Eco-Friendly Archives - Natural Collection Blog

Why white vinegar belongs in every home

We all need cleaning products to be tough on dirt and grime. The problem is that these products tend to be just as harsh on the environment when they inevitably end up there. Chemicals may filter into bodies of water and enter the food chain. Some take a long time to decompose, while others may never break down properly.

What’s needed is a cleaning agent with natural origins, that’s as eco-friendly as it is powerful. As luck would have it, we know just the thing.

White vinegar

White vinegar is the closest thing you can imagine to an all-purpose cleaning product. It’s truly remarkable how many applications it has around the home. It can be used to clean floors, countertops, windows, mirrors, and even rugs and carpets. It even works on chopping boards, scrubbing grills, for polishing jewellery or freshening the inside of the fridge.

The list goes on

A quick splash added to the washing machine can soften fabrics, brighten whites and remove odours
Use it with baking soda to unblock a clogged drain
Mix with washing-up liquid in a dish to trap fruit flies
Add to aloe vera gel and you’ve got a homemade hand sanitiser

About the only thing it can’t do is clean stone, marble or granite surfaces – other than that, let your imagination run wild.

Eco friendliness

Being a natural substance, white vinegar is fully biodegradable and doesn’t leave anything nasty behind on the surfaces it cleans. It’s made from vegan and non-toxic ingredients, via a process that’s a lot less polluting than the production of standard chemical cleaning products. Septic tank owners can rest assured that it won’t harm the bacteria in their tank, either.

All this doesn’t mean you can purchase white vinegar completely free from environmental concerns. Like any other product, it still has to be packaged and transported, and that means it has a carbon footprint – it’s unavoidable. But that’s where Miniml come in.

Miniml

Packaging is a necessary evil with cleaning products, but Miniml’s closed loop system goes a long way towards addressing the issue. After finishing your 750ml bottle of Miniml unscented white vinegar, you can refill with 1L pouches and 5L containers – or even 20L, if you can’t get enough of the stuff. The containers can then be sent back to Miniml, where they’ll be cleaned and reused again and again, getting as much use as possible out of each one.

The same goes for their wild rhubarb and lemon-scented white vinegar, as well as the rest of their product range. They’re a UK-based company too, so their products don’t have to travel far each time.

Check out the full Miniml range right here on Natural Collection.

Plastic free cleaning done right: why Seep is the sustainable choice

Sustainable, Everyday, Essential Products – that’s what Seep stands for, in every sense. They’re on a mission to replace your ordinary household cleaning products with sustainable plastic-free alternatives. You might have seen founder Laura Harnet on Dragon’s Den earlier this year, where she impressed Deborah Meaden and Trinny Woodall enough to secure a big investment. And that’s just the beginning of Seep’s accomplishments.

A still from the founder of Seep presenting on Dragons Den

No plastic required

First and foremost, every single Seep product is 100% plastic-free – no polyester, no acrylic, no recycled PET. Instead, they employ a range of sustainable alternatives, from bamboo and natural rubber to bio polymer and wood pulp cellulose. As a result, many products are biodegradable or compostable.

A collection of Seep products against a white background

Each product is designed to minimise waste, and all packaging is recyclable and compostable. Seep keep their carbon footprint as low as possible, and support forest regeneration schemes to offset the emissions they can’t eliminate altogether. This makes their products carbon-neutral purchases.

Certified B Corporation

Any company can claim to be environmentally friendly, but Seep have the evidence to back it up. They recently completed B Corporation recertification, receiving a score of 109 points – this makes them the highest-rated cleaning product company assessed by B Lab. It’s far from the first time they’ve performed well. In 2022 they were recognised as Best For The World, meaning they scored in the top 5% of B Corps worldwide.

A close up of a persons hand holding a Seep sponge and cleaning an oven

B Corp certification measures a company’s impact on their workers, community, environment and customers. Seep’s high score reflects not only their eco-friendly practises but also the fair pay their workers receive and their partnerships with various charities. These include reforestation organisation On A Mission, and FoodCycle and The Felix Project, who both work to deliver surplus food to the people who need it most.

Good Housekeeping

Of course, quality matters too and Seep have plenty to be proud of in this area. Their signature product, the Eco Sponge Scourer, is now Good Housekeeping Institute certified. As well as praising the scourer’s ecological credentials, Good Housekeeping appreciated its durability and effectiveness. They also approved of the product’s machine-washability as a way to extend its life.

