Home Cleaning the Zero-Waste Way
It’s Virgo season and Spring is in the air!
There’s just something about this time of year that feels like a fresh start or new beginning. I like to tap into this energy by doing a full blown spring clean out of my home, and generally find that cleaning out my space, clears up my head-space as well.
2020 has been all about my zero waste journey (read about how and why it all began here) whereby I have focused on zero-wasting different aspects of life each month. September is all about spring cleaning my home the zero waste way.
To me, zero-waste spring cleaning extends all the way from the cleaning products you use to how you dispose of the dirt/waste you end up tidying up, so before embarking on your annual spring clean, here are some zero-waste tips on how to clean in a planet friendly manner:
CLEANING PRODUCTS
Not many people tend to think about the impact their cleaning supplies and materials have on both themselves and the environment, and yet these are products that we tend to use (and be exposed to) every day.
Most household cleaning products are sold in single use, non biodegradable plastic bottles or packaging and contain super corrosive chemicals that end up being disposed of in drains and thereafter natural water sources and the sea.
The impact of these chemicals in our water is undeniable. All you have to do is imagine how damaging your bucket water would be to your plants to imagine the impact on the greater environment. Not only that, but if you take the time to imagine the micro-particles than you inhale from these chemicals or that are absorbed into your body when they come in contact with your skin, it becomes more and more appealing to source cleaning products that are planet and human friendly, and more often than not that means finding cleaning products made of natural and non-corrosive substances.
So, in keeping with this, to help you shift to zero-waste cleaning here are some cleaning product brands I love and why:
The Apothecary:
The Apothecary is a great and proudly South African zero-waste brand that sell incredible zero-waste cleaning supplies. I have found their products to be super affordable, effective and long lasting and for that reason I would highly recommend them.
Most of the products I use from The Apothecary are in dry form such as dish-washing salts, laundry salts and bleech powder to name just a few.
They have built their brand around the values of sustainability and being planet (and human) friendly and so all of their products are purposefully made to be kind to grey water systems, beneficial to septic tanks and helpful in keeping pipes and drains clear and safe. Their products are made from natural ingredients that are considered safe for consumption, used in foods and have medicinal uses. So while you may not want to eat your dish washing soap, its incredibly reassuring to know that these products will leave no harmful residues, emit no noxious fumes and will readily break down into benign substances that won’t effect your health.
One of the other important factors to consider when buying cleaning products (especially those like laundry products or dish-washing products) is the effect they will have if they come into contact with your skin. Luckily, all of The Apothecary’s products are either fragrance-free or scented with therapeutic essential oils making them safe for sensitive skins – a huge plus!
Lastly, in terms of packaging all of The Apothecary cleaning products are packaged completely without plastic. They use paper and compostable bio-plastic for all of their dry products and glass and metal for our liquids and they even allow clients to return used packaging for re-use!
products I would recommend from The Apothecary:
laundry salts, oxidative bleech, citrus vinegar
In terms of specific products, my favorite buys from The Apothecary are their laundry salts (which I find last longer than the liquid alternatives other brands sell) as well their oxidative bleech which is super effective while still being safe. Finding zero-waste and safe bleech for cleaning is a zero-waste dream, so its needless to say that after finding this product, I haven’t looked back.
The Apothecary also sell Citrus Infused Vinegar as a cleaning product which I LOVE.
My mom always used to praise white spirit vinegar and its multi-purpose functionality in the home, so finding a product that smells like oranges while having the magic powers of vinegar was a god-send for me on my zero-waste journey. You can check out all of the Apothecary products here.
Natural Orange:
Natural Orange are a South African brand that focus solely on eco-friendly cleaning products. Their products are mainly in liquid form and The Nest Space sells their dish washing liquid, laundry liquid and all purpose cleaning gel in bulk. Having used the Natural Orange products myself, I can honestly say that their products are effective while still being natural, non toxic and safe to use. Another factor that makes Natural Orange appealing to me is the fact that I can buy their product according to volume. This not only means that I can buy according to my budget, but it also means that I can fill up my own containers while shopping which is perfect and in keeping with living zero waste.
products I would recommend from Natural Orange:
dish washing liquid and all purpose gel
I particularly like this brand’s dishwashing liquid which I feel lasts longer and works better than the non-natural and non zero-waste alternatives, as well as their All Purpose Gel which I use for cleaning my bathroom and toilet. Both products leave a lovely citrus smell around the house and are soft on the skin. Check out all the Natural Orange products sold at The Nest Space here.
