Sustainable household cleaning

Note: This article is not the final word on this topic. We’ll keep updating this page as we come across more information. Links to specific products are not provided at present, but we will revisit this in future when we are in a position to make recommendations. There are a number of household cleaning products on the market that are labelled as sustainable, but we want to spend some time understanding their claims before featuring them on this site - and check that they work!

Here’s a few ideas for swaps you can make in your household cleaning routine to get rid of some of the plastic and chemical nasties that you might not realise you have in there.

Cloths and sponges

The most commonly used kitchen clothes and sponges are made of plastic. That means when they are thrown away they end up in landfill and take centuries to break down. Instead compostable versions of both are available, and they can even go in your dishwasher when they need a clean so they’ll last for months.

Household cleaners

Common household cleaners are full of chemicals and come in plastic bottles. Even more frustratingly many are mostly made up of water, which makes them a lot more expensive and polluting to transport. There are plenty of natural or mineral-based cleaners on the market, some come in plastic bottles that can be refilled and others are sold as a concentrate (liquid or tablet form) that can be diluted with water by the consumer at home.

Laundry detergent

Like household cleaners, are full of chemicals and come in plastic bottles. Look out for natural or mineral-based products in plastic containers that can be refilled, especially more concentrated versions that reduce the amount of liquid that needs to be transported.