Time for a
green spring clean?

As an asthmatic throughout my childhood, I was very pleased that in my early twenties my asthma disappeared. However after using a well advertised oven cleaner, I struggled to get to the doctors with a severe asthma attack. After around five years with no asthma symptoms, I was understandably very upset it had returned and with such vengeance. The doctor suggested the cleaner may have re-sensitised my lungs. Many cleaning products contain chemicals known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which when used, release chemicals that can cause breathing difficulties and trigger asthma. The strong smells and ingredients of many of these products have also been linked to people suffering from headaches and skin rashes, while other studies have suggested links between certain chemicals in cleaning products and infertility. If they have this effect on our health, then what sort of an effect do they have on our fragile environment?

Many of the chemicals used in cleaning products do not bio-degrade and therefore build up in the environment. Greenpeace have undertaken a number of studies looking into the effect of these chemicals on our environment, and have detected toxic chemicals in house dust, and rainwater. Another study found, man-made toxic chemicals present in the bodies of polar bears, thousands of miles away from the source. Links made between individual ingredients in some cleaning products, and damage to the environment, include a link made between phosphates and an overgrowth of algae in lakes that can kill aquatic life.

The good news is you don’t need to use these chemical laden products to have a fresh smelling, clean, sparkling house. While there are many companies producing environmentally friendly cleaning products, they can often be more expensive. However you do not need to spend a lot of money to clean naturally, and can clean just about anything with a few basic household ingredients:

White vinegar
Vinegar is already known and used for cleaning windows (using a 50/50 mix of water and vinegar); however it has many other uses. Vinegar is an extremely effective multi surface cleaner; it cuts through grease, and as it’s an acid it can be used to attack lime scale. For lime scale on taps soak some cotton wool in vinegar, secure round the tap with an elastic band, and in a couple of hours the lime scale should come off easily.

Bicarbonate of soda
Often shortened to ‘bicarb’; bicarbonate of soda has a multitude of uses around the home. It is extremely effective at neutralising smells; it can be sprinkled on smelly carpets and left for a while before vacuuming. Leaving an open box of bicarb in your fridge can keep it smelling fresh, and you can reduce the whiff of smelly shoes by sprinkling bicarb inside them, and shaking off the excess powder in the morning. Burnt on food on casserole dishes, can be removed by filling the dish with hot water and a tablespoon of bicarb, and leaving it to soak. Due to its fizz when mixed with water it can also be used to unblock drains.

Salt
Salt is mildly abrasive which makes it a good ingredient in a scouring solution. It is also a mild disinfectant. Salt mixed with lemon juice or vinegar makes a great scrub for wooden chopping boards.

Lemons
Like vinegar lemons are acidic, and can cut through grease and lime scale. It can also be used as a bleach in the laundry. Try mixing lemon juice with bicarb to clean brass, or with salt to clean copper. Lemon juice and salt is very also effective at removing rust.

Olive oil
For polishing wooden furniture, mix olive oil with a few drops of white vinegar, which will nourish it and give it a lovely shine.

Tea tree and Lavender oil
To make any cleaning solution smell nice, add a few drops of an essential oil of your choice. Tea tree and Lavender are good ones to pick as they are known for their antiseptic qualities. Instead of using air fresheners, which are one of the biggest culprits causing allergies such as breathlessness and headaches, try burning essential oils. They may cost a few pounds to buy in the first place but last for ages.


As illustrated above different combinations of ingredients are good for cleaning certain surfaces; i.e. salt and lemon for wooden chopping boards. However you could make up your own good all round cleaning solution by mixing:

1 ½ cups of bicarbonate of soda mixed with a cup of water
2 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar
½ a drop of essential oil

A few extra natural cleaning tips:
Wooden floors can be cleaned using two brewed tea bags cooled to room temperature.

To remove chewing gum from carpets, rub with ice cubes in a plastic bag, till it goes brittle and then lift it off.

To remove fingerprints on walls, dab firmly with a chunk of white bread.

Remove dust from the leaves of plants and nourish them, by stroking them with the inside of a banana skin.

Run a cup of white vinegar through a dishwashing cycle when empty for a weekly clean.

To remove rust from knives, stick them in a raw onion and wriggle about a bit to activate the juice.

Boiling tartare sauce in water can remove the rainbow effect on aluminium pans.

Water water everywhere
But what water should we drink?

We all need water. Water makes up over half of our body weight and is vital for our bodies to survive; it helps regulate body temperature, it provides a means of transport for nutrients to travel to organs and oxygen to cells, and helps remove waste. As water is lost from our bodies through urine and sweat, it is recommended we drink 1.5 litres of water a day to keep ourselves hydrated. Not drinking enough water, and allowing ourselves to become dehydrated, can lead to tiredness and contribute to health problems such as headaches, constipation, kidney stones and urinary infections.

