It’s day 23 of #GreenBookFairies and we are addressing the plastic and toxic problems around cleaning in the home!
The problem:
The average household contains about 62 toxic chemicals, say environmental experts. 53% of common household cleaners contain lung harming ingredients cause respiratory infections and asthma in babies and children who were exposed prenatally. This is not to mention what the ingredients do to our food chain as they leach into the earth. (Environmental Working Group) Not to mention that the vast majority of products are cased in plastic.
The solutions:
There are two choices really: either make greener choices with the brands and products you buy… OR make your own!
- Choose great brands! Look out for brands focussed on natural, recyclable, ethically sourced products
- Raid the cupboards! Baking soda and white vinegar are great for cleaning many items (recipes on the blog)
- Use water! Slow running drain? Pour a kettle of boiling water down – you’d be surprised how effective it is! An alternative is baking soda + vinegar
- Think about scrubbers! Those plastic scourers take thousands of years to biodegrade, so make the switch to natural fibres like cotton or hessian
A recipe for an all-purpose cleaner:
Makes a 100ml bottle
32ml white vinegar
160ml distilled water
20 drops lemon essential oil
20 drops lavender essential oil
lemon peel
Put the oils and the vinegar in a 100ml glass bottle. Mix them.
Add the water and shake.
A Recipe for toilet fizzers:
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup Citric acid
30 drops Lemon essential oil
Mix it together with a splash of water in a mold – you can use ice cube trays! Let sit for 24h and it’s ready to go!
Fairy verdict:
“At first, swapping out our regular cleaning products for healthier ones may seem like a difficult task. But ingredients as easy to find as white vinegar, castile soap, alcohol or essential oils, are enough to make our own cleaning products, and also give us the opportunity to reuse the bottles we have at home. For months now I have not used any cleaning product that is not made by me.”
Manme, Madrid
