• Programs
    • Bee City USA Asheville >
      • Pollinator Garden Certification
      • Native Pollinator Plants and Nurseries
      • Pollination Celebration >
        • Pollinator Photo Contest
    • Rivers & Roads >
      • Adopt-a-Street
      • Cleanup Supply Stations
      • Clean Streams Day
      • Trash Trout
      • WNC Big Sweep
    • Education
    • Urban Forestry >
      • Cool Green Asheville
      • Adopt-a-Spot
      • Food Tree Project
      • Ravenscroft Reserve Initiative
      • Tree Nursery
      • Treasured Trees >
        • Treasured Trees Calendar
    • Waste Reduction >
      • Asheville Bag Monster
      • Composting Information
      • Flip Your Lid
      • Hard 2 Recycle
      • Plastics Reduction Task Force
      • Recycling Information
      • Smash Don't Trash
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Experiential Internships
    • Youth Environmental Leadership Program >
      • How to Apply
    • Make a Donation
    • Wish List
    • Sponsorship
  • Upcoming Events
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • Job Openings
    • History
    • Newsletter Archive
  • Newsletter Signup
  • Blog Roll
    • Latest News
    • Protect our Pollinators
    • Voice for the Trees
    • Mind Your Plastic May
    • Fall Leaves
ASHEVILLE GREENWORKS
  • Programs
    • Bee City USA Asheville >
      • Pollinator Garden Certification
      • Native Pollinator Plants and Nurseries
      • Pollination Celebration >
        • Pollinator Photo Contest
    • Rivers & Roads >
      • Adopt-a-Street
      • Cleanup Supply Stations
      • Clean Streams Day
      • Trash Trout
      • WNC Big Sweep
    • Education
    • Urban Forestry >
      • Cool Green Asheville
      • Adopt-a-Spot
      • Food Tree Project
      • Ravenscroft Reserve Initiative
      • Tree Nursery
      • Treasured Trees >
        • Treasured Trees Calendar
    • Waste Reduction >
      • Asheville Bag Monster
      • Composting Information
      • Flip Your Lid
      • Hard 2 Recycle
      • Plastics Reduction Task Force
      • Recycling Information
      • Smash Don't Trash
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Experiential Internships
    • Youth Environmental Leadership Program >
      • How to Apply
    • Make a Donation
    • Wish List
    • Sponsorship
  • Upcoming Events
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • Job Openings
    • History
    • Newsletter Archive
  • Newsletter Signup
  • Blog Roll
    • Latest News
    • Protect our Pollinators
    • Voice for the Trees
    • Mind Your Plastic May
    • Fall Leaves
Picture
We are drowning in plastic.

From beauty products to grocery bags to water bottles to our daily cup of coffee, plastic is present in every aspect of our lives. Most of these items are designed to be used once and thrown away, usually heading to the landfill.

Some of the plastic that we think can be recycled, like drink lids, straws and utensils, end up in the landfill because they're either too difficult to recycle or there's no market for the end products. Even recyclable plastic such as water bottles are becoming harder to recycle.

The most effective approach to reducing our plastic waste is to REFUSE, REDUCE, and REUSE.

In January 2019, GreenWorks spearheaded the creation of the Plastics Reduction Task Force -- a group of motivated volunteers dedicated to reducing single-use plastic in our environment. 
​
Join the plastic-free movement and break free from the plastic ties that bind us.
Donate now for a plastic-free future
Mind Your Plastic May is meant to encourage and challenge us in our journey to live plastic free. These posts are created by GreenWorks staff, Plastic Reduction Task Force volunteers, and other plastic-free advocates in Buncombe County. If you've found these posts helpful and encouraging, please consider making a donation to support this work. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]
Picture

Creating Household Cleaners at Home

5/19/2020

1 Comment

 
By Krista Stearns

Last year, I embarked on a journey to reduce the use of plastic in my home, one of the only places in the world I can control (with the exception of my two teenage daughters).

I realized the most common plastic containers I regularly purchased were health and beauty products and household cleaning supplies. After many failed attempts at creating homemade shampoo and conditioner, I concluded the refill strategy is the best solution. Luckily, we have multiple retailers that provide a good selection of refillable products, though unfortunately, that is not available now because of COVID-related bulk precautions.

I did have success creating a fun styling gel for curly hair made primarily from flax seeds that I am particularly proud of. I am still working through deodorant and lotion concoctions but have not yet found any that I am crazy about. I am also researching homemade toothpaste recipes and look forward to fun future experiments.

