The Eco List

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A guide to the easier ways in which we can help save the Environment

I have come across people who have said “ I don’t know how to be Eco Friendly” or “I don’t have time to be Eco Friendly”. I will agree that changing everything we do to become more environmentally conscious in one go is an awful lot of hard work which, is why it is better to adopt new things gradually. Knowing what to change can also be very hard, so with a list to refer to just make it that bit easier.

Here is a list of easy ways to change the way that you treat the environment:

The easiest thing in the world to do is to make a decision not to buy chemically filled cleaning and laundry products. With a few basic natural cleaning ingredients you can make everything from washing detergent to liquid hand wash. Of course there are easier ways than making your own and with busy lifestyles, convenience green cleaning products are easy and efficient to use. This list uses both convenience and how to make your own products, the two combined are easy to adopt and will hopefully be the start of new green ways.               

  1. Eco Balls
    Eco Balls are an environmentally friendly alternative to washing powder, they do have an initial outlay of around £35 but the savings that you make after just a few months is well worth it and of course the benefits to the environment are huge. Eco Balls are three very simple green balls with a rubber outer band to protect the washing machine; they last for up to 1000 washes depending on how long your wash cycle is. You simply put the balls in with your laundry, you can wash up to 60 degrees with them, they leave your washing fresh, clean and free from artificial fragrance, you do not need to use fabric conditioner when using Eco Balls. A tube of stain remover is provided for those hard to shift stains, which are often not removed with non-bio powders. A little more effort may be needed with some stains but most people who really want to make the difference don’t seem to mind this.

    Yet an other alternative to washing powder are Soapnuts, these are the shells of a tree found in India, they contain natural saponin, and again these are cheaper to use than traditional laundry powder. Simply place 4 - 8 half shells into a small cotton bag or the end of a pair of used tights and add them to the washing machine. You can add the various environmentally friendly laundry bleaches into the wash if you prefer or an alternative is either Borax, which boosts the cleaning action or soda crystals, which break down grease and is an ideal all round cleaner.

  2. Dryer Balls
    To compliment Eco Balls or Soapnuts, Dryer Balls for use when drying in a tumble dryer will help to reduce the drying time and also leave your clothes soft. As far as possible it is better to try not to use the tumble dryer at all, however, busy family life and the British weather doesn’t always make this possible. Dryer Balls just help to reduce the impact on the environment and are so easy to use; they are a no effort environment saver.

    There are a wide range of environmentally friendly cleaners available, I have heard many people say that they would love to use them but they are too expensive, this may be true but the advantages of using them are so important. Reducing the amount of chemicals flushed into our water system is very important to our future health. You can easily make your own green cleaners though using White Vinegar and Bicarbonate of Soda. Essential oils can also play a big part in your cleaning routine.

  3. White Vinegar
    By half filling a trigger spray bottle with White Vinegar and topping up with water you have an instant cleaner suitable for work surfaces, windows, toilets and any surface which isn’t varnished or painted. By adding Essential Oils such as tea tree oil or lavender you then have an antibacterial cleaning spray. The time to make this solution is seconds and is quicker than standing deciding which cleaner to buy on the supermarket shelves.

  4. Bicarbonate of Soda
    Bicarbonate of Soda when sprinkled into the toilet after White Vinegar has been sprayed around the ceramic and left to soak will clean the toilet of stains. Before scrubbing the toilet with a brush sprinkle a few drops of tea tree oil onto the sides of the toilet to kill germs. The rest of the toilet can be wiped with a damp cloth and a drop of tea tree oil, care does need to be taken with varnished wooden toilet seats. By this stage you should have been able to remove the need for bleach in your home.

    For stubborn stains Bicarbonate of Soda has a slight abrasive action so is fantastic for cleaning scummy rings from around baths, it can be used to form a paste with a small amount of water of used directly onto a damp cloth for cleaning. Now you can get rid of your bottle of CIF.

  5. Soda Crystals
    Soda Crystals are an ideal product for use as a cleaner, a few teaspoons of the dried crystals added to hot water with a few drops of tea tee, lavender, lemon or orange oil will clean most kitchen floors. Soda Crystals can also be used to clean out drains and are ideal for cleaning dirty garden flags. In a water solution Soda Crystals can also be used instead of sugar soap and for cleaning up general stains on hard surfaces and most fabrics.

  6. Toiletries
    It might be hard to stop using your favourite toiletries but when you look at the ingredients are you really sure that you want to be adding some of the chemicals contained onto your skin? There is a wonderful range of reasonably priced environmentally friendly products available and there are some fantastic recipes for making your own. Making your own soap using SLS Soap Base is very easy, of course for those who want to try, you can also make your own cold processed soap. Fragrances and colors can be achieved by using Botanicals and Essential Oils, your home made soaps do not need to contain artificial colours to look or smell lovely.

  7. Hand wash
    Hand wash is such an expensive item to buy and one, which a lot of families seem to use such a lot of. By adding a product called Dr. Bronner which, is pure castile soap to Glycerine and adding water, you have the base of both hand wash and shampoo. Again this is a process that takes minutes to make and whilst it is very different to what you might have been used to it is effective and as well as helping to calm the effects on the environment it costs a fraction of the price.

These are just 7 easy steps to becoming a more environmentally friendly household and of course the money that you can save by cleaning green makes it all the more worth it. It really is very simple, it can all be done a step at a time and it does not need to be hard to be green.