Did you know that the amount of household waste per person has been multiplied by two in 40 years, and has now reached an average of 450 kg per year (so more than 1 kg per day)? Hence, if you would like to reduce the environmental impact of your daily life by reducing waste and avoiding useless pollution, an easy solution exists: homemade household products. Forget all your a priori, DIY does not take more time and provides much more benefits than what you can imagine!
Make it yourself, make it a shared moment
To be sure that the products you buy are ecological, they should be that they are biodegradable, manufactured locally and artisanal. That is to say, it’s not an impossible mission but this is not super easy neither. An alternative that will give you even more satisfaction is to put your hands in the dough. The only difficulty is to get started! But when you are aware that every second 206 kg of waste (all of human origins) are discharged into the Ocean and that between 60 and 90% of them are composed of plastic, you feel motivated.
You can prepare these recipes surrounded by your family and friends to have a great time – and take advantage of it to transmit simple and respectful values, because they can be transmitted at any age.
Health and nature preserved
The following recipes will enable you to act in a responsible and ecological manner, for example, by multiplying your use with less products. But also, you can help protect your health and the health of your entourage since the products sold in supermarkets are often filled with harmful components. Colorings, preservatives, foaming agents, artificial fragrances, etc… – are only a few examples of ingredients ‘suspected’ to be endocrine disruptors and carcinogens.
Some simple and efficient recipes:
MULTI PURPOSE CLEANER AND DISINFECTANT
– 2 liters of hot water
– 2 tablespoons of baking soda
– 1 soupspoon of white vinegar
– 1 tablespoon of “Black soap”
– 3 tablespoons of essential oil (example: tea tree, peppermint, lemon)
Tips: Use an opaque container and stir well for each use. To have it in a spray, do not put black soap.
– Block of “Marseille soap”
(and yes that’s it, you just have to rub your humidified sponge)
Tip: Add from time to time drops of white vinegar on the sponge (degreaser and natural antibacterial).
– add 100 gr of Marseille soap in flakes to 1 liter of boiling water
– then add 2 tablespoons of baking soda
– leave to cool and complete with 1 liter of extra water and a few drops of essential oils of your choice
Tip: To whiter your clothes, add a bit of sodium percarbonate.
Beware of imposters
Choose well its ingredients is essential to meet the initial aim: put in practice sustainable development.
We talked about the “Marseille soap”, which is often a basic ingredient in the preparation of minimalist and homemade recipes. Although much sold on the market, this soap does not have a protected appellation. As well, you will find many ‘counterfeits’ containing palm oil (which massively destroys tropical forests and the habitats of many endangered species such as orang-utans and tigers), dyes, synthetic perfumes, parabens (carcinogenic), animal fats, and unnecessary packaging. In order to select well your “Marseille soap” you must therefore avoid those sold in supermarkets (don’t be fooled by marketing or low prices) and choose those of green color – the true soap is made of olive oil – as well as those having a short list of ingredients.
The soap of Marseille is only one example of those products that claim to be natural while they are not. We therefore advise you to give preference to the products sold in organic shops.
After a few tries, you will make your DIY products in an automatic and very fast manner. This habit to take will allow you to save money, to respect nature and its inhabitants, and also to increase your personal satisfaction – because yes, making something out of our own hands that is effective, makes very proud! Whether for cosmetics or other daily products, more environmentally-friendly and healthy alternatives exist. Don’t hesitate to make the switch, you won’t regret it!
Laura Anty, Environmental Writer
