“Green” Cleaning - Alison Hallowell
If, like me, you would like to cut down on the use of harsh (and in some cases harmful) chemicals when cleaning your home but are somewhat horrified at the price on some of the “eco-friendly” products on the market, then maybe you need look no further than your kitchen cupboards. Many everyday items that we use in cooking are actually really useful when it comes to cleaning and freshening your home. There are 3 in particular that I use regularly that do a great job and are safe for humans and the environment. Do give them a try!
Lemons
Clean and freshen your microwave by popping a slice of lemon (or half a used one) into a bowl with a little water and microwave on full power for a minute or two until steaming. Leave for another minute or two and then wipe the inside. (Dried on food will be softened and so will wipe off easily and the microwave will smell fresh)
To descale a kettle put juice of a lemon as well as lemon skins into a kettle and cover with water. Bring to boil then leave for 30 minutes. Empty and rinse.
Use a squirt of lemon juice on a damp cloth to wipe round the seals on your fridge door to kill/prevent bacteria, mould or mildew.
Vinegar (never use neat on natural stone or wood)
Wash windows and mirrors with warm soapy water then spray with spirit vinegar. Wipe with a damp cloth then polish with soft dry cloth for a streak free shine.
Use a little vinegar in warm water and use to wipe down wooden furniture before applying polish. (Make sure you squeeze the cloth well first)
Vinegar is known to help in the removal of mildew and mould so is useful when cleaning bathroom tiles and shower curtains.
Bicarbonate of soda
A paste made of bicarbonate of soda and water can be used to clean your stove and oven doors. Apply with a brush, leave overnight and wipe.
A teaspoon of bicarb topped up with warm water and left overnight can clean a cloudy/smelly vase.
Bicarbonate of soda dissolved in water can clean and eliminate smells in fridges, lunch boxes and plastic containers. A sprinkling of bicarb can freshen/deodorise carpets, upholstery and smelly trainers (leave for 15 minutes before vacuuming or tipping out).
Bicarb is useful for removing stains from china cups and teapots as well as porcelain sinks. You can either dissolve in warm water and soak or sprinkle and rub with a soft cloth.
These are just a few examples of ways to use these products. There are lots of other ways to use them in your home and plenty of websites to give you other ideas. Hope you find them useful!
Purley Sustainability Group - How “Green” are your Whites? Alison Hallowell
Have you noticed that we seem to be constantly bombarded by advertisements for products promising to make our laundry look brighter, feel softer and smell fresher? Of course these products do a great job but many of them are expensive, contain chemicals which can be harmful to the environment and potentially our own health and are arguably unnecessary.
Common ingredients in these products are phosphates which cause harm to rivers and lakes and those plants and creatures living there. Many products contain sodium sulphates, chlorine bleach, synthetic perfumes and optical brighteners which have been shown to be harmful to the environment and to human health in some cases.
About 2 years ago I decided to do some research to see what changes I could make for a greener, healthier and cheaper wash! I will share some of what I discovered.
Save money and water by washing at a lower temperature and make sure that you wash a full load whenever possible. (According to Thames Water an average washing cycle uses roughly 80 litres of water.) Washing at a lower temperature (20 or 30 degrees) will save power and also reduces the number of plastic microfibres released into the rinse water when washing synthetic fabrics. For those who are able to, do hang washing out to dry whenever possible. It will save money and power and you get that lovely fresh air smell on your clothes!
Have a look at the information on labels of laundry products. Many of them will say “harmful to aquatic life”. Maybe think about switching to an eco-friendly brand? Unfortunately the brands stocked by supermarkets can be expensive. If, like me, you don’t have time to make your own detergent using ivy or conkers (lots of recipes for these on line if you do!) an alternative solution is to buy from local companies who offer refills of different eco friendly products including laundry products. We are fortunate to have some local companies, for example, Thatcham Refillable, who visit Purley once a month and also deliver in the area or The Loose Larder and Garlands Organic in Pangbourne. Not only are the products safe for the environment and cheaper than the supermarket brands, refilling existing containers cuts down on plastic pollution.
Many products that you may have in the kitchen cupboard can also help your washing to be more “green”. White vinegar is a natural water softener, kills some germs and breaks down limescale. I use it instead of fabric conditioner with a few drops of lavender essential oil. (No more yucky detergent drawer!) Stains can be loosened by soaking overnight in cold water with vinegar and washing soda (sodium carbonate) before washing in the machine. Bicarbonate of Soda can also be used in your washing to brighten fabrics and acts as a deodoriser.
This next one might be a bit controversial! Apparently we tend to “overwash” our clothes causing damage to the fibres, using power, water and detergent needlessly and causing clothes to have a much shorter life. So if outer garments aren’t dirty once worn I tend to pop then on a hanger somewhere well ventilated for them to air before putting them away for another day.
Apparently a CEO of Levi jeans (Charles Bergh), when asked how often jeans should be washed, replied hardly ever and never in a washing machine. He advocated wearing them into the shower if they are really dirty and washing them with soap and water just as if you are washing your legs! That certainly saves on water and detergent!
If we all make one small change just think how that would help our environment!
If you would like to find out more about cleaning without harmful chemicals I highly recommend two books by Nancy Birtwhistle – “Green Living Made Easy” and “Clean and Green” published by panmacmillan.com. In her own words these books contain “hints, tips and hacks to save time and money and to make your home more eco-friendly”
Got a top tip for sustainability? Want to share it?