Sustainable Cleaning Practices
One of the hardest switches in today's busy world is to sustainable or "Conscious" cleaning. Every small change each of us makes away from harsh chemicals and disposable cleaning products and packagin is a change for good.
Here are a few of our favourite tips:
1. Ditch Paper Towels
A long standing favourite for cleaning class and quick mopping up of kitchens spilss, the use of paper towels is easy, is sadly not sustainable. This is where microfiber cloths, or Spaza's "Kitchen Lappie" come in. The benfits:
- They are washable and reusable
- They can be used wet or dry
- They last so long you will save a fortune not replaceing paper or disposable cloths.
- Microfibre dries fast, so bacteria don't easily grow on them.
2. Make your own cleaning products
It is a myth that we need to use harsh chemicals to clean our homes or offices, or to keep them hygenic. Here are two simple recipes for home-made cleaners.
Scented Vinegar
(Unscented vinegar works just as well for cleaning but the smell can be a bit hard to live with).
To make citrus scented vinegar for cleaning you’ll need a glass container, orange peels and white vinegar.
- Fill your glass container with orange or lemon peels
- Pour white vinegar to cover the peels.
- Close container tightly and place in dark place like a cupboard or under your sink for 2-4 weeks. The citrus peels will infuse the vinegar, creating a naturally fesh scent and adding a bit of colour.
- Remove from cupboard, strain out the peels, and use for cleaning.
Julia Schaeffer's Magical Pot Cleaner
To make this you will need hot water, bicarbonate of soda, and vinegar
1.Sprinkle the baking soda onto your pan, making sure that you have covered the burnt marks.
2. Add a little vinegar onto the baking soda and leave to soak.
3. After a few hours of soaking, grab your scourer (we recommend Spaza's Tawashi or Kitchen Scourer )and scrub away the burnt marks.
PS - f you are dealing with a stubborn burn, place equal parts water and baking soda in the pan. Bring the water to a simmer and scrub with your scourer.