Simple Christmas gifts – green cleaning

Recycling is a positive step households can take towards increasing sustainability. Yet it is easy to forget that the kerbside recycling of household waste, from the weekly garbage trucks driving down our streets to the recycling processes, is energy intensive and can produce carbon emissions which contribute to global warming. An alternative is to simply reduce waste by avoiding excessive packaging and keeping various containers and paper products for later use. At this time of year, many of these are surprisingly useful. The project below utilise plastic bottles, paper and left over wool.

The labels on these plastic bottles were easy to remove. I added one of my own and filled them with half white vinegar and half water. The instructions on the tags read – Just squirt and wipe to clean and deodorise kitchen and bathroom surfaces. When empty, re-fill.

I also knitted a few dusting gloves to include with the bottles. Using left-over, 8 ply wool in a variety of colours, cast on 46 stiches on a 6mm needle, knit until your hand fits snuggly, cast off loosely and back stitch sides to close. For absolute beginners, clear instructions on how to knit can be found at start knitting on You Tube and How to add yarn or change colours while knitting – YouTube

Without making a single trip to a shopping centre, all my gifts are now ready for distribution next month. Although not all recipients will understand the environmental and economic incentives, I know the time and thought will be appreciated. This christmas, where will your gifts come from?

Best wishes for a joyful and sustainable Christmas!

Check out Veronique’s blog here!