Zero Waste: cleaning
Zero Waste cleaing! How is it possible that we have our cupboard full of all kinds of plastic bottles with mainly chemical cleaning agents while there are very nice Zero Waste alternatives to clean your house with!
Do the dishes
We are happy to have a dishwasher, which saves junk in the kitchen and also time 🙂 Now that we are working on this challenge, I have noticed that dishwasher tablets can be packed in different ways. Some are packaged in a plastic that must be removed before use, others are packaged in a plastic that apparently dissolves when washing dishes. Sometimes they are packed without extra plastic. Choose at least one of the last options. If you don’t have a dishwasher, choose a wooden dishwashing brush, besides that it will look much nicer!
To clean
Yes, I do have many cleaning stuff in my kitchen, just like in many other household. All kinds of plastic bottles with a lot of different cleaning products. Abrasive, which I almost never use, 2 types of all-purpose cleaner, something to polish the windows with, cleaning vinegar … I will of course first use these bottles. So far not yet experimenting. Just snooping around of course. Marseille soap appears to be a widely used Zero Waste alternative for cleaning. I have already purchased that!
Marseille soap
Below are a few suggestions for using Marseille soap as a cleaning agent.
All-purpose cleaner
Grate 30 to 50 grams of Marseille soap and dissolve in 1 liter of boiling water. If necessary, top this up to a bucket of soap. For a scent you can add a few drops of scented oil, for example lavender, tea tree, lemongrass or orange. Add a scoop of baking soda for extra cleaning power
Fine detergent
Grate 30 to 50 grams of Marseille soap and dissolve in a liter of water. Top up to the desired amount
Stain cleaner
Rub the stain in with a piece of wet Marseille soap. Leave on for an hour and rinse well.
More tips for using Marseille soap you can find here.
Click here for my blog with the Zero Waste experiences of my teenage girls.
