Pan Scrubs – Coconut

by Posted in 3.1 Cleaning Up, 3.1 House, Office & Garden Tagged ,

There’s a new kid on the block – the coconut fibre scouring pad. It is a tangle of strong matted coconut fibre. It is tougher than the luffa not as brutal as a metal it is excellent for mid range cleaning. I have been using mine for a while now and it is still nice and wiry unlike the luffa which tends to soften up with use. I have used it in a wide range of circumstances and I am pleased with the results. I think they compare well with synthetics  and can be used as an alternative.

It comes simply packaged in a cardboard sleeve so no rubbish there.

You can get them on-line from savesomegreen.co.uk

This online shop are very aware of problematic plastic misuse and have a great packaging policy. Tell them you want no plastic packaging and you will be heard.

They also do a good-looking range of bamboo products including crochet hooks and pegs.

Pot Cleaning

You can find more pot scouring options here

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Dirt, pH balance and chemical cleaning

by Posted in 3.1 Cleaning Up, 3.6 Good to know, 4.9 Useful to know, More Information Tagged

In this post you cad read about

    • Soils (Dirt)
    • Alkaline
    • Acid
    • Cleaning

Dirt, stains and even rusts  are all known  as soils in the cleaning world.  That is as  in soiled rather than the brown stuff worms eat. Cleaning is the removal soil. Again forget about spades!

Soils fall into 2 categories, organic and inorganic
Organic soils such as  fat, grease, protein like blood, and carbohydrate. I dont know what carbohydrate soil is – any one else? Mold, yeast and bacteria, motor oil, axle grease, cutting oils and other petroleum soils.

Inorganic soils such rust, scale, hard water deposits and minerals such as sand, silt and clay.

They require different cleaning solutions

    • Organic soils are usually best moved using alkaline cleaners.
    • Inorganic soils prefer an acid cleaner.
    • Minerals are often cleaned with general purpose cleaners.

Alkaline & Acid Solutions

Wether a solution is acid or alkaline is down to how much how much hydrogen is in a solution.

Acidity is measured in  pH or the power of hydrogen.
It is shown in number form on the pH scale of 1 to 14.
Confusingly the lower the number the higher the hydrogen. The higher the hydrogen the more acidic the solution.
pH 1 = lots of hydrogen (H+) ions in solution
pH 14 = hydroxyl ions (OH–) in solution

PH scale featured

The image is from precision Labs

So the strength of an acid is based on the concentration of H+ ions in the solution. 

pH1 is very acidic
pH 7 is neutral. Pure water is neutral.
pH7 and above is called  basic but often  referred to as alkaline).

Soils & Cleaning 

Organic soils are usually best moved using alkaline cleaners.

Inorganic soils prefer and acid cleaner.

Generally, you use an acidic cleaner on alkaline (also known as alkalie) dirt, and an alkaline cleaner on acidic dirt.

If you know the nature of your soil you know how to clean it.

Alkaline cleaners 
Alkaline cleaners work well because they emulsify grease.  Fatty acids are normally insoluble which is why they cannot be cleaned using water alone. The alkaline breaks down fat making them dispersable in water.
They also coat the dirt with negatively charged hydroxide ions which means the dirt particles repel each other. So rather than massing together in a big greasy clump they remain suspended in solution so again can be rinsed off.
“Tthe alkali will break down the fats making the residue soluble or dispersible in water. It’s called saponification: alkalis turn fats into soap which is why a greasy floor gets as slippery as a bag of arseholes when you put an alkali on it. While we rely on thermal disinfection in dish washers the fact is the alkali in a proper machine wash turns microbial cell walls into soap.”

Examples of alkaline cleaners are

Acidic Cleaners
Do not cut through grease. Vinegar the acid much touted as a cleaning fluid will be no good on your greasy stains because Vinegar is polar, while oils are nonpolar, so they don’t interact well together. (You have seen how oil and vinegar in salad dressing separate from each other — this is because of their opposite polarity.)

Inorganic soils include grit, salt, rust and limescale.
They are best cleaned using acids

    • Hard water/mineral deposit removers
    • Toilet bowl cleaners
    • Rust stain removers
    • Tub and tile cleaners
    • Mold removers

Acidic cleaners attack and dissolve these types of stains, breaking them down and making them easier to remove.

