Clean and green
Claire November 7th, 2012
When I was 12, I was certain that one day I would go off to the Amazon to save the rainforest, or stop a whaling ship, or something. Needless to say I clearly was wrong in the predictions I had about my life. My current job is managing a network of advice centres on behalf of the Citizens Advice Bureau, and is as stressful as it sounds, the amount of eczema on my hands being testament to that. I don’t teach as much as I used to, either because the classes aren’t running due to lack of numbers, or mainly because I don’t seem to have the time or energy to do 2 or 3 classes per week on top of working full time. Over time I have realised that I need to simplify my life, slow down a little bit and take care not just of those I love, but myself and my home and my bit of the environment. I’m de-cluttering (hell, I sooo need to keep doing that!) and organising, trying to regain my love of cooking, enjoying the simple things like crocheting blankets to welcome new additions to the world, and have less stress both in my head and on my body, whilst trading a little more lightly on the planet.
One of the things I realised , and has been a good thing to come out of having itchy, sore, unsightly (and frequently quite painful) eczema on my hands is the amount of chemicals that we use in our homes that affect us and the environment. After cleaning the bathroom recently with a spray made by a well known UK manufacturer, I could barely breathe, my sinuses were so sore at the amount of perfume and chemicals that were in it. The state of my hands was appalling too, even though most of the time when I am cleaning I use gloves. Cleaning the kitchen was the same. Something had to change; I don’t remember my family using that many products when I was a child, our home was always scrupulously clean but wasn’t filled with harsh chemicals. I remember my mother knowing all sorts of things to use to remove stains, washing dishes with soda rather than washing up liquid, cleaning windows with vinegar and newspaper way before it became “fashionable” to do it the old fashioned way. So I started to think about making my own cleaning products. I know that out there are a hundred and one ways you can use the most random of things to clean (like banana skins to polish shoes), but in all honesty I don’t have either the time or the head space to be that green. I do, however want to be able to use products like I have been doing efficiently but know what goes into them, and not suffer any ill effects afterwards. So I did a bit of research.
The main ingredients that everyone seems to recommend are:
- Bicarbonate of soda (sodium bicarbonate)
- Borax
- Vinegar (distilled white, not malt!)
- Lemons
- Castile soap (which is made from olive oil)
- Essential oils
All of which I can get locally, don’t cost much (apart from the essential oils, but I already have a few of those) and will enable me to make lots and lots of cleaning products really quite cheaply. I also decided to get myself some new bottles that could be re-used (I ordered mine from here as they were the cheapest I found in the UK with no minimum order) although as bottles become free (I’m not going to throw away what I have, that wouldn’t be very green, although I don’t have much to use up) I will start to clean them and use them too.
I found lots of recipes online from lots of different sites, so I thought I would collect the ones I have been trying here as a printable PDF of Thrifty and green cleaning recipes for you – as I try out new recipes I will add to them and update them.
The ones I really like are the shower spray (I usually use Method cleaners, which is great, environmentally friendly but not cheap) – my washing up liquid was orange scented, so to add to it I added a couple of drops of orange Essential Oil too, and my shower after doing a quick wipe round sparkled and smelled great. I also love the linen spray – I used it to freshen up the curtains in our dining room and it smells lovely. I think next time I will try orange flower water (get it at your supermarkets in the baking section) and some orange essential oil to mix it up a bit, or maybe rosewater and patchouli…..? And the Lemon and lime clean everything spray. I have also tried the Bergamot laundry booster which smells gorgeous and is much, much cheaper than buying the usual oxygen releasing cleaners (and better for your skin too), and have put this in a cleaned up tub of the previous sort.
These don’t take long to make (I spent about half an hour making lotions and potions, and quite enjoyed it) so it’s no excuse to say that you don’t have the time to do it and buying products is quicker and cheaper! I got my bicarb from the pound shop, the vinegar was super cheap in Wilcos, or local supermarkets/ shops. We’re lucky in Nottingham to have a stall on the indoor market called Aladdin’s cave that stocks all the dry goods, including Borax, alongside all sorts of hardware, crockery, roasting dishes, and random bits like you find in Lakeland, only much, much cheaper. The whole stall smells of moth balls and carbolic soap though, so if you don’t like the smell, I wouldn’t visit! If you want to find Castille soap most health food shops sell it, or you can find it online. Once you have things bought, you’ll be able to make lots of these cleaning products for a long time, so its much more economical in the long run.
As with everything there are some warnings as these ingredients, although common household items, are still chemicals. Borax (or as is usual to get in the UK, Borax substitute) can irritate your skin, so wear gloves. Essential oils are strong, and some are not recommended for use if you are pregnant, so be wary when you’re using them. Strong acids like in the lemon and lime cleaner whilst will kill germs and smells will also damage marble, if you have any. And remember to label your bottles!
On the whole, I now feel that I can clean without burning my sinuses, it will damage the environment less and cost less, so my home and self are going to be much better off for it. So whilst I am not saving the Amazonian rain forest, I do feel that I can do my little bit to minimise my impact on the environment, keeping both my 12 year old and 36 year old selves happy.
Have you tried making your own cleaning products at all? If you have any recipes or tips drop me a line or add a comment to share!