a lot of explaining and quite possibly a Facebook post. I of course would find this hilarious.

Yet in the privacy of our own home or god forbid a poorly ventilated bathroom stall at work, we pinch a loaf and then ball up a wad of toilet paper like a catcher’s mitt, give our crack a couple of swipes and call it a day. Well…”God put you in my path and I aim to cure you of your wicked ways.” (Jackson – Black Snake Moan)

Toilet paper still has a place. Think of it as the finishing touch. But it’s no longer my primary weapon in the war against dingleberries and skid marks. “Come on! Toilets are always funny!” (Jackson – The Spirit)

When I first started researching bidets, I pictured one of those carnival games where you shoot a stream of water into the clown’s mouth. The thought of blasting my poor unsuspecting backside with a jet of water wasn’t exactly appealing. Fortunately, today’s bidet attachments are nothing like that.

The Tushy installs right between your toilet seat and the bowl. There are several companies that make bidet attachments, but this was the one that checked all my boxes. I splurged for the warm-water model because cold water aimed in that general direction sounded less like a spa treatment and more like an emergency evacuation.

Installation was surprisingly easy.  Well…it was surprisingly easy for my husband.  I supervised.

Once everything was hooked up, I politely kicked him out of the bathroom because I’m a lady, sat down and prepared for what can only be described as the strangest leap of faith of my adult life.

I started cautiously.

Tiny bit of water.

Tiny adjustment.

A little warmer.

A little stronger.

A few seconds later…

“Only God should have this power.” (Jackson – Jumper)

I had found the sweet spot.

I’m not saying a bidet changed my life.

I’m just saying I feel cleaner, I use a lot less toilet paper and I honestly don’t know why I waited so long to get one.

In fact, I liked it so much that I’m planning to put one in every bathroom in the house.

Once you bidet…you’ll never go away.

The post I’m Not Being Pushy, I Just Love my Tushy appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.