Spring cleaning in zero waste mode

It’s springtime and we need renewal, freshness, new projects & a clear head. And there’s nothing better than a space that reflects those intentions.

So it’s off to a few hours or half a day of zero-waste spring cleaning to bring harmony back into your home.

If we had to sum up a good spring clean, it would involve de-cluttering and deep cleaning, naturally of course.

What you need for your zero-waste spring cleaning

• Brushes and sponges made from plant fibers (to avoid microplastics)
• Tea towels (from old clothes)
• Your 100% biodegradable paper towel from Les Paillettes vertes 🙂
• Gloves to protect your hands (because even if you use natural products, your skin can be weakened and irritated if you don’t protect it!)

Need inspiration and validated recipes that are simple and effective?

Discover all our recipes to make your own household products, order our recipe book.

Which product for which use?

All the ingredients below are available to order from our online store.

Vinegar

• Qualities: Deodorant, descaler, degreaser, disinfectant, anti-limescale
• What and where to use it: For various surfaces – disinfect handles, dustbins, etc., clean the fridge, descale and clean windows.

Baking soda

• Qualities: Deodorant, disinfectant and therefore antibacterial, stain remover, abrasive, water softener, fungicide.

• What and where to use: To disinfect mattresses or carpets (sprinkle on, leave for a day and vacuum up). To deodorize your fridge, dustbin or vacuum cleaner (vacuum up a small pile of bicarbonate and it won’t smell so musty anymore 😉

Dehydratedcitric acid

• Qualities : Excellent scale and stain remover, effective against rust
• What and where to use it: Combine with boiling water to remove limescale from the bottom of the toilet (leave on for 1 night), and for deep descaling of certain surfaces.

Black soap

• Qualities : Excellent degreaser, cleaner, stain remover.
• What and where to use it:For floors, kitchen cabinets, terrace floors

Terre de Sommières

• Qualities : High stain-removing and absorbent power
• What and where to use it: Magic on greasy stains, clothes, carpets and sofas. Apply to stain, leave for a few hours, then vacuum up.

Soda crystals

• Qualities : High degreasing and stripping power.
• What and where to use it: They are mainly used in bathroom and kitchen products, as multi-purpose cleaners or dishwashing products.

Your cleaning room by room

Zero waste spring cleaning in every room of the house!

In the kitchen:

• Empty your fridge, sort and clean with pure vinegar and a clean cloth (add a little bicarbonate of soda in a bowl to keep unpleasant odors at bay).
• Clean floors and surfaces with black soap
• Pure white vinegar, in a spray, to disinfect cupboards, worktops (unless they’re marble!), chopping boards and other wooden utensils, garbage cans, etc.
• Degrease ventilation hoods, clean filters with black soap, sprinkle with soda crystals for better degreasing and rinse well.
• Empty all kitchen cupboards, sort, use expiring food quickly.
• Oven cleaning – combine bicarbonate and vinegar to cause an effervescent mechanical reaction that will dislodge and loosen oven deposits, rub with an abrasive sponge while foaming and leave to stand for 1-2 hours. Repeat if necessary.
• Cleaning the microwave oven: place a bowl of water and vinegar in the oven and turn on the appliance. Wipe the interior surfaces with a clean cloth soaked in the mixture’s steam, then rinse.
• Cleaning the dishwasher: take out the filter and clean it, then run a hot empty cycle with the powder compartment filled with granulated citric acid and a glass of citric acid on the top tray. Clean around the dishwasher with your Square paper towel and pure vinegar or black soap. Take a look at our dishwasher powder recipe !

In the living room, in the bedrooms:

• Remove clothes/books/objects from shelves
  1. Sort and keep only what gives you pleasure / is really useful to you
  2. Donate (to friends or charities, organize a garage sale among friends), sell or recycle
  3. Cleaning shelves
  4. Ranger

• Let your home breathe – Aérer en grand!
• Dust green plants, repot if necessary
• Clean windows and mirrors with hot water and white vinegar

To the bathroom:

• Descale faucets, showers and shower heads Use a solution of water and white vinegar (or citric acid), leave for a while and scrub with a toothbrush to remove traces of limescale.
• Scrub switches, door handles, tiles, etc. with vinegar.
• Scrub toilets – Pour 1c white vinegar and 1c bicarbonate of soda into the toilet bowl, scrub with a brush during the effervescence phase, then leave to stand for 1 hour before rinsing.
• Remove limescale from the bottom of toilets: pour citric acid into boiling water, leave to act for 1 night, then rinse.
• Clean the joints – they blacken and harbor mold. But there’s no need to resort to the notorious bleach, which is toxic for us and extremely polluting. Baking soda and vinegar will do the trick.
• Unclogging clogged drains: create an effervescent reaction by pouring 1 part baking soda, 1 part table salt and 1 part vinegar directly down the drain. Leave to react and stand for 30 minutes to a few hours, or even overnight, then pour in a good liter of boiling water. Regularly pouring boiling water down your pipes is recommended to maintain them and prevent clogging. If it’s really clogged, repeat the whole operation.

Looking for the basic ingredients for your homemade cleaning products and zero-waste spring cleaning? We’ve got just what you need! Take a look around!

• Here you’ll find all ingredients & raw materials.
• For those who prefer ready-to-use products without compromising their effect on the environment, we’ve got a lovely selection of natural, ready-to-use cleaning products.
• Need accessories to putzer zero plastic? This is the place !
• Our recipe booklet paper version or download
• Visit our blog to discover more tips & recipes or sign up for one of our our workshops !