Mare and Itis Shoppe:
The third and final cleaning product brand that I have recently begun using for cleaning and freshening up my home is Mare and Itis Shoppe. They are also proudly South African and zero-waste, and are black female owned, which is basically eco-warrior gold in my eyes.
Mare and Itis Shoppe is owned by female entrepreneur ‘Anele’ who has built her company around making quality products that are affordable, natural and zero-waste, accessible to the South African market. Her brand is inspired by everything natural meaning that all of their products are non-toxic and eco-conscious, using plant based ingredients with none of the hectic chemicals most cleaning products contain.
products I would recommend from Mare and Itis Shoppe:
zesty kitchen cleaner, linen spray and hand sanitizer
In terms of products I love from Mare and Itis its definitely got to be their kitchen cleaner, linen spray and hand sanitizer.
The Zesty Kitchen cleaner is to die for guys! It smells amazing, easily cuts through grease and feels gentle on the skin while still getting to all of those stubborn kitchen stains we are all familiar with battling with. This along with the Citrus Infused Vinegar from the Apothecary really get the job done nicely when it comes to kitchen cleaning.
I also like to use the Mare and Itis Rose Linen Spray every time I change my linen and put on new sheets. After combining this with the laundry salts from The Apothecary when I wash my linen, I basically feel like I’m sleeping on a cloud every night.
Mare and Itis also sell a variety of skin based products which I haven’t personally tried yet, but if their cleaning supplies are anything to go by, I can imagine that they would be amazing too. The hand sanitizer I use from them contains tea tree and lemongrass essential oils (my favorite!) and leaves my hands feeling soft and smelling great every-time I use it. You can check out all of the Mare and Itis Shoppe products here.
CLEANING TOOLS
Once you’ve bought your cleaning products, the next thing to change up is the actual tools you use to scrub, brush and clean with.
Most cleaning brushes or sponges are made of plastic and/or have plastic bristles making them non-biodegradable and unfriendly to the planet. They also tend to break pretty easily meaning that you have to replace them fairly regularly thereby increasing their accumulative cost. In contrast, he zero-waste equivalents are usually made from wood and biodegradable materials such as coconut or bamboo fibers making them great for the planet, longer lasting and more beautiful too!
Unlike my cleaning products which I buy from the different brands mentioned above, I have just one brand which I use for my cleaning tools: Natural Life.
Natural Life
Natural Life are a local and female owned zero waste brand who I use to buy beautiful and high quality zero waste cleaning brushes and scrubbing tools. Not only are their products beautifully made but they are affordable and purposefully made to be durable which makes them super economical in the long run.
products I would recommend from Natural Life:
all of their cleaning essentials
Natural life have cleaning brushes for all purposes (pot scrubbing, cleaning bottles etc) plus their super cute and hand embroidered Hemp Scrubbies are the perfect (and durable) alternative to every day sponges for cleaning dishes or wiping surfaces.
All of the Natural Life brushes have bamboo handles which are long lasting and naturally anti-microbial, and they use either coconut or palm fibers as the brush bristles making them 100% biodegradable and eco friendly. I absolutely love my brushes from Natural Life, they are so beautifully made, and I would highly recommend them. Tracy (the owner of Natural Life) is also super friendly and approachable making shopping and asking questions about the different products a breeze. You can browse through the full range of Natural Life cleaning essentials here.
Dirty Disposal
The last aspect of zero-waste cleaning is about how to dispose of the dirt afterwards and this is something I’m personally still working on. I’ve been on the hunt for biodegradable rubbish bin bags for AGES and only just recently found a brand called Bonnie Bio who sell certified compostable bio-plastic bags. Their bags are sold in many different sizes and are made from “polylactic acid” or PLA which is made from renewable resources like corn starch or sugar cane making it biodegradable and compostable!
I haven’t tried the Bonnie Bio bags just yet but I definitely plan to and think that having compostable rubbish bags would be a great way to make sure that my home cleaning is zero-waste from start to finish. I’ll make sure to write up a review of their products soon, but in the meantime you can browse through their website here.
So there you have it folks, all of my tips and tricks when it comes to cleaning your home from kitchen, to laundry to bathroom – all done the zero-waste way!
All of the products mentioned above are local, affordable, easily sourced, natural and safe and in most cases they are cheaper and more effective than the usual brands. I used to think that living zero-waste and in an eco-friendly way was cumbersome, inconvenient and expensive but the more I commit to doing it the more I realize that this is completely untrue.
Zero-waste living is easy, fun and the right way to be going about life given our planet’s current state. It’s a fun and rewarding journey and if I can do it, so can you!