The acid dissolves these types of materials – many are carbonates so you see the carbon dioxide (CO2) gas fizzing off. Or at least you will with a decent product. Examples are toilet cleaners and kettle or boiler descalers.

Examples of acidic cleaners are

Make Or Buy

See how to make your own chemical cleaning products and where to buy ready made.

 

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Scrubbing away

by Posted in 3.1 Cleaning Up Tagged , , 1 Comment

In my opinion you can use natural products most of the time but occasionally synthetics come into their own.

This is especially true if you are cleaning tiles. Here steel scourers can leave black marks and luffas and natural bristles may not be quite strong enough. A plastic scourer can be a god send here.

Look, someone got clumsy with the Danish wood oil and It sticks to tiles like a good ‘un. Here you need something strong enough to clean off the oil without scratching the wooden upstand. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA I used the plastic scouring cloth… courtesy of Ecoforce.

It is made in the UK from 100% recycled fibres and the packaging is compostable cardboard.

Even better the 93% of the cardboard packaging is recycled materials. But best of all the display hanger is also cardboard and not an attached plastic hook.

All good points….

They also do a sponge scrubber – a scouring pad with a sponge backing. In their own words they “found out that every company manufacturing foam products have tons of clean, unused foam going to landfill every day. We rescue and grind up these bits of foam, compress them together and the super absorbent recycled EcoForce sponge is born.”OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I had no call to use these so I can’t tell you how they perform, but I guess as well as any other synthetic sponge scourer.

However, this is a semi disposable product. Whereas pegs and washing lines ( see previous review) have a good long working life and can possibly be recycled, these have a much shorter life span and will not be recycled  – which  raises questions:

Is this a justifiable use of plastic that would otherwise be trashed? Well I suppose if it was going in the bin any way then yes… but talking of bins..

What happens to the finished pan scrub? How do I dispose of them? Well I can’t. As they don’t biodegrade I cannot compost them,  they cannot be recycled so cannot go in the green bin and  I don’t fancy burning them. So they have to go in my black bin to be collected and specially disposed of by the council. Hmmmmm.

So to conclude nice packaging, properly labeled, the product locally made from recycled materials; when I need a plastic scourer I would choose these.

BUT I would advise you to try one of the natural alternatives first.

You can find more pot scouring options here

You can read my other Ecoforce Reviews here.

 

 

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Laundry

by Posted in 3.1 Cleaning Up, 3.1 House, Office & Garden, 3.2 How To...plastic-free Tagged , , , 7 Comments

Laundry Liquid & Fabric Conditioner
ECOVER  do a
LAUNDRY LIQUID,
FABRIC SOFTENER,
You can get your plastic bottle refilled. 
To find where Ecover have a refill station check the  postcode search on their site

If you cant get to a Ecover refill station try getting a refill by post….

Splosh

This is an online refill service.
Some products come in soluble pods which you drop into water; others in plastic pouches which can be sent back to be refilled or recycled.
Splosh also claim that the postal packaging for the starter kit and refills are plastic free. Though according to some reviews they come with some plastic.

Read more about cleaning product refills here e http://plasticisrubbish.com/2014/12/14/u-k-europe/

Hanging Out

Pegs, Peg Baskets and Washing Lines

N.B. I got sent some Ecoforce stuff to review. They supply a range of household cleaning and laundry products made from recycled plastic.
I agreed because while I dont think recycling is the answer it can be part of the solution and one way to deal with all the waste plastic we have created, most of their stuff is made in the UK making it even a better recycling option and the disposable product packaging is pretty good.
And I think with damp damp laundry sometimes plastic products may be preferable so they might as well be ethical plastic options. And it gave me the opportunity to compare and contrast options.

Pegs

Wooden

I use wooden pegs. I bought them ages ago. They came in plastic packaging. Obviously my wooden and steel pegs represent a pressure on natural resources. And there is no denying they get a bit mucky and fall apart quite easily. I don’t know where they are made, or from what kind of wood.

The plus point about my wooden pegs is that when they do fall apart and they end up lost in the garden they will naturally biodegrade. Plastic pegs of course don’t.

Plastic

If you really want plastic pegs you can try these by Ecoforce. I like that they are 93% recycled plastic and (so far) very sturdy. They don’t use steel which I like. I worry about how much steel we use. They are made in the UK which is nice and local. On the down side they do come in a plastic bag. The bag is clearly marked with a plastic code which is good, but made of a type of plastic rarely recycled in the UK – not so good.

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I would feel much happier about this product if the throwaway part the packaging was compostable.

Peg Baskets

Metal

I keep my pegs in a peg basket which hangs on the line. Mine is an enamel bucket with holes in the bottom. I bought it from one of those gimcrackery shops that sell arty gubbins. I dont think the quality is of the best as it is getting a bit rusty.

Plastic

Apart from the rust, I cant really think of any reason why you would prefer a plastic peg basket but if you do the Ecofriendly peg basket is a good choice.

As with the pegs it contains 93% recycled plastic, seems sturdy and made in the Uk. Also, whoop, whoop, it is packaged in cardboard and better still the display hanger is made of cardboard.
It bugs me so much when I see cardboard packaging with a plastic hook attached to hang the item – one of those tiny unmarked pieces of plastic that are so hard to dispose of.
The basket is clearly marked with a recycle code so it can be recycled again.

Eco friendly clothes line »
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
I don’t have a drier and when I do have to use one, in the depths of winter say, I go the launderette. For environmental reasons I choose to mostly air dry my washing line. Our business means I do a lot of drying. My washing line is an important bit of kit and sad to say I have found a plastic washing line to be the best for the job. It gets very wet where we live and natural lines soak up the water, never dry out, then start to grow mould. A plastic line can be quickly wiped dry and doesn’t get slimy.

Ecoforce Plastic line is 89% recycled plastic and like that it is made in the EC so fairly close to home.
But I HATE that the plastic line is wrapped in unidentified plastic wrap. Why? It’s a plastic line. And unidentified plastic at that. Booo.

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How to wash the pots plastic free…..

by Posted in 3.1 Cleaning Up, 3.1 Special days & Parties, 3.2 How To...plastic-free Tagged , 5 Comments

By Hand…Sigh

Washing up liquid and I use Ecover  in a refillable plastic bottle. I know the bottle is plastic but kitchen? glass? This is a case for reusable plastic if ever there was one and I have been using mine for YEARS now.If you wanted to be a purist you could use a metal bottle I guess.  Check out where you can find a refill service here .

Cotton dishcloth. You can usually find the old style cotton knitted dishcloth in local shops and hardware stores such as Wilkinsons. Or you can knit your own. If you cant knit you can buy hand knitted from Etsy and lie.

Bristle brushes are useful for  scrubbing away  burnt on gunk.  They can  bought on-line here or from the delightful kitchen ware shops at Saltaire Mill.

You can find a range of scouring  pads here from the butch knitted metal to the soft and natural luffa. 

Washing up gloves. – biodegradable Fairtrade rubber gloves – guaranteed to compost down.

Cotton tea towel.

Now all you need is someone to actually wash the dishes. Come on Grandma….

Dishwasher

Or you can get an dishwasher and use this plastic free dish wash powder from Sainsburys and other supermarkets.. Goodbye Grandma…

 

 

Washing Soda, Bicarbonate Of Soda & Borax

by Posted in 3.1 Cleaning Up, 3.6 Good to know, 4.9 Useful to know Tagged , 3 Comments

When I first went plasticfree I read up on alternative ways to clean online. Lots of people reccomended Bicarbonate of soda, Washing Soda and Borax.
So I went out and stocked up.
Then I began to make increasingly complex recipes to clean my tiles and wash my clothes. To be honest I found ECover refill washing up liquid, bicarb and soap met all of my needs. Adding borax or washing soda made very little difference. But because they are stronger than bicarb, you are meant to wear gloves when you use them. So now I have to source plastic free gloves. Way too much hassle So I have stopped using them. And I don’t miss them.

What Are They

The trinity of green cleaning – washing soda, bicarbonate and borax. Often mentioned rarely explained!

Let’s take washing soda and bicarbonate of soda first. Why because they are related.

They are both biodegradable
Washing soda has many industrial uses and as such is produced on an industrial scale. Bicarbonate of soda is a byproduct of that process.

