I love to recycle, of course I do, but the other day after squeezing another plastic bottle into my recycling wheelie bin, I got to thinking about the products I regularly use and how I could cut down on my recycling waste.
After a quick survey of my cupboards, the main culprits responsible for my regular bulky-bin dilemma were household cleaning products, particularly the super-cumbersome laundry detergent bottles.
Despite all being eco-friendly brands, their packaging, albeit recyclable, were not as green as they could be – I mean, why should I have to keep recycling a perfect good bottle when I could just re-fill it over and over again?
It’d seem I’m not the only one to have had thought this, let me introduce you to Angus Grahame’s innovative new brand, Splosh.
Shaking up the way cleaning products are commonly produced and retailed, Splosh strips away all of the un-environmentally-friendly aspects and costs of standard cleaning products to deliver a range of re-fillable concentrate products that are mailed straight to your door.
How does Splosh work?
To begin Splosh-ing, simply order a starter kit, which contains a bottle for laundry detergent, washing up liquid, toilet cleaner and a kitchen cleaner bottle- all with a dissolvable concentrate sachet included, through Splosh’s website. This is then delivered direct to your door.
To ‘make’ your detergent, just unscrew the bottle cap, fill with hot water from the tap, not boiling, the water just has to be hot enough to dissolve the sachet.
Once dissolved, this takes a couple of minutes, and with a quick shake you’re ready to go.
Later, when you’ve run out, simply order your refills through Splosh’s website and a day or two later your refills will be arrive through your letterbox. That’s it!
By re-thinking and re-packaging household detergents in this way, Splosh’s eco cleaning products not only reduce the volume of plastic recycling waste (up to 95%), they reduce transportation CO2 emissions too as only small sachets are shipped, instead of large bottles of detergent which are 95% water anyway!
Splosh is also more convenient, rather than have to lug heavy detergent bottles home in your shopping, the re-fill sachets are mailed straight to your door in a handy, letterbox size box, so you don’t even to be at there to take delivery of them.
As well as smelling delicious, Splosh’s fragrances are derived from natural, essential oils including Lavender, Lime and Cedarwood, I also love that Splosh’s reusable bottles are stylishly branded, white with funky black icons, it’s a pity they are hidden away in a cupboard!
Finally price, it’d be fair to assume that as a new, eco-friendly, mail order brand Splosh would be expensive, but you’d be mistaken.
Cheaper than most leading eco-cleaning brands, Splosh is very competitive on price; in fact a bottle of Splosh bathroom cleaner is 99p compared to a leading eco competitor’s, which retails at £2.24.
I really like to Splosh, like all great eco-innovations, it’s simple but makes a big difference, by saving time, money and waste, as well as being good for the environment, I think it’s a real winner. But, don’t just take my word for it, have a try yourself.
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white vinegar - cleans so many things - particualarly good for limescale - soak a tissue in it and leave it wrapped around taps overnight.
Oh yes, I like to use white vinegar Heather, especially with bicarbonate of soda to unblock and clean my sink’s plug hole and drain - it’s like a mini chemistry experiment in my kitchen
Hi Lyndsey, what brilliant idea, not only are we entering the competition but I’m ordering a starter kit right now. What a brilliant idea!
With thanks, Carol & the Fordy Towers team
X
Thanks Carol! You definitely won’t be disappointed, hey and if you win, you can always pass your prize onto one of your family or friends
My favourite green clean cleaning tip is lots of microfibre cloths. They only need water to work. Just have one handy in the bathroom or kitchen to wipe up spills, clean up toothpaste or give the floor a clean. Just wash and reuse!
I use Olive Oil to clean my stainless steel kitchen gadgets
I have bought a fabulous trendy new oven which with the slightest touch leaves smudges allover it , i use a tiny amount of olive oil to clean smudges from alot of my kitchen appliances and if that doesnt work white vinegar with lemon juice is excellent for liting the grease x
use microfiber cloths for a lot of cleaning
I use Vinegar and lemon juice.
Me too, they’re so versatile.
My favorite tip is to use vinegar to clean your windows. It’s cheaper and healthier then conventional cleaner and it leaves windows sparkling
Thanks Jennifer - what would we do without white vinegar!
