Homemade fabric conditioner & tips on how to ditch the bin-bag
This month Trish will be sharing some top tips for everyday living that will not only save you money but it will also be great towards the care of our planet.
Hello and welcome back, I’m Trish and here is a great recipe for DIY fabric conditioner and top tips on how to ditch the bin bag and reduce plastic..
We all know that we need to cut back on plastic, including the plastic bottles that we purchase containing things we need for our home. This month I am sharing a recipe for fabric conditioner so you no longer need to buy plastic bottles each week and I’ll share my top tips to ditch plastic bags for good.
Part One - Fabric conditioner.
I’m going to be sharing two of my homemade recipes for fabric softener this month.
The first recipe is very similar to shop bought softener and uses hair conditioner. I don’t make this one anymore for two reasons.
Buying hair conditioner means buying plastic.
It costs much more to make - and quite honestly doesn’t seem any better than my other one.
The second recipe does the same job as the first it just doesn’t smell as perfumed. Just a word of warning it does smell very vinegary (even if you add an essential oil) but the vinegary smell completely dissipates once the clothes are washed.
My reason for sharing both is just to give you a choice.
Recipe One
FABRIC SOFTENER (like shop bought)
1 litre Hot Water
200ml Hair Conditioner ( buy the cheapest available)
600ml Distilled White Vinegar
Stir the hair conditioner into the hot water until melted. Stir in vinegar then pour into container.
Recipe Two
BASIC FABRIC SOFTENER
1 litre Distilled White Vinegar
160grams Bicarbonate of Soda
15 drops Essential Oil (optional)
Pour into bowl, add essential oil. Add bicarbonate of soda and mix (mixture will fizz). When fizz has settled pour into container.
TOP TIP. To keep the cost down omit the essential oil, the only reason I’ve added
it is to help disguise the smell of the vinegar.
I hope you enjoy these recipes, they honestly do just the same job as shop bought recipes so you can save money and do your bit for the environment at the same time.
Part Two - How to Ditch the Bin Bag
With everything you hear and read about the effect plastic pollution is having on the environment, it makes sense to try to do without plastic. Ditching the bin bag is just the beginning in making a difference and so much easier than you might think.
Below are my ideas and work well for me, it’s a bit of an effort to begin with but soon becomes second nature.
1. Compost
Many items can be composted so you’re not adding the waste to bins and landfill. Composting is easier than you think so if you fancy having a go you’ll just need a space outside or you can also buy small compost bins for the garden.
Here are a few suggestions on things that compost well.
All raw vegetable peelings, apple core’s orange peel, banana skins etc.
Tea leaves/bags, coffee grounds.
Dust from vacuum cleaner.
Dog/cat hair.
2. Re-use paper
Save all paper that comes through your letterbox - any newspapers, junk mail, envelopes etc. Use the paper to wrap up any wet waste you are throwing out, eg: cooked food scraps (that can’t be fed to the dog, if you have one) then simply throw into the bin, this will save on using plastic bags to wrap up waste. If you’re worried about leakage then you can line the bottom of your bin with paper too.
3. Freeze food and wet waste for 100% no plastic waste for bins and wheelie bins
Another option for wet food is to wrap it in paper then freeze it. I have a basket in the freezer that all my wet food waste goes into then I simply throw it into the wheelie bin on collection day, no plastic bags or bin liners required.
I hope you find these top tips useful.
Trish