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1. First remove the cover for the tub overflow drain and pull out the stopper, to get a clear shot down the pipe.
2. Loosen the flynut on the end of the snake (a.k.a., drum auger) to pull out about a foot of line. Tighten the nut again. You’ll have to do this every time you play out the line.
3. Feed the snake down the overflow drain, turning it in a clockwise direction if it gets stuck. (Clockwise is important; it will screw the end of the snake into the clog once you find it.)
4. Once you go as far as you want (10-15 feet should be good—I couldn’t actually tell when I hit a clog), start pulling the snake back out, still turning clockwise so as not to unscrew the clog from the end. This is really disgusting, dripping black water everywhere. Wear gloves.
5. Ta-da! If the clog you remove fixes the problem, you’re done. Leave the snake unrolled in the tub to dry out so it won’t rust.

Unfortunately, while we did find a small clog, it wasn’t the issue. The real clog was farther down, past a drum trap, which is impossible to send a snake through. (If our pipes had a p trap instead, we would have been all set.) We had to get our landlord to open up the drum trap and run a snake from there.

On the bright side, now we have a snake, and it’s so easy to use that in the future we’ll just skip the Biokleen and try that first.

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While the sodium hydroxide (lye) in most drain cleaners isn’t that bad for the environment (it breaks down into its component parts easily), it is very toxic straight out of the bottle. It can cause burns on contact, and ingesting it necessitates a trip to the emergency room. Biokleen Bac-Out Drain Care’s only warnings, on the other hand, are to drink water if it’s swallowed. And it says very prominently on the bottle that it’s not tested on animals. Score one for Biokleen.

Even my trusty Consumer Reports called enzyme cleaners “too wimpy.” But I’m pleased to report that the Biokleen did work. Possibly even better than Drano, for a slow drain. Instead of Drano’s 16 ounces, Bio-Kleen only called for 8 ounces. I left it in overnight, and the next morning my tub was working fine. I guess Biokleen wins.

Probably the least toxic option would be baking soda and vinegar, chased with a kettle of boiling water. But I’ve tried it before, and although it was fun (it felt a little like a middle school science project) it didn’t seem to make much of a difference. Maybe it would make sense as a maintenance task, to keep the drains clear, so I never have to use the Biokleen again. On the other hand, I do still have 3/4 of a bottle left…

This sample pack washes 16 loads of laundry.

First off, they’re not nuts; they’re dried fruit from the sapindus tree (which is why they’re also known as soap berries). When they’re heated, they secrete saponin, a natural surfactant. They’re perfect for front-loading washing machines, because they’re low-sudsing.

Now, we currently wash out clothes in cold water, and switching to warm water wouldn’t make much environmental sense. But you can boil the soap nuts on the stovetop to create detergent. Just bring 4 cups of water to a boil, turn it off, and toss in 6–8 soap nuts. Soak overnight, fish the soap nuts out in the morning, and filter. At 1/4 to 1/2 cup for each load of laundry, it’s actually more efficient this way than throwing the soap nuts in a warm water wash.

The prepared detergent

Even better—it’s cheaper than the Tide HE Free that we were using before. That washed 64 loads for $14. A pound of soap nuts should wash (at least) 175 loads for $30.

Granted, they’re shipped from the Himalayas, but the dried-out fruit is really light—much lighter than bottles of laundry detergent. And, at least from Laundry Tree, they come in paper bags and cardboard boxes—no plastic in sight.

I can’t believe what an unmitigated success this experiment was. I vow to be more open-minded in the future.

One year ago: An Explosion of Worms . . . and Flies

Where are you originally from? What did you do for work there?
I came from Brazil in 2005. I used to be a secretary there.

How long have you been with the Vida Verde co-op? Did you work for a cleaning service before that? And how does it compare?
I have been with the co-op for more than two years. I have been working as a cleaner since I got here. I used to work for a small company cleaning about seven houses per day. I would leave my house at 7AM and I would get home around 6PM, making $350 per week. Now I am independent and I am making money enough to live with dignity.

How has the co-op supported you? How do you support others within it?
In several ways. I am able to speak out now. I also learned how to work with other people and how to protect my rights. I am spreading the word about the green cleaners in my community. The co-op has trained more than 300 people in the last few years. I also try to make people understand how important it is to protect the enviroment.

What do you like best about your job? What are you planning on doing in the future?
I like to see how shiny the place turns after my work. I will still be working as a housecleaner in the near future. After…who knows?

