Cleaning

Zero-waste, zero-packaging, plastic-free, compostable and home-made cleaning products

Cloths, Sponges & Scrubbers:

• Compostable J-Cloths – from KleePaper (Ireland)
• Compostable Cloths
• Cut up old towels into squares and use as cloths.
• Old T-shirts – cut into squares – they make good, absorbent cloths
• Scrubbers & Sponges:
  • Loofah Washing up pad
  • Eco Coconut Scourer
  • Sponges and scrubbers at Sweet Lavendar & Chilli Flakes
  • Compostable Sponges

Household Gloves:

• Disposable gloves – from Klee Paper (Ireland)^*
• Gloves made from natural rubber – from If You Care^*
• Lilly’s Eco-Clean gloves^*

^*Note that some manufacturers claim their gloves are home compostable, but many of these do not actually have ‘Home Compostable’ certification:

Terracycle Ireland run a recycling program for rubber gloves.

Surface cleaner, AntiBacterial and Disinfectant:

• Ocean Savers anti-bacterial spray – sachet dissolves completely in water – can be bought at some of these online shops.
• Ocean Savers – multipurpose dissolving cleaner sachets.
• Neat – concentrated antibacterial spray refill – comes in glass bottle.
• Iron&Velvet – antibacterial kitchen cleaning spray sachets which dissolve in water.
• GreenQube – surface cleaner dissolving sachet – comes as part of a multipack.
• Sonnett Surface Disinfectant – at refill shops.
• Multipurpose cleaner – at Albany Supplies Ireland.
• Disinfectant cleaners and other products by PVA – may be available in Ireland.
• Bathroom cleaner and other products by PVA – may be available in Ireland.
• Make your own Cleaning Spray by mixing white vinegar and water in equal quantities.  White vinegar has anti-bacterial properties and can be bought at refill shops, or in glass bottles at some supermarkets.

Kitchen Roll:

• Bambaw re-usable paper towels.
• Un-paper kitchen towels – washable kitchen towels.
• Un-paper kitchen towels – from CottonCaterpillars.ie
• Cotton face cloths can be used instead of kitchen towels.

Washing Up:

• Washing up liquid refills – from Refill shops. 
• Dishwashing soap bars can be bought online or at Refill shops.
• Diswasher tablets can be bought online or at Refill shops.
• Homemade dishwasher tablets – recipe.
• Washing up sponge
• Copper Scouring pad – metal can be recycled at end of life
• Wooden dish scrubber – wood handle and biodegradable bristles.
• Dish brush
• Bottle brush – with compostable fibres.

Laundry Cleaner:

• Tru Earth – Laundry strips that dissolve in water.
• Laundry Sheets – at refill shops – sheets dissolve completely in water.
• Earth Breeze – laundry sheets which dissolve completely in water – 60 washes per pack.
• Sonnett Laundry Powder
• Laundry Powder – can be bought package-free at Zero Waste/Refill shops.
• Soap Nuts – plants containing natural saponins – can be bought online.
• Guppy Friend – bag that prevents microplastics and fibres from getting into the environment.

Floor Cleaning:

• Iron&Velvet – floor cleaner sachet sachet which dissolves in water.
• Ocean Savers – floor cleaner dissolving sachet.
• GreenQube – floor cleaner dissolving sachet – comes as part of a multipack.
• Wooden Dustpan and Brush
• Dustpan and Brush – with biodegradable tampico bristles.
• Cardboard Dustpan
• Metal buckets and cotton mop heads can be found at your local hardware store or Co-op Superstores.

Oven Cleaner:

• Iron&Velvet – oven cleaner sachet that dissolves in water.

Toilet Paper:

• Toilet rolls packaged in paper can be found at Aldi.
• Plastic free toilet rolls can be bought at Refill Shops.
• Archie and Izzy – Irish company selling plastic-free toilet rolls.
• Make your own ‘family cloth’ or buy family wipes here.

Toilet cleaner:

• Toilet cleaner – sachets dissolve in water.
• Wooden toilet brush – with biodegradable tampico/coir bristles.

Liquid Soap:

• Dr. Bronner castile liquid soap – refills can be bought at Zero Waste/Refill Shops. 

Bath Mats:

• Cotton crochet mat.

Furniture Polish:

• Furniture Polish recipe – 2 parts white vinegar, 2 parts olive oil, 1 part lemon juice.

Window Cleaner:

• Iron&Velvet – window cleaner sachets which dissolve in water.
• Washing up liquid (see above) dissolved in warm water can be used to clean windows.

Glass and Mirror Cleaner:

• Iron&Velvet – glass cleaner sachets which dissolve in water.
• GreenQube – glass cleaner dissolving sachet – comes as part of a multipack.

Air Fresheners:

• Reed Diffusers – reeds soak up scent and release it into the air.
• Make your own reed diffuser
• GreenQube – air freshener dissolving sachet – comes as part of a multipack.

Where to Buy:

• Zero Waste/Refill Shops – bring your own containers, or shop will use paper bags.
• Eco-friendly Online Shops