Today let me share with you all of my eco-friendly cleaning supplies to get you started on your green cleaning journey.
Long-term readers of Moral Fibres will know that I’m big on eco-friendly cleaning. It’s lighter on the planet, good for your health, and it’s a whole lot of fun whipping up your own cleaning products in your kitchen. And I promise you’ll feel a bit like an alchemist mixing up various (often food-safe) ingredients, and coming up with potions and powders that will leave your home sparkling clean and smelling beautiful.
I’ve been asked a few times lately about my eco-friendly cleaning supplies and where I source my materials. As it’s come up a few times I thought it would be useful to put all of this information into a blog post. So lo and behold, a comprehensive list of the eco-friendly cleaning supplies I use and where to source them.
My Eco-Friendly Cleaning Supplies Arsenal
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Amber Glass Bottles (500ml or 1000ml size)
The reason I specifically use amber glass bottles is that the cleaning products I make typically contain essential oils. Amber-coloured bottles protect the essential oils from ultraviolet light, which can damage the oils. Meanwhile, the glass is used because certain oils, such as citrus oils, may dissolve plastic over time. This could be a problem if you’re reusing plastic bottles time and time again.
I found my amber glass bottles* on eBay. Don’t feel you have to splash out on bottles though. For a zero-waste solution the glass bottles that white vinegar comes in will suffice: just store them in a dark cupboard when not in use.
Trigger Spray Nozzles
Some glass bottles come with screw tops. I, therefore, add a few trigger spray nozzles* to my order. Alternatively reuse trigger sprays from any used-up cleaning products for an eco-friendlier approach.
Pump Tops
I make my own hand wash, so have two pump tops, from Baldwins, for easy and measured dispensing. The recipe isn’t on the blog. Instead, you’ll find the recipe for hand wash in Fresh Clean Home.
White Vinegar
I buy my white vinegar in bulk from eBay, getting four 5 litre jerrycans of the stuff at a time. Twenty litres works out at a little over £15 (with free postage) and it’s the most economical way of buying vinegar. At about £1.33 a litre, it’s way cheaper than buying the glass bottles of white vinegar at the supermarket (£1 for 568ml) or the plastic 750ml bottles from the pound shop. I use vinegar all around the house, and even the garden, so it’s a handy bulk supply to have in stock.
Vodka for Eco-Friendly Cleaning
I buy a big bottle of vodka specifically for cleaning with. Nothing fancy, just the cheapest, nastiest stuff I can find on the bottom shelf of the supermarket. Minimum alcohol pricing laws in Scotland mean the cheapest I can find vodka for is £10 for 750ml, however, you might find it cheaper where you are.
Vodka is scent-free and oddly great for deodorising (I promise your house won’t smell like a pub). It’s also great at cutting through soap scum and has some disinfectant properties. And the handy thing is that once you’ve finished cleaning you can pour yourself a celebratory vodka and tonic…!
Bicarbonate of Soda, Soda Crystals, Salt, Citric Acid & Borax
I keep a couple of boxes to hand of each ingredient. This is because when it comes to eco-friendly cleaning each ingredient is handy in its own right. You can read here about soda crystals uses, borax uses, about cleaning with citric acid, and about cleaning with bicarbonate of soda. What’s more, these ingredients can often be combined with other ingredients to make powerful homemade cleaning products.
Large boxes of borax, soda crystals, and bicarbonate of soda can be found cheaply in the cleaning aisle of bigger supermarkets, at Wilkinsons, or in pound shops. Alternatively, try eBay* if you want to buy in bulk at a low cost, or see my guide to where to buy bicarbonate of soda in bulk. For citric acid, see my guide on where to buy citric acid in bulk.
Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap
I’m a fan of Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap. I’ve been buying the orange-scented soap* in the larger size and have been using it as part of my aforementioned handwash recipe. I also use it for other uses around the home, such as cleaning my solid floors and making homemade cleaning sprays. New to castile soap? Here’s everything you need to know about cleaning with castile soap.
Essential Oils for Eco-Friendly Cleaning
I use a variety of essential oils as part of my eco-friendly cleaning supplies arsenal. The most common oils I use are lemon, sweet orange, and grapefruit, as I’m a particular fan of citrus scents. I’m also partial to lavender and tea tree oil because of their disinfectant and antibacterial properties. I tend to buy my essential oils from Buff & Butter* on eBay. I find these ones are priced competitively, offer free delivery and have the added advantage of being organic.
e-cloths
I love my e-cloths – I wrote a whole ode to e-cloths here. These cloths remove dirt, grease, and 99% of all bacteria, including salmonella, E.coli, and listeria, with just water. When dirty, just pop them in the washing machine. I’m particularly a fan of using e-cloths to clean my windows and shower screen, and for cleaning my stainless steel hob and appliances. Streak-free cleaning at its finest.
There is a bit of controversy regarding microfibre cloths shedding microplastic into the ocean. However, if you wear any kind of synthetic clothing then it’s also responsible for this microplastic release. I would personally argue that the environmental impact of not using harsh chemicals that ultimately end up in our waterways is better than the small amount of microplastic coming from microfibre cloths. That’s your personal choice to make though. To mitigate the impact you can wash your cloths (and clothes) in a Guppyfriend microplastic catcher*.
Other Eco-Friendly Cleaning Supplies You Might Need
Cotton cloths, scrubbing brushes, and citrus fruit are always handy eco-friendly cleaning supplies to have to hand, as is a little bit of elbow grease!
Looking for inspiration? Try my guide to making natural cleaning products for some recipes to try out with these eco-friendly cleaning supplies!
Great tips, I might start buying white vinegar in bulk too :)
The only thing I would mention is that borax (di-sodium tetraborate) is considered to be harmful to fertility and development of fetuses, so it is recommended to avoid it if pregnant/planning to become pregnant/around children. (I work in a lab where we use this chemical, and pregnant women aren’t allowed near it.) I think overall, small exposures is okay, but best to be on the safe side if concerned.
Hi Lauren, apologies for the belated response! I did a bit of research into Borax and this is what I found: http://moralfibres.co.uk/is-borax-safe/ In short, borax isn’t available to buy in the UK/EU, only borax substitute, which still has the same cleaning properties of borax without any potential negative effects.
Hi, thank you for the list. I just wanted to add that I have started making some of my own cleaning supplies and found e-cloths, castille soap and essential oils at T K Maxx for reasonable prices. :-)
I had not thought of looking in TK Maxx for castile soap – thanks for the tip!
You are awesome! I have been tried to find amber bottles everywhere, but no luck. Thanks a lot for the link. I am transitioning to zero waste and really want to start making my own cleaning products. So massive thanks for sharing this especially direct links to suppliers. It’s so useful!!
Which brand of soda crystals do you buy in boxes? I haven’t ever seen this available. The only manufacturer in the UK that I’may aware of is dri pak who say plastic packaging is essential. Wilco, tesco etc all sell in plastic too.
Hi Richard, Big Green Smile sells soda crystals in a cardboard box: http://tidd.ly/56256092, alternatively you can bake bicarbonate of soda in the oven for a little while, which turns it into soda crystals.