Travelling On

beanielou

Well done.
I will clean my garden table after the funeral.

Karmacat

greenbee said:

Don't get over-excited about Ecover. I rarely use it now if I can get alternatives: https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/company-profile/ecover-uk-limited

Thanks for that, greenbee - yeah, the ingredients list on the Ecover product didn't overly impress me, though it wasn't nearly as bad as the supermarket ranges.  That fits in with what the ethical consumer website's saying.  Not excited about them at all, actually - I think Cheery's mention of Rhonda reminded me of how much I love DownToEarth, and I'll go with them. My issue was always about finding a recipe I trust, and I *really* trust Rhonda.  I'll use up what I've got, but I'll buy the basic ingredients she mentions so I'm ready.  Bit of research about type of soap and I've seen substitute borax on sale, so I'll investigate that.  

Karmacat

beanielou said:

Well done.
I will clean my garden table after the funeral.

If you've got the energy beanie, good idea.  The view out of my kitchen window is completely different now though a lot of the **stuff** that was in the way is simply shifted down to the bottom of the garden, sitting on the decaying decking.  Still, one bit at a time.  The patio is clear, and half of it's swept.  I'm really thankful for that.  

greent

I make laundry gloop from soap and washing soda - I found borax substitute isn't necessary - I used to use it but found it doesn't really add to it, so skip it out. I'm going to make some liquid with conkers I collected last Autumn - apparently they can have a slightly bleaching effect, so I'm going to try it on white school shirts  

beanielou

Ahem.
Table still not done.
Tomorrow maybe!

Karmacat

greent said:

I make laundry gloop from soap and washing soda - I found borax substitute isn't necessary - I used to use it but found it doesn't really add to it, so skip it out. I'm going to make some liquid with conkers I collected last Autumn - apparently they can have a slightly bleaching effect, so I'm going to try it on white school shirts  

Good to know can I ask you what proportions you use, greenbee, of the soap and washing soda?

Fascinating about the conkers, isn't it!

beanielou said:

Ahem.
Table still not done.
Tomorrow maybe!

Maybe ... you absolutely know how often I've come on here and said "I didn't get round to X, Y and Z", yeah?  It is what it is.  I mean, yes, I'm happy with what I've done, but there's *so* much more to do!  Again, it is what it is 😎

themadvix

Greenbee you took the words out of my mouth about Ecover! Such a pity. Admit I do still use their washing powder because you can get bio, but I ought to investigate what they have at the zero waste shop really.

Suffolk_lass

Ooh, I like that ethical consumer site.

I use cheap cola to remove limescale, cutting out the middle man we pour it straight into the toilet bowl overnight (and make wasp traps with vinegar and burger meat) but mostly I use vinegar, bicarb and lemon or citric acid. I don't know why I don't buy it in bulk, but I should. For laundry detergent we use a tiny amount of a commercial one but I'm sure this isn't eco friendly.

My neighbour collects conkers and puts them outside her doors and windows to reduce the number of spiders in the house.

I do buy things from the little ethical refills business that comes to the village once a month, and I have made my own soap which I still use as hand soap in the downstairs loo and kitchen (excellent after gardening).

Could do better really.

greenbee

I have a subscription to Ethical Consumer - have done for years, but don’t use it as much as I used to. Right now work and long covid get in the way of doing everything as ethically as I’d like. When everything has to be delivered it really does limit choice. Amazon is unethical, but their logistics often make them the only viable choice. 

I’m hoping to go back to buying from local businesses and farm shops at some point. And using less in the way of commercial cleaning products and toiletries. On the plus side, I don’t clean much, which means I don’t get through much! My biggest consumption is Epsom salts which I get delivered in 10kg batches (I can’t lift the 25kg buckets at the moment). 

Ethical consumer is a useful way of deciding not to shop... I also use it to help with investment decisions. It’s as good a way as any, and i seem to be doing ok!

Cheery_Daff

What do you use epsom salts for greenbee? I've only just discovered them really - bizarrely, because I read you should put them in a bath to bathe a poorly chicken with compacted crop or stuck egg 😂😂 I've started putting them in my own bath too, but don't use them for anything else...

I've got far less ethical than I used to be 😕 Used to buy everything from the little local green shop, but it's not something that Mr Cheery prioritises, and I've fallen into bad habits over time 😕 We do have a zero waste shop in the local town now - they've just started doing deliveries by electric cargo bike! Not out as far as us though 😂 Still, I should use them more often...