More products to try

Three Seep clothes draped over a white sink

Swap out your microfibre cloth – a notorious source of microplastics – with this bamboo cloth that’ll biodegrade in no time at the end of its life. Their washing up brush is bamboo too, with bristles made of natural sisal cactus fibres. If you need a bit more scrubbing power, these copper scourers might be just what you’re looking for.

Seep also offer a comprehensive range of compostable bin liners, in large, medium and small sizes plus a variant designed for garden waste. Yes, even these are plastic-free. They’re made from plant-based bio-polymer and decompose harmlessly, with nothing nasty leaching into the environment during the process.

Check out the full Seep range here.

Reduce plastic waste with Miniml’s refill revolution

Miniml highlights the ease and positive impact of switching to refillable products. By choosing to refill everyday items, you can help reduce single-use plastic consumption and contribute to a healthier planet.

Understanding the global plastic crisis

Plastic waste is a critical issue affecting the entire planet. Each year, around 30 million tons of plastic waste find their way into the oceans, causing severe damage to marine life and ecosystems. Despite recycling efforts, a large amount of plastic still ends up in landfills, oceans, and even in our food supply. The continuous production of plastic, combined with inadequate recycling, exacerbates this problem.

The UK’s plastic waste problem

In the UK, the plastic waste problem is also significant. The average UK household produces over 90 billion pieces of plastic packaging waste annually. Despite efforts to recycle, much of this waste ends up in landfills or incinerated, contributing to pollution and climate change. It’s clear that a more sustainable approach is needed, and refilling offers a promising solution.

How refilling with Miniml makes a difference

3 5L bottles of Miniml coconut personal care range

A close up of a Miniml cucumber and aloe vera hand soap being refilled from a 1L pouch

Miniml focuses on sustainability and convenience, offering eco-friendly solutions for household, laundry, and personal care needs without compromising on quality or ethics. Thanks to these efforts and the support of loyal customers, over 6 million plastic bottles have already been saved from landfills! Here’s how refilling with Miniml can make a difference:

Sustainable packaging
Miniml’s products are packaged with the environment in mind. Whether it’s laundry detergent, hand soap, or shampoo, the packaging is designed to minimise waste. Once the product is used up, customers can visit a local refill shop or order a bulk refill online.
Closed loop
The closed-loop system is central to Miniml’s sustainability mission. When customers purchase bulk refills, they can send back the empty packaging to Miniml’s headquarters. The packaging is then cleaned and refilled, making sure nothing goes to waste. This system significantly reduces the need for single-use plastics and supports a circular economy.
Environmentally friendly formulas
Miniml’s products are safe for both the planet and families. The formulas are biodegradable, vegan, and cruelty-free, making sure there’s no harm to animals or the environment

Getting involved is simple

Share your refill journey on social media and encourage friends and family to join the movement. By doing so, you can help spread awareness and make a positive impact.

By refilling with Miniml, everyone can play a part in reducing plastic waste and promoting a sustainable lifestyle.

Discovering the versatility of Waft laundry perfume

It’s no surprise that Waft Laundry Perfume is ideal for adding a distinctive scent to your laundry – whether used neat as a laundry perfume or diluted with vinegar to make a fabric softener. A blend of essential oils and fragrance oils, it’s available in 10ml and 50ml bottles, in Lavender, Sweet Orange, Tropical Flowers and Spring Freshness varieties. What you might not know is that it also has an unexpected range of alternative uses around the home.

Waft orange laundry perfume in10ml and 50ml

Waft spring freshness laundry perfume in10ml and 50ml

Freshen up your tumble dryer

It’s not just the washing machine that can benefit from this product. Try pouring 4-5 drops on a piece of material and throwing it in the tumble dryer to fragrance a fresh load of laundry.

Ironing made pleasant

Spray your clothes before ironing with a solution of 10 drops diluted in 100ml of water. It adds a pleasant scent and makes ironing a more enjoyable task.

Small spaces, big impact

A touch of laundry perfume on a tissue or scrap of cloth is a great way to add fragrance to a small space. If you have a drawer or cupboard that gets a little musty, 4-5 drops should be enough to have it smelling fresh again.

waft lavender laundry perfume in 10ml and 50ml

waft tropical flower laundry perfume in 10ml and 50ml

A little fragrance goes further than you might expect – find a suitable nook in your cloakroom or bathroom, and 4-5 drops again will be enough to liven up the whole room. Or tuck the cloth into the side pocket of your car as a discreet alternative to that air freshener dangling from your mirror.

Innovative use with your vacuum cleaner

It sounds strange, but it’s true – you can even use your vacuum cleaner to spread fragrance around a room. Just add a few drops to a cotton ball and place it in the dust bag, and the airflow will circulate the scent.