Washing Soda or Sodium carbonate (also known as soda ash and soda crystals) has a chemical formula of Na2CO3.
Bicarbonate of soda Chemical formula NaHCO3.
One sodium atom difference between the two

Making Bicarbonate and Washing Soda

Bicarbonate of soda can be produced as a by product of washing soda via one of these heavily industrialised processes:
The Solvay Process  Uses limestone, salt and ammonia to transform salt (sodium chloride). 
Mining –  Trona ore  is mined, then heated until it turns into soda ash also known as washing soda. Bicarbonate of soda is obtained along the way. Read more.

Baking Soda V Washing Soda
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Both are alkaline so good at removing organic soils (but not inorganic).
Washing soda has a pH of 11
borax is 9.3 pH
Fairy liquid has a pHof 9.2
Ivory bar soap from Proctor and Gambol 9.5
Soapy water has pH of 9
Bicarbonate of Soda has pH of 9

Baking Soda’s PH is not as alkaline as washing soda. That one sodium atom (Na) makes a difference.
Washing soda is stronger than bicarb
Washing Soda can soften water bicarbonate of soda cannot.
N.B. You can turn bicarb back into washing soda by baking it so that breaks back down into water steam, carbon dioxide and washing soda. I have never done this but by all accounts need to cook your bicarb in the oven for half an hour at 400 F (or 200 C).

Borax
Borax falls somewhere in between .It is gentler than Soda Crystals yet stronger than Bicarbonate of Soda.
There are concerns that borax is toxic. So much so that you cannot buy it in the U.K. anymore. but there is little in the way of firm conclusions leading many to pooh pooh this ban.

Read More

Uses Of Bicarbonate and buy
Uses Of Washing Soda and where to buy
Uses of Borax and where to buy HERE

Technical Data

Technical grade

What do I use

NB if I ever did need some washing soda I would cook up some bicarb.

BUT I live in a soft water area.

Use & Buy

Uses Of Bicarbonate and buy
Uses Of Washing Soda and where to buy

Uses of Borax and where to buy

Borax occurs naturally in evaporite deposits produced by the repeated evaporation of seasonal lakes. The most commercially important deposits are found in Turkey; Boron, California; and Searles Lake, California. Also, borax has been found at many other locations in the Southwestern United States, the Atacama desert in Chile, newly discovered deposits in Bolivia, and in Tibet and Romania. Borax can also be produced synthetically from other boron compounds.
WIkkipedia

Proper borax is No longer sold on the shelves in the UK. You have to make do with a borax substitute from Dripak.

“Borax Substitute is sodium sesquicarbonate – a mineral compound, with similar pH to borax, making it ideal for cleaning and laundry. It is gentler than Soda Crystals yet stronger than Bicarbonate of Soda.

Using Borax Substitute around the house
Uses Borax Substitute as a:

Multi-purpose cleaner – Mix it with some water to form a paste. This makes it an excellent scouring agent that offers more cleaning power than Bicarbonate of Soda.
A water softener to help keep your washing machine clear of limescale.
To make your own bath salts, simply add some perfume or essential oils and a drop of food colouring to some Borax Substitute.”

That said you can still buy borax from Ebay

Uses

Some uses for borax here

More

Borax, washing soda, bicarbonate or all three. What should you use for your cleaning needs? A comparison HERE
See all out #plasticfree cleaning aids HERE

Technical Data

Technical grade

Sodium carbonate, also known as soda ash, is a white, anhydrous and hygroscopic powder with a purity. There are two forms of sodium carbonate available, light soda and dense soda (granular). Sodium carbonate has a melting point of 851C, it decomposes when heated and therefore a boiling point can not be determined. Sodium carbonate is an inorganic salt and therefore the vapour pressure can be considered negligible. It is soluble in water and solubility increases with temperature. The average particle size diameter (d50) of light sodium carbonate is in the range of 90 to 150 µm and of dense sodium carbonate is in the range of 250 to 500 µm. Sodium carbonate is a strong alkaline compound. The pKa of CO3 2- is 10.33, which means that at a pH of 10.33 both carbonate and bicarbonate are present in equal amounts.

Click here to view MSDS

 

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Pan Scrub Luffas

by Posted in 3.1 Cleaning Up, 3.1 House, Office & Garden Tagged , , 4 Comments

The slightly rough texture of the luffa makes it ideal for gentle scouring. 

