Being eco-friendly means you need to make significant changes in your lifestyle. This includes the household items you should use.
However, replacing conventional items with something that is zero waste can be expensive. If you are not intentional, you might be wasting your budget.
That said, we have listed x DIY projects you can do to reduce your household waste.
DIY All-purpose Cleaner
Every household needs an all-purpose cleaner. It is also something that we recommend to our clients at Planet Maids House Cleaning NYC.
However, what we buy from the stores is filled with harmful chemicals that can compromise our health. As such, it would be better to make your all-purpose cleaner.
All you need are a cup of distilled water, a cup of white vinegar, and juice from half a lemon.
Pour the ingredients into a spray bottle, and remember to shake it well before using. You now have a chemical-free and eco-friendly all-purpose cleaner that you can make using the items in your pantry.
Unpaper Towels
Instead of using disposable kitchen towels to wipe surfaces and spills, it would be best to use washable unpaper towels.
The best part? You can use old bath towels, shirts, and sheets to make a set of unpaper towels.
Here’s how you can do it:
- Wash and iron the fabric and cut them into 15-inches x 15-inches squares.
- Using a sewing machine, use serger to stitch the edges of the fabric.
- When you are close to the last corner, leave a 2 – 3 inches tail of thread. Use it to tie a knot close to the base of the fabric with an embroidery needle.
Beeswax Wraps
We tend to use plastic wraps to cover our leftover food or wrap our kid’s lunch. The problem is that the more plastic wraps you use, the more waste we send to the landfill.
If you do not want that to happen, we suggest doing beeswax wraps.
All you need is a piece of cloth, some beeswax, and parchment paper. Grate an ample amount of beeswax over a piece of cloth, top it with parchment, and iron it like usual.
The heat of the iron can help melt and spread the beeswax over the fabric.
You can use it as a food cover or wrap your kid’s sandwiches. And you just need to run it under the water faucet to clean it.
Makeup Remover Pads
Here’s what you need to know about your makeup remover pads: It takes over 20,000 liters of water to produce a kilo of cotton (equivalent to one cotton shirt).
Imagine how much water you are consuming whenever you buy and dispose of multitudes of cotton rounds. And I bet you are using more than one makeup remover pads every night since the day you started using makeup.
Luckily, you can make a batch of washable cotton pads using an old cotton shirt.
The process is the same as making unpaper towels. But instead of a 15-inches x 15-inches square fabric, you will need fabric rounds with a 3-inch diameter.
Dishwasher Tablets
Depending on the brand and size of the package, a dishwasher detergent can cost from $10 to $45. But what if you can make your dishwashing tablets for less?
What you will need:
- 1 cup washing soda
- 1/2 cup citric acid
- essential oil (optional)
Instructions:
- In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. You can add 15 drops of essential oil if you like.
- Mix everything until well combined. The mixture has to be slightly damp. Otherwise, you can spritz some water in it.
- Put it into a mold and press it firmly. Let it dry completely and store in an airtight container when done.
You can now bid farewell to plastic containers and single-use plastics. And you can clean your dishes for less!
Natural Dish Scrubber
If you are crafty and have a stock of jute twines, consider making a natural dish scrubber.
What’s cool about this DIY project is that natural dish scrubbers can last long. And if it has wear and tear, you can air dry it before disposing of it into your compost bin.
All you need is to crochet the jute into a rectangular shape. You can also make it thick enough to look like your usual synthetic scrubber. If you do not have jute twine, you can replace it with sisal.
Indoor Compost Bin
These days, composting is no longer limited to houses with yards. There are now different ways to compost, even if you live in a city apartment.
One way to do that is through bokashi composting.
From a Japanese term that loosely means “fermented organic matter,” bokashi composting is the process of pickling your food waste. And because it is pickled food waste, you need to drain the juice out of it so it will not smell. You can use it as fertilizer for your plants.
You can buy a whole kit online. But you can follow this step-by-step guide by Epic Gardening on how you can make your Bokashi Bin.
Conclusion
Living a zero-waste life can be an excellent way to reduce the waste that you produce.
However, there is more to being eco-friendly than recycling and avoiding single-use plastics. Plus, reducing household waste can be expensive.
Luckily, you can do various DIY projects to help you achieve an eco-friendly household and reduce your waste.
Whether you just want to get crafty or do your part in saving the environment, the home projects listed above can help you get started.
