Welcome to Eco Eve’s column, where you’ll find a treasure trove of practical tips and innovative ideas for living more sustainably. Eco Eve is dedicated to helping you adopt environmentally friendly practices, from green cleaning solutions to everyday habits that reduce your carbon footprint. Join us on this journey to make a positive impact on our planet, one small step at a time.
Handy Home Hints From Grandma
- Old toothbrushes clean rotary beaters, graters, utensils and stubborn toast crumbs in those hard-to-reach spots or corners and clear and remove lint buildup from sliding door and window tracks.
- Dust allergies in the family? Empty the stick vacuum or dust bag onto newspaper sprinkled with a little water. The dust will not scatter. Wrap and dispose.
- Soak discoloured shoelaces in sour milk to whiten.
- Planting marigolds in your garden will deter rodents.
- Rub a fresh lemon, cut in half, over hands to remove onion smells or to help sanitise wooden cutting boards after cutting meat. Lemon skins work well to control rubbish bin odours.
- Grubby hands after working in the garden or yard? Add a teaspoon of sugar to the soapy lather and wash well.
- Believe it or not – Worcestershire or barbeque sauce is great for cleaning copperware!
DIY Natural Cleaners for the Fridge
- Remove odours and clean the fridge’s interior and exterior with a solution of one litre of warm water and one tablespoon of bicarb soda.
- Neutralise and prevent mould in refrigerator seals and shelves with a soft cloth or an old toothbrush dipped in vinegar. Dispose of after use.
- If you like the vanilla scent of branded fridge cleaners, rub the fridge interior with a cotton swab or ball soaked in vanilla. It’s inexpensive and effective.
Don’t Bin Your Batteries
The Bad News
More than 400 million batteries are used throughout Australia. Only 15% are recycled, resulting in 8,000 tonnes going to landfills, where toxins may leak into the environment and community, contaminating soil and water supplies. This poses significant health risks to wildlife and humans.
Batteries also present a fire risk when overcharged, short-circuited, submerged in water or damaged. They should not be disposed of in household waste bins, as they may cause fires.
The Good News
Aside from hazardous waste, used batteries contain valuable resources, including manganese, zinc, lithium, cobalt and nickel, which can be recycled and used by the fertiliser and chemical industries.
Ecobatt is an Australian-owned company that recovers precious materials like copper, aluminium and steel. It recycles household batteries, power tools, farm and storage batteries, phone and computer batteries and button cells. Batteries from electric and hybrid cars, e-bikes, buses and trucks are safely collected. Use their recycle calculator to check the environmental benefits of battery recycling.
Recycling Batteries Outlets
Ready to do your part? It’s as easy as dropping off your used batteries at Battery World, JB Hi-Fi, Bunnings, Drakes, Mitre 10, Aldi, Total Tools or at Return-It Containers for Change on Flinders Parade, North Lakes.
Find more drop off points here.
Keep Vegetables Fresher
Line the vegetable crisper with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture that leaches from vegetables. This also makes cleaning the fridge easier.
For wilted veggies, sprinkle them with cool water, wrap them in a teatowel, and refrigerate them for an hour or more.
Keep lettuce fresh (with outer leaves on until ready to use) by wrapping it in a paper bag instead of the supermarket’s soft plastic. The paper absorbs the moisture while plastic creates it. If you do use a plastic container for your lettuce, line it with a paper towel.
You can rejuvenate soggy lettuce by adding lemon juice to a bowl of cold water. Soak lettuce for an hour in the fridge.
Storing Garlic
Store peeled garlic cloves in a bottle of cold-pressed virgin olive oil to prevent them from drying out. When all the garlic has been used, the leftover oil makes a tasty base for salad dressings.
Pep Up Your Plants
Cooled, leftover brewed tea works wonders as a fertiliser for ferns.
DIY Glass Cleaner
Save money by making your own window cleaner.
For streak-free glass, add the following mix to a bucket of warm water:
- ½ cup ammonia
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of cornflour
Tip: Easily see which side of the window has any smudges by using horizontal strokes for cleaning inside and vertical strokes for outside.
Eco Eve’s Tips for DIY Kitchen and Bathroom Cleaners
As bathrooms are humid and steamy, they attract mould and mildew. Why pay for branded cleaners when products around the home are cheaper, less harmful to the environment and work just as well?
DIY Powder Cleanser for Showers, Sinks and Tiles
Bicarb-soda works beautifully as a powder cleanser in the kitchen and bathroom. Sprinkle it on a wet sponge and wipe over. Rinse with water. As a bonus, the bicarb will freshen drains as well. Add a few drops of essential oil (e.g. lemon, ylang ylang or lavender) for a sweet scent.
Tip: A large car sponge can save time and energy when cleaning shower walls and screens.
Stubborn Stains on Taps and Showers
Using a sponge, wipe shower glass over with white vinegar, then rub over with a damp sponge sprinkled with bicarb-soda. Rinse well. Squeegee the glass for a streak-free screen.
Stubborn stains from hard water or scale deposits around taps are challenging to shift.
Instead of reaching for chemical cleaners:
- Mix bicarb-soda and vinegar into a fizzy paste and brush on with an old nail or toothbrush.
- Leave for 30 minutes, then rub over gently and rinse.
- Add a little shampoo, shower gel or dishwashing detergent if you like.
Mouldy Shower Curtains
If your shower curtain isn’t machine-washable, soak it regularly in warm water in a bath or sink with five tablespoons of bicarb-soda. Slosh the curtain around, then hang outside to dry. Lay or hang flat to dry to prevent mould from recurring in the folds.
Read more stories from The North Lakes Guide print magazine here:
