Cheap and Easy Tips For Being Eco-Friendly At Home

I always try to do my bit to be green.  I am a committed recycler, my family all have a vegetarian diet where a lot of what I cook is made from scratch and I use a lot of eco-friendly products in my home.  So I was very interested in this campaign with Andrex Eco.

Andrex Eco is working with eco-designer Oliver Heath to educate Brits about the little things we can do to help us live sustainably.  A recent survey showed that 48% of us want to be more eco-friendly but don't know how, so this campaign offers top tips making being eco-friendly cheap, easy and fun!

We have been challenged by Andrex Eco to adopt Oliver's tips that make eco-living easy in the home.  We were also sent some eco-friendly products to help us on our way.

Here are Oliver's tips and how we have adopted them into our lives:

1:  Switch to low energy LED light bulbs that last for 50,000 hours!  That will definitely save money on the electricity bills.  All our bulbs have been switched to the low energy kind that last for 15,000 hours.  I love not having to change them all the time or having them blow out like old bulbs used to!

2:  Fit draught excluders to doors and windows ready for winter and prevent 15% of your home's heat loss.  As we are in a new build home, it is all double glazed and insulated so we don't get draughts.

3:  Start a compost heap for green waste, kitchen waste and cardboard.  By next year you'll have fertiliser to feed your flowers, fruit and vegetables in the garden.  Growing your own is a green activity that will save you money too.  We have started to grow fruit and vegetables this year so rather than using our Green Bin we will get our own little composter and have a go at making our own fertiliser for next year.

4:  Buy Better!  It's simple to switch your buying habits and purchase products that contain recycled material or that are recyclable.  Products like Andrex Eco toilet roll are great quality but made to be more environmentally friendly.  It is soft and strong, made from 90% recycled fibre and 10% natural bamboo.  Buying products like this can make a big difference!

5:  Cut down on the hot water you use and you will save three ways - by lowering your water bills, and the cost to heat and dispose of it.  Using a Shower Timer is a fun way to save water and energy costs.  the kids will love the challenge of a 2 minute shower!  I turn the water off when I lather the shampoo in my hair or when I'm shaving my legs.  It saves water and also maximizes the use of shampoo and shaving gel as it's not just being instantly washed down the drain.

6:  Make the most of natural light by opening your curtains and keeping window sills free from clutter.  Not only is natural light free, it is also psychologically uplifting.  Since making over our bedroom and switching heavy, dark curtains for blinds, I have loved the effect of natural sunlight in my bedroom.  Changing dull, matt paintwork for golden, gloss has also made our room feel lighter and airier.

7:  Plants look good and keep your home healthy by absorbing CO2 and toxins.  Ferns, ivy and spider plants are great.

8:  Don't forget to recycle bathroom recyclables like loo roll tubes, shampoo bottles and deodorant tins.  Keep a recycling bin in the bathroom so no-one forgets.  We have installed this green pedal bin so nothing ends up being disposed of in the wrong place.

9:  Source vintage or upcycled furniture and accessories for your home rather than buying new.  Pre-loved items can add such character and are unique. Search charity shops or antique fairs for bargains. Look out for eco-friendly gifts such as this beautiful vintage tea-cup candle made with eco-soy wax from Jasmine Orchard Styling.  Using candles is such a lovely thing to do and they are a free source of both heat and light.

10:  Share things you no longer want or need.  Try Freecycle or other online communities to pass on unwanted things or donate to charity shops.  Use libraries to borrow books instead of buying them. Join communities where you can share skills, products or services.  Sharing things has a real feel good factor and can save money too.  If you want to make a little extra cash look out for local For Sale Mart pages on Facebook or try Music Magpie or Ebay.  Keeping things that are still useful away from landfill is so important!

*****

We have enjoyed following Oliver's tips, especially using the two minute shower timer which is shaped like a frog!  It really appeals to the children.  The Andrex-Eco toilet paper really is an excellent buy.  The quality you expect from Andrex with the added bonus of knowing you are buying a more environmentally friendly product.

Here are a few of my own tips for being eco-friendly:

Take re-usable cloth bags to the supermarket instead of using their plastic bags.

If you do use supermarket carrier bags be sure to re-use them at home as bin bags.

