Small changes to help save the earth

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Last year I wrote a post about the small changes I'd made to be a little more eco-friendly. Lots of small changes add up and since then I've continued to seek out more alternative ways of doing everyday things.

My most recent change came after reading a post Vix wrote about mindful laundering, with a link to an article about fabric conditioner that had me ordering several bottles of white vinegar.

Long story short - fabric conditioner is not good for your clothes, use white vinegar instead.

Simply mix 500ml white vinegar (it has to be white, no alternatives) with 30 drops of an essential oil of your choice. To use, shake well and fill up to the line on your fabric conditioner drawer.


I used Star Anise essential oil as I love the scent, and had been given a bottle (thank you Sophie) a few days before reading the article, so it seemed to me that it was meant to be. As the (glass) bottles of white vinegar I ordered were just over 500ml, I simply added the oil to the bottle.

The outcome? I love the scent, although I know liquorice won't be to everyone's taste, my laundry feels great, just as good as with a regular fabric conditioner. In the long run using this will help my fabrics last longer, and save on plastic packaging.

Other changes I've made are;

Soap instead of shower gel.
A while ago I switched my regular shower gel for soap to cut out the plastic packaging. My memories of using soap as a child included a horrid tight, itchy feeling to the skin after using it and so I'd avoided it for years. I picked up a Dove beauty bar with it's 1/4 moisturising cream, and so far so good, not a dry itchy patch of skin in sight. I don't use it on my face but for the body it's really nice. It's 80p bar lasts a lot longer than any bottle of shower gel I've ever used, and it comes packaged in a cardboard box.

Bamboo toothbrushes
I've switched to a bamboo toothbrush, and it's just as good as any plastic toothbrush I've used. A recent scroll through my Pinterest feed threw up this article on how to dispose of them properly.

Carry a drink
I asked for a Chilly's water bottle for my birthday last year and received a gorgeous flamingo design that now goes everywhere with me full of tea. Who says a water bottle has to be used for water? I haven't purchased a bottle or carton of drink for months.

Bake instead of buy.
We don't often have sweet treats. We have no self control and eat them at an alarming rate. It's best that I just don't to buy them in the first place. But sometimes a cake or some cookies are called for so I pop on my apron and get baking. It avoids plastic packaging often used for biscuits and cakes, and I can avoid additives and preservatives added to shop bought baked goods.

Going off topic for a moment, I found a lovely recipe for Banana and Oatmeal Cookies. They're perfect for using up aging bananas (which I buy intending to eat as healthy snacks and then don't), it avoids the waste and they're delicious! These Healthier Banana Honey Muffins also look good, and contain less sugar. I'll give these a try next time I buy bananas with good intentions.

Secret Santa
At Christmas we had a Secret Santa with my side of the family, which cut down on packaging (we're a family that shops online), cut down on the use of wrapping paper as we had far fewer gifts each, and cut down on clutter - none of us need more stuff.

I'm planning on making reusable fabric gift bags in cute festive material this year, if I can spread them around my family they'll reuse them in the coming years. There's a Japanese fabric wrapping technique called Furoshiki that I'll be referring to, here's a guide.

Recently Kezzie wrote a post on all the ways she succeeds and fails in this area. I love posts such as this as they are a great source of inspiration, and got me thinking once again about what else I could be doing.

A breadmaker.
We eat a lot of bread and I've been pondering this for a while. Everyone who has one says they'd never go back. I don't know what I'm waiting for really.

Reuseable cotton rounds.
Thanks to my awkward skin I've gone back to using a liquid toner but didn't want to use cotton pads. I'm using up the cotton pads that I had in my drawer but want to switch to reuseable cotton rounds when they're used up. I like the look of these from Peace with the Wild, a company I found through Instagram. Or I could make my own.

Period Pants.
I've been hearing a lot about period pants, and have read some good reviews. I'm definitely intrigued. They are expensive, £20 - £27 approx for a pair of pants depending on the brand, and obviously more than one pair is needed. The cost caused my eyebrows to raise, but if they last you can make your money back ... eventually, and no more sanitary waste. Brands are Thinx or Modibodi. Wuka or Flux. I'll keep you posted, unless that would be too much information?

Just as an aside, all these websites use diverse images of women, different sizes, with stretchmarks, cellulite and lumps and bumps. It's so refreshing, we need to see more of this.

Friendly washing
Using a Guppy Friend Washing Bag to catch synthetic fibres and prevent them from being released into seas and oceans during a washing cycle. Do you use one of these? What do you do with the fibres that are caught?

Hoping and waiting
I'm hoping for a bulk buy shop to open up locally so I can take my own containers to buy store cupboard staples. I've been finding paper or cardboard packaged alternatives for food and household items as much as possible but there is still room for improvement.

Do you have any other tips you can share?

