and dogs, too. I applied tea tree oil to my dog's coat as a flea preventative (some idiot online actually advised that!), and she couldn't walk for a couple days - so i did a research and found out. Very toxic!
I thought things like lavender candles/incests are toxic for cats and you must must must burn minor amounts and must always keep the area well vented while the smell is around
I'm low waste, not zero waste. One essential in my cleaning kit is my steam mop. I absolutely love it. It has a mop head but also a smaller attachment for cleaning furniture, clothing and small things.
this sounds like a wonderful option.....I bought a mop a awhile ago and discoved about the effects of microfiber. I bet you save money on cleaning your floors!
This was not boring at all! Your delightful charm conquered that right off the bat. I've watched a lot of these kinds of ZW videos and yours us the most helpful, you mentioned several things I've been looking for. Thanks!
I giggles a little bit when you said "Our Hoover is a Dyson"; I guess Hoover has become the generic term for vacuum in England, like Kleenex is for tissue.
SchizoSchematic Oh my Mum and Granny say 'Stove' too in Australia. How funny! Usually it's stove-top (the coils), but I think my Gran used to say Stove for oven instead too! (now that I think about it)
SchizoSchematic definitel, everybody says Hoover meaning vacuum cleaner. Also stove meaning cooking range/oven. And yes even today I tell my child to "pull the flush" instead of flush the toilet!!lol. There are loads more but I'd probably bore the pants off you😊
Your videos always brighten my day, Kate! For mopping floors I use hot water and vinegar. For washing the windows, again hot water and vinegar, then wipe with newspapers, which give a good shine to them. Stubborn, caked-on junk in the microwave can easily be removed with a bowl of water into which you slice half a lemon and squeeze the remaining half of the lemon juice, then set inside the microwave and run for approx. 2 mins. and let sit for a few minutes when done - dirt just wipes off. Also, copper pots can be cleaned and polished by slicing a lemon and sprinkling a handful of sea salt onto the cut lemon, then using the lemon with salt as a scrub/brush.
I smile every time you say "washing up liquid". I'm American and we call it dish soap. I just love your videos!!!! They are so informative. Thank you for all the great information!
To clean the wooden floor I use a weak soapy water and a swiffer type mop (saving up for a steam cleaner which will just use h2o). I use baking soda to scrub the sink and tub. I find if you keep up with regular cleaning you really don't need anytging stronger that the white vinegar, baking soda, Dr. Bronner's and washing soda Kate mentions. I hand wash my dishes with very little water (no full tub of suds). I get my wet washcloth folded like a sponge pour some diluted Dr. Bronner's (which has washing soda mixed in) then after getting the dish wet I scrub with my rag. Then rinse and stack to air dry. Kinda like you would if camping and had only one dish pan. Was an adjustment but it works. Will have to look at the Borax in my cupboard with a new eye...thanks for the info.
CMS Sultana honestly only the top professional grade steam mops do anything. all of the ones that you can buy in the shops are not worth the money. you wipe the floor right after and there is still dirt there. super infuriating.
The "Oh my God this is so boring" at the end had me spitting my (organic + bulk of course) tea all over the screen. Worked perfectly as a cleaner. Thank you for your presence in this world!
That is also my very favorite Bea Johnson take away! If I'm not passionate about making a particular product then that's not ultimately sustainable! Personally, I also use an all natural powdered laundry powder that comes in a cardboard box.
I recently listened to a podcast where the woman used a ball of aluminum foil in the dryer (to get rid of static and soften) along with a ball of socks with essential oils for scent. Just sharing info. Great video! You are so entertaining. Just getting started and these are so positive and encouraging!
Borax is incredible to use if you live in an area with high outdoor mold count. I add it to the wash often to keep our allergies down. :) also works great on mildew in the shower!
j Nic yeah I have really hard water to the point if the tub drips it leaves a red ring 🤦🏾♀️ the Borox works great also my dishwasher wildews fast because of the water
I haven't tried simply co yet - looking to finish at least two of my laundry detergents first (a rule of mine nowadays - finish what you have first! definitely part of a more simple and joyful life).
