You know, when my husband passed away four years ago, I thought the hardest part would be the loneliness. Turns out, it was actually going through all our stuff and realizing how much junk we’d accumulated over the decades. But that overwhelming process of sorting through everything… well, it ended up changing how I live completely.
I was standing in my basement last spring, staring at boxes of cleaning supplies we’d stockpiled – probably enough Windex and Lysol to last until 2030 – when it hit me. Most of this stuff was full of chemicals I couldn’t even pronounce, and here I was, living alone in this house, breathing in fumes every time I cleaned. My granddaughter Emma had been talking about all the toxins in household products during one of her environmental rants (bless her, she’s fourteen and wants to save the world), and suddenly I’m thinking, why am I poisoning myself to get my counters clean?
That’s when I started my whole DIY journey. Not because I thought I’d become some crafty Pinterest mom at sixty-eight – Lord knows I’m not – but because I wanted to live differently than we had for all those years when we just bought whatever was convenient and didn’t think about it.
My first project was ridiculously simple. Mixed white vinegar with water in an old spray bottle, added some lemon essential oil so it wouldn’t smell like a pickle factory. You know what? It cleaned my windows better than any commercial cleaner I’d ever used. No streaks, no chemical smell, and it cost me maybe fifty cents to make. I felt like I’d discovered something revolutionary, even though my mother probably cleaned windows this exact same way in 1955.
That success got me curious about what else I could make myself. Started experimenting with baking soda for scrubbing, discovered that mixing it with dish soap makes a paste that’ll clean anything. Made an all-purpose cleaner with castile soap that actually works better than the expensive stuff I used to buy at the grocery store. My <a href=”https://zeroemissionjourney.com/zero-waste-cleaning-products-that-actually-clean-better-than-chemicals/”><a href=”https://zeroemissionjourney.com/zero-waste-cleaning-products-that-actually-clean-better-than-chemicals/”>cleaning supply budget</a></a> went from forty dollars a month to maybe five, and my house smells like lemons and lavender instead of industrial chemicals.
But then I got a bit carried away, honestly. Started looking around the house with new eyes, seeing all the things we’d thrown money at over the years that I could probably make or fix myself. Had this wobbly kitchen chair that my husband always meant to fix but never got around to. Instead of hauling it to the dump like I’d planned, I watched some YouTube videos (amazing what you can learn on there) and figured out how to tighten the joints and give it a fresh coat of paint. Used some leftover paint from the bathroom renovation we did three years ago, so it didn’t cost me anything except time.
Now that chair is sturdier than it’s been in years, and every time I sit in it, I feel proud that I fixed it myself instead of just buying a new one. My mother would’ve fixed that chair automatically – her generation didn’t throw things away just because they needed a little work.
The mason jar thing started by accident. Had dozens of them in the basement from my brief canning phase about ten years ago (that didn’t last long – too much work for someone who was still commuting full-time). Emma mentioned wanting some planters for her bedroom, and instead of driving to Home Depot, I grabbed some of those jars, poked holes in the lids, and we planted herbs in them. Lined them up on her windowsill and they looked… actually pretty cute. Better than the plastic pots we would’ve bought.
That got me thinking about all the other stuff I’d been throwing away that could be useful. Started saving glass jars from pasta sauce, pickle jars, anything with a decent lid. Use them for storing everything now – leftovers, bulk items from the grocery store, screws and nails in the basement. Haven’t bought a plastic storage container in two years.
The wine cork project happened because my neighbor Janet was complaining about noise from her upstairs tenant. She was talking about buying these expensive acoustic panels for her ceiling, and I’m looking at this shoebox full of wine corks I’d been saving for no particular reason (you know how you save things thinking you might need them someday?). Took us three Saturday afternoons to glue all those corks onto some plywood frames I found in the basement, arranged them in a pattern that actually looks intentional. Cost her maybe twenty dollars for the wood and glue instead of the three hundred she was going to spend on commercial panels, and they work just as well.
My windowsill herb garden started small – just some basil and parsley in those mason jars – but it’s gotten completely out of hand. Built little wooden shelves from scrap lumber, rigged up a watering system with plastic tubing and an old milk jug. Now I’ve got more fresh herbs than I know what to do with, and my grocery bills have dropped because I’m not buying those expensive little plastic containers of herbs that go bad in three days.
The solar projects seemed intimidating at first, but they’re actually not that complicated. Made a simple window heater using black-painted tin cans inside an old storm window frame. Sounds crazy, but on sunny winter days, it actually warms up the living room noticeably. Cost me nothing because I used materials from the basement and garage – we’d kept everything, remember?
My rain collection system started with one barrel under the downspout, but now I’ve got three barrels connected with PVC pipe, and I hardly ever use city water for the garden anymore. The plants seem to like rainwater better anyway, and my water bill dropped by about fifteen dollars a month during growing season. Not a fortune, but it adds up.
Had to laugh at myself trying to make candles the first time. Bought beeswax from a farmer’s market, thinking I’d make these beautiful artisanal candles like you see on Instagram. My first batch looked like something a five-year-old made in art class – lumpy, crooked, wick too short. But they burned clean and smelled lovely, and by the third or fourth try, I got the hang of it. Now I make them for gifts and haven’t bought a candle in over a year.
