The astronomical spring (Northern Hemisphere) 2016 began on Sunday, March 20. It will end on Sunday, June 19
We celebrate by building a big wicker man and ….. no those days are over. Just a few charred photographs left to remind me. All we do now is have a jolly good spring clean. And here’s how to do it plastic free….
In this post you can read about
Chemical Cleaning
Mechanical Cleaning
Buy Or Make Chemical cleaning product
Mechanical Cleaning Aids
For cleaning products I use a combination of bought and what I have in the cupboard in conjunction with a bloody good scrub… i.e. both chemical and manual cleaning
Chemical Cleaning
Uses the power of chemicals in a solution to remove soils. Soils in this case refers to stains. You can read how alkaline dissolve fat and why vinegar works here.
Mechanical Cleaners
These are the tools used to loosen, collect and wipe up up dirt such as brushes mops and scouring pads. Often used in conjunction with chemical cleaners of course.
Posts
Essential Oils
Essential oils have gone from being an obscure aspect of botany to an all round marketing ‘good thing’. Almost every product you buy from washing powder to shampoo trumpets that they contain ...
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Cleaning Products – Chemical – Buy or make
For cleaning products I use a combination of bought and what I have in the cupboard in conjunction with a bloody good scrub... i.e. both chemical and manual cleaning.
Chemical Cleaning uses the power ...
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Sponge Cloth Biodegradable
Oh joy - just sourced some plastic free sponge cloths. I love these things. Sponge cloths are extremely porous and great for wiping up water. Plus they dry really quickly. I love my cotton ...
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How to Scrub Plastic Free
Although I use natural cleaning products like soap, bicarbonate of soda and occasionally Ecover cleaning products, I prefer not to. Cold water and elbow grease clears most things. I know I sound ...
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Buckets – metal
Unlike cheaper plastic models, metal, industrial strength, hardworking galvanised products will give you years of service. We work in the building & landscaping trade and use these in preference to anything else ...
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Sweeping Up
When it comes to sweeping you cant beat a nice wooden brush with natural plant fibres.
Why?
Natural fibres have less flick than synthetic fibres which means less muck spattering.
They collect dirt ...
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Vinegar
Vinegar is great. You can use it for all kinds of things and is almost plastic free to buy.
Vinegar is made by converting ethanol (alcohol) into acetic acid - the main ingredient in vinegar.
Vinegar is ...
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Antiseptics & Disinfectants
This post talks about
Microbes
Antiseptics
Disinfectants
Alcohol
Bicarbonate Of Soda
Vinegar
Hydrogen peroxide
Soap
Essential oils
This is an area where you want to do your own research and decide what level of ...
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Bicarbonate Of Soda
I don't know if you can use it to put out burning cakes but bicarbonate of soda is rather wonderful.
This one product can replace hundreds of plastic bottles on your shelves. It ...
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Dirt, pH balance and chemical cleaning
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 ...
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How to wash the pots plastic free…..
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 ...
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Washing Soda? Bicarbonate Of Soda? Or Both?
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.
Both can be obtained ...
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Washing Soda
Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda, soda ash and soda crystals)
is the water-soluble sodium salt of carbonic acid.
It is alkaline.
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 ...
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Soap
I use soap to
wash my body I don't like using soap on my face so I cleanse with oil and water.
instead of shampoo.
washing the bath and other household cleaning chores.
Making Soap
Soap ...
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mop and bucket
I 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 ...
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Pot & Bottle Brushes
There I was happily scouring away when I realised it was taking longer than usual to shift the burnt remnants at the bottom of the pan. When I checked out my little ...
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Washing Up Liquid Soap
Soap Flakes
I did try to use soap flakes to wash up. I did not find it pleasant. Yes it cleaned the pots but everything was so slippery that it was a stressful ...
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Buy
Being committed to local shopping I prefer to buy that way whenever possible. I would encourage you to do the same. One of the joys of living plastic free is mooching round the local shops seeing what you can source.
If you can’t buy local, please do check the links in the posts. They link direct to the suppliers. Do consider buying from them and support their online businesses.
If you can’t do that then I have put together and Amazon catalogue. Yes I know…
Amazon is a very dirty word at the moment and I thought long and hard before suggesting them. Heres why I went ahead….. No we are not entirely happy with Amazons recent history. However these links are for 3rd party sellers, we have always found the Amazon service to be good and their packaging usually compostable. In the absence of anything else we feel we can recommend them.
Mop & Bucket
8 Litre Galvanized Mop Bucket
£7.99
3x General Use Mops & Brushes Cotton Mo…
£9.34
Lily and Brown Cotton Mop with Handle
BM02 Pure Yarn Cotton Mop 225g with Handle
£8.88
Sealey BM05 Pure Yarn Cotton Mop 340g with …
£11.68
Silverline 509117 Pure Yarn Socket Mop
£3.01
13 Litre Galvanised Bucket
£7.06
Dustpan & Brush
Faithfull BRBASS11 Stiff Bassine Hand Brush
£1.94
Silverline 794337 11 Inch Stiff Bassine Han…
£2.94
HARRIS VICTORY COCO HANDBRUSH -94101-
Harris Victory PA359H 12-inch Coco Broom wi…
£3.62
HBC Broom Head – Plain Stock, Filled Natura…
£6.29
Harris Victory PA357H 10-inch Bassine Broom…
£3.48
Groundsman 13-inch Bassine/ Cane Broom wit…
£8.39
Lily and Brown 12-inch Natural Soft Coco Br…
£6.98
Faithfull Pine Handle 48In X 15/16In
£1.44
Silverline 993059 Broom Handle Bracket Meta…
£4.13
Town & Country 48-inch x 15/ 16-inch Th…
£4.99
Town & Country 9-inch Medium Head Deck …
£7.00
10″ Heavy duty bassine bristle hard yard br…
£7.49
Town & Country 12-inch Soft Broom Head
£6.99
screw head
Metal Hooded Dustpan
£10.95
2x Metal Hand Shovels Large size Hand &…
£8.45
Harris Victory Metal Dustpan
£9.00
Metal dustpan and handbroom with natural br…
Metal Long Handled Dustpan and Brush Strong…
£34.99
Rolson 60690 300mm Metal Dust Pan
£7.50