Ideas on how to be greener and save money

yellow218 · 16 February 2018 at 8:18AM

Thanks Laura. I had previously looked at that website. Unless I!!!8217;m doing it wrong it seems to miss out a lot of things. Yes ecover is listed. But other brands do not appear to, not even on the red or amber lists can you find the well known brands.

I!!!8217;m tempted by the eco egg but that!!!8217;s not listed either.

Or at least, not that I can see.

buildersdaughter · 16 February 2018 at 8:59AM

Hello - thanks for information. I got distracted by Blackbeard's teasing.
I should also so say that although I said I use microfibre cloths for 'most' of my cleaning - I was at that point thinking about serious kitchen and bathroom cleaning, using them to avoid chemicals (anyone hear the researcher on the Today programme talking about them?).
Yes, I use rag for most of my cleaning / dusting etc
I have also recently cut down on kitchen roll from tips on this board:
put it in the cupboard - it's there if you need it, but not handy
keep some rag handy for the odd spill
use muslins or old teacloths to drain things like poached egg, fried food etc.

Datchet · 16 February 2018 at 9:11AM

Being green today, by not driving a 68 mile round trip into office! Working from home in home office and ,minimising elec office heater use.

Will also shred and compost some waste paper and cardboard - then add some homemade ammonia <cough>!

This weekend, plots at home will be cleared and "bean trenches" dug. That's a long trench or doughnut shape lined with newspaper and filled with peelings and green compost, covered and marked out, tpready for this years bean planting! Now that really is green! And smelly...

wort · 16 February 2018 at 10:07AM

yellow218 wrote: »

Eco egg sounds interesting. From what i can see, its a plastic shell with balls of something (?) inside? So must have some form of chemical, by is it a naturally produced/ biodegradable chemical? or synthetic?

Have you tried the scented ecoeggs?

If it lasts for as many washes as it claims to it sounds like it will be money saving too.......

Hi mine was fresh linen scent ,can't say it was particularly scented, but I've had mine years! The mineral pellets are non toxic and contain sodium olefin sulfonate and sodium carbonate.
It's says each box lasts 720 washes, I've still got some left, I have used wash powder occasionally when hubby was alive for his grotty overalls!!
It comes with a stain spot remover and detox machine tabs.

sazzlebgood? · 16 February 2018 at 10:41AM

I've been using soapnuts for years due to my daughter skin reacting to other detergents, you can put them in the compost afterwards, the nuts not the daughter!

wort · 16 February 2018 at 10:58AM

The eco egg does say it suitable for allergy sufferers. I shall go@gle soap nuts !!

yellow218 · 16 February 2018 at 11:16AM

The only thing i'm querying about soap nuts and eco eggs is how does it deal with killing off nasty germs?

In answer to someones query about checking bins. Good suggestion. We already recycle as much as we can, and compost kitchen scraps. We meal plan and use the freezer, i can't remember the last time i threw food away! Things we don't need or want anymore goes to charity. Old clothes that aren't suitable for charity are used for sewing projects, or as rags in the garage/diy. So the only thing that goes in the landfill bins really as non-recyclable packaging, and meat/fish bones.

Trying as much as possible to not buy products that don't have non-recylable packing, but thats a challenge as often loose products are more expensive!!

Meat and fish bones. These will obviously decompose at landfill (although cause methane especially when anaerobically degraded). Considering making my own bone meal fertiliser, one it cuts down on landfill decomposing, less weight in the bin (so less fuel use) and i gain from it for the plants. I've heard you can microwave the bones then bash/ grind with a hammer. Anyone tried this?

Also aware that things I use but don't waste are not green (toiletries, washing powder, fairy liquid, dishwasher tabs), so would like to find greener (and cheaper if possible) alternatives.

yellow218 · 16 February 2018 at 11:25AM

also, got two cats. Two avoid extra packaging (and to get better quality food) we buy pet mince from the butcher. Its frozen in blocks and the only packaging is a carrier bag (which is then recycled).

Cats love it and are very healthy on it (perhaps too healthy- must cut down their portion size!)

THIRZAH · 16 February 2018 at 11:48AM

We can put bones in our food waste bin.

I am concerned about washing fleeces. We have several and they are warm. If I washed them in a pillowcase would that stop fibres escaping or would they just all end up in the pillowcase and then end up in the drains next time I wash the pillowcase?

Slinky · 16 February 2018 at 2:12PM

Buildersdaughter - I don't recall where I saw/read about microfibre cloths, sorry, but I think it's been covered above somewhere.

yellow218 wrote: »

I've heard you can microwave the bones then bash/ grind with a hammer. Anyone tried this?

You'd have to balance the environmental impact of the electricity you are using to microwave the bones though.......

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