Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products Class @ The Nova Studio

In my everyday life, I try to be green and eco-friendly as I can. I lived through the energy crisis of the 1970’s so I always turned off the lights after I left the room. And I was taught to turn off the water while brushing my teeth and taking short showers. This came handy during the 1976 and 1977 drought years in California. Then when Menlo Park started there recycling program in the late 80’s, I was diligent about recycling newspapers, aluminum cans, etc. And of course, I save the plastic bags from the grocery store and recycle them properly. Then in 2011, Menlo Park finally graduated to composting paper products and food scraps with the garden clippings. But one thing lagged and that was using eco-friendly cleaning products.

Now some of the eco-friendly cleaning products had been on the market for some time and I had not been using or gave much attention to them. My reasoning behind that was one the cost and two I was unfamiliar with these products. It was only until recently, I started using Planet dishwashing soap for washing my dishes and I felt that it was time to learn more. But I did not know where to go. I know that The Nova Studio in Point Richmond, CA had offered a class in eco-friendly cleaning products class in a boot camp but it was not offered as an individual class until now.

For the first time in January 2011, Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products was offered as a separate class and I was really excited. To tell you the truth, I did not know what to expect because this class was out of my element of bath and body products classes that I have taken over the years through The Nova Studio.

In this class taught by Melanie Monteverde was a very informative class on how to make your own window and mirror cleaner, bathroom cleaner and powder scrub. I was a little nervous on how complicated it would be to make these products but after the class I found that it was not all that difficult. What make the making of each product go smoothly was Melanie’s helper Nancy setting up stations with the different ingredients plus having a post it note at each telling each student how much of the ingredient was needed. This was most helpful because we did not have to carry our handouts to each station and read the recipe.

Another idea I liked about the recipes that most of the ingredients could be found at your local supermarket, which means I can save a lot of money by not having to pay shipping and handling charges if I had to purchase the supplies online. What is also great about the recipes is that one can make small batches at time which means that I am more likely to make my own cleaners. Some might find small batches to be a nuisance, but you figure that you make have a three month expiration period and if you may make a large batch and do not use it all then you are wasting valuable products and ingredients in addition throwing out money. Just think that if you make small batches you can change the fragrance each time you make a batch. For my class products, I used mostly eucalyptus and mint but I am thinking of orange and clove for my next batch.

And finally, I learned that making my own cleaning products was extremely easier than I thought. That was the most important factor. Because if it is too difficult to create then I will lose interest and never recreate what I learned in class. I would say that from now on I will be making these household cleaners to use on a regular basis. For the products that I find too difficult to make such as dishwashing soap or detergent, I will be purchasing those from my local supermarket or discount store.

So are you looking to become more environmentally friendly and want to start out slow? Or would you like to take a gander at making your own cleaning products instead of purchasing them? Well, I highly recommend taking Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products at The Nova Studio. To see when the next class is offered, check the studio’s website for the next available class. You will not regret taking this class.