Install a Hippo Water Saver in the cistern of your toilet and save water everytime you flush.

Use refillable tubs and drinks bottles for the kids' lunchboxes instead of buying individually packaged portions of food or cartons of drink.  It saves cash too!

Invest in Eco-Cloths which allow you to clean with just water.  For tough jobs use a vinegar/water solution.

Grow your own salad leaves and herbs in a tub outside the kitchen. So easy to do!

It really isn't that difficult to go green.  With kerbside recycling there is absolutely no excuse not to recycle green waste, glass, tin, paper and plastic.

Collect rainwater in a butt for watering outdoor plants on those rare dry summer days.

If you read magazines, pass them on to friends and family to read too.  Many doctor's/dentists surgeries will be grateful to have them in their waiting rooms.

Teach the kids from a young age to recycle and save energy and water where they can. Show them that it can be fun!  They are tomorrow's adults.  Lessons they learn while they are young will become good habits for the future!

E-Cloth Green Clean Challenge Part 3

Oven Cleaning The Green Way!

I've been challenged to switch my chemical cleaners in favour of natural alternatives and harness the cleaning power of water with e-cloth's great products! Up until now, most household cleaning products have been easily exchanged.  I am amazed by the effectiveness of vinegar solution as a cleaner for most surfaces when used with a general purpose e-cloth.  Environmentally friendly laundry tablets and washing-up liquid are just as good as my usual brand.  Going green is proving so much easier than I thought it would be.

But this week, I needed to turn my attention to the interior of my oven.  This is a horrible job!  Chemical cleaners are so harsh.  They stink out the house and are terrible for my hands.  They are generally very expensive and also don't live up to the promises on the packaging.  All in all...this makes oven cleaning very high on my list of least favourite jobs!

The e-cloth hob and oven pack consists of two clothes.  One is heavy and slightly abrasive for tackling burnt on grease.  The other is a light cloth for shining up the stainless steel and glass.

Using just water, the heavy duty cloth picked up a lot of the grease and black deposits from the walls and shelf edges of the oven.  It is far less mucky using the Oven e-cloth than when cleaning with a spray on chemical foam cleaner.  The bottom of the oven had some really stubborn marks. To assist in the job, I made up a paste of bicarbonate of soda and vinegar to help shift the burnt on grease. 

Using the bicarb and vinegar paste really helped cut through a lot of the muck.  It fizzed up, eating through the grease.  It was odourless once dried and did not effect the skin at all.  After a quick scrub, a wipe off with an e-cloth cleared away most of the mess.  As it is not toxic, I didn't feel paranoid about any residue remaining in the oven and was happy to cook again straight away.

The end result as you can see was pretty good.  There are some slight burn marks still visible in the enamel, but there is nothing nasty lurking at all.  It was much simpler using the cloth and some bicarbonate of soda paste rather than a shop bought chemical oven cleaner.  The peace of mind knowing that it was 100% harmless was a real bonus...I hate those smelly, expensive, noxious, toxic, psoriasis inducing oven cleaners! 

The oven e-cloth rinsed clean with some hot water and once dried was ready to put away, ready for the next oven cleaning day.  

The polishing e-cloth was really effective in buffing up the stainless steel and glass door.  

I also used the oven clothes with plain water on my microwave which was a much easier job than cleaning my oven.  The  heavy duty cloth lifted off the food spatterings really effectively and the polishing cloth made the exterior shine.

It came up really clean.  The polishing cloth is great to get a smear free finish.  I also buffed up my stainless steel finish fridge freezer, toaster and food processor.  It polished them up easily using no chemical cleaners at all.  Knowing that the e-cloth lifts away over 99% of germs, I am not worried about that aspect of my cleaning.  I am getting a hygienically cleaned kitchen without spending money on unnecessary chemical cleaning products...plus it is safer for my family and better for the environment!  There is no compromise involved in going green...it is a win/win situation!

For more information on the products check out www.e-cloth.com.

E-Cloth Green Cleaning Challenge

Time To Come Clean and Go Green!

