5 Tips to Clean the Eco-Friendly Way

Easy steps you can take to switch to eco-friendly cleaning

When you need to give the kitchen or bathroom a good deep clean, what items do you usually go for? Before I started my plastic-free journey, my go-to cleaning utensils always included a pair of cheap rubber gloves, cleaning sponges, and microfibre towels. What do these all have in common? They contain plastic! Finding quality plastic-free alternatives was essential in my journey to a low-waste lifestyle.

Replacing these cheap items with eco-friendly cleaning products made me that little bit more excited to do my dreaded weekly cleaning (if that's even possible...) because I had a newfound awareness of the ingredients that I was using. It was surprisingly much easier than I expected it to be.

Now I've made the switches, I'm here to share our top 5 tips for eco-friendly cleaning so you can do the same.

1. Use natural and biodegradable products

There are now so many plastic-free cleaning alternatives. These rubber gloves are made from FSC certified latex and do not contain any plastic, unlike their supermarket alternatives. Compostable cleaning sponges are another perfect product to swap with your plastic sponges. It's important to remember that biodegradable does not necessarily mean compostable. Understanding how to dispose of your products is just as important as the contents of the product you are using.

2. Make your own eco-friendly cleaning products

Learning how to make some of your own cleaning products is a lot of fun, immensely rewarding, and saves you money. Some simple things to make on your own are an all-purpose cleaner, floor cleaner, liquid dish soap, and laundry detergent. Common ingredients for making your own household cleaners are apple cider or white vinegar, Castile soap, and essential oils. There are lots of different things you can try and experiment making! 

3. Look for natural ingredients including natural scents (such as essential oils)

Using natural ingredients just means that they come directly from the Earth and are not processed or created with manmade chemicals. Fragrances and perfumes are made of a concoction of chemicals that are harmful to your skin, respiratory system, and the environment. We recommend searching for eco-friendly cleaning products that are fragrance-free, use naturally-derived ingredients, and/or are scented only by essential oils.

4. Use cleaning sachets for your liquid cleaners

Cleaning sachets can help to significantly reduce the amount of plastic that we use, by offering pods that dissolve in water to create a cleaning solution. Reusing one of the pesky plastic cleaning bottles that you currently have means that you won’t ever need to buy another one, and you can purchase the pods for any of your cleaning needs, such as all-purpose, floor, glass, or bathroom cleaner.

5. Search for eco-friendly packaging such as glass, cardboard or even PCR (post-consumer recycled)

Let’s be honest, anything is better than single-use plastic! Some wonderfully eco-friendly companies have started using post-consumer recycled plastic packaging which just means that the plastic has been fully recycled and is an environmentally-friendly alternative to virgin plastic. Glass or cardboard packaging is of course better because it can be composted or repurposed, and these packaging solutions are now quite common for household cleaning supplies. 

Conclusion

Diving into a plastic-free lifestyle doesn’t need to feel overwhelming, and that’s why we like to break down this journey into smaller steps. Shifting your awareness to single items in your household that can be swapped out makes for a gentle transition that doesn’t feel like you need to change your entire life all at once. Eco-friendly cleaning products are just one way to start making changes in your household. 

Do you have any favourite eco-friendly cleaning tips? Share with us in the comments below.