Coming Clean About Soap

Do you use a lot of shower gel and liquid hand wash? Good old plain soap is cheaper. It's better for the environment too as there are no plastic bottles to dispose of.

Shop around for cheap, plastic-free soaps.

Here's a handy tip for making it last longer: Stick a bottle top on the bottom of the bar to keep it raised in the soap dish and stop it going soggy.

Or you could make your own! This is a fun project to do with your kids.

Ingredients

Glycerine soap base

Essential oil

Small bowls

Loaf tin

Food colouring if you want to add colour. 

Method

1. Chop up the glycerine into small pieces.

2. Melt in the microwave or in a bowl over a pan of boiling water. It melts quickly so keep an eye on it. Give it a good stir frequently to get rid of lumps.

3. Add the food colouring if using. Be sparing a few drops should be ample.

4. Add the essential oil. Good oils for this include lavender, lemon, rosemary, patchouli, cedarwood, sweet orange, ylang ylang. Give it the sniff test to make sure your add the amount you want!

5. Pour into a loaf tin. Don't use aluminium. Earthenware is a good material for soap.

6. Let the mixture harden overnight.

If you have a tip you would like to share, please add it to the comments below.

Instagram account: www.instagram.com/reducereuserecycle77/

The eco-friendly life. You don’t have to be perfect but if everyone did what they could, what a different world it would be.

THINK: Reduce, reuse, recycle.

Eco Friendly Toilet Cleaner

I have been trying to cut down on chemical-laden household cleaners. I now use white vinegar for mirrors and windows and have plenty of homemade lemon-infused spray cleaner. Recently I turned my attention to toilet bowl cleaners.

I found one recipe that purported to be green but it included borax - a quick check on the internet revealed that borax was not eco-friendly.

In the end I followed advice to pour about half a cup of vinegar around the bowl and let it sit for a few minutes. Then sprinkle about half a cup of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) over the vinegar. This will fizz very nicely! Leave for about ten minutes. Then add more baking soda (about a quarter of a cup) on top and another half cup of vinegar. Cue more satisfying fizzing! Then use a toilet brush to thoroughly scrub the sides and bottom of the bowl. Flush. Then scrub again using clean water. Flush again.  Voila! You have a clean toilet without using borax.

You don't need to do this every day. Once a week, or even monthly, should be quite sufficient. It all depends on how much use your toilet gets.  In between times, a thorough scrubbing with a toilet brush will keep the bowl clean. 

If you have a tip you would like to share, please add it to the comments below.

Instagram account: www.instagram.com/reducereuserecycle77/

The eco-friendly life. You don’t have to be perfect but if everyone did what they could, what a different world it would be.

THINK: Reduce, reuse, recycle.