Where we get our water from, however, is the subject of much debate. Organisations such as; Friends of the Earth, and the Green party, have voiced their concerns over the growing use of bottled water and its impact on the environment. A recent episode of Panorama; ‘Bottled water; who needs it’ broadcast on the 18th February 2008, reported that in the UK last year we spent nearly £2 billion on bottled water.

The main argument against buying bottled water is the impact the bottled water industry has on the environment. Panorama put forward that producing and delivering a litre of bottled water, uses a hundred times more greenhouse gases than producing a litre of tap water. Transporting water over many miles, can be seen as an unnecessary waste of natural resources. Evian one of the most popular brands of bottled water is transported from France, and we are even buying water that has to travel from as far as Fiji, while a third of Fijians don’t have access to clean running water themselves.

On top of the environmental impact of transporting water, water is often packaged in plastic. According to Waste Watch; an environmental charity dedicated to reducing and reusing household waste, we produce twenty times more plastic than we did 50 years ago, and its estimated only 7% gets recycled. Most plastics are non-degradable and could take hundreds of years to break down.

So why do so many people opt for bottled water? Despite the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) saying that tap water is perfectly fine to drink, the quality of water does seem to differ depending on where you live. Regional newspapers across the country, have reports of residents who have complained their tap water is cloudy or smells and tastes of chemicals. A recent report in the Worcester news, for example, reported that many residents of Droitwich found their tap water undrinkable because of a chemical taste. Looking at the DWI’s report of ‘Incidents in England and Wales 2006’ there were around 100 reported problems with tap water quality. Reported incidents range from contamination with E coli, to excessive amounts of chemicals such as; bromate, phosphates, and chlorine in the water, and a large number of cases of discolouration of water supply. In these situations it is understandable that people do not want to drink the tap water, and reach for the bottled water instead.

However bottled water may not be any safer to drink. The source of bottled water varies, it can come from natural springs and in some cases it can just be purified tap water. All water contains minerals which may be good for us, but as bottled water is subject to fewer controls than tap water, some brands can have excessive amounts of certain minerals which can be bad for us. There have, for example, been links made between high levels of sodium in some bottled water, and an increased risk of high blood pressure and strokes.

The production of plastic bottles also involves the use of potentially harmful chemicals, and there are many claims these chemicals can leach from the plastic into the water they contain. One example comes from a study undertaken by Professor Shotyk of Heidelberg University, which was published in the ‘Journal of Environmental Monitoring’ in January 2006. Shotyk’s study found traces of antimony, a chemical used in the production of some plastic bottles, in some bottled water. Although the traces were below official recommended levels, small doses of antimony can make you feel ill and depressed, while larger quantities can cause violent vomiting. Professor Shotyk himself said he would never drink bottled water again.

So what options does that leave people whose tap water is not pleasant to drink? For anyone not happy with the quality of their tap water an option may be to invest in a filter jug or filter system. It is claimed that filtering water can remove chlorine, trace heavy metals such as lead, and bacteria that can cause tummy bugs.

One of the main arguments against water filters is that they also add to unnecessary waste, as the cartridges which are made of plastic need to be changed monthly so they don’t become a breeding ground for bacteria. Many companies such as Brita, who have been producing water filters for over 40 years, have taken this on board and their cartridges are 100% recyclable. They provide a freepost address to send used cartridges, however they are then sent to Germany for recycling, which again uses unnecessary resources. Other companies such as Aqua Select produce filter cartridges which are refillable so there’s no plastic cartridge to throw away every month.

However we get our water, water is essential to life. Despite reported incidents affecting water quality, tap water seems the safest option, as the controls it has to undergo are more stringent than for bottled water. Apart from occasional incidents, impurities found in tap water, at worse, affect its taste, odour and colour and can make it unpleasant to drink, and this may be sorted out by filtering water. Ultimately as consumers we have a choice, we can choose to buy bottled water or we can choose tap water (filtered or not). However not opting for bottles may not only reduce the impact on the environment, but the impact on our pockets as well.



Links for more information:

For water filters with refillable filters see:
http://www.guardianecostore.co.uk/ or Green Shop Offering Eco Friendly Alternatives - Natural Collection

For DWI’s information leaflet on tap water look at:
DWI - Information Leaflets - Tap water
For the DWI’s report of incidents with tap water supply in 2006 look at:
http://www.dwi.gov.uk/pubs/annrep06/Drinking%20water%202006%20-%20Incidents%20in%20England%20and%20Wales.pdf