3 Eco Swaps to help during lockdown
Let’s save those pennies
And in turn, help form planet friendly habits
In this time of uncertainty, where we aren’t sure how long we are in lockdown for, when or how it will be lifted, and in many cases, where our next pay check will come from, there is a lot on our minds. Add to that the obstacle course with hope and sometimes joy or disappointment of supplies in the shops, each week has it’s own additional challenges.
So I wanted to share a few tips to reduce the stress of worrying about certain supplies and also explain what the benefits are for you, as well as why they are also great for the planet.
These first 3 tips should help you reduce spending money weekly / monthly on items around the house. Stay tuned, I have more up my sleeve if these don’t work with your current lifestyle. I would say that right now is a great time to give this a go. Small businesses need our support and as long as they are packing and shipping safely, and you clean the items and wash your hands before the first use, you should be ok. Always make sure you are following your governments guidelines though.
The purpose of this post is to give you ideas and to help reduce outgoing spending. A secondary benefit is also reducing the waste that goes to landfill / recycling / down the drain.
So, what are they?
Tip 1: A bum note
My first tip is a controversial one, so please hear me out!
Let’s swap loo paper for a bidet and cloth or bidet and bamboo toilet paper.
Reason:
Not only does this save clogging up the toilet, but it saves the ££’s. For some reason many people find this a weird one though, but actually it is more hygienic and better for your bottom and the planet. Think of this, if you got some mud on your arm, would you wash it or would you just wipe it with paper? Which one works better? The same applies to why a bidet is better on the botty.
There are many options for a bidet in the home. There are portable ones, which each family member could have, or ones that attach to your loo. The travel ones use maybe a cup of water (depends on how vigorous you are with squeezing the bottles) and on average, the ones attached to the loo use about 1/8 gallon of water.
By simply washing your botty, you only need a little paper then to wipe it dry / clean it off. Or you can go the extra step further and have a bottom flannel (1 per person!) or use something like cheeky wipes, or even cut up an old towel and put a few in a basket by the loo.
Again, people have an awkward response to the idea of a bottom flannel or reusable flannel, but if you have washed your bum with the bidet, all you are doing is drying it off. You wouldn’t want to use your bathroom towel as you are wiping your tush, but a dedicated flannel is fine. Just rinse / wash it after use.
Benefits:
You no longer need to wait in line for loo paper or have a fear of running out
No need to use the plunger or call out the plumber due to blocked pipes
You will save money over time (travel bidets start around £12+ and an old towel is already in your house)
It is nicer on the booty as you aren’t rubbing it raw, scrubbing it clean
You are saving trees and water, plus reducing the amount of chemicals getting near your tush – It has been estimated that “Americans use 36.5 billion rolls of toilet paper every year, representing the pulping of some 15 million trees…This also involves 473,587,500,000 gallons of water to produce the paper and 253,000 tons of chlorine for bleaching.”
Bamboo grows faster than trees so if you are looking for loo paper, try to go for that option where possible. Even if you still buy standard loo paper, by using the bidet you are reducing your overall footprint
Tip 2: No spills
My second tip is for the kitchen…and also about the paper aspect of cleaning it.
Let’s change to reusable kitchen roll or reusable replacements for paper towels
Reason:
This is something you can make at home using old cotton or flannel clothing, could buy some nice flannel and patterns to make your own, or purchase from small businesses already making them. I have a set from EathKind which I love - I adored the bear pattern in stock and had to snap it up.
Many people are putting kitchen roll in with their kerbside recycling which is causing contamination to the loads. Kitchen roll may be compostable (depends what you have wiped up…would you mind if that went into growing the tomatoes on your plate?) but due to the low quality fibres and being wet, it is not recyclable. People also use it as a replacement for loo paper if the need arises, but due to its size and density, it will clog the pipes up so must be avoided.
Therefore it should be popped into the general waste bin if used.
You can use anything you have to mop up stains and clean down surfaces. Buying a specific size paper towel is a waste of hard earned money, and causes too much confusion with how to use and dispose of it.
Benefits:
Saves money in the long run or free if reusing what items you have at home
Some really gorgeous patterns
Zero waste and can be reused 100s of times. Simply pop in the weekly wash. In America, the average person will use a whopping 80 rolls in a year
Saves trees and water – creating all those rolls uses over 110 million trees and 130 billion gallons of water. Remember, this is just based on use in the US alone.
Tip 3: Wax on…always
My third tip is to cut out cling film and plastic wrap, and instead use bees wax or soy wax wraps when storing things in the house.
Reasons:
Nearly 80 million rolls are used every 6 months in America alone and the UK uses enough to go around the circumference of the world 30 times over!
Initially cling film was the residue of another experiment and was going to be used to line military boots. It is not recyclable, it can easily be caught in a breeze and fly away, it has chemicals inside it which when heated will leach into the food you are wrapping and therefore into your diet, these chemicals have been linked to health issues.
Beeswax and soy wax wraps can be made at home using scrap natural fabric, they can be rewaxed numerous times and once they reach the end of their life, they can be composted. They also look pretty.
I haven’t touched cling film for 3 years and haven’t even noticed not having it around. If I have something that a wax wrap doesn’t cover, I use a jar or a reusable box. I also will just put a plate on top of items in the fridge. Alternatively, I will use tinfoil but the beauty with foil is that it can be washed off and reused. And when it is getting a little holey, wash it out and scrunch it up. Once you have a tennis ball shape of foil, you can pop that into your recycling for it to be made new again.
Benefits:
- Less exposure to chemicals in plastic
- Reusable and saves on waste
- Still stores food safely
- Saves money
- Looks pretty
Hopefully these sound good to you - even if you only make one of the swaps, your wallet and the planet will thank you.
Good luck and please stay safe.
Simply Sustainable Ideas x