Madison’s dish cleaning sponge IS compostable :). There’s a RU-vid channel called “world composting” where he tries to home compost various products that say they are compostable. His most recent series has been compostable sponges.
You can absolutely use Vodka instead of rubbing alcohol to clean your granite counter, plus it's less toxic. Loved this video, super helpful! Can't believe you found that roomba for $13! 😱😱😱
I'm not sure how much better using Vodka would be actually. Vodka requires a lot of distillation, which is SUPER energy intensive. Rubbing alcohol also requires distillation, but I believe it is less. The best bet would probably be vodka from a company that uses renewable energy, if that is possible.
Call me Princess Penny-Pincher but I would sneak a few slices of lemon from the middle of the lemon for my water, then use the remaining "halves" for cleaning. Gotta stay hydrated while saving the planet 😂
@@bethratkewicz6062 yes I have used used lemons next to the sink to get the smell of garlic from my fingers, and I also put half a used lemon in the top rack of my dishwasher as a natural, zero waste de-greaser. 🤗
Are we just going to ignore the fact that she opened her freezer with her foot? 🤣😂 I do the same type of stuff but I found it hilarious that you included it in the video Shelby!
Good morning Shelbi! I wanted to tell you how much your videos mean to me and how you inspired me (as well as crying at documentaries) to go vegan! As well as zero waste. My family is like yours and I'm slowly getting them to use beeswax wraps, produce bags and to be mindful of things like packaging on bell peppers! The real game changer was saving money on produce, that really got them to change.. But regardless, thank you! I've been swapping my cleaning products as they run out, I've been changing to bulk items when I run out and even go grocery shopping for my mom so her cart can be as sustainable as possible. I only hope more people swap to this lifestyle and realize it's importance.
Hi, i just watched like 20 of your videos and now i'm really interested in sustainability and trying to have a low impact lifestyle. Really thinking on how i can change my habits and implement new and better ways to live my life. So inspiring! Love your honest and approachable way of conveying the massage. Keep up the good work :)
Thank you for your meaningful, quality content. You're amazing and doing amazing things! You've inspired me to be better and take my own environmentalism up several notches. I think before finding your channel I didn't understand the concept of "voting with your dollar" to support and promote demand for the things I wanted the world to prioritize and I just bought what was cheaper with a disappointed look on my face because it didn't seem like there was a point to spending more money on a bamboo scrubber instead of a plastic one until I looked at my money as a vote for my values and as an investment in the future. Your arguments are so eloquent and you're very well spoken. I don't usually comment on your stuff because I'm not a huge commenter in general, but I want you to know that what you do matters, you're making a huge impact, and I admire you greatly. Thanks again. 💕💕
Hey Shelby: something you can use for zero waste dish soap: there are solid Castile soap blocks that you can use with those wooden hand brushes to scrub dishes!
Hey, do you think that ordering sustainable ingredients online (to get in bulk for example) equals out the damage done by it being shipped out (especially as many postal services aren't exactly direct)? Just curious as I have to order things online sometimes and I always worry about the extra emissions from it travelling to me. I know supermarkets etc also ship their products to their stores but obviously they can put a lot in one lorry.
Tamara Epps I see it as supporting businesses who are just trying to be accessible while being sustainable and ethical. Supporting these companies is voting for them to be put into local stores and even corporate companies such as Target one day. I think of it as being for the greater good. Of course we should also support locally. I didn’t use to live in an eco friendly town so I would order online but now I live near some local ethical companies and I support them when I can. This was very repetitive I’m sorry !
Tamara Epps yhhh what you can do is when you’re ordering you can usually leave a message for the seller when you’re paying and you can put ‘no unnecessary plastic packaging’ 🤗
In case anyone has any allergies: My mom found that using the cloths that people use to polish their cars are AMAZING for doing windows or polishing stainless steel fixtures without any products.. like legit people regularly walk into sliding doors 😂 Just rinse it twice with hot water and squeeze all the water out and away you go. She found hers at Canadian tire here in Canada and they are orange but I don’t know what the equivalent would be in other parts And I also don’t know the materials it’s made out of BUT I can tell you that’s she’s been using the same one for over year and it still looks brand new, no fraying, no discolouration, no wear, looks brand spanking new.. you just throw it in with the laundry to clean it and you’re good to go!
never give up I had to google it cause I didn’t know what that was but it for sure isn’t that. I’ve found them on the website www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/simoniz-microfibre-glass-cleaning-clothes-3-pk-0396616p.html I don’t think microfibre is best but this is the tight weave one that does not leave any pieces of fabric behind and like I said before the ones mom keeps on her house look brand new after almost daily use. So I think after all it’s said and done this is a good alternative. She found them because the non profit she works for uses them to care for the homes of holocust survivors so that means they don’t use harsh chemicals but they also have to be super conscious of hygiene because these are very elderly people with the fragile health that come with age.
