Eco products, Food and Home.

When we wash and clean our homes- just as we do ourselves- most of us use whatever gives us the best and fastest results, but what does all this long term use of products do to us, our homes and planet?

Ecover laundry products are coming top of my list every time.. The reason is because I have learnt about something that is called neutralizing toxicity- this is what happens to the products after they have cleaned our clothes, the chemical footprint I guess you could call it, for cleaning products in the home.

With every one wash of Ecover laundry product- it takes 1,750 litres of water to neutralize the harmful effects on our planet- the nearest eco laundry product takes 10-20,000 litres!

To clean our loo's, it’s the 50,000 litres for any regular cleaning and de-scaling product.

The good news is that Ecover, not only admit that household cleaning , by its very nature at this point in time cannot be 100% planet friendly, it does show me at least that again the tiniest of changes do have an impact on the planet when I'm shopping in a supermarket.

Ecover also are putting in unconditionally £250,000 over the next two years in money to Water Aid, to help Ethiopian people without any access to clean water. This is after Water Aid has already helped give health back, and water and education to over 11 million people already.

I also was amazed at how fresh smelling my clothes were after using the Ecover for my washing- its smells yum- and also I have just got the stain cleaning removal product too- so I will have to see if this also works as well as their other products.. Vinegar is also another natural de-scaler and loo cleaner as well if left overnight.

I am still looking for a natural Antibacterial cleaner for the house- ended up getting a regular one, but will use the bottle only when needed desperately- and will do a half vinegar and water mix for most things, (including cleaning windows - which gives ace results).

Tesco which was where I was today also had loads more eco products in the cleaning section- which is great- and I was again pleased this week at Sainsbury’s to see a difference when looking for a natural bubble bath replacement- they have heaps in store as well- not to pricey either.

It’s all about the big clean out in my home- and trying to do as much as I can without killing off the planet in the process- and after all I don’t want to live in a clean palace full of toxicity! I also had to stop my child putting in lots of air fresheners, because the packaging looked great... its all from the TV ads! I prefer incense any day... but the point was that they see the adverts and think everything is so great- But saying that my little girl did win one battle of the eco chic arguments in her consumer habits... we bought a little mr men soap, and it has essential oils in it- and the little Mr Men plastic thing- is something for the bath, so a longer term use for some piece of plastic. This is the problem with the kids, they see everything- want to buy everything- to me, it’s my choice, I am paying, but I don’t want the planet paying on top! And her with the overload of chemicals. So from me she got a little soap, with essential oils in- hardly any packaging, and the little Mr. Men thing can be a toy. Were both happy about this one! And believe me, when it comes to a six year old and bubble bath and novelty soaps, it’s always the chemicals and non eco products that she wants! But once she has the new ones- she loves them and doesn’t go for the others any more, which is great.

We also are supporting White and Wild Milk- they plant trees for every 20 bottle sold... I am hoping that Waitrose end up with their refillable milk bottles that they hope to introduce soon...