It's been Plastic Free July for a whole month and I've not managed to mention it once ... yup, I admit it I am a bad blogger 😄
Most of you know me well enough by now to know that I recycle, I reuse, I most definintely re-purpose and I basically do the very best I can. Hardly any of the plastic that I do get is single use plastic and the few things that I do get are recycled wherever possible to the correct place.
Something that I switched to at the start of last year when it became increasingly difficult to get washing powder tablets in cardboard boxes, was the smol range of products.
I started with a free trial of the washing capsules, which come through your letterbox in a sturdy cardboard box. The trial proved to me that they did everything that I needed them to do and I signed up for a regular subscription after a week of using them.
The box is so childproof that it drove me to distraction, but if you have children this is a good thing.
There are instructions on how to open it and information on everything else that you need to know.
But I cheat, and for ease of use as soon as mine arrive I tip them into my little enamel pan ...
... and store them next to the little enamel bucket that holds the pegs.
A few months after starting with the washing capsules and when I had used up my supply of fabric conditioner I added bottles of the smol fabric conditioner to my order and trialled that. It's very good and does exactly what it's supposed to but without leaving you scented like a pine forest or a rose garden.
You can choose how many laundry capsules you want to receive and also how often you want to receive them, ditto with the fabric conditioner and any of the other cleaning supplies that you might want to try. There are also dishwasher tablets and surface sprays, (neither of which I use) so you could get all your cleaning supplies from one place and through the post
But the most important thing for me is that it gets the washing clean, smelling fresh and not synthetic and everything arrives just when I need it and if my needs change I can update how often I want to receive something.
If you would like a free trial like I did, just click HERE to go to the smol website and choose the item you would like to sample, and for just £1 towards the postage you will have enough of the product you choose to get a good idea of if it's right for you.
This is not in any way a sponsored post, just something that I use regularly and highly recommend.
Sue xx
I've been using smol dishwasher tabs for nearly a year and like you found opening the childproof box the most difficult bit! I tip mine into a small storage tub with lid so they don't get splashed and start dissolving too soon. They jumped up in price by 70p last time which was a big increase I thought but they are easy to use and no plastic in sight .
ReplyDeleteDont use smol for laundry as I like Ecover liquid mixed with washing soda crystals and I can use different amounts depending what I'm washing, and don't use fabric softener at all and never have
On the third delivery when I was STILL fighting with the box I came up with the tipping them in the pan idea :-)
DeleteI received an Eco Egg to try with one of my Vegan Kind orders and was very pleased with it granted it's plastic but reusable. You refill it with pellets scented or unscented which are minerals, the extra benefit is that you don't need fabric conditioners. The refills last for up to 70 washes depending on the softness of your water.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have got an Eco Egg too, I use it if I run out of smol capsules between orders, until I had properly worked out how much washing I actually do I did need it a few times. The good thing is that it's always there if I need it as the pellets last ages.
DeleteLove this. Your washing looks lovely and clean
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
Yes, everything comes up a treat and I've since switched to the short 30 minute wash which seems so much better.
DeleteThat looks handy. I imagine they don't ship to Illinois, USA. I am still using Tide powder for my wash as I like different sizes for loads.
ReplyDeleteGood for you!
I don't know if they ship to USA, they do to Germany and France according to their website. But they do sell via Amazon, so it might be worth checking out the USA Amazon website.
DeleteI loved seeing your colourful laundry flapping in the breeze!
ReplyDeleteSmol adverts always seem to pop up on my Facebook feed. I use soda crystals to wash our clothes.
Like Sue, I've never used fabric conditioner - I like my laundry crisp. xxx
There's something that's 'just right' about laundry blowing in the breeze on a proper washing line isn't there. I've loved it ever since the terry towelling nappy days when my boys were small and every other day a dozen nappies would be in the line all nice and white and washed by hand.
DeleteHi I have recently started to use the laundry sheets. They are excellent and easy to store too . Made by Earth Breeze . Ordered online via Amazon .
ReplyDeleteDebbie in Sussex
I've heard of these and they do look good :-)
DeleteWashing blowing on the line is one of the best sights and wind power is free! In the 70's as students we were passionate about saving the environment and we had a plastic free kitchen (apart from the plastic coated racks inside the fridge, some weighing scales that were a present and the light flex) all our fixtures, fittings and equipment was of natural materials and our food packaging was also plastic free, which was not quite so difficult to find back then as now. I would like to think we have come a long way since the 70's but in fact in the fifty years we only seem to have gone backwards and there is more plastic around now than ever, especially packaging. One plastic free month is just not enough, manufacturers certainly need to step up and get this sorted out and provide us with plastic free packaging as it once used to be. Our council has only just started accepting plastic yoghurt pots and food trays this year for recycling, before it was just drinks bottles - there needs to be a national recycling policy to prevent a lot of it still going to landfill.
ReplyDeleteThe youngsters these days think they they have invented all this re-use, recycle, non-plastic and no wrappings on food whereas in reality we are just going full circle aren't we. If only we hadn't had this awful plastic phase in our lives the planet would be in a much better state.
DeleteI totally agree that one month is not enough, and I don't think it has even done much to highlight the dire situation that we are in. I think there should be a national drive to recycle with ALL councils having to be exactly the same in what they can recycle and what they do with waste, after all we do pay our Council Tax for this service. I know it took me a while to get my head around the poorer service here in England compared to what we had in North Wales, which was excellent.