Ollas are unglazed clay jars with wide bodies and thin necks.

They help conserve water in the garden. I learned about them from the Dervaes family here in Pasadena. They sell them in their online store.

You bury the ollas in dirt up to their necks.

Then you fill them up with water. The water slowly seeps out directly into the soil.

I found a rock that exactly fits the top of this olla to help keep mosquitoes and curious wasps out.

I’m just starting out with ollas, but for more information about their history and use, check out these resources from the Dervaes family:

• Little Homestead in the City: Using Ollas – An article about ollas and a series of photos showing ollas going into the ground and in use.
• Little Homestead in the City: Ollas – Olla instructions and F.A.Q.s.
• YouTube: Path to Freedom – Water Wise gardening – A video showing how to install and plant around an olla.
• Peddler’s Wagon: Olla – Ollas for sale in the Dervaes family’s online store.

I read about using vinegar and baking soda for cleaning on some of the housekeeping blogs, and I wrote it off as being like coupon clipping — something that probably wouldn’t work all that well (for me, at least) and that would be a hassle and would end with weariness, frustration, disappointment, and a mess. So I didn’t even bother trying them. How could they possibly work?

This week, though, I read one blog post too many about them and I got curious. I decided to give them a try, even if it was only to finally know that they didn’t really work. And guess what. They work. They work almost as well as regular cleaning products. Not quite as well, but surprisingly well. Shockingly well. Maybe eighty-five percent as well. Well enough that I’m going to keep using them. Well enough that knowing I could eat them more than balances out the need to scrub a little harder in a couple of places. Well enough that I didn’t have to scrub all that much harder.

You use the vinegar where you would use a counter-top or window-cleaning spray. I used it on my counters, my mirrors and my floors. I didn’t dilute it.

You use the baking soda where you would use a powder scrub product. I used it in the bathtub and on the kitchen sink.

I’m not giving up my other cleaning products entirely. I’m still using toilet cleaner in the toilet bowl. It’s eco-friendly, but it’s not something I could eat. And I might pull out my eco-friendly but non-edible counter spray and scrubbing powder if the amount of scrubbing needed ever increases dramatically. But I’m not sure. Baking soda and vinegar work well enough that I may switch over entirely.

I’m kind of amazed that using them sounds so weird and that it felt like I was taking such a leap of faith when I tried them. I’m kind of amazed that everybody isn’t using them all the time. I’m kind of amazed that there’s a market for harsh chemical cleaning products for everyday use after trying these.

I use this extra extra-large shower cap to cover bread dough while it’s rising in this big bowl. Smaller see-through hair dying caps are good for covering normal-sized bowls of leftovers in the fridge when you want to be able to glance through and see what is inside them.

I found this idea in Nancy Silverton’s Breads of the La Brea Bakery.