E Chavez yup! That’s how my mom first taught me how to clean stuff when I was little.. wet newspaper and dry newspaper and you have beautiful streak free mirrors. Also to pick up the garbage when you don’t have a dustpan! Just wet the edge a bit 😂
Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe a better option for dishwasher detergent is the Cascade powder in the cardboard box/ metal spigot packaging. There is much less production waste with loose powder and you can buy it yourself in any store which eliminates the shipping waste and the shipping packaging.
If any of y'all still want to use sponges I'd recommend Trader Joe's pop up sponges! They do come in a small amount of plastic, but since they're pop up sponges you get about 12 of them in the same amount of packaging as a single regular sponge, and they're compostable!
After scrubbing the sink with the lemon, you can cut it up into smaller pieces and run it through the disposal while running very hot water along with it to clean and freshen up your disposal 🤗
What do you think about good wills sustainibility and ethical practices... I say that because I'm surprised you still support them... I don't like them and what they do so I try to support smaller local thrift stores.
Fillaree is based in my city! Love that you use them and gave a shout out. Just an FYI that the Vinegar + Baking Soda reaction just makes water. It doesn’t having any extra cleaning properties than regular water, so would be cheaper and less wasteful (no box of baking soda or bottle of vinegar) to just use water. The bubbles you see from the reaction is carbon dioxide evaporating. It’s a gas that doesn’t clean anything either, and is pretty unstable in this reaction for it evaporates quickly. Might also be why some in the comments are saying the mixture didn’t help unclog their drains, since it’s just adding more water.
Damn I'm like an hour late to your video lol I got the notification as soon as I came into work. Now I'm on my break an no one will disturb me from watching you clean😊❤ #ilovecleaningvideos
You making these videos makes my life (and I’m sure many others as well) so much easier! Zero waste has so much trial and error & when most of the ppl around you don’t live the same lifestyle it can seem overwhelming and kinda isolating tbh. Thank you thank you thank you!💚
I kept getting distracted by your GORGEOUS eye lashes!! Girl!! And thank you for the wonderful tips!! I am going minimal myself this year and am SO EXCITED!
Is there anything that you haven't been able to find a non-plastic/green option for in your life? For me, it is contact lenses, more specifically their packaging, especially since I switched to dailys for eye health reasons.
I know you have to pay your bills but I thought you would hate a company like amazon. In every other area you refuse to partner with any company that doesn’t meet a super high standard. Not gunna lie I was a little sad when you sad that you reached out to them to partner. Still wishing you the best, your videos are really great (:
Baking soda is great for getting the nasty buildup on our gas stove (cause no one cleans after themselves when they clean)... And the sizzle of the vinegar when you put it over the baking soda in your sink. 😍😍
Hey Shelbi! I hope you see this because I have an idea for a video! I live in Florida so we are currently preparing for tropical storm Dorian to possibly hit us as a hurricane. I would love to see a video from you about the different ways to prepare for a natural disaster (hurricane, blizzard, etc) while keeping environmental sustainability in mind. For example - It always bothers me when I see a rush on big plastic water bottle packs when I know there are alternative solutions (at my house we fill every container/tupperware we have with water so we don't have to go out and buy plastic water bottles). Anyway, I'd love to hear your ideas!
On the dish soap thing, I'm almost out of my "normal, most likely greenwashed" dish soap and I really want to try the dish soap block from No Tox Life.
Great info, Shelbi! Are eco nuts harsh on bright coloured materials? I want to stop buying Woolite which comes in the big plastic bottles. I've used it for many years and it is so gentle it keeps clothes looking new, so hoping the nuts are also gentle. Thanks. :) p.s. I have hair your length too, and I have found that as long as I pour a whole kettle of boiling water down the drains once per week...NO problem. If I don't...oy boy. :(
Hi! :):) I have a question for on on Fillaree! After your video I went ahead and looked them up and I can see the initials price but I cant find the price of the refill each month. Is it the same price as the initial set up? Just looking for some help! The website is a bit unclear about the refill cost. Thank you :)
Hey I just wanted to let you know that Dr Bronners has citric acid in and you are not suppose to use citric acid on granite, marble, courts and stone 😊
Love all your videos!! Always buy your suggestions and follow your tips :) about the dishwasher, is it better to use your dishwasher than just washing the dishes yourself? Or is it just about preferences?
