I used to work with someone who loved cleaning so much that it was pretty much her favourite past-time. She loved going to the supermarket, stocking up on bleach and cleaning her house until her eyes were beginning to sting with the vapours …. her words not mine. The excitement she would have when they had special offers on in the cleaning aisle was something I could never compete with. Scratch that …. I couldn’t understand it! I have never been a huge fan of cleaning…. more specifically I actually I hate the smell of bleach and most traditional cleaning products.
It isn’t just the smell I have hated, it is also how it makes your skin feel after using it and the fact the smell of bleach goes to my throat and leaves me with a hoarse voice for the next few hours…. in a kind of sounding like I smoke 200 fags a day way. When I had kids I started to use more anti-bac sprays in the kitchen/cleaning up, but still found the smell of most of them irritating but it was my awareness of their effect on my young children and the wider environment that irritated me more. Then I started to use cleaning products made from plant-based ingredients like Ecover.
Products that are kinder to us and the ecosystems around us
Wipes and children
Second on my list is the Anti-Bacterial Pomegranate & Lime Multi Action Wipes. These come in a pack of 40 large wipes and claim to kill 99.9% of bacteria with its plant-based formulation. I actually took these up to my parents house for the weekend to trial them out just after they moved house. They have two very large black dogs and I have two “spirited” children….. I figured this was ideal testing ground.
The disposable wipes are a great alternative to the Multi Action spray. They can be used on most surfaces from kitchens to toilet seats and high- chairs (not in that order!). However, they are not recommended for use on fabrics or marble. Unlike some other wipes you only need one wipe per area including our 8 seater dining table cover which had just been subjected to Indian take away spillage!
The smell is nice and not clinical. One of my family thought it smelt like a cocktail …. perhaps that says more about us than the wipes. They are moist and do not leave behind a sticky and streaky residue. The wipes are made from a biodegradable fabric, have won a UN award, are FSC certified and 100% pulp is from well-managed forests. Great product. Easy to use. Great to use all round the house. These also got my mum’s seal of approval too. I will definitely get these again, they attacked all grease and grime that we put in their way. Feel better having them around the kids and not chemical laden ones.
100% recyclable bottle …. made out of recycled plastic
On the whole we use our dishwasher quite a bit…. call me lazy…. but there are a number of essentials that we hand wash (this includes some copper pans, my gym bottle and the kids BPA free water bottles). Housed in a 100% recyclable bottle that is 100% made out of recycled plastic, Ecover’s Washing Up Liquid has been a game changer for a number of reasons. First up, awe take a moment to re-read the 100% made out of recycled plastic part!
Secondly, as some of you may know, I have fairly sensitive skin and washing up liquid always tends to be a bit of an aggressor. Part of my recent Ecover haul was the Pomegranate & Fig Washing Up Liquid and which gets a thumbs up for being dermatologically tested for sensitive hands. It cuts through grease the same as I would expect from a chemical filled washing up liquid, but it did not leave my hands feeling dried up and tight. I really liked the no spill cap and found that only one squeeze is enough to fill a sink. I like this measurement factor.
Ecover’s washing up liquid does not provide a lot of bubbles if you compared it to a traditional liquid, but that does not stop it being effective. In house it has tackled some stuck on smoothie juice extremely well on my drinks bottle and also a somewhat greasy and turmeric stained saute pan.
Suitable for septic tanks
This is definitely a double-edged sword for me. Love finding new products that are eco-friendly. Better still if they actually do the job as well if not better to their not so nice chemical filled counterparts. That being said I now have no excuse to pass the cleaning mantel to anyone else …. ooft! These are fabulous products and I would definitely recommend them as Fifi Friendly.