The luffa, also spelled loofah, is the fruit of either L. aegyptiaca and L. acutangula. It looks rather like a cucumber. If harvested young it can be eaten but if left to mature it becomes very fibrous.

These fibrous fruits can be dried out then used  for anything from exfoliating the skin or cleaning the dishes. Not the same one obviously. And so you can find loofahs for sale in anywhere from chemists to cookery shops.

I bought a monster Loofah in T.K. Max for peanuts. I use it the slough my leathery old skin

Mean while Michael’s rather more expensive and much smaller Original Luffa Scouring Pads Micheal’s  can be bought from Half Moon Oraganics in Huddersfield or on line at the ethical superstore. are used to wash the dishes

They ” are ethically and sustainably grown on Michael’s family farm in the Phillippines (luffas are plants grown on land).
Bought directly from the farm at a fair price, your purchase supports less privileged families and prevents environmental degradation.
Michael’s Luffas become flexible and supple in water and are durable and tough enough for all but the hardest baked on food (soak it first). They are gentle enough for cleaning non-stick surfaces, fruit and vegetables (and also your body).

Well not by me at that price – I just cut the end off my monster loofah and used that.

Grow Your Own

When I need a new one I am going to try and grow one.

 

More

You can find more pot scouring options here

Exfoliating here

 

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Rubber Gloves

by Posted in 3.1 Cleaning Up, 3.1 House, Office & Garden Tagged , 3 Comments

There comes a time in every girls life when waterproof  hand protection is necessary (just don’t ask), and I found myself  searching for plastic-free rubber gloves in a hurry.

At first I did not succeed. In fact I was so unsuccessful I had to buy two pairs of rubber gloves in non recyclable plastic packaging URK!! That is a particularly bad plastic crime. But then lo ….the sun came out and shone on Holmefirth Health Shop where they sell these little beauties.

Greentips Household Gloves
Product Information:
Pair of Latex Gloves made from Fairtrade natural rubber. Medium size green colour, flock lined with fairtrade and sustainability sourced logos.
Flock lining and extra weight ensures long life for these gloves. Boxed in recycled CARDBOARD packaging.

So when I have finished my unpleasantly moist tasks and have no further need of them it is claimed they can go  onto the compost heap. Though, despite what others say, I have my doubts as to wether latex actually is compostable!SUGLOV_large

I cannot find an online supplier. The closest I can get is Fairtrade gloves from Big Green Smile – but the packaging appears to be plastic…. BOOOOO! A well thought out product spoilt?

You can buy something similar but much tougher for even nastier jobs from Ethical Superstore

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Washing Soda

by Posted in 3.1 Cleaning Up, 3.1 General & Homemade Tagged , ,
Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda, soda ash and soda crystals)
is the water-soluble sodium salt of carbonic acid.

Pure sodium carbonate is a white, doorless powder with a strongly alkaline taste.

Washing Soda or Sodium carbonate (also known as soda ash and soda crystals) has a chemical formula of Na2CO3.

Pure sodium carbonate is a white, doorless powder with a strongly alkaline taste.

It has been used for centuries.

History

Soda ash was called so because it was originally extracted from the ashes  of plants growing in sodium-rich soils, such as vegetation from the Middle East, kelp from Scotland and seaweed from Spain.

It also occurs naturally as a residue. “When seasonal lakes evaporate, they leave a huge chunk of mineral deposits behind. These deposits are good sources of sodium carbonate. Other dry lakes and wells are also good sources of the same. It is also believed to have been erupted from volcanoes. Large deposits of sodium carbonate are found in Africa and North America.”

From

While it can be made from the  ashes of  plants or  occur naturally as a residue most is now via one of these heavily industrialised processes:

The Solvay Process  Uses limestone, salt and ammonia to transform salt (sodium chloride). 

Mining –  Trona ore  is mined, then heated until it turns into soda ash also known as washing soda. Bicarbonate of soda is obtained along the way. Read more.

Baking Soda V Washing Soda

Baking Soda’s PH is not as alkaline as washing soda, so it doesn’t cause skin irritation and you don’t need gloves to handle them. It is not as harsh as washing soda but neither is it as effective a cleaner. It is also half as effective at softening water.

