When I wrote about food waste on Friday I was reminded that last year I tried a couple of things in an aim to use less plastic, but never reported back on how the plan went
This was one thing I bought to try and be rid of liquid hand-wash in the small basin in the downstairs bathroom.
It didn't last long because after a few weeks - and despite trying to rinse it - it got so gungy that I chucked it in the compost bin.
I am still using these vegetable bags both in the fridge and when out shopping
Although there seem to be even fewer fruit and vegetables to buy loose thanks to the pandemic and perhaps avoiding food being handled.
Another trial last year to try and replace the cheap sponge scourers
This was another fail (and waste of money). It was rather big and if used to scrub mucky cooking things all the gunk just got caught in the fibres - nasty. I use a hand knitted dishcloth for most dish washing and this little brush below usually works after first soaking pots and pans, this was a Christmas gift from a friend a couple of years ago and is still last well. They are easily available now and last longer that a synthetic sponge scourer.
I still use Bi-carb for cleaning the sinks, basins and drainer.
Wonder what other things I can try that are NOT a waste of money.
I'm having trouble with my internet connection again. It righted itself a couple of weeks ago and was showing as being properly connected but has now reverted to telling me it's not connected - sometimes I can get online and sometimes not - all very odd. I can get online on my phone for emails but it's too fiddly for blogging (for me anyway, sure it's fine for people less technically challenged!). So if I disappear that will be why, although I've not a clue what to write about tomorrow so I might not be back anyway!
Sue
We had serious Internet intermittent failures last week. A phonecall to plusnet has got us a new (free) router. All OK now
ReplyDeleteI seem to be connected even though the lap top says I'm not!
DeleteThat's a brilliant post, Sue. It's really good to hear about the successes and failures and why they did or didn't work for you. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI should have done a follow up ages ago
DeleteI have been looking at the wooden scrubbers so might give them a whirl. I don’t like writing blogs on my iPad as the screen won’t move up when I get to the bottom of it.
ReplyDeleteI'd be lost without my lap top - the phone is so fiddly
DeleteOur internet up and down here - it is great in the middle of the night so I think it might just be the drain on it with so many people wanting a connection during the day.
ReplyDeleteOver the years I have tried a few things- can't beat the old fashioned wooden bristle brushes and a dishcloth. We had to buy new pand for the new induction hob and although we always use non-stick pans we chose a milk pan that had a non-stick surface which we use for heating milk or making scrambled egg and sauce - this has cut down on any need of a pan scrub at all.
The little bristle brush is very useful and so are my home knitted dishcloths
DeleteSince the virus I have been using the antibiotics hand wash liquid in the bathroom but I still use Boots ordinary soap. My milk saucepan is nearly 60 years ago the first one when I got married from B.H.S. Is wonderful. I dont like all these modern cleaners apart for cost they are not good for the environment, like Sue I use
ReplyDeleteSorry don't know we're the rest of the message went. I use Bi-carb. Not sure what is happening to the computer this morning.
DeleteHazel c uk🌈🌈
Bi carb and white vinegar are so useful for all sorts of cleaning
DeleteAnti bacterial soap won't kill a virus. Any soap is your best friend.
DeleteWhat's wrong with having a stone/pottery soap rest! Mine come from John Lewis, I have two, one in the utility room and one in the kitchen The lump of straw illustrated looks disgusting! You might as well go in the garden and pull up a clump of dried grass at the end of the summer and lay that by the sink! I use bicarb for cleaning and vinegar, not for any particular reason except they do the job better than a lot of commercial cleaning products. As with Joan above, I still have my old BHS saucepan, brilliant.
ReplyDeleteHazel I mean. Senior moment!
DeleteNo worries Rachel.🌈
DeleteThe basin in the downstairs bathroom is so small that the soap kept falling in.
DeleteI like the two piece soap rest that I have in the kitchen
Joan's alright too Hazel!
DeleteI'm also experimenting with various eco friendly produce, with similar
ReplyDeletefailures too. I do like the compostable sponges from EcoVibe and the TruEarth laundry strips. But recently I noticed that S'burys do 2in1 Bio laundry tabs, which are packed in a cardboard box, so no plastic at all. The tabs are wrapped in two in cellophane so not sure how eco friendly they are.