I use plastic scrubbers used for showers has pan cleaners works wonders
I use bicarbonate of soda to deodorise the fridge, lemon juice on the draining board to get a sparkle and use a baby steriliser tablet mixed with a bit of washing up liquid and water in a spray bottle to keep my kitchen surfaces clean
Being a simple male doing my best to keep things clean, I am rather in need of tips than giving them but I do find the packets of small rectangular spongy units are useful for cleaning around the oven , and microwave etc.
Thanks K! You’ve come to the right place for top cleaning tips - especially the ones that are kind on your pocket and the environment
These look like fantastic items, I have a tip, but I may be missing the point of commenting so apologies if I am, but you can descale a kettle using Coke!! This really does work, in actual fact, Coke is pretty good for cleaning lots of things…hence why i don’t drink it lol!
I agree Elyse, Coke has mean cleaning properties. My young sons weren’t convinced as to how ‘powerful’ it was at cleaning, until I showed them what it does to a dirty penny. Needless to say, they don’t ask to drink it any more!
Bicarbonate of soda is great for cleaning the oven.
Hot water down the kitchen/bathroom drain will usually cure minor blockages, rather than using chemicals.
To clean my wood burner glass I use screwed up newspaper, spit and ash from the fire. It comes up a treat!
Thanks for sharing this Mary, I’m hoping to get a wood burner soon, so this tip will definitely come in handy.
Using microfibre clothes
I use a white vinegar to clean,
I use vinegar to remove limescale from the shower head.
Me too Kathleen, doesn’t it work a treat!
Stop buying kitchen towel and use microfibre or cleaning cloths instead. Much better for the environment and cheaper too!
Disinfectant: Instead of bleach, make your own disinfectant by mixing 2 cups of water, 3 tablespoons of liquid soap and 20 to 30 drops of tea tree oil. It’s easy!
Put vinegar in the water before washing windows it removes greasy smears
Thanks John for this tip, I’ll definitely give it a whirl!
Use a toothbrush to clean around taps, plug holes, and those awkward little places using white vinegar
i pour vinegar into my electric kettle around a quarter of the way up then boil it and leave to stand overnight
its great for de-scaling
make sure you dont pour more in or it bubbles up and spills everywhere
I’ve not tried this tip, it’s a great one - I’ll be sure to take your advice about not-overfilling, sounds like you’ve learnt this one from experience
White vinegar and salt in equal proportions will clean your brass beautifully
White vinegar and lemon juice, cleans and smells fresh
use microfiber as often as possible - saves money too!
Use e-cloths as much as possible
some lemon juice in water in the microwave takes smells aways
i like to put any leftover lemon in my fridge as it destroys any odours.
Brilliant Kirsty, plus the other half of the leftover lemon, in a small bowl of water, is great for deodorizing the microwave.
sprinkle bicarbonate of Soda on to your carpets with a sprinkling of essential oil of choice ,leave for a few minute and then vacumn up,freshens a carpet nicely.
Great tip Sara - homemade, eco Shake and Vac!
Raw potatoes with a splash of washing up liquid is great at removing burnt on food from pans/woks
elbow greese is best
Ha, Ha - couldn’t agree more - that’s what my dad always recommended
newspaper for cleanig windows
I use a tiny drop of baby oil on my stainless steel. It leaves it streak free and shiny
Ooh, I’ll try this one. I sometimes use cucumber slices, it’s great for cleaning off tarnish and it leaves it smelling great!
Use bicarbonate of soda to clean the fridge , gets it clean and get rid of any nasty smells
……..elbow grease works wonders
Vinegar will remove lime scale from taps.
Put vinegar in plastic bag, attach to tap with tape, leave overnight.
Taps should be scale free in the morning.
white vinegar is my saviour 9 times out of 10! love it
Buy micro fibre cloths for the bathroom, dusting and doing the windows. They clean well with only water. Then you don’t have to use chemicals. Great for the environment and my pocket.
Try to use natural products as they are far better for the environment
I use baking soda for everything!!! From cleaning toilets to cleaning my face!