Please can you do a video about your worm bin? We live in a flat with a balcony and have always though a compost bin isn't possible... Is a worm bin different? ?? would love to know how you set it up. Thanks!! love your videos :)
I recently started using baking soda and vinegar in my dishwasher and my dishes are completely clean. I use vinegar and water to clean around the house and I have three little ones who love to help therefore I feel better knowing they don’t come in contact with chemicals
Hey Kate! I use Lauren's 'Simply Co.' Laundry Powder and I love it. It's light and you don't need much. It smells lovely and clothes come out smelling and actually feeling clean (if that makes sense haha). I'm really hoping to make the 4-6 hour drive to NYC to check out Lauren and Daniels new Zero Packaging store!
I love your positivity in every video regardless of how difficult and frustrating zero waste lifestyle can be! Keep up the positive vibes and great content! X
Hi, I’ve just discovered you having searched for eco-friendly cleaning products. Thank you so much for the info, as living in Scotland I’ve found much of videos made in the US for example simply impossible to follow. You now have a new subscriber 😊 Now off to watch your other videos.
I just love the shape your vinegar bottle! I reuse mine for diy cleaning and I like using pretty bottles. Weird maybe, but makes having to clean the toilet a bit less yuk! Loved your video.
Just a heads up about the essential oils...make sure that the company you buy from is reputable and can guarantee that they aren't adding any toxins or fragrance into their products. They do it as fillers so they're able to sell their oils at a lower price but then they aren't pure, are adding toxins, and it defeats the purpose of cleaning and using oils to be more natural. At least this is more common in the US as I believe our rules aren't as strict as they are overseas (ie: companies here can put "fragrance" on the label as an ingredient but "fragrance" can be anything. Grrr!) So at least for the US, buying essential oils at a store can be super sketchy. Loving your videos! Popped onto this one to see what else I could be doing in my home.
Vinegar (I want to make my own put of apples too) is soooo good for the bathroom. Toilet cleaner 100% in a squirty container for right under the rim, and the spray bottle for everything else. Our water is very hard do leaves lots of minerals on the clear shower screen, so I also filter the water I put into the 50-50 mix. The only place vinegar shouldn't ever go is in a dishwasher. A lot of technicians say that the low pH is too harsh for the rubber seals on the inside and will reduce the life of your appliance.
Lovely video Kate, as ever. 🙂 I know people go mad about Swiffer products but, as someone pursuing zero waste, I prefer my corn broom with wooden handle. Works great indoors on floors and outdoors on the patio space (I just rinse with water and let it dry when switching between applications). Works well with my steel dust pan. 🙂 Also, I think you look lovely blonde or brunette. 😄
I use hard soap from Faith in Nature and a mesh cloth (African washcloth) to wash my dishes. That means I can use as little of the product as possible and get a good lather very quickly. Plus that means I can use one product for multiple uses: washing dishes, washing hands and body wash. Plus a mesh cloth is a good substitute for sponges, which are super unhygienic. Mesh cloth dries very quickly and lasts ages, unlike again - sponges. I found that soap bases are actually cheaper than good quality soaps sold in health shops (e.g Faith in Nature). You just melt a soap base, add favourite essential oils, pour into moulds and voila - you've made your own soap. I want to save money and try that next year. Kate, how would you dispose of the wooden brushes if you didn't want to keep them? It's clementine season, so I will try your DIY hack for laundry softener/cleaner. If it can make clothes really smell like clementines - that would be amazing!
I'm going to have to have a little butchers on the web for ways to get rid of limescale - I'm also in a hard water area and it is just incredibly stubborn! I suppose vinegar is cool but when you clean a kettle with it you're left with that very sneeze inducing smell! Thanks for this, I really appreciate all of this info!