Enhance homemade cleaning products

If you like to brew up your own chemical-free cleaning products with vinegar and baking soda, but you’re not too fond of the resulting smell, try adding 10 drops of laundry perfume to the water beforehand. It’ll make all the difference.

Endless possibilities

There’s really no end to the uses of this versatile product. Get creative and you might surprise yourself with the results.

Special offer

Save 15% on Waft Laundry Perfumes until 23:59 Sunday 30th June.

Six tips for a greener spring clean

With Eco-Max’s helpful advice, now is the perfect opportunity to refresh your cleaning routine with eco-friendly practices.

As the weather starts to warm up, our thoughts often turn to cleaning, tidying and organising our spaces. The good news is that you don’t have to use harsh chemicals to keep your space clean. Green cleaning is a great alternative that’s practical, effective, and easy to adopt.

Our friends at Eco-Max have provided a helpful guide to greener cleaning this spring.

Line-dry your laundry on dry spring days

The fresh outdoor smell of line-dried laundry is impossible to imitate. Using plant-based laundry detergents like Eco-Max Laundry Liquids can help you capture that fresh outdoor smell by removing harsh-smelling and residue causing ingredients from your laundry day.

Eco-Max fragrance free laundry liquid bottle

Choose the fragrance-free variety for the shortest ingredient list. If you like a light scent, Eco-Max’s Laundry Liquids are naturally scented with the purest essential oil extracts of lavender and orange so washed clothes don’t smell like synthetic perfumes.

Invest in wool dryer balls

If wet weather means that line drying is difficult, then a quick boost in the tumble dryer may be impossible to avoid. Replace disposable dryer sheets with reusable wool dryer balls to naturally soften fabrics and reduce drying time. These eco-friendly alternatives help to prevent static cling, minimise wrinkles, and fluff up your laundry without the need for synthetic chemicals.

Versatile vinegar for glass and mirrors

Are you struggling to keep your mirrors clean? Instead of using harsh cleaning products, why not try a gentle and natural solution?

Mix equal parts of white vinegar and water to make a cleaning solution that will leave your mirrors sparkling. To wipe off the solution, you can use newspaper or a dry cloth. It’s an easy and effective way to achieve a perfect reflection.

Eco-max bottle of bathroom and shower cleaner

Eco-max bulk bottle of bathroom and shower cleaner

If you do not want to make your own glass cleaner, then try Eco-Max Bathroom, Shower and Glass Cleaner – this versatile product for glass windows, mirrors and shower cubicles is available in a generous 800ml spray bottle and 5 litre refill size.

Lemon leftovers are great for green cleaning

The fresh citrus smell of lemons is often used in natural cleaning products. Rinsing a dirty container with lemon juice can help remove stains and smells. You can also use a combination of lemon juice and salt to clean your chopping board.

If you prefer to use a natural cleaning product, then Eco-Max Washing-Up Liquid in orange, lavender or fragrance free is perfect for the job.

Eco-max washing up liquid bottles lined up on a table top

Lemons are also a perfect natural cleaning agent when mixed with baking soda. This solution can be used to deep clean all metal surfaces, including taps, showers, sinks, cutlery, and hob surfaces.

Declutter and donate

Spring is a great time to declutter in your home. Why not take this opportunity to get rid of any items that you no longer need or use? By donating your clothing, furniture, and household items to local charities, you’ll not only reduce waste but also give back to the community, so everyone benefits!

Goodbye tea and coffee stains

Do you have a favourite cup that you use for your daily tea or coffee? Over time, it may accumulate some stains, but there’s an easy and natural way to remove them.

First, mix baking soda with a small amount of water to form a paste. Next, apply the paste to the stained areas of the cup and gently scrub using a washing-up pad or kitchen cloth. Finally, rinse the cup thoroughly with water and Eco-Max Lavender Washing-Up Liquid for a stainless shine.

Eco-Max special offer

While it is great to make your own natural cleaners with store cupboard ingredients like vinegar, lemons, and baking soda, if you’re short on time, or find the idea too complicated, then simply switch to eco-friendly plant-based products such as those made by Eco-Max.

For a limited time, save 15% on the Eco-Max range* and embrace the feel-good factor of reducing energy and using cleaning products and accessories that prioritise your health and the planet, for a more environmentally friendly spring clean.

*Offer ends 23:59 Sunday 28th April.

Copper: An eco friendly cleaning material

When it comes to keeping your home neat and tidy without harming the planet, there are a few materials available like cellulose sponge, loofah and coconut fibre.

