It all seems a bit silly when you really think about it. We’ve been wiping chemical filled liquids over our homes and filling the air with chemically fumes. Only if it’s a real chemical stench do we think - “oo that smells really clean”.
We’ve been cleaning our baths with bleachy, chloriney, chemically nasties.. sloosh it out a bit.. then fill it up and sit in the chemical residue! We’ve been brainwashed into thinking we need to kill all bacteria, even though we really don’t and never have done. There’s good and bad bacteria. Anti bacterial doesn’t check which it is before it zaps it. We’ve been plugging in to freshen the air and breathing it in, washing our dishes in gawd knows what then eating off them.
My point, and I do have one (!), is that it’s really not good for us. We can all work out that it’s not good for the environment to pour all that stuff down the drains and into our water ways for the fish and plantlife to deal with. But it’s our own home environment we need to consider too. There’s lots of stats available about the carcinogenic effect of household products, but I don’t want overstay my welcome!
So when you need to replace a product in your cleaning armoury, think about whether there is a green alternative, or an old fashioned, traditional alternative. Or in the case of anti bacterials & air fresheners, think about whether you need it at all.
I’m a converted bleachy fiend.. I’m now a mean-green-cleaning-machine!
by Racheal from greenmop
Comments:
Great debut post Racheal, looking forward to reading lots more!
Nice article, but how about some practical suggestions and examples? Give us specifics of what you did, for example.
I started, as most people do by changing to Ecover washing up liquid and multi surface cleaner. And once I started to trust that they worked just the same as my old favourites, I got braver and moved on to try Bio-D brand too (they’re a less well known British company), as well as traditional, old fashioned things like vinegar and bicarb. I’ve now replaced all chemical products under my sink and in my bathroom. There is a green alternative for any household chore. If there is anything that anyone struggles to replace, then I can point you in the right direction (I struggled to give up was Shower Shine for example - vinegar, water & lemon juice in the old Shower Shine bottle keeps my shower door streak free and is a lot cheaper!)
Hi Racheal,
What can I use to regularly keep my sinks flowing cleanly?
I currently use strong chemical based products but this seems to damage the chrome finishing around the plug whole.
Good old fashioned cure for this one. Bicarbonate of Soda, about half a cup or so poured down the plug. Flush it down with a kettle full of boiling water. Doing this little job regularly will keep it all clean and fresh. If it’s a bit clogged up, you can boil up some white vinegar and use that instead of the water. That’ll shift it! All bio degradable and friendly… and cheap!
Great tip, thanks Rachael.
Thanks Racheal,
I’ll try it and tell you how I get on
I’ve had another tip for drains from my mum! She said that Soda Crystals can also be used to clean and clear drains. Make up a hot solution of the crystals and pour to disolve grease and grime. Top tip from my mum Barb eh!
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