My dad shakes his head in consternation whenever the subject of my vegetarianism comes up. As a Hungarian who thinks a meal without meat is left wanting and the consumption of animals as natural as enjoying the feeling of sun on your skin, he simply can’t understand why I cringe at the idea of eating animals.
Then there’s the way I go about eating; as I’m not a huge carb fan, I’ve gone down the route of eating large volumes of (mostly) healthy stuff to fill me up – this is hugely expensive, which is another thing my dad finds objectionable about my way of doing food.
So as not to upset him too deeply, I’ve kept schtum to him on the seeping of my ”hippy ideas about things” (to quote hubs, not dad) into other areas of life. I’m now almost vegan (a natural progression I think – as soon as I get organised I see myself subscribing wholly to the movement), like to clean with ‘clean’ products, and have started to feel aware of my ‘environmental impact’.
That said, having switched almost entirely to organic/eco cleaning products (mostly by Ecover or Method), I really think there are quite tangible benefits for those of you who can’t bring yourself to buy a more expensive/slightly less effective product just for the sake of the environment.
Here they are: skin is softer when you clean with these and allergies hugely diminished. The first benefit is obvious – omit harsh corrosive chemicals and skin won’t be damaged and stripped of moisture anywhere near as easily. The second one is a bit harder to explain, but my ‘throat tickle’ that’s aggravated by dust, cats and cleaning products doesn’t flare up around the house anymore. It’s not just me – I have several friends who aren’t of my mindset that have adopted a less chemical approach to cleaning their houses due to allergies and they’ve all noticed some relief in symptoms.
So while I know this is not the most titillating of recommendations and certainly not instantly gratifying, it is one that I wanted to share nonetheless as I’m quite a vehement proponent and struggle to keep my mouth shut when I feel strongly about something (I’d imagine you know this by now). Here are some of my favourite products by Ecover /
Ecover Washing-Up Liquid / Plant-based and really so much kinder to skin than Fairy.
Ecover Multi-Action Spray / Not stinky or sticky, I use this everyday to clean surfaces.
Ecover Floor Soap / I was initially a little afraid that this wouldn’t do the same job as normal soap so used a ridiculous amount – no need, it seems to be equally as effective as its more chemical counterparts (and if you use too much as I did you’ll slip about on it for days).
Ecover Fabric Conditioner / My friend Lucy used to suffer from frightful eczema until she changed her washing products to Ecover. She got me onto this stuff, and I’ve used nothing else since.
Ecover Multi-Action Wipes / Okay, I know wipes are contentious, but if you need one for something really grotty, these do the job thanks to a lot of lactic acid to lift dirt and disinfect.