I know this video is older but I'm going to comment anyway. We use old fleece blanket squares for most of out cleaning as we can wash it and it saved us throwing away parts of the blanket that wasnt falling apart (from when our cat was young and ripped it)
One easy DIY laundry powder I use is Arm & Hammer Washing Soda and Baking soda. The clothes come out clean and to add scent, just add drops of essential oil. Works well for me and my family full of boys.
I wondered why Borax is banned in the EU, so I looked that up. I live in Canada and we can get it in just about any store, but in the Cleaning section, so it was odd to find out that the reason it was banned in the UK/EU was because it was banned as a food additive. Here's a text excerpt from the podcast I found explaining why (I apologize in advance if this has already been addressed - I didn't see anything in the comments): Both borax and boric acid act as texturing agents in cooking to promote elasticity and crispiness, and prevent shrimp from darkening. However, the European Chemicals Agency and the US Food and Drug Administration have banned borax as a food additive, putting the compound on the list of ‘substances of very high concern.’ In a single exception, caviar is still preserved by borax, at least in the EU. Though also banned in China, borax is sometimes illegally used to give a rubbery texture to rice noodles and root starch jelly. Borax converts into boric acid in the body, so when discussing the dangers of ingesting borax it’s important to look at the effects of boric acid. If exposed to a large amount of boric acid in a short amount of time, the stomach, bowels, liver, kidney and even the brain can suffer. Boric acid does appear naturally in some foods. Leafy vegetables, fruits, legumes and nuts are the richest source, and beer, wine and cider also have an appreciable amount. But it takes much more than the small amount naturally present in foods to cause any internal distress. Prolonged exposure to high levels of boric acid may also lead to adverse reproductive effects, such as impaired fertility and birth defects. (Source: ChemistryWorld.com). I use is as part of my home-made laundry detergent and as a part of my carpet cleaner.
I can't remember from the Plastic Free July video, have you tried dishwasher powder? My family always buys dish washing liquid in plastic like that and it lasts so long, but when I lived alone I used powder in the dishwasher. I love your videos, they are so inspirational!
I have seen at Robert Dyas now (a UK shop) washing soda, baking soda and citric acid by Dripak in what seems to be cardboard boxes. if you can get past the plastic ofgassing smell of the shop it's worth a look! Citric acid can be used in place of vinagar, same pH.
Huge fan of The Ringer for cleaning cast iron. Just a little table salt and hot water and The Ringer cleans off all the grease and grunge. Super easy to use and it lasts forever. Amazing product. Available from Amazon - and, no, I have no financial connection to the product.
wow you really inspire me :) cant wait if i move to start my eco friendly zero waste household ahh!! thanks for the tip, i am a beginner to this topic, as well my mom. But yesterday i cleaned the closet and surface's with b. soda water and lemon essential oil amd i enjoyed it so bad! never thought i would enjoy cleaning, but its so fun when you feel great about saving so many waste!
I gloved this so much!! So many ideas! Lavender - I think I'll try to grow some in the garden this year. And eek, didn't realize Borox was that bad.. I'm in Ontario, and I had always thought it was a "natural" product, but if it's banned in the UK, that means something. Love all your wooden supplies, and I've added it to my list to find similar tools locally. Thanks!! :)
Hey hey Kate, I found today your Chanel here and I’m excited to see more of your videos. Love what you do and how funny but informative can it be to hear this information you are sharing. I also started to downsize our waste (food, plastic and other things) and I also made the “all around cleaner “ from vinegar and peel from organic lemons and oranges. But your tip to use it as softener (I used just vinegar, wasn’t that bad...) was eye opener to me. The same with the cute cotton bag for a dryer! I have 2 little bags but didn’t knew how to use them (just to have them near by my pillow for a good sleep....) I definitely will try it in my dryer... How you say HURAAAAAAAYYYYYY... Thanks a lot. Greetings from 🇨🇭....