The greywater system was probably my most ambitious project. Figured out how to capture water from the bathroom sink and redirect it to water the flower beds outside. Required some basic plumbing work that scared me at first – what if I flooded the basement? – but turned out to be simpler than I expected. Saves probably twenty gallons of water a day, and the flowers have never looked better.
My cleaning product experiments have gotten pretty sophisticated. Make window cleaner with cornstarch now (eliminates streaks completely), wood polish from olive oil and lemon that makes the furniture gleam better than anything I ever bought. The whole arsenal of cleaners I make fits in one small basket, compared to the cabinet full of products we used to have.
Started composting in the backyard using a simple bin I built from chicken wire and wooden stakes. Wasn’t sure it would work in Massachusetts winters, but it keeps going year-round if you layer it right. Now all my vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and yard waste turn into this rich, dark compost that’s transformed my flower beds. Haven’t bought fertilizer or soil amendments in two years.
The worm composting bin under the kitchen sink was Emma’s idea – she read about it in some environmental magazine. Seemed gross at first, but it’s actually fascinating. These red worms eat kitchen scraps and produce the most amazing fertilizer. It’s like having a little ecosystem right in my kitchen, and the plants go crazy for the worm castings.
Made draft stoppers from old pantyhose filled with rice to block cold air under doors. Sounds ridiculous, but they work better than the foam strips I used to buy, and they were free to make. Sewed thermal curtains for the bedroom windows using clearance fabric from the craft store – took me a weekend, but they’ve cut the heating bill noticeably.
The air purifier project started when I read about houseplants that clean indoor air. Instead of buying expensive commercial purifiers, I got specific plants that remove different toxins – spider plants, snake plants, peace lilies – and put them in containers I made from various materials around the house. My living room looks like a greenhouse now, but the air feels fresher, and it’s certainly prettier than a plastic machine humming in the corner.
Stopped buying shampoo and conditioner about six months ago. Make solid shampoo bars using coconut oil, lye, and essential oils. They last forever, work better than liquid shampoo, and don’t come in plastic bottles. Same with toothpaste – coconut oil, baking soda, and peppermint oil. My dentist says my teeth look great, and I’m not putting fluoride and other chemicals in my mouth every day.
Replaced all my plastic wrap with beeswax wraps I made myself. Just cotton fabric soaked in melted beeswax, then cooled and cut to different sizes. They stick to bowls and around food just like plastic wrap, but they wash and reuse for months. Haven’t bought plastic wrap in over a year.
The fermentation experiments have been fun. Making sauerkraut, pickles, and kimchi using just vegetables, salt, and time. Food lasts longer, tastes better than store-bought versions, and it’s full of probiotics that are supposed to be good for digestion. Plus it’s fascinating to watch the transformation happen – like science class, but edible.
Built a simple heat recovery system for the dryer using cardboard and aluminum dryer vent pipe. Captures some of the heat that would normally just blow outside and uses it to warm the laundry room. Not a huge energy saver, but every little bit helps, and it was basically free to make.
Even tried solar cooking with a cardboard box lined with foil and covered with glass. Doesn’t work reliably in New England, but on really sunny days, I can actually cook rice or heat up soup using nothing but sunshine. Makes me feel like I’m living in the future and the past at the same time.
The most surprising thing about all these projects is how much I enjoy doing them. Never thought of myself as particularly handy – that was always my husband’s department – but turns out I can figure out most things if I take my time and don’t mind making mistakes. YouTube University has been invaluable for learning techniques I never would’ve known otherwise.
My neighbors think I’ve gotten a bit eccentric, I’m sure. The lady who hangs laundry outside and has rain barrels in her yard and grows vegetables in old containers. But my utility bills are lower than they’ve ever been, my house is cleaner and healthier, and I feel good about not contributing as much to the waste stream that’s choking the planet.
Emma loves hearing about my latest projects. She says it’s cool that her grandmother is living more sustainably than most people her age. That means a lot to me – knowing that I’m not just continuing the same wasteful patterns that got us into this environmental mess in the first place.
Started small with that first bottle of vinegar cleaner, but now I look at everything differently. Instead of automatically buying something new, I ask myself if I can make it, fix it, or do without it entirely. Usually the answer is yes, and the project ends up being more satisfying than just purchasing whatever I thought I needed.
Not all my experiments work out perfectly. Some of the early candles were disasters, the first batch of laundry detergent didn’t clean well enough, and I’ve definitely made messes while learning new techniques. But that’s part of the process, and even the failures teach you something useful for next time.
These projects have connected me with skills and knowledge that my generation largely abandoned in favor of convenience. We bought our way out of learning how to make and fix things, and now we’re drowning in stuff while the planet heats up from all the manufacturing and waste. Going back to making what I can and fixing what breaks feels like returning to something essential that we lost along the way.
Donna’s retired but not slowing down. She spends her days gardening, reusing, and finding peace in simpler living. Her writing blends reflection with realism—gentle reminders that sustainability starts at home, in daily habits and quiet choices.
