Cleaning Tips for Plastic Free July
What is Plastic Free July?
Plastic Free July® is “a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution.” Throughout the month of July, participants around the world are challenged to refuse single-use plastics. Since the challenge started in 2011, over 140 million people across 190 countries have participated, demonstrating how small personal changes can have a massive global impact.
Plastic Free July® is also a program of the Plastic Free Foundation that provides resources, ideas, and inspiration for participants. It also organizes events and reports on the impact of the campaign.
How can I participate in Plastic Free July?
This year’s theme is Small Steps, Big Difference, which highlights the importance of lifestyle changes like switching to reusable cups, avoiding plastic packaging, and using reusable bags at the store. The idea is that starting with one change will help participants discover more and more ways to avoid single-use plastic at home, school, and work. In other words, it’s the first step in a greater journey toward a plastic-free future!
Plastic Free July® recommends these steps to get started:
- Take the challenge by signing up online to get tips, tricks, and stories from other participants
- Take the Pesky Plastics Quiz to discover common household plastics you can avoid
- Explore ideas and commit to your first step
31 days of plastic-free choices
Source: Plastic Free July - 31 Days of Plastic Free Choices
Another way to participate in Plastic Free July® is through daily challenges. Check out this calendar for 31 Days of Plastic Free Choices and see how many you can do. We can even help you out with some of them!
Here are our favorite plastic-free cleaning ideas:
July 11 – Choose plastic-free packaging
Did you know that all our packaging is designed to reduce waste? We start by making ultra-concentrated powders and solid soaps that eliminate the need for unnecessary plastic like single-use plastic bottles, hidden liners, and PVA pods and sheets. All our products are single-use plastic-free and most are completely plastic-free! Even better, our products weigh less and take up less space than their liquid counterparts, and many of them come in refillable containers.
July 15 – Choose plastic-free cleaning products
Now that you know that our home cleaning products are all single-use plastic-free, the question is which will you try first?
Our All-Purpose Home Cleaner spray is a great way to reduce plastic by eliminating disposable spray bottles. We offer a starter kit that comes with a reusable, refillable glass bottle pre-loaded with a tablet of concentrated soap and three extra tablets. That’s the equivalent of four 16 oz. plastic bottles! Even better, you can save money by refilling the bottle with additional refill tablets — just $5.49 for a 3-pack.
Another way to ditch the bottle is by switching to our Gentle Home Cleaning Scrub powder. This powder cleaner is just as effective as big name powder cleaners but is bleach-free, chlorine-free, dye-free, synthetic fragrance-free, and preservative-free. It comes in a paper and steel canister that can easily be recycled by separating the metal from the paper.
July 17 – Choose plastic-free laundry products
When it comes to laundry products, there’s more to going plastic-free than refusing to buy liquid detergent in plastic jugs. A lot of the liquid alternatives on the market, including detergent sheets and pods, actually contain a type of dissolvable plastic known as PVA, or polyvinyl alcohol. Despite being marketed as eco-friendly, these products are designed to put microplastics directly into water systems. In the United States, most wastewater treatment plants are not equipped to break down PVA into carbon dioxide and water, meaning that about 75% of dissolved PVA is released into the environment.
Our Laundry Powder is a truly plastic-free option. It comes in a paper and steel canister with a stainless steel scoop. There’s no hidden liner, plastic scoop, or dissolvable plastic PVA pods or sheets inside. We use only what you need to clean your clothes: a concentrated formula of baking soda, washing soda, and vegetable soap made with organic coconut oil. Our scented varieties are made with organic essential oils—no mysterious “fragrance” blends that contain undisclosed ingredients.
We also offer Oxygen Brightener, a bleach alternative and laundry boosting powder that comes in the same packaging as our laundry detergent. For stain removal, our Soap Stick is a great solid soap alternative to liquid spray bottles.
July 25 – Switch from bottle to bar
Bar soap is another great alternative to bottled liquid products, and it isn’t just limited to personal care soap. Solid soap bars are effective for washing dishes and removing stains. Dissolvable soap tablets also make great refill options for cleaning spray and hand soap.
Our solid Dish Soap bar is a plastic-free, hassle-free way to clean your dishes. Just keep the bar near your sink and rub a wet sponge, brush, or cloth over it to work up a rich lather. Scrub your dirty dishes, rinse them thoroughly, and repeat. Choose between a recyclable, compostable paperboard box or completely package-free!
Refill any foaming soap dispenser with our Foaming Hand Soap Refill Tablets. Just dissolve one tablet in warm water for a rich, lathering soap that cleans your hands without drying your skin. At just $10.99 for a 6-pack, it’s also a cost savings compared to liquid hand soaps.
Also, try our Bath & Body Soap Bar. This vegan soap is made from organic coconut and sunflower oils and is available unscented or scented with organic essential oils. It comes in your choice of a recyclable, compostable paperboard box or completely package-free!
July 27 – Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle
Whether you learned this as “reduce, reuse, recycle” or with the “refuse” included, the idea is simple: do everything you can to reduce waste. Plastic Free July is all about refusing single-use plastics, reducing the amount of plastic we use, and reusing products instead of buying new ones. Recycling is great for many materials, but plastic recycling isn’t as effective as we’ve been led to believe.
Source: Sustainable Materials Management: Non-Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Hierarchy (EPA)
Here are a few tips to reduce your single-use plastic footprint:
Refuse single-use plastics during Plastic Free July®. Don’t buy any cleaning products that come in disposable plastic bottles. Keep an extra reusable grocery bag in your glove box, backpack, or purse to eliminate the need for plastic grocery bags.
Reduce the amount of disposable plastic you do buy and use. Look for concentrated formulas or refillable containers.
Reuse containers you already have at home. If you live near a refillery or package-free shop, many of them allow you to bring in your own containers to refill from their bulk bins.
Recycle paper, cardboard, metal, and other non-plastic materials. Most products ship in cardboard boxes, which are highly recyclable in most communities. Check your local facilities to see what types of plastic they accept. You can learn more about your local recycling rules for plastics and other materials with these great resources:
More from Plastic Free July®
- Take the Plastic Free July Challenge
- Take the Pesky Plastics Quiz
- What You Can Do: Tips to Reduce Plastic Waste
- Find Events Near You