How to Clean Floors and Carpets, Naturally

Miniml Nutty Almond Eco Floor Cleaner is the ideal swap to clean your hard floors. Made with biodegradable ingredients (including Yorkshire water – even scents are naturally derived), this is vegan-friendly and not tested on animals, and sold in bottles that you can send back to be refilled!

Use with a plastic-free mop or use a bucket filter if using a microfiber mop, to stop leaching microplastics (collect and securely bin them, to avoid them washing away at landfill).

Although listed as pet-friendly, always thoroughly rinse and dry floors, before allowing pet paws back in!

If buying other items in the range, avoid essential oils for pregnancy/nursing and near babies/pets. Citrus oils are toxic to pets (even if rinsed and dried, residue could be licked from paws). For these homes, just clean with a mix of water and baking soda and white vinegar. 

This floor cleaner is concentrated, so a little goes a long way. At end of use, you can get the bottle refilled at stores that sell it, or use the QR code to send off empty bottles for refilling, and return.

The starter bottle is 750ml, and the refill bottles give  200 uses!

The floor cleaner is suitable for all washable surfaces, floors, tiles and painted wood. To use, just add 1 to 2 capfuls per 5L bucket of warm water, then rinse and dry. For stubborn stains, use undiluted, then wash with a soft wet cloth. And again rinse and dry thoroughly.

Miniml is a fresh new eco cleaning brand, started by two young entrepreneurs, who struggled to find household products that did not irritate the co-founder’s sensitive skin. So they decided to create something better, mixing formulas in the garage, until they came up with products that worked.

Still based in its own factory in Yorkshire (creating local jobs), the range is sold nationwide to shops, hotels and restaurants (there is no minimum orders on business accounts).

There are discounts for regular subscriptions, and students.

For toxic cleaning/laundry products, you can recycle empty bottles with kerbside collections. For bottles with product, dispose of them at your council’s hazardous waste department.

Don’t Sweep Up Cute Spiders!

House spiders in England won’t do any harm, and eat up flies.

• To prevent spiders, use biodegradable non-scented cleaners and vacuum regularly.
• Most have never been outside, so leave them be or gently cover with a cup, slide a thin card underneath and place in an unused cupboard.
• Carefully move the egg sacs too. Use a spoon or small jar to carefully slide under the egg sac, gently guiding the mother.
• British Arachnological Society says spiders don’t come up through plugholes, so need help to escape. Place a towel on the bath edge so your spider friend can climb out (leave one over the edge at night, in case spiders fall in). Or move as above, to a cupboard.

Joseph Joseph’s Wall-Mounted Rubber Broom

This wall-mounted broom features a slot with easy access rubber flats, and bristles are covered when not in use. The separate comb removes trapped hair and dust, and the telescopic aluminium handle easily reaches places. Sold with a Dustpan & Brush that clips away, when not in use.

Simple Floor Cleaning Routines

The mini dustpan and brush is perfect for sweeping crumbs off the table. Store in a dry, ventilated spot. Avoid leaving the pan or brush sitting in water.

Tips for Keeping Carpets and Rugs Clean

• Have a ‘shoes off’ policy to avoid dirt/mud tracking inside. Sisal, jute, Sedna, and Econyl need regular vacuuming (avoid beater bars).
• Two good hoover brands are Numatic (made with recycled materials) and Miele (with HEPA filters and pet fur versions).
• For stains, dab with a cloth moistened in water and mild soap (don’t soak). Use curtains or blinds to protect from sunlight.
• Dri-Pak’s homemade carpet cleaning machine solution: mix 4 litres of hot water with half cup of white vinegar in the water tank (this also removes soapy residue from past cleanings). Test area first. 
• To clean rugs, hang over a fence and beat with a tennis racket (or soak to remove dirt, then dry in the sun).
• To freshen carpets and upholstery, evenly sprinkle bicarbonate of soda, leave for 15 minutes (or ideally several hours), then vacuum.
  

  Quality Manual Carpet Sweepers (save on energy bills!)

  

  If you live in a small property and are concerned over energy bills, consider a manual carpet sweeper:

  Bissell has been around since the late 1800s, and makes sweepers that are ideal for a quick ‘hoover’ or picking up crumbs. They only cost around £20. Also good for hard floors, it has dual rotating brushes, handles that lie flat for low reach and easy empty twin dirt pans.

Hug Rugs (eco doormats to absorb mud)

Hug Rug dirt-tracking doormats are made with recycled plastic and cotton. Made in Yorkshire, these can trap up to 95% of mud, dirt, dust and moisture, ideal for coming in from the garden, country walks or dog walks.

Then just wipe-clean. If you launder them, due to synthetic materials, do so in a microfibre filter.  Hoover first and launder in a loose cotton pillow case (avoid biological washing powder, this may fade the colour).

They are great for porches and outside houses, and also hallways, kitchens and bathrooms. They absorb three times their weight in water, and can help to absorb sound, to reduce household noise.

New Hug Rugs may shed excess cotton, it will disappear after being brushed a few times. For best  results, leave mud to dry first and brush away. Only place Hug Rugs on dry floors (leave washed rugs to dry naturally).

The Charity Mats donate a portion of sales to various charities:

• Battersea Dogs and Cats Home (London)
• RSPB (to create safe havens for garden birds)
• Bumblebee Conservation Trust
• Rainbow Trust (supporting families with sick children)

Cat and Dog Hair Removers (made from bamboo & metal)

This sustainable cat hair remover is made from sustainable premium bamboo and durable metal, a reusable lint roller alternative to keep clothes, furniture and carpets free from pet hair. Just glide over soft surfaces, and watch as the grooved metal bar lifts hairs.

Ethically made, it’s also available in a dog-hair removing design!

What is Bamboo?

Bamboo is the world’s fastest-growing grass. It’s not local, but it is far easier to grow than trees (which sometimes take 40 years of growing, before ready to harvest). So purchasing bamboo helps to avoid deforestation.

Industrial bamboo is not the same as fresh shoots, eaten by pandas.