Wrapping taps in plastic bags full of vinegar or bicarb to get rid of limescale.
lemon juice with some water in the microwave for 2 mins leaves it smelling lovely and cleans it to with a wipe of a cloth
Baking soda is great for the oven.
white vinegar with lemon juice for liting the grease
I think the easiest thing to do on a daily basis is make sure that anything you are not using needs to be turned off - lights, appliances, anything. As well as being water conscious - don’t have long showers, only use what you need - thats we we do and of course never ever litter - we need to look after this world
Couldn’t agree more Laura, thanks for sharing your top tips
Using tumble drier balls instead of chemical-filled fabric softner
Using what nature intended.
use baking soda cheap, easy and green
Elbow Grease!!!!! Vinegar for cleaning windows!
use white vinegar to clean and lemons
Vinegar (and newspaper) for windows
microfiber cloths are the best
cut up old clothes to use as cloths
Newspaper for windows
Left over Lemon in a small bowl of water and microwave for 5 minutes. Cleans microwave a treat.
It certainly does Allan - plus it leaves the microwave smelling lovely
Bicarbonate of soda is fab for its things
Vinegar and lemon juice always work well or white wine to clear a red wine spill
A liberal dose of soda crystals added to the drum of my washing machine is brilliant for softening the water, Soda crystals also brings cut glass up a treat, and works wonderfully on burnt pan bottoms and they are great for unblocking drains when used with boiling hot water, white vinegar is great for descaling the kettle and shower heads.
Great tips Helly, thanks for sharing. I can vouch for soda crystals cleaning burnt pan bottoms, had to use them when I overcooked some popcorn - oops!
I use Vinegar,and Lemon juice to clean windows,leaves them nice and shiny
I love cleaning the drains with bicarbonate soda and lemon juice.
I leave things to soak in cold water for an hour before washing if they’re stained
Put white vinegar in kettle and boil it to remove limescale, then if you have moss growing in your driveway pour the hot vinegar over that (two birds with one stone!!)
I save money and stay green by using everyday ingredients around the home such as vinegar for the windows x
water & vinegar is great for cleaning the windows
vinegar can be used for allsorts especially limescale in the bathroom
Bicarb for cleaning and deoderising. Gets my stainless steel sink sparkling!
Keep old toothbrushes and use them to clean with, they are very versatile
Yes, this is a good idea. Toothbrushes are such a waste of plastic, although I have heard Terracycle with Aquafresh run collections, however none are operational at the moment.
Bicarb is great for absorbing odours
using lemon juice
My husband heard on a radio station that we can use splosh in our fish bowl to clean it?? Please advise where I can purchase in. Brisbane qld. Kind regards june
I’ve not heard that, I’d been keen to know myself. I’ll drop you a line and let you know the answer to this, plus availability in Australia. Thanks, Lyndsey
Hi June, thanks for your comments. On fishtanks, I’ve checked with Splosh and they say, while Splosh is non toxic and mainly plant derived, to be safe it’d be best to stick with a specialist fish tank cleaning product. On shipping to Australia, unfortunately they only ship to mainland UK at the moment. If I hear any different, I’ll post it up here. Thanks again June, hope this helps.
Baking Soda…everyone knows that, but in the bathroom rather than using it as a spray use it dry and with a damp cloth…I use Oil Cleansing Method and lots of oils on my skin so my sink and bath get VERY *VERY* grimey, no store-bought bathroom cleaner gets rid of it, baking soda makes it easy work.
Great tip Jadea, thanks for sharing
Use old socks and smalls for rags rather than just chucking out.
I use my old t-shirts and pants as cleaning cloths. They are great to clean glass with
I don’t know about leaving any tips but i’m going to steal most of yours from all of these great comments!!
Aren’t they fantastic Sally - I plan to pull these fab tips together into a funky infographic - have you got any favourites?
Vinegar and lemon juice on the windows i read it somewhere and its been a great tip
Bicarb!
vinegar for cleaning windows, sparkling every time
white vinegar neat down the plughole, leave for an hour. A little bi-carb left down over night gets rid of any whiffs.