I am not one of these women who dons a pinny and headscarf and effortlessly floats around the house making everything sparkle and gleam with a smile on my face.  I am instead someone who finds housework a necessary evil! I hate the idea of using gallons of chemicals to keep my home spick and span.  Everytime I pour some harsh cleaner down the loo or down the plughole, I wonder where it is going to end up and what effect it is having on the environment.  I also suffer from psoriasis on my hands which flares up whenever I so much as look at a bottle of bleach!

Last year I discovered e-cloth  and was impressed that I could clean my home using nothing more than the power of water!  99% of germs can be removed without having to use chemical cleaners.  Using my e-cloth to clean up the bathroom sinks and polish the taps has been my contribution to green cleaning.  I feel like I am doing my bit, I'm saving money on cleaning products and it is quick, easy and effective on everyday messes.  However, I've not been brave enough to completely turn my back on the off the shelf products that temptingly promise to turn your greasy kitchens and limescale ridden bathrooms into sparkling clean spaces. 

This year however, my dedication to going green is being tested further with the e-cloth Green Cleaning Challenge.  Can I say good-bye to chemical cleaners for a whole month?  Using a range of e-cloth products along with a host of natural alternatives to chemical cleaners, can I keep my home hygienically clean?  

E-Cloth have sent me everything I need to go clean and green for the next four weeks.  Using some everyday items such as lemon juice, salt, bicarbonate of soda and vinegar, alongside some eco-cleaning products and my e-cloth collection, I'll be testing just how easy it is to go green.

Coming Clean and Going Green!

I'll be sharing some hints and tips on how you can clean your home naturally.  I'll also be interested to see how much I could save from my weekly shopping bill by making the switch.  Apparently we spend on average £109 a year on cleaning products.  The initial investment in e-cloth products could soon pay for itself several times over!  So wish me luck as I embark on this challenge!

Take a look at e-cloth's website to see the range of products specific to different household cleaning needs and maybe do your bit in coming clean and going green.

An Ethical Christmas with WWF

My girls love their fashion.  9 year old Kizzy really enjoys picking out matching ensembles from her wardrobe.  So when I heard about the new range of ethical and Fairtrade clothing from WWF, I knew she would love to try one of their new long sleeved T-Shirts. She was delighted to receive a gorgeous chrysanthemum pink slim fit top with a giant panda design, courtesy of WWF.

The quality of the garment is excellent with strong double stitching securing the seams.  The gorgeous design is of a Panda created out of floral print.  It is unusual, distinctive and very effective.  The organic cotton is Soil Association standard and Fairtrade certified.  Kizzy was really impressed with it saying it was "lovely and warm with a really cute picture on the front plus it is good for the planet!"

Many consumers these days care about the impact of their shopping habits on the environment and are actively sourcing ethical products to buy.  The WWF clothing range fulfills this consideration and also reflects their ethos and mission, giving a range of clothing that both parents and children will adore with designs that feature endangered animals.

Renowned the world over, WWF is one of the leading global conservation organisations, established in 1961 to help preserve the environment and protect the Earth’s wildlife.  The main objective of the charity’s retail division has been to help raise much-needed funds to contribute to the WWF’s on-going projects.  This year the charity celebrates its 50^th anniversary – a timeframe during which it has become a household name in conservation and recognised as an innovator in sustainability.


The WWF Shop has some great ideas for Christmas.  They include unusual panda design bone china mugs, gorgeous personalised dressing gowns, adoption kits, beautiful traditional games, environmentally friendly tote shopper bags and adults’ clothing including panda and penguin design hooded sweatshirts and t-shirts.  The Christmas cards and gift wrap available in the store are also beautifully designed.


The top that Kizzy received is very reasonably priced for such a quality garment at £16.95.  It really is gorgeous for any little girl and is available in sizes 18-24 months up to 9-11years.  Other colours and animal designs are available for both boys and girls.

Howard Wright of WWF-UK, said: “We take our role as a green retailer very seriously and we think it’s fantastic that more and more consumers are questioning where their products come from and the impact their purchases could have on our environment.  This range should also help bring that message and knowledge to children – as well as injecting some fun!”

So if you want to buy gifts that will make others green with envy whilst keeping your shopping credentials green look no further than wwf.org.uk/shop!

