Ideas on how to be greener and save money

CosmicZebra

I use white vinegar instead of fabric softener and mix it with water and a bit of stardrops as a spray cleaner. Old tea towels, t shirts etc are re-purposed as rags. Use flannel and soap for people washing. I tried an eco shampoo bar but I've got v long hair and it just didn't work. Water butt used for the garden. Trying Nematodes for slug repelling. Wash the cars with a basin and old rags. We walk for all local journeys but work is too far and public transport too complicated so we have 2 cars. I get fruit and veg from the local grocer- they don't plastic wrap and I bought mesh bags from Amazin to cut down. I take a flask to work and out and about and put sandwiches in old takeaway boxes instead of clingfilm. I make a lot of clothes, and buy the fabric but I've been thinking about buying clothes from CS and reusing the fabric. Does anyone do this?

joedenise

I've used fabric from CS. Just wash the garment, unpick or cut the seams off, iron and then use as new material.

Used sheets & quilt covers are good for summer dresses! I'm a size 10-12 and tend to try and buy size 16+ clothes to reuse. If the fabric looks and feels good then I'm happy to pay a couple of pound or so and then make up something I can wear.

Denise

yellow218

Votes are in on the ecoegg. I like it. I have the lavender version, very slight smell. I also use it with vinegar instead of softener. So far so good.

Also found out that the local pet shop will be discounts for topping up pet food in your own containers- win! I like to be able to support local businesses, save money and the environment at the same time.

Primrose

Had a large amount of greaseproof paper, used for a bulk catering event, for cooking pastries of various kinds on baking trays which I thought might be capable of being recycled after use.
Washed it gently In lightly soapy water and hung it on the line to dry. Goodness knows what next door neighbour thought!

Sad to report that most of the greaseproof facilities had worn off so experiment didn't work and had to throw it away but u less yiu experiment with these things you never know.

Poundland sell, or used to sell, some synthetic gauze type mats for cooking such items on, on baking trays which are excellent, and can be washed in soapy water and re-used time and time again.

Magentasue

I keep seeing this stuff about microfibre cloths and have ignored it, but am ready to face the demon. I used to be very conscientious about not using chemicals, moneysaving and being green but fell off those wagons when I went back to work full-time. Trying to climb back up and have always been good about some things anyway.

But I have a collection of microfibre cloths that I use for cleaning. They came my way from a friend who gave up her cleaning business, and I use them for pretty much everything apart from washing up (cotton dishcloths and tea towels).

I could easily replace with rags. Should I? What would I do with the cloths?

PollyWollyDoodle

I was gutted when I heard that microfibres cloths were not good for the environment; I'd invested heavily in them and prided myself on using fewer cleaning products! I have gone on using mine, it seems wasteful to leave them in a drawer or send them to landfill. They are fairly well-used so I reckon any damage has probably already happened. It's so difficult to know what to do for the best. I do use rags etc for cleaning but they're not as effective.

Hopeless_Case

I bought a Euroscrubby which is cotton - it's great, I've washed it loads of times and it's as good as ever. I've also got dishcloths which I've had for years which I must admit I'm not sure what they're made of, and I don't know how I'd tell now

I use dusters for everything else, I bought a pack of value ones and use them for dusting, and all wiping and cleaning other than washing up/cleaning kitchen surfaces - again not idea if they are cotton or microfibre

I don't use fabric conditioner anyway, and I'm trying to buy an Ecoegg but it's on hold on Amazon

I did a big change last summer, and went back to bar soap, and got a shampoo bar, and stopped using cotton wool/cleanser - back to soap and water.

Also hankies instead of tissues, stopped using cling film/foil (except maybe at Christmas) and kitchen roll, all surprisingly easy to adjust to.

I started composting and adding fruit/veg waste to it - this is still a work in progress, I'm not great at compost making :eek:

We still produce far too much rubbish though, 2 wheelie bins a month at the moment (1 landfill, 1 recycling, but I suspect the majority of the recycling ends up in landfill anyway ) so need to keep working. (A lot of it is packaging from me doing the teas for the cricket team, they want to eat junk food and I end up with the packaging :eek:)

I also put dog poos in my landfill bin at the moment, and with 3 dogs that's a fair amount of waste too

Hopeless_Case

I also went to a water meter a month ago and it's really concentrated my mind on not wasting water, at the moment I'm collecting the water while I'm waiting for the shower or tap to go hot and using it on the garden or my houseplants, I also blanched a lot of carrots yesterday and used the water on the garden once it had cooled (I used the actual water I'd boiled them in to make the stock for the soup I then made, and put the water I cooled them in on the garden) - guess this won't be necessary in the winter but in this hot weather, its saving a few watering cans full!

Wizard_of_Id

On the 'saving money' side of being Green.

Do you use Freegle?
A lot of people baulk at the thought of using second hand items but it really is a great way to save money and you might be amazed at some of the stuff available in your local area, we just had an upright piano given away in my area

MrsStepford

My mother bought me Household Cleaning: Self-Sufficiency by Rachelle Strauss 9781847734587 7.99 and I'm reading it at the moment.

So far I tried lemon juice as rust stain remover on ceramic tilin. It got 90% off first go. Also tried salt to remove tea stains from a sink & drainer. Table salt and Himalayan pink rock salt (from Lidl) worked equally well. Very impressed by shine .

Next to try, is baby oil to remove fingermarks on stainless sreel.