Do the green cleaning supplies make more work for you?
Not at all. They make my work easier.

Before you started using the green cleaning supplies, did you have any problems because of the fumes?
I had a lot of allergies and strong headaches.

Do you use them in your own home?
Yes, I do.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?
People should be careful about the chemical products. They are very harmful and we have very safe, easy, and cheap alternatives.

And while we’re at it, check out the recipes Erin at the Conscious Shopper has posted, too. They’re similar, but slightly different. And it looks like Erin uses spray bottles for hers. Ruth, the woman who cleans our house, repurposes squirty water bottles to mix them in, and the peppermint essential oils she adds smell delicious.

Do you use green cleaning products? Or make your own? If you have any different recipes, please share!

But Sharon told me about Vida Verde. It’s a co-op of Brazilian women who make their own cleaning supplies. It was started because they were poorly paid at their cleaning services or, if they were self-employed, they were forced to buy client lists from more established cleaners—for hundreds of dollars!

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So they started this group. All the women are self-employed, but the group helps them connect with customers, learn English, deal with taxes and legal questions, and generally learn how to advocate for themselves. Now they work fewer hours and are paid more per house.

They choose to make their own cleaning supplies not only because it’s cheaper, but because breathing the fumes from conventional cleaning supplies all day can lead to asthma and other respiratory problems. Janitors and house cleaners have far higher rates of asthma and bronchitis than people who don’t clean for a living.

I have to admit to being really conflicted about hiring someone to clean my house. On the one hand, I hate cleaning. Because of that I rarely actually do it often enough to assuage my guilt at the state of the house. (Jason doesn’t feel that guilt. I hate to fall into stereotypical gender roles, but this may be one.)

On the other hand, I cleaned someone else’s house the summer before college and hated every minute of it. I don’t want to inflict that misery on someone else. And I really don’t want to become the Man.

Now, I know that whenever I eat out or buy anything, I’m paying someone to do something that I don’t want to do. Unless I go completely off the grid and make everything by hand, that’s going to be the case. This is just different because I imagine that everyone hates cleaning as much as I do and I’m allowing someone into my house. (We saw how well that went with the cat sitter.)

But I signed up for Vida Verde’s service a month ago, and so far I feel really good about it. Ruth comes once every two weeks and does all the things that I never seem to get to: mopping the floors, cleaning the shower, dusting—even washing the trash can. And starting with a clean house and knowing that she’s coming makes us keep the house neater than we normally would. I still kind of feel like the Man, but I also think it’s fair to trade a few hours of something I enjoy (working at Berklee) for something I hate (cleaning).

What do you think? Am I rationalizing a bad choice or just overthinking a good one? Would you hire someone to clean your house, too? Am I the Man?

And the winner is...

Most detergents include phosphates because they work better with hard water. Unfortunately, all that phosphorus washing down the drain has the same impact as too much fertilizer washing into our waterways. It causes algae blooms, reducing the oxygen in the water and killing off wildlife.

When I switched, I went through quite a bit of trial and error. I tried Palmolive (liquid), Cascade (liquid), and Ecover (powder), but they left residue on my dishes. (I should have known not to go against Consumer Reports’ recommendation just because I wanted to keep using liquid.) Finally I settled on Seventh Generation powder. I really can’t tell the difference between it and our old detergent.

A bonus tip: We used to use Jet Dry. Then we realized we were just doing it automatically—we didn’t even know if we needed it. So we stopped. We don’t often notice any spots on our dishes, and if we do, white vinegar does the same job. Seriously. Just fill the Rinse Aid compartment with it. I was worried it would smell, but it doesn’t at all.

I had no idea how to clean up a broken thermometer; I just knew that mercury was hazardous. So I immediately went to the EPA website, and what I found out was terrifying. Here are some of their directions for cleanup:

• “Have everyone else leave the area…. Open all windows and doors to the outside; shut all doors to other parts of the house.”
• “If a spill occurs on carpet, curtains, upholstery or other absorbent surfaces, these contaminated items should be thrown away.”
• “Keep the area well ventilated to the outside (i.e., windows open and fans in exterior windows running) for at least 24 hours after your successful cleanup. Continue to keep pets and children out of cleanup area.”
• “Never use a vacuum cleaner to clean up mercury. The vacuum will put mercury into the air and increase exposure.”
• “Never wash clothing or other items that have come in direct contact with mercury in a washing machine, because mercury may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.”

