Time to consider Eco-friendly cleaning products

Now that we find ourselves at home a lot more than we expected, many of us have taken to a bit of spring cleaning!  

Kitchen presses get pulled out, the bathroom has never been cleaner as we try to obliterate any nasty germs or virus that may find themselves on our surfaces.

But have you ever thought about the impact your household cleaning products have on our environment? It’s somewhat an oxymoron, given that these so-called ‘cleaning products’ may actually doing quite the opposite to our planet.

As everyone rushes out to buy boxes of bleach and disinfectant, have a think about what impact these products may have on your own and your family’s health.

Because, what do we really know about what goes into these products? Are there other alternatives?

We had a look…

As we are are constantly moving towards a state of ‘autopilot’ in our increasingly busy lives – balancing and scheduling our busy social & work  and home lives, how often do we really stop to think about what we are putting into our trolley?

Do we actually really stop to think twice about that ‘bleach’ bottle for the toilet, or that ‘flash’ spray for the kitchen? How often do we genuinely think about the wider effects and ramifications it has on our homes and on our lives….?

Have you ever glanced at, or looked into, the ingredients printed on the the back of the bottles? It does make for some sobering reading and if were able to understand half of what the ingredients actually were – I think we would think twice about bringing them into our homes!

I know I didn’t really pay attention before – but that’s all changed!  And, as soon as I thought about it, I found that I really started to question whether we really needed half of these products at all!  I started to look into alternative, eco-friendly products (and there are lots!).

But it wasn’t just the health effects that bothered me. I also wanted to start becoming proactive in playing my part in the environmental crisis in our local communities and across the world. Because, by simply questioning what we bring into our homes on a daily basis, it helps us to make more of a conscious effort to lessen our impact on the environment.

The most simplest and effective habit to create is to carry-out an eco-essential home swap – which, these days, is easier than I thought. It also saves a lot on the weekly shopping budget! Have a look at your household, chemical cleaning products that you buy on a regular basis and see what alternatives are out there in the market. There are lots of eco friendly, non-toxic, asthma & allergy aware, cruelty free ones…. and they will make a world of difference, literally! 🌿

But we also suggest that you can make lots of really effective cleaning products – from materials you probably already have in the kitchen!

Here are a few basic items that will really help you out…

• RawVibrant Living Apple cider vinegar
• Bicaronate of soda
• freshly squesszed citrus fruits (lemons, lime, oranges etc)
• water
• fresh herbs & flowers (rosemary, lavender, etc)

It’s never too late to start!

Share your Eco stories with us – email eco@wasted.ie