There is a wealth of recipes for DIY all-natural, non-toxic household products on the internet from sites like humbledhomemaker, everydaycheapskate, and mommypotomus.  My strategy is to find recipes with a few simple ingredients, ones you can already find around your house. Most of these ingredients are packaged sustainably, or at least available in refillable or large sizes. After many attempts and failures, I’m ready to share my favorite recipes and an essential list of ingredients:

Picture
The essentials
Picture

  1. Super Washing Soda (sodium carbonate) 
  2. Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate) 
  3. Coarse Salt
  4. Castille Bar Soap 
  5. Castille Liquid Soap 
  6. Lemon Juice 
  7. Vinegar
  8. Your Favorite Essential Oils 

Both Super Washing Soda and Baking Soda come in 3-4lb boxes, which can be purchased from stores like Lowes and Walmart or ordered online. There are bulk deals online for most of these ingredients as well. However, one must be careful about the packaging associated with online shipments. 

Dr. Bronners Liquid Castille Soap is available as a bulk refillable in most natural foods stores. I am a big fan of Dr. Bronners Sal Suds; it is better for cleaning hard surfaces such as dishes. Luckily, our own fabulous, local French Broad Food Co-op sells this as a bulk refillable. It also makes a great all-purpose spray and mop solution. My other recommendations for all-natural household cleaners include your favorite combination of vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and baking soda as well as the dish liquid below.

Without further ado, here are my favorite tried-and-tested recipes:

Dish Liquid:
1TBS Salt kosher or table
2 cups hot water
⅔ cup liquid Castille soap or Dr. Bronners Sal Suds
1 Tbs washing soda
⅛ tsp tea tree oil, lavender, or citrus essential oil
In a small pot heat a few TBS water and salt until dissolved. Pour into separate container. Combine the washing soda and 2 cups water to the pot and heat until dissolved. Add the sal suds and essential oil to the pot and pour into the jar or dispenser. Add saltwater mixture and shake. It will foam and thicken (you can add more for thicker soap).

Dishwasher soap cubes:
1 cup washing soda
1 cup Kosher salt
1 cup baking soda
¾ cup lemon juice
Measure all dry ingredients into a bowl and stir to combine. Then add the lemon juice. Let the ingredients foam for a minute. Mix all together and press into molds that will fit in your dishwasher. Peanut butter cup molds and ice cube trays work well. Allow tablets to harden completely overnight. 

Laundry detergent: 
1 bar Castille soap, 
1 cup washing soda, 
1 cup baking soda, 
1 cup Kosher salt. 
Grate Castille soap in a food processor, then add in the other ingredients. Make sure to cover the top, so you don’t inhale the particulate. A ¼  cup scoop is perfect for a top loader machine.

Please share your favorite DIY recipes, I would love to hear about your successes!




​









​Krista Stearns is a longtime member of the West Asheville business community as well as a passionate environmentalist grateful for the privilege of helping to coordinate the GreenWorks Plastic Reduction Task Force.

1 Comment
Jillian Wolf
5/26/2020 03:05:27 pm

Thanks for doing the leg work on these recipes. I love their simplicity and from the ingredients can see that they will work just fine. I'll give them a try!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    AuthorS

    Staff from Asheville GreenWorks, volunteers from the Plastic Reduction Task Force, as well as other guest writers who are advocates and friends.

    Archives

    May 2020
    May 2019
    April 2019

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed


​Asheville GreenWorks is a 501(c)3 non-profit environmental organization, governed by a Board of Directors. Established in 1973, GreenWorks mission is to inspire, equip and mobilize individuals and communities to take care of the places we love to live.
  • Programs
    • Bee City USA Asheville >
      • Pollinator Garden Certification
      • Native Pollinator Plants and Nurseries
      • Pollination Celebration >
        • Pollinator Photo Contest
    • Rivers & Roads >
      • Adopt-a-Street
      • Cleanup Supply Stations
      • Clean Streams Day
      • Trash Trout
      • WNC Big Sweep
    • Education
    • Urban Forestry >
      • Cool Green Asheville
      • Adopt-a-Spot
      • Food Tree Project
      • Ravenscroft Reserve Initiative
      • Tree Nursery
      • Treasured Trees >
        • Treasured Trees Calendar
    • Waste Reduction >
      • Asheville Bag Monster
      • Composting Information
      • Flip Your Lid
      • Hard 2 Recycle
      • Plastics Reduction Task Force
      • Recycling Information
      • Smash Don't Trash
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Experiential Internships
    • Youth Environmental Leadership Program >
      • How to Apply
    • Make a Donation
    • Wish List
    • Sponsorship
  • Upcoming Events
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • Job Openings
    • History
    • Newsletter Archive
  • Newsletter Signup
  • Blog Roll
    • Latest News
    • Protect our Pollinators
    • Voice for the Trees
    • Mind Your Plastic May
    • Fall Leaves