Which Nappy

My nappy hunt began when my first child was a year old. After a rough calculation that I will change her approximately 6 times per day for 3 years, which tallied a

roughly 6400 nappies, I knew I could improve on the landfill impact that 1 single child had, never mind a family of 2 or 3 kids.

So I ventured to world of re-usable nappies and was pleasantly surprised how hassle-free it was. I wont mis-lead you… nothing is as easy as the leading brand of disposables, however, which such a vast reduction in paper product leaving my house, I didn’t mind the slight chore of washing the outer nappy daily and flushing the liner and its contents down the loo.

The choice of reusable nappies is growing, and most of them seem to be either pure bamboo or a combination of bamboo and cotton. The reason for popular bamboo use for nappies is that bamboo has 2 naturally occurring features… those being the hypoallergenic and the super absorbent properties of bamboo.

 The pop-in bamboo nappies are ideal for everyday  nappy use and you can purchase as many outer ‘shells’ as you’d like making less demand to was frequently.

Benefits and features

Perfect for sensitive skin, antibacterial, hypoallergenic and breathable

Super soft elasticated waistband and stretchy side tabs

Multisized poppers can be adjusted as baby grows from birth to potty

Natural bamboo keeps babies warm or cool as needed

Quick and easy to change with ‘poppers’ fastenings

Double gusset protects from leaks

Super absorbent and designed to hold wetness in the core

Waterproof outer shell

In addition to all the practical features, there are also many attractive designs available make your child’s’ nappy an accessory… well, almost.

If you are interested in other bamboo products including linens, blankets and baby towels, have a look at 100bamboo.com.  

Chop, chop, chop

I use cutting boards on a daily basis. Cutting fruits, vegetables, meat, chicken, or seafood, a good knife and a cutting boards make the task quite simple. Upon noticing that my aged white plastic chopping was no longer anything like white and probably harboured an array of germs in the tiny cracks that appear over time, I was faced with choosing my new chopping board and to be truly diligent and separate meat from all other foods, I was looking for 2, perhaps even 3. I found a variety of materials on offer. The two most popular materials used are plastic and wood and these come in all shapes, finishes, thicknesses and textures.

Clean your Chopping  Board
While choosing chopping boards, the dilemma with plastic vs wood cutting boards obsesses many. When one thinks about it rationally, a plastic cutting board is more prone to bacteria as its surface is not porous. As compared to a wooden cutting board, due to its porous surface, even though bacteria may penetrate, it won't have the sufficient condition to reproduce and will die eventually. Plus, a wooden cutting board lasts longer than its counterpart.

You might find it useful to know how both these cutting boards should be cleaned. These steps will not help remove the stains off the boards, but they are useful for disinfecting them as well.

Wooden Boards
There are variety of woods used in making cutting boards. Out of them, the most popular one is a bamboo cutting board. Yes, bamboo is technically a grass, but the finish that it gives is wood like in all obvious characteristics.  Regardless of which wood is used to make the cutting board you own, the following cleaning tips should be administered.
To clean, place the board into a sink half filled with clean, hot, soapy water. Wear rubber gloves and use a washing up sponge, scrub the entire board, turn it around so that the other end soaks and scrub again.
Once complete, rinse with warm clean water and place in a drying rack. Do not soak your wooden board in the hot, soapy water unnecessarily.

To sanitize, again place the board into a sink half filled with hot water. Mix in 1 tablespoon chlorine bleach or lemon juice if you prefer with the water.
Submerge the wooden board completely in the bleach water and leave it in for about 10 minutes. Rinse under hot water and leave the board in the sun to dry completely.

Plastic Boards
Plastic cutting boards tend to have deep cuts because of the sharp knives. If these deep cuts on the board are not disinfected properly, you could be risking the chances of passing on bacteria. It is advised that you change plastic cutting boards from time to time especially those used for meat and poultry. If there are any instructions given on the wrapping you should use those instead of these generic steps as there may be particular treatments or coatings used.
To clean, take a cloth or sponge and wipe the board after every change of food. With a plastic brush, scrub the surface of the cutting board and then proceed to the same method as for wood.
You should properly clean your board after every cooking session, just as you would your plates and counters. Just rinsing plastic and wooden cutting boards under water isn't enough.

Based on look, feel and hygiene, I chose 3 bamboo chopping boards in small, medium and large. So far so good.

If you are interested in other bamboo products including linens, blankets and towels, have a look at 100bamboo.com.

Walk all over it....

When recently refurbishing our new home, I was faced with the big questions of Flooring... carpets, laminate, hardwood and more. Once deciding on wooden flooring, the decision became a little trickier.Hardwoods offered a huge variety in grains, colours, textures and even bamboo featured in the category, offering even more varying characteristics.

At first glance bamboo and hardwood flooring materials may appear to be the same thing. They have a similar look, feel, and share many characteristics between them. However Bamboo is a type of grass, whereas hardwood is harvested from lumber and trees. Because of this there are some very specific differences that set these floors apart from each other.

Hardness Ratio Of Bamboo and Wood

Bamboo: In it’s natural untreated state bamboo is relatively hard compared to most wood flooring choices. However, darker materials will tend to lose some of this durability. That is because the darkness is attained through a process known as carbonization This is achieved by placing the bamboo under extreme heat and pressure, which causes the hue to shade, but also somewhat weakens the material.

To put it in practical terms, carbonised bamboo will have a hardness rating somewhere from 1000-1100, whereas bamboo in it’s natural state will have a hardness of 1300-1400. This will be affected to some extent by the process used to make the material, and the amount of carbonisation applied to it. Darker bamboo is almost always softer.

Hardwood: There are dozens of different species of both hard and soft woods that can be used as flooring materials. On the low end you will have woods such as pine and Fir, that have hardness ratings of 600-900, while on the upper end you have materials such as Walnut and Teak which can get as high as 2500-3500 on the relative hardness rating.

You might be wondering what difference it makes if your floor is somewhat hard versus extremely hard – and basically the difference is Wear and Tear. The softer floors tend to mark, scratch and dent easier whereas harder floors might possibly withstand stilettos and few dropped forks without too much harm.

Appearance Differences

Hardwood: Once again, you have numerous species to choose from when selecting hardwood flooring, and each will have its own unique look, feel, and patterns. This is compounded by the fact that different cuts will also produce different levels of grain consistency.

You can pick through a variety of species and options, and find something that will perfectly match the style of your environment.

Bamboo: While there are various species of bamboo, they all generally produce a consistent looking end product. This is similar in appearance to hardwood, while also being distinct, in that it features very apparent horizontal lines running through it’s surface. The colour of bamboo is also a unique, soft golden colour, however that can be tempered to a darker tone by the carbonization process.

When it comes to the White and Grey hues, you’ll generally only find these amoungst the hardwood ranges.

Environmental Impact of a Bamboo Floor

Bamboo is one of the most highly renewable natural resources available. Unlike trees which take upwards of 20 years to reach maturity, Bamboo can be fully ripe and ready for harvest in 3-5. It is also recyclable, and bio degradable. That means that as a material it has a very low impact on the environment.

With both types of flooring as with all of the consumable goods we use these days, you also have to consider the impact of CO2 gasses released in transporting bamboo from where it grows, in Southeast Asia, to the rest of the world.

Bamboo for other areas in the home

Because of it’s environmentally sustainable claim, bamboo is becoming ever more popular, not only for flooring but for textiles, clothing, home goods such as chopping boards, bicycles… the list is endless. For textiles, I recommend taking a look at www.100bamboo.com that offer bamboo linens, towels, blankets and more. This should keep you well on track to becoming a environmentally responsible shopper.