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14 comments

  1. You're doing a great job. I'm delighted that the white vinegar works for you. I'm going to hunt down some star anise essential oil as I adore the smell of liquorice, too.
    The fibres you harvest from your Guppy bag can go into the recycle bin and can be recycled as plastic.
    I love soap. My treat is a bar from Lush but I'm happy with Pears or Dove when it's in Poundland. I really ought to make some of those cotton pads for eye make-up removal - this post is just the incentive I need!
    Those period pants sound like a great idea. I considered a Mooncup as an alternative to generating sanitary waste but luckily, due to my advanced age, I'm now on a contraceptive pill that stops periods altogether. Hooray! xxx

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    1. Thank you, that's nice to hear. I think little changes here and there can really add up.
      Do get some Star Anise, it's such a nice scent. So much better than the synthetic smells I'm used to.
      No periods? Heaven!
      xx

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  2. We have a zero waste shop not far away now, in Buxton, called Day Zero but it's very small! Still, they pack in a really good range of products and have introduced me to a few new brands / items. I've bought some washable sanitary towels by Eco Femme and they're fine and wash really well (no staining so far! They're much cheaper than period pants and made of natural materials, but I'd be interested to hear what you think of the period pants if you try them).

    Through Day Zero, I also tried Denttabs instead of toothpaste as they sell them in smaller, trial size batches and I'm definitely switching to something like that once my regular toothpaste is gone; I've always hated toothpaste and definitely prefer the plastic free alternatives.

    I also have a reusable 'cotton wool pads' which I love, I can't believe it took me until a couple of months ago to switch. I get through a lot of white vinegar for laundry and cleaning here and also use soap nuts rather than any laundry detergents.

    I'm struggling with finding plastic free shampoo / conditioner - I can't find one that leaves my hair in an acceptable state!

    All these little changes add up though :)

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    1. Denttabs sound interesting, I'll look into them.
      I really like the solid shampoo bars from Lush but the conditioner bars aren't as good (they knotted my hair!) so I've reverted back to bottled conditioners, for now.
      These things do add up, and I think more and more people are starting to make changes for the better, it feels like it's really gaining momentum.
      xx

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  3. I am noticing more bloggers making small changes to help the planet, your ideas are all very do-able. I am going to try the vinegar conditioner for laundry :)

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    1. It's nice to be able to pick your own scent, and you could get creative and mix up your own concoction :)
      xx

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  4. This post has come just at the right time for me. I asked Mick to put on a load of laundry for me yesterday (Eleanor's bedding) and he informed me that he'd used up the last of the fabric conditioner. I only use it on bedding actually but I'd recently read that it wasn't good to use so I told him I wasn't going to buy any more. I was going to do some research to see what to use instead so now I don't have to. A bottle of white vinegar will be going on the shopping list and I shall enjoy having a sniff of the different essential oils to see which takes my fancy. I've always used Dove soap, we're a family with sensitive skin and it's so soft and mild.

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    1. Excellent timing, I'm glad this post is of use. I'm going to see what other scents take my fancy too, no more 'summer fresh' nonsense for me!
      I really like the Dove soap, I'm glad I decided to give it a try.
      xx

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  5. What ARE period pants? My mum bought me a lovely birthday present of reusable material sanitary towels which I am so happy about but the pill I am on now means I don't seem to get any periods any more! Which is great but it is a shame I can't use them!

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    1. They have a special lining that soaks up all liquid so no need for tampons or pads. I've read a lot of really positive reviews. I gave up using tampons a few years ago but I hate the bulky feeling of pads, and on the hot weather they're the worst! Period Pants seem like a good alternative.
      xx

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  6. P.S. I love this post and the round up! You are doing lots of great things! I too have been using White vinegar in the Fabric softener drawer since reading Vix's post though I do still have two massive refilled bottles of Ecover Fabric softener from the health food shop. I will have to keep them though as CBC will NOT be happy about the Vinegar and I know he will refuse to use it so I will continue to do the washing but leave that for him when he very rarely does the washing before me!

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    1. Thanks :) The post was inspired by one of yours!
      Why would CBC have a problem with vinegar? I doubt he'll even notice the difference in his clothes. It'll be years before Andy notices, I do all of the house stuff as he works so many more hours than I do.
      xx

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  7. You're doing a great job, Hazel, and reading your post makes me reflect on things that I can do better. I'm switching to white vinegar instead of fabric softener, I just have to find the right essential oil. And I love an old-fashioned bar of soap, so I'm already using one most of the time. We have also been using a bread maker for years. As I'm in the menopause, I no longer have to worry about periods, but if I still had them, I doubt that I would be giving up my creature comforts in that department. So glad I haven't got that dilemma, at least ... xxx

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    1. I think the Period Pants can be regarded as creature comforts - especially at that price - I hate the feeling of pads at the best of times but in hot weather they're the worst! They seem like a good alternative for me.
      I just keep looking in my bin to see what we put in there, and trying to find ways to change what we buy to reduce rubbish we can't recycle. We'll never be zero waste but we can try.
      xx

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