SUBSCRIBE

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE UPDATES WITH LATEST STYLE POSTS, NEWS AND MORE!
* indicates required

Low Waste Home – DIY cleaning products

cleaning products/laundry detergent/dishwasher powder/zero waste switzerland

When I was choosing a title for this article, I couldn’t decide what was more appropriate: zero or low waste living? Practicing zero waste or low waste at home? As I mentioned earlier, zero waste lifestyle is (at least for our family) a bit far-fetched reality. We hope we’ll get there one day. Right now we do our best but we relapse from time to time and bring home products covered in plastic. This Christmas I tried Furoshiki and ethical gift giving and I will continue on the same note in future.

I was looking for months for someone who would feel comfortable to share his or her low waste living on camera. And there are quite a lot of people in Geneva practicing zero/low waste or plastic-free lifestyle, but I couldn’t get them in front of the camera. I was very excited and happy when I met Marie because she is normal. And by standard I mean – she is not aggressive about her low waste way of life, she is open and kind. Mission accomplished!

Marie suggested that we start with DIY cleaning products. She is been living low waste life for some time already: making her own laundry detergent, dishwasher powder, using shaving soap instead of shaving foam or a shampoo bar instead of classic products we’re used to.

Making your own cleaning products such as laundry detergent or a dishwasher powder is easy and budget-friendly which is important as for some people, the cost of buying in bulk and organic is prohibitive. Bio and organic are in fashion. I agree that it’s these products are healthier but for example in Switzerland, the laws and regulations are so strict that local fruits and veggies are comparable with organic products from surrounding countries. When it comes to low plastic life – the best start is by visiting your local farm, butcher and a bakery. We bought cloth bags and food containers in different sizes that we bring with us when we go shopping and when we go to a large store, we avoid buying products covered in plastic. My biggest struggle so far was to find toilet paper that is not wrapped in plastic.

The video tutorial is easy to follow so I won’t waste your time by explaining how to make your eco-friendly laundry detergent and dishwasher powder. There are several online stores in Switzerland that I like and where you can find the ingredients. I quite like Tournesol and Green Shop. You can also find zero waste stores based on your location on this map of Zero Waste Switzerland.

Will you try to make laundry detergent or dishwasher powder at home after watching this video?