Loving the Earth - How can I help?

Cleaning...

Anyone who knows me knows that I like things clean and organised! But, I don’t like to use harmful chemicals and have been using natural cleaning products for some years. I love Ecover’s products (particularly their toilet cleaner and washing up liquid.) You can buy these from Big Green Smile.

I also make my own products using natural ingredients. For example:

♥ I have recycled an old spray bottle and filled it with white vinegar diluted with water (about 30-50% vinegar, depending on need.) I use this to clean my kitchen and bathroom surfaces and for ‘damp dusting’ around the house. (Take care not to use it on surfaces which could be corroded by the acid - always rinse it off if you’re not sure.)

♥ Vinegar is a natural descaler - great for cleaning kettles and bathrooms (make sure you

rinse or wipe it off thoroughly.) I have recently deep cleaned all of my bathroom

fittings using a 50% vinegar solution. I soaked cloths in this and then wrapped them

around the fittings and left for 30 minutes. A few parts needed longer so I adjusted the

time accordingly, checking them regularly. The vinegar dissolves the calcium carbonate

which then wipes away easily. Prior to this, my partner and I both thought that we were

going to need to invest in a new bath tap as we had mistaken carbonate build-up for

permanent wear. The tap is now like new!

♥ Cleaning the shower screen: I am rather excited to have discovered what seems to me

to be a brilliant way to completely clean this! My shower screen, which was starting to

look old, now looks like new! I’d tried using vinegar but found it evaporated before the screen was clean. Even elbow grease didn’t seem to do the trick effectively and I didn’t want to risk scratching it. So, I thought I would look around the house for some kind of safe medium in which to mix the vinegar - something which would hold it to the screen long enough for it to work. I found a basic body moisturiser which was an unwanted present and mixed it with vinegar 50:50. I wiped this onto the screen and left it for about 2 hours before wiping off with a damp cloth and polishing with a duster. It really is amazing! I would guess that a thick shampoo or conditioner would work too but, whatever you use, it’s probably a good idea to test a small area first and to check it regularly, both for safety reasons and to ensure a good result. (Note: be careful what you mix vinegar with - it does not always mix safely.)

♥ I don’t use air fresheners. A nicer idea is to put a few drops of essential oil, such as lavender oil or tea tree oil, onto a cotton wool ball and place this in your vacuum bag. It scents as it vacuums! The vinegar spray (above) can also be used as a spray air freshener. It is also easy to make smudge sticks using herbs from the garden.

♥ I use Borax (as instructed by the manufacturers and always with gloves on) to clean my oven and any stubborn grease marks - it’s almost effortless to use, relatively inexpensive and the most effective

thing I’ve found for this. I often mix it with lemon juice to clean my hob - it smells lovely!

I know some people think that going green is expensive but I haven’t found this. I now

spend less on cleaning products and my cleaning cupboard is simpler and safer. Even

with pets, my home looks clean and we are all in good health with no allergies or asthma,

and fewer colds and bugs than many of our friends.

Toiletries & Beauty Products...

Have a look at Beyond Organic Skincare for award-winning, handmade products using

natural, organic ingredients.

As well as cleaning products, I also make some of my own toiletries. For example, a

beautiful body oil using grape seed oil and a few drops of essential oils, chosen according

to need. Applied to wet skin, this leaves my skin soft and healthy looking.

This site is my answer to this question but

there are many ways we can all help to

improve our world.

In addition to the above question, when it

comes to deciding what action to take, I find it is often helpful to ask myself,

“What if everyone did this?”

World Peace starts with the individual - never think you’re too small to make a difference. Feel free to try out the ideas on this site, such as “Growing Peace on Earth” through a Peace Garden, or practising forgiveness. You might also like to contribute to a better world by going vegetarian.

Buying stuff...

Buy less, and when you do buy, think green. There are some lovely eco-friendly and fair trade gifts and products available through this site. Supporting your local charities and car boot sales also helps to keep things moving and useful rather than dumped and wasted.

Getting rid of stuff...

I’m a huge advocate for clutter clearing but, when you’re throwing out stuff, recycle as much as possible. Use a compost heap; make notepads out of partly used waste paper; donate to charities or jumble sales; pass things to friends; have a garage sale; sell things on-line, or give them away through Freecycle or Freegle. There really are loads of ways to dispose of things without causing unnecessary waste and the consequent reproduction of new things. You might be amazed at what people will use that you would consider junk. For example, I generally keep old plastic food containers, such as those for ice cream and margerine. I use them myself around the house, particularly for food storage but also for DIY, office supplies etc. I once had an excess of around 20 margerine containers and didn’t want to throw them out so I advertised them for free on my work’s intranet system. A craft enthusiast answered the ad. He collected them and was so pleased to have them that he even sent me a thank you email! This brightened my day.

Dealing with litter...

Living by the sea and being a dog walker, I am faced with all sorts of rubbish on a daily basis. I don’t believe in moaning on, but I do believe in taking responsibility for my world, standing up to be counted, using my voice and my vote. Consequently, I have contacted my local council on several occasions about this issue and recommend others do the same. There’s no need for drama here - be calm and kind; tell them the facts and ask them to deal with it. Currently, when you call my council, you get through to a call centre which is trained to handle every possible enquiry. Obviously, it is impossible for them to be able to do this effectively on every occasion, so you do need to be patient. I have found that taking photographs and emailing them to the specific department is often an excellent Plan B. You can also contact your councillors directly.

I hope it goes without saying that we should all take our rubbish home (that includes cigarette butts which are not just unsightly but are also poisonous to wildlife.) Personally, if I see any plastic beer pack holders or glass, I prefer to dispose of them safely myself than leave them to cause any harm.

How can I help?