The Green Chain: a Blog for Charity

PriceMinister have launched a fab campaign - The Green Chain- for bloggers to raise money for charity. If you take part in their eco interview, they will donate £10 to one of three great environmental charities - Surfers Against Sewage, Trees for Cities and the Young People's Trust for the Environment. 


If you tweet or join the Green Chain Facebook page as well as blogging, PriceMinister will donate an extra £1 for each. 


You can read all about The Green Chain and how to take part here. 


And now for my interview... read to the end to see if I've tagged you!

Turning the heating down by just one degree in your house saves 240kg of CO2 a year. It would take eight trees to soak up this amount of CO2! Are you currently doing anything to make your home eco-friendly?


Our house is a new build so it is already quite eco-friendly.  However after visiting the Ideal Home Show and interviewing George Clarke, we are looking into the possibility of having solar panels installed.  We buy appliances that are more energy efficient.  We have double glazing, good insulation and we only use our heating very minimally...that's what Slankets are for!!


Rainforests once covered 14% of the earth's land surface, now they only cover 2%. How are you reducing your use of paper?


Non-paper billing makes so much sense in the internet enabled virtual world!  As does reading magazine and newspaper articles online.  I am notorious for re-using gift bags for birthdays and Christmas presents...it's a bit of a standing joke amongst my friends and family.  I've opted out of postal junk mail where possible and we recycle any paper waste that is created.


At PriceMinister we believe that trading second hand items online is a great way to extend the life span of products. Have you ever thought of buying or selling second hand items on or off line?


I have dallied with Ebay and car boot sales as both a buyer and seller.  I wholeheartedly agree with trading in second hand items.  One man's rubbish is another man's treasure.  This reminds me...I have a garage full of Freddy's outgrown baby things...I must get onto selling them soon!


One of the biggest environmental challenges we face is Freshwater Shortages. Are you taking measures to reduce your water consumption?


With a new house we have the toilets with the half flush option.  The two little ones share a bath together which they love.  I have been known to go for the dry shampoo or over sink fringe wash instead of the full works!  We have reduced our laundry usage by simply wearing clothing twice if it's still fresh and clean.  We never use a hose pipe in our garden.  Ian washes the car when it rains so it gets rinsed off by nature for free!


How do you choose the produce that goes into your shopping basket? 


Being a family of vegetarians we already have a diet that is generally more environmentally friendly.  We try to buy local, if not British, produce where possible.  We recycle all our waste cans, glass jars and cardboard packaging, and try to avoid the excessively plastic packed products.  I only ever buy Free Range Eggs.  This year I'm trying to do a bit of "growing my own" in pots in the garden...you can't get more local than that!


What is your favourite green space near home? 


Ellesmere is a beautiful area of North Shropshire where we love to go walking.  There is a central lake or mere surrounded by woodland.  Hundreds of birds flock to the mere and it is a fabulous haven for wildlife.

Which charity will you support and why?


I would like to support the Young People's Trust for the Environment. Educating young people about environmental issues will hopefully raise awareness in the next generation to take steps towards protecting our planet.

Please give us the url of a fellow blogger (or bloggers) you would like us to contact to raise an extra £10.




Bloggomy
SAHM Loving it
Mummy From the Heart
Little Green Blog

*When your post is online contact oliver.moss@priceminister.com to confirm your participation and we will donate £10 to the charity of your choice!*

E-Cloth

E-Cloth is a range of environmentally friendly cleaning products that allow you to clean around the home using nothing more than water!  Research has shown that using an e-cloth with water removes over 99% of harmful bacteria.  This is excellent when you have small children in the house, keeping things hygienically clean without the need for harsh chemicals.

If you were to ditch the chemical cleaning products you could save over £100 every year!  Using an e-cloth is quicker, easier and more environmentally friendly.

When I was sent an e-cloth to try Inside the Wendy House I was a little sceptical.  We are so used to using chemical sprays, creams and liquids that the thought of using water alone to clean seems quite strange.  However, I was more than willing to give it a go, especially as I suffer with psoriasis on my hands which is made worse on exposure to cleaning products.

The General Purpose Cloth costs £4.99 from stockists including John Lewis, Lakeland, Homebase and Tesco.  It is suitable for cleaning all hard surfaces and can tackle thick grease.  It is a versatile all round cleaning cloth.