You can turn bicarb back into washing soda by baking it so that breaks back down into water steam, carbon dioxide and washing soda. I have never done this but by all acounts need to cook your bicarb in the oven for half an hour at 400 F (or 200 C).

You can read more about bicarb versus washing soda  here

Uses

Water Softener
Methods for softening hard water involve the removal of calcium ions and magnesium ions from the water.

This can be done by adding sodium carbonate to the water.
“The water is softened because it no longer contains dissolved calcium ions and magnesium ions. It will form lather more easily with soap.However, the calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate precipitates to form limescale. As well as being unsightly on your taps, it can also clog up pipes in heating systems (causing them to break down). This makes treatment with sodium carbonate suitable for softening water only in certain circumstances – such as softening water for hand washing clothes.”
washing Soda is alkaline which means it will work well  with organic soils ( dirt). Alkaline emulsify grease.  Fatty acids are normally insoluble which is why they cannot be cleaned using water alone. The alkaline breaks down fat making them dispersable in water. Read more here

For the same reason it can help remove wax from floors
helps in better absorption of dye
reduces the acidic effects of chlorine in swimming pools.
an excellent descaling agent
A powdered form of dishwasher detergent can be made with washing soda and Borax
For more uses and a rather cheery info graphic visit Dripak.

Dripak sell washing soda – in plastic bags. Here’s some of their blurb

All-natural Dri-Pak Soda Crystals are bio-degradable and contain no phosphates, enzymes or bleach. Soda Crystals are an alkaline “washing soda”. The main uses of Soda Crystals are to dissolve grease, soften water, loosen dirt and reduce acidity. You can safely combine Soda Crystals with other natural ingredients like baking soda and soap flakes for even more cleaning power. Soda Crystals, along with Soap Flakes, have a long history. They were the primary cleaning products in use at the turn of the twentieth century.

Buy

Dripak sell washing soda – in plastic bags.

More

Borax, washing soda, bicarbonate or all three. What should you use for your cleaning needs? A comparison HERE
See all out #plasticfree cleaning aids HERE

Technical Data

Technical grade

Sodium carbonate, also known as soda ash, is a white, anhydrous and hygroscopic powder with a purity. There are two forms of sodium carbonate available, light soda and dense soda (granular). Sodium carbonate has a melting point of 851C, it decomposes when heated and therefore a boiling point can not be determined. Sodium carbonate is an inorganic salt and therefore the vapour pressure can be considered negligible. It is soluble in water and solubility increases with temperature. The average particle size diameter (d50) of light sodium carbonate is in the range of 90 to 150 µm and of dense sodium carbonate is in the range of 250 to 500 µm. Sodium carbonate is a strong alkaline compound. The pKa of CO3 2- is 10.33, which means that at a pH of 10.33 both carbonate and bicarbonate are present in equal amounts.

Click here to view MSDS

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Soap

by Posted in 3.1 Cleaning Up, 3.1 General & Homemade, 3.1 Personal, 4 About The Alternatives Tagged , , , , 1 Comment

 Making Soap 

Basic soap is made from lye, oils or fats (animal or vegetable) and water.

Saponification
When these three are mixed together a chemical process called saponification takes place. The end result is soap

In the olden days soap makers used lye obtained from wood ashes. Find out how, here.

Modern day soap makers use Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), also known as lye and caustic soda. This is made from salt and is very caustic See how that is made here.

History

In the olden days making soap was a labour intensive process. There were plenty of animal fats but making lye took forever. And it wasn’t very reliable. Then in 1791 French chemist Le Blanc discovered how to make Soda Ash from salt. Soap got much easier and cheaper to make and the great unwashed could finally afford a bar in every home.

How does it work

Alkaline & Organic Soils

Soap is alkaline which means it will work well  with organic soils ( dirt). Alkaline emulsify grease.  Fatty acids are normally insoluble which is why they cannot be cleaned using water alone. The alkaline breaks down fat making them dispersable in water. Read more here

Soap & Germs

But folk were not just cleaner but safer too. Soap does actually kills germs but it does a good job of physically removing them. 

Whats in YOUR soap
Here are some of the things you might find in your soap.

Sodium tallowate  is from animal fat usually from cows.