Ah! I use the same washing powder for laundry! I think it's even better than buying a liquid detergent because you are not paying for water and the transport of water. It's dry, like in the old days:)
thank you for the information, its been very helpful I am building a self made life with as close to zero miles and zero waste as possible , I am building using all waste or natural materials, growing my food chemical free, and now hoping to add natural cleaning products, well done and thank you for sharing I will give you a mention on my next video
If you would like to try again, and you can find Sal's Suds where you are, it works MUCH better than Dr. Bronner's castile soap. It is made by Dr. Bronner's as well, but it's geared for hard water. I use it for cleaning solution, laundry and dish soap. If i needed to use it as a body wash, I could, but we can get bar soap in bulk.
Kate me dear that's malt vinegar, not white vinegar. Malt is the one you pour over your chips XD it's distilled from barley. White vinegar is purified vinegar and the one you want for cleaning x
J these things are important to know, I was failing constantly with dish washer powder until someone told me that citric acid and washing soda cancel each other out. I now store then separately and put one in one side of the dish washer door and the other the other side and have fabulous cleaning 😃
@@alexam5336 I use Citric Acid, Washing soda and castile liquid soap - BUT do not mix them together as they cancel each other out. So I put the Citric Acid on one side of the dish washer, Washing soda on the other side and liquid soap in the little draw where the tablet is meant to go.
Alexa M I use soda crystalsOn one side of the door and citric acid on the other site don’t mix them otherwise they cancel each other out and a little castile liquid soap in the drawer where I would normally put the tablet
I would love to know the amount of vinegar and essential oil to use in the washing machine! My clothes smell like absolutely nothing, which is fine, but I'd love to try a natural scent. 😀
I also use 1/4 cup (125ml or 4 oz) and it works fine. Regular top loader or HE machine, I used the same amnt in both. For the drops of essential oil, just remember that a top loader is using WAAAY more water, so you'd need a bit more than an HE.
I really enjoy your videos, they are so inspiring for my lifestyle (I'm planning on getting more and more zero waste). But I checked in my local drugstore and I was so surprised that the brand ecover has plastic packaging for their washing agent:(
Why are almost all eco-friendly products with essential oils and scents? I'm allergic to perfume and scents (that includes essential oils) and that makes it hard to find something that is better for me AND the environment. Can I skip the scents and get a clean home anyway?
slowfire2 I have never used essential oils. I don't think it's necessary to use them, I think we don't need to buy extra products such as essential oils. Water mixed with vinegar is good enough, don't need to add anything else.
Thanks so much for the zero waste education - was hunting round for something non-US and lo and behold, found you! And what a lovely cheerful soul you are too. Very inspiring. Now, bicarbonate of soda is clearly one of the top priorities in terms of multi-functionality across all sorts of ZW requirements, but the cabbages & roses one doesn't seem to sell it still - any ideas if we no longer live in London where we could get it from please? Thank you from West Sussex!!! xxoxoxo
I've tried looking up ingredients for diy cleaning products (organic) and there are recipes ALL OVER THE NET. No need to go out and buy a book - SAVE A TREE!!
What's wrong with you? Why are you so harsh with other people? Yes, animal cruelty is bad (and needless waste, too), but being rude to others who are AT LEAST TRYING TO BE BETTER changes nothing.. (Not your first comment I've seen so far by the way).
I love this! My partner and I have been debating hiring a cleaning lady for a while to help us stop bickering about cleaning so will do now. :) I'll be trying the vinegar as a fabric softener as well. It's good to hear about your challenges with making your own products. I'm having that experience now (except not as much luck yet finding eco-friendly alternatives!). Quick question - what did you do about the plastic brushes you had around that were still fully functional when you decided to go zero waste?
Thank you for this video!! Will check out the Eco egg cloths! Also wanted to ask how much your washing up liquid refill costs for what amount? I have an As Nature Intended near me but I'm abit intimidated to to in and come out empty handed!
