Month: May 2015

Saving the planet one bottle at a time

This week I thought I’d do a little bonus blog about household cleaning. This isn’t exactly something I’m particularly passionate about! However I’ve come across a brand that I love which has definitely made me feel more interested in the topic! 

Splosh
We started using Splosh in September last year. The idea is pretty simple, by creating a reusable bottle for household cleaning products you save on recycling. By creating refills that can be delivered through the letterbox you save on transport costs. The products don’t contain water so are up to 95% less bulky than other options on the market, reducing CO2 emissions by lots!

Through the letterbox
I have really enjoyed the ease of using Splosh. I order refills through their simple app which take less than 30 seconds. The package which drops through my letterbox a few days later is about the size of a DVD case. Each box contains enough refills for 2-4 bottles depending on the product. You pop the sachet in your bottle, fill it up with hot water and let it do it’s thing. The products smell great and we particularly like their all-purpose cleaner. I’m not sure the washing up liquid goes as far but they recently emailed to say they are working on that.

The Splosh range keeps growing and now includes hand wash, kitchen cleaner, fabric conditioner and lots more. The bottles passed the acid test of been approved by my graphic designer husband, and even I have to admit there’s something satisfying about the co-ordinated, non-shouty bottles lining up in the cupboard together!

Overall the thing I’ve most appreciated is their customer service. When they realised that the cap on their toilet cleaner wasn’t quite right they re-designed it and sent an email letting me know I could request a new one free of charge. Little extras like that make me feel like I’m dealing with real people who are passionate about their company being the best, real people who are trying to make a difference.

Cutting out waste wherever we see it is definitely something I am more enthusiastic about since starting this blog so Splosh get a big thumbs up. Reduce, reuse, recycle…

A changing wardrobe

In my final week of this month’s ‘change’ I wanted to explore how I could be more ethical with the things I own and discover whether I should be making more ethical choices with what I have. 

This graphic from 

Ethical Consumer pretty much sums up the problem with what we already have stuffed in our wardrobe. It’s pretty crazy that around 1.7 billion garments (30% of what we own) lie unworn at home and that new unworn clothes worth £30 billion hang in our wardrobe but we spend £44 billion every year on buying more. I was once told by a stylist that the average women wears 20% of her wardrobe 80% of the time. I wonder if you identify with that?

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Reading these stats has definitely made me think about how and why I buy clothes. Check out the brilliant info-graphic below which illustrates a really great way to look at purchasing decisions, I’m sure I’ll be sticking this to my wardrobe!

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Charity shops and swapping

In light of this, this week I set myself the challenge to give away surplus clothes and to see what I could find in my local charity shop. I set out on a shopping trip with my daughter, we are blessed to live near a lot of great quality charity shops. Within an hour we both had new dresses and I had a new top, it took a bit more rummaging but we are both pretty pleased with our new outfits, I have a little girl who’s very excited to wear her ‘big girl party dress’! 

Secondly the clear out! 

I generally try to clear out my wardrobe out every six months and I tend to have the rule that if I haven’t worn it in the last year it goes. Getting my colours done at True Colours has really helped me have much less in my wardrobe that I don’t wear because I know exactly which colours I should go for (check out the handy swatch they gave me). However there are still a few bits and pieces that if I’m honest I don’t wear/don’t suit me. Luckily my friend was hosting a clothes swap and so I was able to take my bag of clothes and have the satisfaction of seeing people take them away knowing they looked much better on them. I finally said goodbye to my favourite pair of shoes that I totally can’t walk in, someone else is now enjoying their gloriousness and you know what? It feels good!

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In conclusion
This month has taught me to take more of an interest in where my clothes come from, to genuinely think about each piece’s history. I’ve been surprised at charity shop finds and experienced the cathartic joy of ridding myself of clothing waste. I’ve been challenged to look at how what I wear effects others and yes, I’ve given away my beautiful shoes – one step closer to ethical living!