A new use for everything!

So I am standing in my basement doing laundry the other night. I switch over the washer load to the dryer, close the door and almost forget to check the lint trap before starting the dryer. I pull out the trap, scrape off the lint and put it in the pile that is growing on the shelf next to our dryer. I start the dryer but pause for a moment before heading upstairs. Why did I pause? Because I am staring at that pile of lint. Thinking "I wonder when that is gonna get cleaned up". But then something else comes to my head. Dyer lint always just gets thrown in the garbage. Or does it? I all of a sudden felt inspired to figure out what else it might be good for instead of just adding more crap to the landfill. I thought to myself there has got to be something this icky fluffy stuff could be used for, so I went on an internet mission to see what I could find!



Something that I hadn't thought of was the fact that dryer lint is extremely flammable (knew that part, that's why you need to clean those traps!)and I just have a pile of it sitting in my basement... Not so smart eh? So now I am worried about it till I get a good container to store it in and hope that no one smokes in my basement! They better not! Just being silly, no one would do that. Friends and family already have gotten to see my "mean" side about smoking just from them smoking outside....



So anyway in my search I find out you can use lint for fire starters. OK that one is like duh! Extremely flammable would make sense right?! There is a little work involved but not much.
To make the fire starters you can pack the lint into a cardboard egg carton. Then you melt some kind of wax (old candles or crayons etc) in a metal can(coffee maybe)in a shallow pot of boiling water on low heat. When the wax is melted, drizzle the liquid wax onto the lint, filling each egg slot full. When the wax cools, you just cut or break apart the sections.


Image from Mother Earth News. My favorite subscribed magazine! You should get it too it's awesome! Mother Earth News HERE!


You can then use these for camping or a campfire, your fireplace; I even read for a charcoal grill but I seriously question the safety of that. I will need to find out more. Especially because I also read to avoid fumes in your home use lint only from natural fabrics. I honestly wouldn't want to put these in my fireplace and especially not in a grill but hey if you were ever really desperate for fire starter... I guess it would work!

Of course for a campfire you could just use the lint for kindling on it's own! Just bring it with you in a airtight, watertight container. As I believe it will do you no good if it gets wet.

How about for composting? Really?! Supposedly you can toss it in your compost bin if it comes from all natural fabrics like cotton, wool, or linen. Only problem is how many people actually only have those types of fabrics in their dryers? I know there are other fabrics that go into mine sometimes... Also I would think you would want to make sure you use natural laundry detergent as well. And no softeners or dryer sheets (that I can do because that's how I wash my laundry). Too bad it isn't only natural fabrics in my dryer though.. I suppose if I really paid attention and just didn't include lint from "bad" batches of clothes it could be done. I am not sure I want to put that much effort into lint though seeing as how I am always doing laundry.



Some websites say that lint makes great clay and paper mache. Here is an example HERE

Another use I have read but not sure I would recommend it is, using it as stuffing for dolls and such. I really am not sure how much more flammable it is over regular stuffing if at all but making (toys as an example) out of something super flammable doesn't seem wise or safe to me...

How about a possible nesting material for birds? Just hang it from a tree or place it out in your yard and they will bring it home.

I actually found this posted as a comment as well. But I couldn't locate the person who posted it:

I use Lint to make CANDLE WICKS, as well as ROPE. I roll my own rope the same way Indians used to make rope from plant fibers. its a long project but i tell you Lint makes a good strong Rope. I make small Ropes to use as a candle wick and they work great. My candles are made from bacon fat or beef fat. I use the tallow I make. I get about 24 hours or more from one candle, or you can use the tallow and chunks of Lint saturated in fat in a large metal bowl as an outdoor space heater or cooker.

That would be something else to look into.

Anyway I am no expert on lint but this is what I found and I have yet to make sure any of it is 100% accurate or really works but I wanted to blog about it!

If you have any uses for lint that you use in your everyday life feel free to comment!

How could you...

Do this to your newborn baby boy? What am I talking about? Circumcision. The truth really needs to be known about this procedure. I am horrified that my first son was circumsized. I unfortunately did not have the info I have today. I didn't want to do it then either, in fact he was 2 or 3 months when I finally gave in and let it happen. I just couldn't imagine putting my baby through any pain and for what? But I had voices around me giving me all these stupid reasons for doing it. Oh he's gonna be upset that he's different from other boys when older, he wont be like his dad etc. My first sons father said he was having it done and I eventually just gave in. Luckily now with my second son my husband agrees with me. And seriously after seeing something like this, how could you not? Unless you just don't have as much love for your child as I do or for your own selfish reasons....

VIDEO HERE

I remember with my first son carrying him up into the hospital with tears in my eyes. So worried and scared and upset about it all. They wouldn't let me stay on that floor either, they made me go down to the cafeteria. Obviously because they didn't want me to hear him screaming :(. That kills me. I also remember the Dr telling me at the end "Oh he did great, He actually fell asleep during it." Bullshit. If I recall I read once that babies pass out sometimes in extreme pain. My poor boy. When I got him back he was lifeless, like the most horrible thing in the world just happened to him, well it just had.



I am making this post to help inform other mothers about this and hoping it will save at least one baby from unneeded pain or possibly even death...
I also think you should read this below, then go there and sign the petition if you feel as I do...

Newborn male circumcision is the most common surgical procedure performed in the U.S. Many people believe that there are tangible health benefits to male circumcision but, the truth is no medical society in the world recommends it. In fact, the American Medical Association calls the surgery "non-therapeutic." What's worse, over 100 babies die as a result of complications from circumcision in the U.S. each year.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is developing public health recommendations for the U.S. on male circumcision – ignoring the serious risks such as hemorrhage, infection, surgical mishap, and death – in favor of highly debatable and inconclusive research.

The CDC is the foremost expert on public health in our country and, as such, has a responsibility to share the truth about circumcision.

I just took action, signing a petition to the CDC, demanding the organization release a truthful statement on the harms and risks of circumcision.

If you believe as I do, that we should protect newborn babies from harmful and unnecessary surgery, then join me by clicking the link below:

http://www.intactamerica.org

Starting Out Empty handed and a chance to win!

So this second time around with a new baby, I decided something last minute. I really want to cloth diaper! All this time being pregnant, even though I wanted to I just thought I didn't have it in me. I deal with a bit of chronic pain and I figured anything else added to my life would be too much. But as of now my new baby boy is the last time I am having a child. And I really want to try to cloth diaper! I think I would regret it if I never tried. And I totally think I can do it and am mad I didn't figure it out sooner!

Unfortunately all I have is one, yes ONE cloth diaper/cover and a few gDiapers. After just buying a house and the money that goes into it, it is very hard to get anymore :(.

I just came across this blog though "Fitteds and pockets and snappis, oh my!" http://changediapers.blogspot.com/ And thought this was a great opportunity to up my stash to at least 2 diapers lol! And This women sounds like she has some great knowledge on cloth diapering, which obviously a newbie like me needs! So it is win win either way! I am entering her contest following the rules and keeping my fingers crossed that something good happens!

Again the URL for the contest if you want to check it out is:

http://changediapers.blogspot.com/