Cellophane is biodegradable, so very eco friendly, as far as I can see :) I tried making my own laundry liquid, but that was a huge fail, so I just went back to using less powder and watering down the conditioner.
DeleteIt is so refreshing to see someone talking about the eco swaps that don't work, I have had quite a few failures and thought maybe it was just me.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post about food waste, it encouraged me to organise my pantry and it was not pretty!
Happy to help with your cupboards! :-)
DeleteI'm afraid to say that I think there are lots of companies who just want to make money out of eco products because they are fashionable and most of the ones I have tried are rubbish. I think if we really want to avoid plastic and damaging chemicals we need to think back to how things were done pre 1950s. Hope your internet gets sorted out Sue have a lovely day.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the cleaning things - going back to how things were done but wouldn't want to be without my washing machine!
DeleteBrilliant post Sue. We are trying to eliminate all single use plastic and reduce all plastic...not an easy task and, we find, we need to be willing to spend a bit more. It took a while to find a cat food that was deemed to be palatable. Cost a bit more but at least we don’t have all those awful pouches going into landfill.
ReplyDeleteThere are all sorts of alternatives nowadays and most seem more expensive
DeleteI still use bar soap as I'm a stubborn old mule and will not change from old, tried and tested methods/products if they still do the job.
ReplyDeleteYes I've stopped using liquid handwash completely now - soap is so much cheaper
DeleteI have been shown how to very easily make liquid soap from one bar of soap. Stops me having any problems with soap dishes : )
DeleteI've taken my eye off the ball a bit during the pandemic regarding excess plastic but at least we no longer get food deliveries in plastic carrier bags like we did at the beginning, it's just loose in the totes. I do buy as much British food as I can so that the food miles are as low as possible, but need to start looking at other things I can change. Use of plastic is one of them....
ReplyDeleteI'll keep trying to do my bit but it's not straightforward
DeleteGood to hear back about how it went for you, it's good to know what products work and don't work. I honestly thought the soap dish 'birds nest' would work well, what a shame.
ReplyDeleteI just do my best, at the moment my soap dish is a plastic one that I had in the Van and I'll continue to use it until something happens to it. My usual one is back at home in Wales and came in a gift pack with some soap and is a lovely green ceramic one. And yes I use nice bar soap, no packaging, bought from the person who makes it in a paper bag and I think a lot of people forget that all soap is antibacterial, so no need to buy different sorts. I have my original mesh bags for lose produce, Booth's here are still quite good for the selection available but as you say most shops have so much more in plastic bags due to the pandemic. I have my well used fabric bags to carry my shopping home in and walking to and from the shops means I am hardly using my car at the moment.
I think the best thing we can do for the environment is to keep and use what we already have and just not replace things on a whim or due to a change of colour scheme, as seems to be the modern way. Even things that could be 'single use plastic' don't have to be if can you find a way to reuse them a few times before you throw them in the recycling.
I have a two piece plastic soap dish in the bathroom that has been around for ages, long before we thought about plastic use. I think it will see me out!
DeleteGreat post! It's good to see what did and didn't work for you. I am a big fan of bicarb and vinegar for cleaning. I also love the hand knitted dishcloths for cleaning.
ReplyDeleteA really good site for eco friendly home products is Down To Earth written by Rhonda Hetzel over the course of a few years, she used to write for the Australian Women's Weekly magazine.
ReplyDeletePlenty of recipes for Washing powder, washing liquid, cleaning spray, cleaning paste, Soap making etc.
I'm over 70 and trying to be kinder to the environment,so just think back to how things were managed before plastics took over.
Yes, Rhonda's site is brilliant. She writes daily on Instagram now and weekly on her blog and she has just had her first book republished in paperback. I have two of her books they are very good.
DeleteI am still trying to get rid of plastics. Much harder than I thought it would be.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I use something called a euro scrubby rather than sponges to clean. They last for ages and don't get slimy like dishcloths and I wash and dry mine each week. When the on in the kitchen wears out, it gets relegated to bathroom scrubbing.
ReplyDeleteJulie