Sodium lauryl sulfate (commonly known as SLS)  and Sodium laureth sulphate and sodium laurel sulphate also attract dirt so work in the same way as soap but they create more lather. This is the main reason they are added – to create lots of lovely lather.  They are a known skin irritant. Internet claims that they cause cancer are unproven.

Synthetic fragrance  – which may contain DEO a phthalate used as a solvent and fixative. Despite the general bad press about phthalates this one is considered safe.

Palm Oil and Palm Kernel Oil (PKO) are used in soap making  because they make the soap more bubbly and result in a harder bar. Palm oil –  comes from Malaysia and Indonesia. They have cut down hundreds of acres of rainforest to make way for huge plantations of palm oil. This has impacted adversely on the habitat of the orangutang  a now endangered species. You can find out more about it and why we minimise our use of palm oil, here .

Other considerations when buying soap might include does the company still do animal testing.

Is it a British company.

Soap Formats

Soap comes in various forms which in my experience are often interchangeable.

Bar Soap – hard. Everything from luxury cosmetic soaps to the increasingly rare dish wash bar.
Soap Flakes – thin slivers of soap that dissolve more easily
Liquid soap such as body wash, shampoo or washing up liquid.
Soap powders mostly for dishwashers and washing machines.

Homemade

You can make your own. Read this from Jen of Make Do And Mend Life

Here are some recipes for making Castille Soap

Why This Post Is ….

A little bit rubbish. You are reading a work in progress. Here’s how the blog is written and why we post half cocked.

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mop and bucket

by Posted in 3.1 Cleaning Up Tagged 2 Comments

 mop bucketI am something of an old pro when it comes to scrubbing. In my youth I was the cleaner of casinos. I swabbed down the gaming area, restaurant and croupiers changing rooms. What with the slopped drinks, overflowing urinals, greasy kitchens and industrial strength makeup  spills, theres not a thing I don’t know about  mopping up.

I can tell you that a cotton mop and galvanized mop bucket  are the only things that can take the strain. Plastic tubs and sponge heads are crap (that is a technical term used by cleaners). Only the strength of galvanized steel allows you to get a good squeeze on your mop essential for good scrubbing action.

mopCotton mop heads are also replaceable. The old ones can be safely burnt on the bonfire or used to make Guy Fawkes hair – it makes him look really rascally. If you think Guy had the right idea and you don’t want to burn an effigy of him,  put the old mop head on the compost heap. The wooden mop handles last for ever, but should they ever break they too can be burnt or composted.

So give up on plastic mop buckets and sqidgy sponges and get down with the old school charlady look. Its really cool, plastic free, biodegradable and lasts for ever.

So you want to use a cotton mop? There are a few things you may wish to consider before you purchase.
Firstly, not all mop heads are not created equal. They come in different ply which means that the strands of cotton come in different thicknesses.

Which mop head should you use? 

Thinner twines will wear away quickly leaving your mop head scraping on the floor, but dry quickly after use.

Thick twines are better for heavy duty mopping but a thick head takes longer to dry and a damp mop head can very quickly become a stinky mop head.

Drying out, or getting stinky, is not an issue if you use the mop every other day.

If you don’t need to mop every day the 16PY is a good choice. It is a medium weight so thicker than your average mop head but not so heavy it takes forever to dry out.

Changing a mop head

Remove old head put on new – as easy as

You can nail the head into place but we have never bothered.

Works fine for us

Buy Mop & Bucket

Mops and buckets can often be found on markets and in hardware stalls.

You can also buy them on line here from independent sellers operating through Amazon.

Amazon is a very dirty word at the moment and I thought long and hard before suggesting them.  Heres why I went ahead…..

Pan scrubs Tough

by Posted in 3.1 Cleaning Up, 3.1 House, Office & Garden Tagged

Wonderful though I think my new natural non plastic brushes are, let me tell you about my big boy pan scourers.

The brushes do all they are meant to do but even they cant get rid of the really burnt on black stuff ( I told you – home making – not my forte),so my plastic free scourer of choices is the knitted metal pan scrub. These can be bought loose from the hardware sections in grocery shops – Asian groceries are particularly likely to stock them. I don’t why that should be but it is true.

Also good are hardware shops in covered markets.

Pot Cleaning

You can find more pot scouring options here