#63 drop cloths, and my new year's goal

I have not forgotten this blog, or my resolve to get to those 100 things. I have not even run out of things to write about-- I just have been too busy! But my goal is to finish by July. Then I will see where I will go with my posts.

Anyway, Yes, I am still posting about painting things. Although I finished the painting project I was working on at the time that I posted those, I am about to start another. A couple more things had occured to me at the time and I just never posted them.
So-- about 3 years ago I bought new mattresses. And what did they come in? A huge plastic wrapping. A double plastic wrapping, in fact. I could not bear to just toss all that plastic into the trash, so I wadded it up and put it in a trash bag and stuck it into the storage room. Then when I started a year or so later on some painting projects, I pulled them out and used them as my drop cloths! Perfect! Big, square, thick plastic. It has now made it through many paint projects, and each time when I'm done it gets stashed the same way (except for the one my cat peed on-- I made an exception and threw that one out!)
I don't think that everyone is really going to have mattress wrappings lying around, but the next time you come across a big sheet of plastic (and yes, they are very common,) think about your next painting project and if it could be of use.

Pros: Free, and it's putting some trash to good use.

Cons: Bulky plastic can be hard to store. And occasionally your cat might pee on it.

Just in case.....

Just in case anyone is actually reading this blog (I don't pay any attention to reader counts or anything,) I've signed up as a partner at letsgogreen, and now anyone who uses my coupon code, MMR20 can get 20% off any purchase at their site! Great green products such as biodegradable trash bags and recycled paper products. See the banner on the side as well. You have to enter the code to get the discount, so make sure you do that at checkout.
Thanks!

#62 A use for the old holies.

Honestly I have never darned a sock in my life, but that doesn't mean that my old holey socks are going in the trash! I have done a huge amount of wood refinishing this year, and I love to use gel stains, even though they can be really messy. I've found that the best application tool is a sponge brush, and the best "wipe-off" tool is an old sock. It's better than wasting a rag that you would then have to throw away. This vanity is one of my recent projects. The picture isn't great-- but when we bought it it was a natural wood color with not much of a finish on it. Pros: A great use for an item that is trash. Cheap, and at my house, plentiful.

Cons: You still have to throw them away, and I try to do it in an empty stain can with the lid shut.

p.s. I've also used old socks for wax buffing my countertops.

#61 What to do with your brushes and rollers in-between coats.

What do you do with your roller and your cut-in brush in between paint coats? Wash them? If so, you are wasting a whole lot of water! I wrap mine up in a plastic bag and put it in the refridgerator. It will keep several days that way (if you're like me, and with the kids around sometimes I just don't get around to finishing it when I want to.) Then you can take out your brush and/or roller and continue painting! I'm honestly not sure if this is a "normal" practice for a lot of people. But if you do any painting, you should try it! When your done with your roller, wrap it back up in the bag and toss it! Of course, you should wash your brushes.

Pros: Saves a LOT of water and paint from going down the drain. It also saves time and energy.

Cons: It requires the use of a disposable plastic bag. Requires some fridge space.

#60 What to put that paint in!

I discovered another wonderful thing while working on my painting, and now I can't do without it! It's a non-stick paint tray. You don't wash it, you just let it sit and dry. Then you can peel the paint off and, voila! It's ready to use again.

Pros: NO water used to wash your paint tray, and you are also saving all that paint from going into the water treatment plant. No plastic liner needed.

Cons: It doesn't exactly peel off so nicely like in the picture, but it does come off pretty easily. A bit more expensive than your average paint tray-- but it will pay off in the end.

#59 Recycled Paint!

Where has the month gone? I really have been so busy with canning and remodeling projects that it has been very hard to find time for blogging. But I have in the meantime found some more ways to do green remodeling. When I was in Seattle for weekend in July I went shopping at a place called Second Use. They have a line (called MetroPaint) of recycled paint! Available in different colors! It really made my choice much easier by limiting it. There are so many paint colors that it is usually really hard to choose. I couldn't find a great picture of the walls, and can't take one right now because that would mean I'd have to clean up first (still remodeling!) But here is one with my daughter in front of it:

You can find more information on it here

Pros: 100% recycled paint, and you can choose your color! Now that's using materials wisely! It painted on so easily and seems to be very high-quality. Well under EPA's limits for VOC's. Oh, and did I mention it only cost $16 a gallon??

**UPDATE: I found out that Miller Paint stores in Washington and Oregon sell Metropaint for about $10/gallon!!

Cons: Limited colors and finishes (or this could be a pro!) Limited availability-- I have to go to Portland or Seattle to get it.

#58 Don't waste the v-bag

Vaccuum bag, that is. I was vacuuming the other day and realized that my vacuum was not working very well. hmmm, maybe that was because it was completely full and filling up the hose part! Yikes! Being a usually prepared but somewhat forgetful mother of 3, I realized I had no extra bags. Oh no! What to do? The Frugal Zealot came to the rescue. I had read her books a while ago (the Tightwad Gazettes) and remembered a tip that I thought at the time that I would probably never bother with. She cuts the bottom off of her vacuum bags and empties them that way and then tapes them back up for reuse. Well I was stuck so I guess I had to give it a try. Guess what? Easy, little mess, and much money saved! Yea! So until I can afford a good bagless, the old reuse-a-bag will have to do.

Pros: Saves time and energy, and saved me a trip to the store. Less waste.

Cons: After a couple of cuts the bag will be too short to use. It's a little messier than just being able to throw out the whole bag.