PLASTIC REDUCTION CHALLENGE #6 CLEANING SUPPLIES

 

Challenge: Choose plastic-free cleaning products and packaging

 

If you look under your sink, in your pantry, or in your garage, you’re bound to find a surprising number of bottles of the latest, greatest cleaning agents.  (Or so you thought/hoped!)  Some of those household cleaners and are more toxic than others, but all of them represent another way we’ve brought too much plastic into our homes.  

Luckily, reducing plastic in your cleaning supplies isn’t difficult, and eliminating the many cleaners you don’t need will open up storage space in your home.

Reducing Plastic Packaging  

• Refills: Eco-friendly cleaning products can be difficult to find here. Look for a store that lets you fill your own reusable container from their larger bins. Besides eliminating another plastic container in your home, this allows you to try a little bit of each product and find out if it’s right for you before buying a large quantity.

• Buy in bulk: A possibly easier option for our area is to buy refills in larger, non-plastic containers to refill your favorite spray, pump, or reusable bottle.

• Become a new product skeptic: Advertisers push colorful plastic spray bottles of primarily water and a few “magic” ingredients.  You’ve watched Mad Men, right?  Don’t believe the hype!

Reducing Plastic Products 

• Start with some classic cleaners  still packaged in non-plastic containers – tested for generations – that will work well on a wide variety of surfaces.  Think Comet, Bon Ami, Bar Keepers Friend, Fels-Naptha, or steel wool available at local stores. (SOS pads are steel wool pads that have been soaked in soap and dried, but they currently come in non-recyclable plastic bags.  Maybe a good company to write to about leaving plastics behind?)

• Instead of single-use paper or microfibers, consider reusing old socks, T-shirts, sweatshirts, or towels. Areas that require a bit of a scrub (such as the grout between tiles) will clean up well when you’re using any of the above mentioned cleaning products, scrubbed in with an old toothbrush. 

• Replace that plastic-handled, plastic-bristled dish brush and the plastic sponge (an estimated 400 million are thrown out each year) with natural materials for the same purpose. Although there are tons of options, you can look for items like this sponge or a sisal dish brush that work beautifully with a bar of dish soap instead of a bottle.

• For a healthier home environment, vacuuming regularly and dusting with a damp cloth or mop will remove dust containing plastic particles and chemicals.

Making your own

You can make a simple all-purpose cleaner for countertops, bathroom fixtures, and floors with equal parts white vinegar and water (vinegar is a recommended product for mold removal).  Making a water-and-baking-soda paste works great for scrubbing tiles and grout, stoves, and fixtures – any area you might use an old toothbrush to scrub.  A great window and mirror cleaner can be made with vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and water, and will cost a fraction of any store-bought brand.  Adding a few drops of essential oil or a squeeze of lemon juice will make homemade cleaning options smell great too. 

Your impact/benefits:

• Avoiding chemicals and microplastics that can be toxic for your family, your pets, and the planet. 

• Reducing plastic waste and the use of our natural resources in creating it.

• Saving money by buying in bulk or using homemade cleaning products.

• Changing the national model!  Nothing has more impact than writing to the manufacturers of your favorite brands and letting them know that you’re sad to consider leaving them due to their reliance on plastics and asking them to rethink their packaging.