It takes a while for the hot water to come through at the kitchen sink, so I fill up a jug with the running water, and use it throughout the day. better than running down the sink
Baby Oil to clean my stainless steel kitchen units
white vinegar, so versatile
i use lemon juice in the toilet bowl lovely lemon scent gets rid of marks gleaming
Don’t know about green tips, but it seems to me if clean often, for example every time you use the oven, clean it while still warm. Then things don’t congeal and therefore you don’t have to buy chemicals to get rid of the built up grud.
Plus, you don’t have to waste a couple of hours tackling a massive cooker de-gunk purge - nobody likes that!
Vinegar - you can pretty much clean everything and anything with it (apart from any rubber seals etc). The smell goes once it has dried and it’s so cheap. It tends to come in a glass bottle too, which means it’s easy to recycle it!
I use baby oil to buff up my stainless steel!
lemon juice in warm water instead of chemical disinfectants
Use vinegar for cleaning windows
I use Olive Oil to clean my stainless steel kitchen gadgets
The water from baby’s steriliser is great for cleaning the floor with. Rather than tipping it down sink, use it!
I like it, thanks Gillian
Steam is an amazing asset in keeping chemicals to a minimum
baby oil for stain les steel
Ooh, nice! I’ve got an old bottle I’ve not used - this would be perfect. Thanks Susan.
use coke to take burnt on stains out of a cooking pan, leave overnight to soak with it in the bottom
Fab tip Sherri - thanks for sharing
vinegar for windows
LEMONS!!! My nana swore by using freshly squeezed lemons everywhere especially on the taps to remove limescale and it works. I cut the lemons in half squeeze the juice out into a bottle and dilute it down I use it around the house and its smells amazing and the halves with still some juice in there I place over the tap handles and squeeze down on them to get the rest of the juice out then I leave them there for an hour come back and clean job done
Excellent tips Zoe, thank you - I’ll be adding these to my ‘I love lemons for cleaning list’!
Vinegar for cleaning windows
Ma favourites are vinegar and bicarbonate of soda.
White Vinegar, it is wonderful in so many ways. It is a great laundry softener replacement and the clothes come out fresh but not smelling of vinegar! Its just Fab!
I use lemon juice and vinegar
I love using vinegar to clean glass. I find it so effective xo
Use newspaper on windows to get that extra shine
i use mircofibre cloths for everything windows, sides etc they are brilliant x
I use vinegar for everything.
Vinegar is great for lots of things
I love the good old lemon in water in the microwave trick! It makes it smell delicious
a damp microfibre cloth to dust with instead of using polish
I love microfibre cloths to dust too, Amanda - not only does it clean up the dust, rather than spreading it around, it doesn’t leave the air heavy with toxic polish ‘fragrance’.
Bi carb removes lots of odours
You can use it as a pre treatment on mattresses and carpets etc before
hoovering them x
I like to use vinegar for a lot of things like cleaning windows & descaling kettles & basins.
vinegar is used for almost everything in our house, brings out the sparkle on things
white vinegar is a great cleaning tool in the home x
i use a steam cleaner
vinegar
White vinegar
I use Bicarbonate of soda to clean marks off surfaces and stubborn coffee/tea stains on mugs etc.
Bicarb of soda in your fridge absorbs any odours
Use old tshirts as dusters
use vinegar, lemon and water to clean the windows
Diluted white wine vinegar for windows
Bicarbonate of soda to rid tough stains
bicarbonate of soda to get rid of smells in the fridge
wash dish cloths in the washing machine instead of throwing them away
I used to use vinegar on everything, loved it, but hubby moaned all the time about the smell, so now i use a steam cleaner - love it x
I know what you mean Sandy, I add lemon juice to mine to try mellow the fragrance. Out of interest, what make steam cleaner are you using?
sodium bicarb does so much
Raw potato in the fridge, helps from bad smells
I use old t shirts as dusters
Binegar in your water to clean windows.
Vinegar even!
Hehe Binegar! What a great name for a natural, wheelie-bin cleaner, Caroline!
Lemon juice, as it cuts through grease and smells refreshing.