#reusability

Rec en transformació (“Rec in transformation”) by photographer Marc Vila, virtual exhibition on Museu de la Pell d’Igualada i Comarcal de l’Anoia (more photos in the link).

I have been lucky to live in first person the transformation of the Rec district, to see the tanneries where it looked like time had stopped since they shut down, and the transformation of these empty spaces into spaces full of life, working as a photographer for Rec.0 and also on a personal level collaborating with La Bastida del Rec.

He tingut la sort de viure en primera persona la transformació del barri del Rec, de poder veure adoberies on semblava que s’havia aturat el temps des que van tancar la porta i la transformació d’aquests espais buits en espais plens de vida, treballant com a fotògraf per Rec.0 i també a nivell més personal col·laborant amb La Bastida del Rec.

Rec is an industrial district of the city of Igualada (Central Catalonia). Most of its buildings date back to the industrial revolution and were used as tanneries and factories.

I've been trying all sorts lately (metal, plastic, a few wooden ones) and yeah, none really fit the bill. It kind of became a thing so now I just gravitate to new-looking reusable straws when we are in any store that may reasonably sell such things.

A few days ago, Hubby & I were at Ye Olde Walmart out of desperation (supply chain issues wheee) and I saw these on an end cap and the first thing out of my mouth was "OMG I need to show these to Joy!"

Cue a brief explanation of who you are and welp, into the cart they went. I believe they were $5.99, possibly $6.99, I have since lost the receipt.

May I present for your consideration: The Squeaky Clean Straw

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The big selling factor is you can open them to clean them! The pics were taken a few days ago. I have used one so far (after washing of course). For tea/water/etc, things without...bits? Pulp? It seems to work well! A little bit of that "hmm there's a small crack in my straw" feeling but not unmanageable or frustrating in that you're getting more air than liquid. I haven't yet tried these on stuff like OJ or smoothies, but for basic hydration, they do pretty well! They seem to do alright in hot drinks too.

These are silicon, so not any help for folks allergic I'm afraid, but I was hoping this could maybe be a fit for someone who wants to go reusable but fears the straw won't be clean enough! If you hate getting posts like these & I somehow missed it, my bad & feel free to delete! But if this could help someone out I'd love it if you shared w/ your followers.

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Thank you for the product rec, hopefully, those might be useful to some people. The price is nice too, considering I've seen straws just like this retailing at $20+

It is worth noting that the silicone used in these types of straws is not immune to biofilm build-up over time as the silicone starts to degrade, so it might not be suitable for those with severely decreased immune systems. (Plus dexterity issues. Holding them open to scrub can sometimes be tricky!)

I really wish I could get silicone straws to work for me because I feel like my immune system is in a better place to deal with any potential risks (it certainly wasn't this time two years ago). But for some reason, I still choke while using them. I think they're just too soft/require me to do something different that my jaw/tongue muscles can't handle. Very frustrating, but it is what it is, I'm afraid.

As per usual, this post is not an invitation for people to "solve" my need to use flexible plastic straws to drink fluids without aspirating. Nor is it an invitation to debate the validity of needing plastic straws to accommodate disabilities.

If you're curious about this subject and would like to know more, I'm going to ask that you watch this video from @jessicaoutofthecloset which explains it really well.

Thank you in advance, and please know if you try to start a debate with me over this, I will block you. Both because I don't want to debate my right to live as a disabled person vs your eco-activism, but also to keep you from getting annihilated in the comments.

So no garden posts this weekend instead I thought I'd post some of the things my house does to be a bit more sustainable/less wasteful/more eco friendly.

1.) Reusable pads

These where purchased online at about $5-$10 a piece however in the end we saved enough money after the first year to make it worth the cost. They came in 3 different sizes

Panty liners (the small octopus one)

Everyday/normal flow (the darker one w/ flowers and 3 folded ones next to it)

Bedtime/heavy flow (the long dark one w/ the double snaps and single folded next to it)

I actually started using them because my sister (that lives with me.) Made the switch about two-two and a half years ago, loved it and hasn't gone back since.

I made the switch about 5-6 months later and we now save between $15-30 a month not having to buy packs of pads every month. As an added benefit I don't get the dreaded painful chaiffing I got from the disposable ones, can simply toss them into the washer after each use so I can reuse the same ones and don't have to worry about forgetting to buy new ones each month. Past our initial purchases we've not had to buy new ones for over a year now.

*there's also options like the Diva cup but I do not feel comfortable using them.

2.) Air drying clothing.

This might seem like a no duh thing in most countries but I live in America and Drying machines are in a good majority of homes. The last dryer we bought was a very nice energy saving one that had the drum/heating unit break on it and since we didn't have the money to replace it at the time we just started hanging out clothing up outside to dry. Since then we've set up 2 drying lines in the backyard in the dog section. Since we do quite a bit of laundry in our household two lines tend to hold us well

-Fun fact that me and sister wernt taught growing up but your undergarments ie. Underwear, bras, socks, lingere all last longer when left to air dry instead of tumbling through the dryer.

Speaking of laundry:

3.) Washing Ball.

This was gifted to us by our mother for our last birthday. It is a reusable laundry ball w/ clay balls inside of it that is supposed to wash your clothing without the need for laundry soap.

***this is currently only used for items such as towels, blankets and bedsheets in our household***

This is what is normally used for the laundry in our house hold. It's a homemade laundry soap that we make ourselves. I will make a separate post w/ the recipe later on this month since we need to make more soon. Generally We use a tsp at a time and throw a little distilled white vinegar in with it. This particular batch was put together about a month & a half ago, we went through it a bit faster than usual since some was given away to family members looking to test it out due to their dissatisfaction w/ store bought laundry soap and how fast it seems to vanish in their homes.

Get yourself some cutee shopping bags, platic bags are ugly!

Plant trees. I’m immediatly attracted to anybody who cares about Mama Earth. 

Get a reusable mug and water bottle!

Date idea #1: Go second-hand shopping. It’s literally so much fun!!! 

Date idea #2: Go to protests. Speak up for the enviroment in your country or online. 

DIY your way through life. 

Home-made beauty products are SO MUCH BETTER than store bought ones. Time to glow up bitch. (DM me for recipes or hit up Pinterest/ Youtube)

Learn how to sew. You don’t have to make your own clothes, but instead of buying new things you can save your fave torn hoodie with a few stiches, believe me. Also #wifeymaterial.

Eat less processsed meat, and more locally grown veggies and fruit (and even meat). Beauty inside and outside baby. Your body will thank you. You can also make new friends when you go to your local market.

Grow your own food! It’s literally so easy to grow some tomatoes or potatos in your window. Even if you live in the city and don’t have a garden.

Date idea #3: Go and collect trash, organize or join local clean-up events. 

Girls (and everybody who has periods) look, reusable mentrual cups, panties and pads are so much better for your pussy than the ones that are whitened with bleach and who-knows-what. It can also save you money in the long run! (like, A LOT OF money)

There you go. These are all 100% tested by me. Super easy, super cheap, super fun, super sexy.

Feel free to add more!

Check out my new reusable drink bottle. It's been on my wishlist for so long and finally got it as a secret Santa gift yesterday. And I'm so happy with it.

I always bought cheap ones which would only last about 2 years and this one will last so much longer.