Tea tree is also a great anti fungal. I use it for the bath tub and shower. Fantastic but smells awful. I'm a new subscriber and love your channel. BTW where did you get that great tee?
what do you use to clean cutlery by hand? I'm thinking of buying a washing brush but I'm not convinced it will work well for cutlery and glasses. extremely helpful video! x
have you tried soap nuts? we have really hard water here in the south of France and I'm really happy with the results! they are for laundry and with hard water they need to be replaced a bit more often, but totally eco friendly:)
Unfortunately because people in europe started using a lot of soap nuts, people in india and where soap nuts are originally from are using regular laundry detergent. So it's probably eco friendly but still not the best solution :(
People in India never use soap nuts - nobody even knows about them! they use cheap toxic detergents or - more rural places that don't have washing machines - brown soap...
It's used to make detergents, and is also called Caustic Soda. I get it at my Bulk Foods Store (in the cleaning section obviously), and is NOT to be confused with Baking Soda! Should NOT be ingested and some people with sensitive skin will react when you come into direct contact with it because it is VERY alkali. Safe enough when mixed into a laundry detergent.....unless you are washing something by hand with it, then just use gloves to be safe.
Washing soda is basically for when you need extra oomf that baking soda isn’t strong enough for. If you don’t have any in your local store you can make it by heating baking soda in the stove, or you can get soda ash it is apparently the same chemical compound just with less water in it so it is even stronger.
Washing soda is basically for when you need extra oomf that baking soda isn’t strong enough for. If you don’t have any in your local store you can make it by heating baking soda in the stove, or you can get soda ash it is apparently the same chemical compound just with less water in it so it is even stronger.
Hi Kate, I know this is an old video, not sure if you'll see this post, but I'd like to get .a cleaner and I was wondering if you know of any green cleaners (yours sounds great!) or green cleaning companies you could recommend (we're in SE10). Thanks.
What do you use to clean a dishwasher? I hate using my dishwasher as it costs too much money and I prefer hand washing (wish I could replace my dishwasher with an oven but the landlord doesn't approve so I have to keep going to my grandmas to bake I guess...) Anyway, I wash my dishes then put them in the dishwasher while open to dry. (Not using the dryer from the washer) but after a while gunk kinda builds up on the inside and the door. I use the dishwasher once a month to clean it but I don't want to use the dishwasher cleaner anymore. What do you suggest ?
Hi, Kate) Do you consciously choose non-bio detergent instead of bio? I have a problem with eco detergents which drives me crazy. I move from one rented apartment to another usually about once a year. When I switched to eco detergents (I usually use Sodasan powder), I noticed that each time a new washing machine gradually started to leave beige and brown spots on my cloth which couldn't be removed (no need to describe how awful that is). I read a lot on this matter and started to wash on 90С regularly, do prophylactic washes with citric acid and tea tree oil, and use eco bleacher, but it didn't help. I also never shut a washing machine door. A repairer sad that the washing machine was completely OK, but as he saw the powder box, he sad that he frequently saw similar problems when people used bio detergents, because bio detergents leave bacteria inside that propagate there, which results in those spots. I read a lot about bio and non-bio, but I still can't understand how to know which is what looking at the ingredients. I haven't tried Ecover yet because it's very expensive where I live. Have you ever heard of such problems with eco detergents? I'd very appreciate if you could share some thoughts and ideas =)
Are you still using the same Ecover product for washing laundry? I'm using an ecover refillable liquid and white vinegar as a softener, though I'm looking for something else since I need to use quite a lot of the liquid soap to wash, and it's quite expensive.. thanks!
i was thinking in buying soap nuts for laundry. you said you try it to do washing soap but it didnt workshop, have you try it in laundry? if yes, can you give me your opinion?
I bought some soap berries, put them into little bag and thrown to the washing machine with vinegar instead of softener. Works well, but our clothes not really dirty, no kids. No smell, but it is ok. I heard the nuts or berries can make the white clothes a little yellowy, not happend yet