I've been using it instead of using chemical cleaners.  This video shows how I've got on.

As you can see I am really surprised at how well it did the job using only water. I've used it on a whole range of different surfaces and it is really effective.  It even removed the grease on my extractor fan.  Impressive!  It saves time and money,   is kinder on my family and the environment and gives great results, killing over 99% of bacteria.  They are machine washable.

For more details visit the website where you can also purchase from the range. (Free p&p when you spend over £10).

Follow e-cloth on Twitter for chat, news and competitions.

Go Green with SodaStream

I remember when SodaStreams were all the rage when I was a child in the 70's.  I wanted one so badly.  I wanted to "get busy with the fizzy" as I sang along to the TV ads.  Sadly, my parents didn't feel the need to satisfy my craving for a fun-filled fizzy drinks maker.

Who'd have thought that all these years later the retro fizzy drinks maker of my childhood dreams would make such a massive resurgence to become the most sought after gift of Christmas 2010!  It has a sleeker and more chic image, but it is still the same fun gadget I coveted in my youth making sparkling beverages from ordinary tap water!

These days the SodaStream offers much more than just a way of making fizzy drinks at home, it now has a much more important role.  The impact on the soft drinks market on the environment is massive.  The average household consumes over 500 litres of soft drinks and disposes of more than 500 plastic bottles every year. Less than half of these are recycled.  SodaStream is committed to help reduce the impact of the soft drinks market on the environment.  They offer an environmentally friendly alternative to buying ready made soft drinks and fizzy water.  The re-usable bottles last for 3 years, and so they reduce the amount of plastic we thrown away.  It makes much more sense to reduce and re-use packaging than constantly throw it away and buy in more.  Doing the maths...this means that over the life of the SodaStream, the average family would save over 117 kg of plastic packaging!!  This doesn't even take into account the impact of the manufacture of the bottles and the transport of the soft drinks to the shops.  SodaStream's 'Active Green' solution minimizes the huge eco-footprint made by the soft drinks industry!

Putting the fabulous environmentally friendly factors aside, can the SodaStream really offer a replacement for the drinks I buy for my family?  I was lucky enough to be offered a SodaStream Drinks Maker to try out and review Inside the Wendy House with my "Tiny Testers"!  There was a lot of excitement on the day it arrived...the much coveted item was welcomed into my family at long last!

My first impression was that the design was very modern, sleek and would look great in the kitchen.  This isn't a novelty item, it's a serious must-have gadget!  It came with two re-usable litre bottles with lids, the gas cylinder and a sample of three concentrates.

 The Concentrates are available in more than 30 flavours, including isotonic drinks, diet drinks, fruity flavours and mixers.  A £3.29 bottle makes up to 12 litres of sparkling drink.  This is a fraction of the cost you'd expect to pay in the shops.  If you're a fan of sparkling water you can just carbonate your tap water and make massive savings!  This sparkling water can be added to fruit juice to make really healthy homemade fizzy mocktails! (My favourite is orange juice, cranberry juice and fizzy water!  So refreshing with the promise of warmer weather  fast approaching!)

We were sent the Cranberry and Raspberry and the Orange concentrates to try.  The girls made a demo video of how to make Orange Flavoured Fizzy Drink.

It really is very easy and the drinks taste authentic and are good quality. 

New for the 21st century SodaStream have just launched their SodaStream Fizz with  patented in-built Fizz Chip technology which allows consumers to see exactly how much fizz they are putting into their water and also how much gas is left in the cylinder on a digital display.  You'll never be left feeling flat with the "Fizz"!

My family are really enjoying having the SodaStream.  It is fun to use, makes great tasting drinks and fizzy water at a fraction of the price of shop bought drinks and is reducing the amount of waste we produce.  It feels good to know we are doing something positive to reduce our carbon footprint, while still enjoying a treat and having fun!

Here's one I made earlier.

Cranberry and Raspberry...yum!

Fred chooses the next flavour.

A treat for Fred :)

**SodaStream is available from Argos, John Lewis, Lakeland and other quality stores as well as online at www.sodastream.co.uk