Follow the link above for full instructions. But you get the drift: we had to throw away our area rug, take a couple hours tracking down every single bead of mercury with tape, and spend a day in the bedroom with the cats while the living room aired out. And I’m still not entirely sure that we got it all.

Our new digital thermometer. It takes just 10 seconds to register. And no mercury!

I know, I know, who has a mercury thermometer anymore anyway? We got ours a good 12 years ago, before we knew there was anything wrong with them. And if I’d known cleanup would be this much of a hassle, I would have recycled it long ago, while it  was still whole.

I think we’ll have to drop off the mercury-tainted trash at the Recycling Drop-Off Center the next time it’s open. But just to be sure I’ve emailed the DPW to ask. I’ll keep you posted.

My attempt to make my own shower cleaner with baking soda and vinegar resulted in a toothpaste-like substance that I had to scrub all over our shower by hand. Absolutely no comparison to Scrubbing Bubbles. Instead, we ended up switching to Clorox Greenworks. Its consistency and ease of use was comparable to our old, more toxic cleaner. Even better, it’s not tested on animals, it doesn’t contain phosphates or bleach, and it doesn’t suffocate you with the fumes. It gets the EPA’s Design for the Environment label and is endorsed by the Sierra Club. Works for me.

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Around the same time, we also got a squeegee for our shower. Each morning the last person out squeegees down the walls. The dry shower walls don’t develop soap scum, mildew, or mold as quickly, so they can go a lot longer without washing. So not only did we switch to a greener cleaner, but now we don’t even need to use it as often.

Anyone have any suggestions for easier-to-use homemade cleaners? Keep in mind that I hate hate hate cleaning.

Also, did you catch this anti-Scrubbing Bubbles commercial put out by Method a while back? It’s hilarious. I really wish they hadn’t chickened out and pulled it.

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Since the length of most dishwashers’ cycles depends on how much dirt they’re sensing coming off the dishes, cleaning the filter can make them more efficient. Although many newer dishwashers have self-cleaning filters, it should be one of the first things you check if your dishes aren’t getting completely clean.

I know what some of you are thinking: Why are you using the dishwasher in the first place? Isn’t washing dishes by hand more efficient?

People can be very proud of their particular dishwashing methods, but the best study to date, from the University of Bonn, has shown that a full dishwasher load washed by hand takes an average of 27 gallons. Even the most efficient handwashers used 8 gallons of water. By comparison, an Energy Star–qualified dishwasher uses less than 5.8 gallons per load.

Water conservation isn’t a big deal in the Northeast, but in this case the most energy is used in heating the water, so water consumption is a good yardstick. I probably wouldn’t run out to upgrade a five-year-old dishwasher just to improve its efficiency, but a 15-year-old dishwasher uses twice as much water as a new one. While some people argue that the production of the dishwasher makes it less efficient than handwashing, studies have shown that over a 15-year life cycle, energy use accounts for 95% of its environmental impact.

You could argue that with all the variables, it’s impossible to say exactly how your particular hand-washing stacks up to my particular dishwashing. But even with the benefit of the doubt given entirely to the by-hand proponents, it’s a wash, and in that case it’s much like the paper or plastic bag debate—not worth arguing about (except to say, use less of them). I’m not a big fan of handwashing dishes to begin with, so the dishwasher’s my choice. I’m just happy that my laziness is justified by facts.

Things we can do to make our dishwasher even more environmentally friendly include:

1. Turn off the heat dry feature. If you feel like the dishes take too long to dry this way, open the dishwasher door slightly to let the air circulate.
2. Turn your hot water heater down to 120 degrees if your dishwasher has its own heating element (most do).
3. Don’t pre-rinse—scrape instead.
4. Run only full loads, but don’t overload. You want water getting to every inch of your dishes. (Seriously, I don’t know what the people in Rachel Getting Married were thinking.)
5. Use a phosphate-free detergent. Phosphate runoff leads to algae blooms (much like nitrogen from fertilizers).

And, by the way, federal dishwasher standards are changing in January, and Energy Star standards are changing in July 2011, so if you’re planning on buying a new dishwasher, you might want to wait for the more efficient models. Check out Greenerchoices.org (Consumer Reports’ eco-site) for more buying tips.

Cross-posted at Cambridge Energy Alliance.