6 Easy Zero-Waste Cleaning Products for Busy Parents
Have you ever shuddered at the collection of plastic bottles on your cleaning shelf? What if I told you that you don’t need any of these products?
Do you accept this mountain of plastic and all those horrible toxins because you don’t know what to do or haven’t got time to do anything about it?
And have you seen some of the recipes out there?!
“Add Borax (what is that???) after having boiled your sodium bicarbonate until it undergoes a reaction and converts to sodium (mono)-carbonate…By the way did you remember your goggles and your hazmat suit? Oh good…’cos soon it’ll be sodium hydroxide…”.
I’m not even joking, this recipe is out there.
No suiting up in PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) necessary!
If you feel a bit put off by hard to source ingredients, difficult procedures and long waiting times, keep reading. Here are the 6 easiest recipes ever!
1. All-Purpose Cleaner/ Floor Cleaner
Ingredients:
60 ml (1/4 cup) White vinegar (you can buy this in a glass bottle)
6 tbsp lemon juice
2 drops of lavender oil or any other essential oil you like
OR
Citrus rinds
- For all purpose cleaning you can mix this with the same volume of water i.e. 1 part cleaner/1 part water. Put it in a spray bottle and use on any surface. Do NOT use on marble or stone*.
- As a floor cleaner you can throw the whole lot into a bucket and fill it with warm (not boiling) water and mop away.
*Vinegar is an acidic substance and can react and corrode certain surfaces. You’ll find a full list of materials that don’t tolerate vinegar at the end of the post.
2. Bathroom Scrub
Ingredients
180 ml/3/4 cup Bicarbonate of Soda/Baking Soda (buy bulk or large quantities if possible)
2–3 tbsp Hydrogen Peroxide (sold in an amber glass bottle)*
2–3 tbsp liquid castile soap (can be found in glass on Amazon)
- Mix these in a glass jar and then rub your bathtub and other surfaces using a cloth. Rinse. Clean!
- Note that this scrub doesn’t last long as the hydrogen peroxide breaks down when in contact with light. Make enough for a week and store in a dark cupboard.
*Hydrogen peroxide is a naturally occurring ingredient that is even produced in your own body to kill intruders. All natural substances have chemical names so don’t be afraid of the language. Peroxide simply means 2 x oxygens each bound to something (hydrogen in this case). Water is almost the same but it has only 1 oxygen. Natural doesn’t mean safe though. Be sure to keep out of the reach of children as H2O2 iscorrosive. It’s also a bleaching agent so careful with your clothes!
3. Washing-Up Liquid (Dishes)
Ingredients
3 lemons
100 ml white vinegar
200 g salt
200 ml water
- Slice the ends of the lemons off and discard. Put all the ingredients into a mixer and process until smooth.
- Pour into a pan and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring.
- Cool and use about 1 tbsp per sink-full of plates.
4. Dishwasher soap
- Put 3 drops of your new home-made washing-up liquid in the detergent compartment of the dishwasher.
- Fill 3/4 of the way up with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
- Fill the rest with salt
Run the dishwasher!
5. Laundry detergent
Ingredients
1 bar of soap, grated
2.5 L of water
3 tbsp sodium bicarbonate
a few drops of your favourite essential oil (optional)
- Warm the water in a pan. Add the grated soap until melted. Remove from the heat and let it cool.
- Add a few drops of your favourite oil if you want to alter the smell
6. Disinfectant (toilet, smelly dishcloths, mould) and clothes bleach
The All-Purpose Cleaner (1) is a natural disinfectant as it has vinegar. However it’s mild and sometimes we need a bit more clout. That’s when this one comes in.
Ingredients
Hydrogen Peroxide
Water
- 3–6% Hydrogen peroxide is enough to disinfect most things. If you have 35% Hydrogen peroxide, add approx. 165ml of it to a 1L container and top up to 1L with water for a 6% mix.
- Spray or pour onto or into things and leave it on for at least 10 minutes. You can wipe it off if you think the kids are going to touch it within the next few minutes. Otherwise there’s no need. Light will break the hydrogen peroxide down to water and oxygen, the only biproducts of this substance.
These are all the cleaning products I need in my home. The level of packaging you accept and what products you have available to you varies. You’ll have to investigate and see if you can get things in cardboard boxes or glass, and in large quantities.
As a working mother of 2 (not including their dad and the dog) I need simple hacks to live up to my own expectations. I’m not OK with accepting the pile of plastic, but boy is it hard to find alternatives when time is so short and precious.
But even worse is the thought that our inaction will mess up our children’s future and leave them fighting for what little resources are left.
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