Low Waste, Non-Toxic Cleaning

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Sometimes a multipurpose cleaner just won't do. Here are a few ways to clean your house whilst still using the same ingredients you bought for multipurpose cleaner or things you will have in the house already. If you don't have these already try to buy the products in glass bottles (all of these are quite easy to find in glass) or buy in cardboard boxes or from refill shops. Non toxic, cheap and low waste:

All you need:

  • Olive oil 
  • Salt
  • Lemon
  • Bicarbonate/Baking soda
  • Soap nuts/berries
  • Grounded coffee beans 
  • White vinegar
  • Citric Acid
  • Essential oils (I use lemon for cleaning and lavender for clothes washing)


Ways to use:

  • Dusting: Olive oil - use with a duster or old rags made from old clothes (z)
  • Oven cleaner: salt and a lemon. Throw over salt all over, cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice, leave to bubble for a few minutes, scrub with the lemon before rinsing with water. (for tough stains use an old toothbrush) use for both oven top and inside, along with oven door. Dispose of the lemon in the compost.
  • Sink cleaner: baking soda and lemon juice. Sprinkle baking soda all around the sink, squeeze lemon juice use the  lemon to scrub and rinse with warm water. Dispose of the lemon in the compost.
  • Lime scale: soak a reusable cloth/old rags in lemon juice and hold around lime scale area for 30 minutes and then rinse.
  • Washing up liquid: Soap nut concentrate (how to make link below). An alternative to this is dishwashing soap available from plastic free shop.
  • Dishwasher: Dishwasher powder make with washing soda (or make your own washing soda by putting bicarbonate of soda in the oven 200 degrees for one hour) 4 cups. 1 cup of salt, 1 cup of citric acid. Use white vinegar for rinse aid.
  • Fridge/bin smells: Keep some grounded coffee in a small container (with no lid) in the fridge to soak up and eliminate odours. Sprinkle some coffee in the bin.
  • Hand wash: soap nut concentrate (always moisturise afterwards) an alternative is to use soap. Soap can harbour germs so you could use a cotton soap bag (this also helps you save the soap until the very end) or cut the soap up into small pieces.
  • Toilet cleaner: baking soda and white vinegar.
  • Plastic free/waste free Air fresheners/odour eliminator: fill and old spray bottle with water add 20 drops of essential oil in a spray bottle; make your own diffuser with olive oil and essential oil 3:1 in an old diffuser bottle/glass bottle with a narrow top use kebab wooden sticks (available in many shops - kebab sticks are perfect as they have the porous holes needed to diffuse the odour. You can also buy potpourri in glass bottles, or candles in glass jars, or use incense sticks which are all made from natural fibres.
  • My reused diffuser bottle with DIY olive oil and essential oil

    My potpurri
  • DIY "febreze": 1:2 white vinegar and water, add 14 drops of essential oil in a spray bottle, sprinkle baking soda on the material and spray on mixture. Leave to dry and vacuum off the baking soda.
  • Carpet/rug cleaning: "shampoo" with white vinegar, baking soda, water and essential oils (for stains add salt to the stain); for everyday sprinkle baking soda with some essential oil before vacuuming.
  • Ironing water: add 1:2 white vinegar:water, 10 drops essential oil 
  • Clothes washing: soap nuts (add about 7 berries to each load and reuse up to 10x until the shells are thin), white vinegar  for softener and 20 drops of essential oil for a nice smell. An alternative here, but slightly more expensive.
  • Drain unblocker: baking soda, white vinegar, boiling water - put some boiling water down the drain/toilet, add baking soda and white vinegar, leave for a few minutes. wash away with more boiling water.
  • Screen disinfectant: use the all purpose cleaner or some lemon to disinfect phone or laptop screens (spray on to a reusable cloth first and then wipe)
  • Hard water kettle cleaner: cut a lemon up and fill the kettle full with water with the lemon. Boil. Wait for the water to cool, wipe and rinse.
  • Microwave cleaner: lemon and water in a bowl, set to high power for a few minutes and then wipe clean.
  • Floor cleaner: white vinegar, soap nut concentrate, essential oil and hot water. An option to stop using mops is to invest in a steam mop.
  • Vacuum: opt for bagless and dispose waste in your organic waste or compost.

Utensils: (buy once old ones have ran out! Use old bottles/jars where you can) click the links for where to buy from ethical shops:


Links:


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