Thank you so much! All the research I’ve seen shows that using your dish washer when it’s full saves water. But that really depends on the person. I know I would use more water than my dishwasher, but my fiance is really good at using such a small about of water that maybe for her it would be less to do it by hand. But time and convenience is something everyone is looking for and I don’t blame them haha.
Hey, thanks for another great video. You've really inspired me to think about ways to reduce waste by making swaps I wouldn't have ever thought about on my own (I just recently switched from disposable razors to a safety razor thanks to your recommendation). Unfortunately in my country (Finland) bying in bulk is still often impossible, but we're definitely going in the right direction. I like to watch clean with me videos on RU-vid for cleaning motivation but it does bother me how many people use something like 20 different types of cleaners in their home, so unnecessary, or use paper towels to wipe everything down. Ugh. I bought my roomba on sale couple of years ago and I'm still deeply in love with it and can't recommend it enough, totally worth it.
Shelbi I’m new to zero waste and I’ve made a ton of swaps! Thank you for your channel and all of the helpful tips, I really appreciate you. Can you talk about zero waste living with a cat? I’m struggling to find lifter and low cost solutions to keeping my cats’ routine as low waste as possible. All of their treats come in packages and when I’ve made my own they don’t like it. The pellet litter smells so yucky 🤮 I’d love to hear your thoughts on that. And if you’ve already made a video on that topic, please relink and I’ll watch. Again thanks for all you are doing 🌈
This video is gold, thanks so much! ❤ Do you know a sustainable natural way of cleaning mold from tiles and aluminium sinks? My grandfather's home has that problem and needs a deep cleaning. Another thing, a natural way to clean and care for wooden surfaces? And also how to clean painted walls that have that old fashioned rough sand texture? I know I'm asking a lot! 😆😄
We have Dr Bronner refill stations at a natural grocers nearby; there might be one in your area. Also, checkout BlueLand if you don’t want to DIY things, I would LOVE to see a review of those!
I think you mean tampico not tapioca ;) tampico is a fiber made from the agave plant and yes it is compostable! So great, I love it and wish they would make toothbrushes with it... some day
I have not been the best when it comes to zero waste in my life but over the past year 1/2 I've made tons of changes! A lot has come from inspiration, ideas and recommendations from you 💜 These videos keep me working towards my way to zero waste. Thank you!
If you run your dishwasher when it’s full, that uses the least amount of water according to all research I’ve seen. But regardless, it’s convenient and I know most people who have one will use it either way
For trash I use those kind of bins which have that little bucket inside, instead of trashbags. When I empty them, I just clean it with some hot water and some drop of flush. It works great for me.
I use just vinegar , banking soda , water, Dawn Power wash and, alcohol as well .. Thank you for this the Dr Bs will be much more sustainable.. I'm on my learning part of this journey Thank You ! I have hybrid lemon/oranges in my yard could I use them as well for a cleaner? Eating them didn't taste too good, so cleaning with them would be great 👍🏻 lol
what the hell, where do you get white vinegar in a glass bottle ? I've been looking for that for a while !!! :O For the Rumba, not a big fan of anything with batteries, because for now recycling process is no good and more companies are looking with Big eye the wonderful Uyuni desert (Bolivia), which is a big resource for lithium ... so no more Uyuni if everyone is purchasing lots of batteries, that's what I believe. Maybe I'm wrong, let me know if anyone has more details about that.
Have you heard of force of nature? I bought the system 2 years ago and i really love it. I make my own solution vs buying the tablets (there’s a recipe in the facebook group). It’s just tap water, pickling salt and vinegar!
And I believe that fillaree comes from durham NC, which isn't too far from me. I didn't know that she sends you a nalgene full of dish soap though, I'm probably gonna have the dish soap delivered then. I don't live close enough that driving is easy to durham Edit, I'm an hour and a half away from Durham.
@Michael Vaughn actually yes vodka is very safe. Rubbing alcohol is made from ethanol. And is NOT safe to consume. I'm not giving vodka to my baby to drink (obviously) but he does still put his toys in his mouth. So when I sanitize them I use Vodka, which is safe to consume.
