Well, this is the way the world is going, isn’t it? and we want to do our part. And we like that some things aren’t hard to do to get with the trend of being eco friendly in our ways. The plan or aim is to leave things in a good enough state for future generations.
So this week we did quite a bit toward this end, even though some of it was really unintentional. It just goes to show that sometimes it’s minor changes that we can make to improve things both in terms of being frugal and also in terms of being eco-friendly.
Here are some of the eco-friendly things we did this week.
Decluttering and clothing donation
This week we donated some more clothes to the charity shop and some to one of these places that weigh the clothes and give you a little stipend. Have you ever used one of these? We got £6 for three full bin bags of clothes. Some even still had the labels on!
We would rather do that than put them in the bin where it will then just fill up the landfills. Burning them would be damaging to the environment too. The hope is that the clothes will find new homes and life. I know that some people sell the clothes for a big profit. But it’s all good. What do you think?
Homemade cleaning products
We have been watching Scandish home on Youtube as she deals with cleaning and general home living without using many if any harmful chemicals. She basically uses her homemade glass cleaner and her homemade all purpose cleaner for most of the cleaning jobs at home.
So this week, Leisa purchased the iconic bottles for homemade cleaning products and made her own.
I love the All-purpose cleaner one as all it is is water, half a teaspoon of washing-up liquid, and scented oils. We chose the orange scent and it’s so fresh and nice for the summer. One bottle will last us months and therefore we won’t be spending much on cleaning products.
The fridge doors look sparkling clean and new after a wipe down with the all-purpose cleaner and then buff with some coconut oil. This is the best the fridge has ever looked! No matter if we even use the expensive stainless steel cleaner on it, we always end up with a spotty or blurry look.
The glass cleaner is made up of just regular vinegar and water.
So now we need to make a decision about what to do about the bottles of products that we now have under the sink. Do we bin them or continue to use them until they run out? What would you do?
Gardening and composting
We can’t say enough about how proud we were of our little garden this week. Every day there are things to be reaped or flowers to admire. Our sunflowers are in bloom and although the strawberries look wonky I’m sure they will be ok in smoothies.
Soon we will have to wash and dry a batch of mint for the winter as we do love it in teas. Anyone else loves a hot mint drink? We find it so refreshing.
Whatever we reap that doesn’t get used, as well as whatever we weed out of the garden goes into the compost bin to create more compost for later in the year. Oh, that reminds me that the way that the garden is flourishing now may be as a direct result of us scraping out some of the compost about a month ago and scattering it over the garden. That, along with the rain may be what is giving us this lovely space to enjoy now. And it is quite easy to make your own compost friends. The only cost may be the container that you choose to make your compost in. In ours, we put grass cuttings, paper and cardboard, food peelings and core and seeds from fruits and vegetables. You must try it out.
Over to you. How would you sum up your week? You can join with Anne and others to share what your week has been like at the weekly link party.
I think I’d definitely finish the cleaning products you already have, it seems such a waste to bin them even if they are not environmental friendly. You have made a good decision and the change doesn’t have to be instant. I love the bottles! I’ve done the clothing donation for money and you really don’t get much at all. I have also tried selling on ebay but the hassle of packaging and posting as well as the photographs and posts…I just don’t have the time and energy. My spare clothes go into those collection bags that we get through the door and I leave them out, I just hope they get used again.
Anne recently posted…Word of the Week 26 – Treatment
There are so many little things we can do to be eco friendly.
I have weighed in clothes before but now we just put them in the local collection bins which are closer and they still get recycled.
The cleaning products sound great. I have gone from using one’s full of chemicals to buying more natural one’s. I should try making my own. I would use the one’s you have until they are gone, throwing them straight out would be a waste but there is no right answer. x
Kim Carberry recently posted…This week my Word of the Week is: Homework! #WotW
I would finish off the cleaning products you already have and then carry on with the home-made cleaner which sounds great. Lovely to have strawberries and mint growing in the garden. I love mint tea too. We have a few bags of clothes to go to the charity shop at some point. A lot of my children’s clothes are hand-me-downs from their cousins or friends and then we pass them on once we’re done so that’s one of our ways of being eco-friendly. #WotW
Louise (Little Hearts, Big Love) recently posted…Friday Focus 25/06/21 – Sorting
I’d finish off the cleaning products you have then use the homemade ones going forward. I can’t bear to just thrown clothes out (unless they are really ruined) so I pass them where I can and send to charity otherwise.
I think you should use all the products you have until they run out. It would be a waste just to bin them. We have been slowly sorting out the kid’s clothes, they just won’t stop growing! We take them to the charity bins. There is one outside our local fire station. Our local council takes away old garden cuttings. Hopefully, they are putting them in the right place to make compost #WotW