But have you considered copper? Copper was a traditional material found in Victorian kitchens before it fell out of fashion. Its unique properties make it a really great choice for lots of cleaning tasks and in this blog, our friends Seep will explore why.

Durability

Copper is very durable, especially when used in the form of copper cleaning scourers. These scourers can withstand heavy use and abrasive scrubbing. Whether you’re trying to shift ingrained residue or a greasy, crusty lasagne dish, copper scourers can handle the job efficiently and don’t lose their effectiveness over time.

Three Seep copper scourers stacked against each other with the packaging in the background.

Eco-friendly

Copper is a natural resource that can be endlessly recycled, reducing waste in the long run. Some councils will recycle copper as part of your normal collection, others will have a waste metal recycling centre. Alternatively, you can take them along to your local scrap metal merchant and they may even give you some cash for them.

Copper can also be used as a slug and snail deterrent, so when you’ve finished using the scourers in your kitchen, you can wind them around your precious garden plants to protect them.

Corrosion resistance

Copper’s natural resistance to corrosion sets it apart from many other metals. You can confidently use copper scourers with water and various cleaning solutions without worrying about rust or deterioration.

This corrosion-resistant property makes copper scourers suitable for a wide range of cleaning tasks, from stainless steel appliances to ceramic surfaces. If they do tarnish a little bit over time, you can brighten them up quickly in a bowl of warm water and a few spoons of citric acid.

Antibacterial properties

Copper has innate antibacterial properties that help you keep things hygienic. Bacteria and germs have a tough time surviving on copper surfaces, making it an excellent choice for cleaning areas where cleanliness is super important, such as kitchens and bathrooms. It’s the reason that copper was used for milk jugs many years ago.

Heat conductivity

Copper has amazing heat conductivity which makes it a versatile choice for cleaning really tough messes with hot water. Don’t forget, if you want to protect your hands while using copper scourers with hot water, make sure you use some gloves.

In summary, copper’s durability, corrosion resistance, antibacterial properties, heat conductivity, and eco-friendliness make it an excellent choice for cleaning scourers.

We also think they’re really pretty when placed next to your sink!

Save during Veganuary

Throughout January we’re offering 3 for 2 across the Seep range. Purchase three (or more) items from the the range to take advantage of the discount. For every three items you purchase, the cheapest item will be free.

Offer ends 23:59 Wednesday 31st January 2024.

LoofCo – Plastic Free Brushes underpinned by ethical practices.

We are proud to be working with LoofCo to promote a more sustainable solution to cleaning and washing. Find out more from Lois Clark:

We all know the importance of finding more sustainable, plastic free alternatives when creating an eco-friendly lifestyle. When we founded LoofCo in 2017, our mission was to create products that offer simple, affordable switches while helping to reduce household plastic use & waste including the microplastic particles released by plastic washing-up scourers, sponges & brushes.

What is Closed Loop Recycling?

You may have heard the term ‘closed loop recycling’ but do you know what it really means? Well let’s take a look and you may be surprised that you may have already recycled in a closed loop system!

First let’s look at open loop recycling, this is what you will probably imagine when you think of recycling, it’s what you do when you take your recycling out to be picked up by the council. If you do this regularly and check packaging to see if it is recyclable you will probably know how problematic this could be, are all the items you see in the recycle bins actually recyclable and one council may accept certain items where others do not based on the local recycling capabilities. With an open loop system a product is recycled into a different product, for example a plastic drinks bottle may be recycled into shoes, sleeping bags or jackets.

Maemara – Sustainable Homeware

We are delighted to introduce Maemara onto the site with a beautiful range of new sustainable homeware. Founded in 2019, Maemara is a brand with a conscience, founded by three earth and ocean-loving individuals – Hannah, Alan and Jane. Their gorgeous cushions are both stylish and sustainable, made with 100% recycled materials both inside and out.

Brand Story: Nkuku

Nkuku produce beautifully handmade home and lifestyle products. Every one of their products has a story to tell through the talented artisans that created them.

Nkuku was founded in 2003 by Ali and Alex Cooke. The brand was inspired after the pair set off on a year-long round the world trip. Through their travels, Ali and Alex were inspired and humbled by the talented craftspeople and their beautiful work. Upon returning from travelling they moved from their busy London home to rural Devon to start their next adventure.

Completely inspired and amazed by their travels, they then started to work with artisans from around the world. Ali and Alex were passionate about supporting and celebrating these artisan skills through bringing their products to a wider audience and sharing their talents with the world.