I just found you and i am just going to say i am really happy i did! I thought I was bio friendly with my products because i buy everything "plant based" but i just figured that it's not really helping the planet if I'm still buying the products in plastic containers! Plus i have researched for cleaning recipes and I'm so glad you have those. Thank you so much for your content!!
I think I gonna start using more environment friendly washing detergent too. I assume some of the brands you recommend just wouldn't be available for me since I live in Norway, and realistically I probably wont stick to using anything I cant find in my local grocery store (only store that is actually directly available to me, as I can get there without help). But quickly found a brand that's more environment friendly in my country I plan to buy. Maybe I should try some DIY too. So far I have just never paid much attention to washing detergents but I might as well if I want to be more environment friendly overall
I still wonder why people use vinegar instead of citric acid. Vinegar is dangerous both for us and the environment: you need 1667 liters of water to dissolve 1% of acetic acid (a liter of vinegar contains 6% of acetic acid), while 1% of citric acid need 31 liters of water. Plus it is absolutely safe (even around kids - they could eat it and wouldn't feel sick), you don't need much of it to clean AND you can use as a facial toner or softener etc.
I don't know about where you guys are, but where I am, you can often find dr. bronner's castile soap in bulk, so that way you can refill the bottle you already have. This is commonplace in a food co-op or natural grocer. Check your area because they might exist.
I hate the toxic fumes & bad for the environment cleaners so I quit them. I use baking soda then a vinegar/Mrs myers concentrate/vinegar/water spray now to clean my sink & toilet. Sink gets clean but the chrome taps don't stay streak free longer than a day. I feel like they stay streak free longer with chemical cleaner. Not sure if I'm doing it wrong. The rest of my family uses the stinky stuff & I can smell pinesol from one floor away. Bleah.
thank you so so so so so much for this. i’ll he referring back to this frequently after our current toxic house cleaner runs out hahahahahah! i CANT WAIT to try the baking soda and vinegar trick in the bathroom!!!
I make my own dishwasher cleaner - washing soda, sodium perconabate and grapefruit/lemon essential oil (about 20 drops) - can't use on sterling silver. If you put a little dish of vinegar in instead of rinse aid stuff comes out great.
What are some zero waste cleaners that DO disinfect then? Because you mentioned that the Blueland ones clean but don't disinfect. Just using the vinegar mixture should kill any bacteria I believe? But does anyone know of any products you can purchase that do?
The hardest part about zero waste is if you’re in an apartment where laundry is $4 a load. And you can’t afford to always be washing your cleaning cloths and linen napkins. 😞
Hi Shelby great content , you missed a trick with the half lemon , after scrubbinng up i.e. it's full of soda low on juice , just chop it up and chuck down the waste disposal and run it , it will clean, deoderise and have an antibac effect there, instead of just feeding the compost bin, if my unwaxed lime/lemons try dry before I can get to it , I chop and freeze them to use them when necessary instead of putting chems down the WD. Plus you could use rinsed used lemon skins to polish wood tables or soak them in white vinegar for a couple of weeks to make a degreaser solutin.
You can refill your bronners at newseasons !!!!! Also known as new leaf in callifornia. They have pump gallons to refill your reusable jar or origional container!
Heyyy anyone do the toilet tabs?? I did them and they are expanding like crazy!!! Did i do something wrong or is this normal lol?? They are expanding so much that they are starting to combine on top
I'm sure you can buy vodka. it is more gentle than rubbing alcohol. if you get the cheapest brand, in the biggest bottle available it's most likely in a glass bottle as is most vodka. I think I only saw vodka in a plastic bottle one, so weird.
I use Dr. Bronners Sal Soap. You can buy it in large amounts. I put it into a smaller bottle and dilute it with 2/3 water. I use it to wash my dishes. It Suds up nicely. It cleans many other things.
I'm allergic to all citrus, even getting it on my skin, so can't use a lemon. Instead I just give the sink a scrub over with dish soap and a cloth, then wipe down with white vinegar when done. Gives it an amazing shine.
I usually use a few drops of essential oils for all the stuff that has vinegar in it because I really cannot stand the smell of vinegar. But recently I made a new jar of general vinegar lime cleaner and threw some fresh lavender into it and I hope it works, I just have to wait a bit for it to "ripe"
