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Category: Do-it-yourself

DIY for toilet cleaner

Posted in: Cleaning Do-it-yourself

The bottom of your toilet has turned brown despite regular cleaning? Our trick will help you solve the problem.

What you need

  • Toilet brush
  • 1 tablespoon (TS)

Ingredients

  • Citric acid powder in a hermetically sealed container

Warning

Please read this information carefully !

Method

  • Pour 1 to 2 TS of citric acid in the bottom of the toilet and leave it on overnight. The next morning brush with the toilet brush. Repeat if necessary.

Remarks

Alternative with vinegar: Spray pure cleaning vinegar (possibly hot, it is more effective) on the inside of the bowl, leave for a few minutes, then brush.

DIY – How to make candles with leftover wax

Posted in: Do-it-yourself

Candles tend not to burn all the way to the end and often end up with wax residue at the bottom of the jar. Rather than throwing away these leftovers, we suggest that you collect these wax bases from several candles to make candles again, by upcycling. Less rubbish, less waste!

What you need

  • Wax residues
  • A glass or metal container (e.g. old glass jars, clean cans, whatever you can find)
  • A wick OR make your own wick with a small wooden stick

Method

  1. Prepare the wick: soak a small wooden stick in olive oil for 1 hour or use an already prepared wick.
  2. Shred any remaining wax to make mini shavings. The colour doesn’t matter, unless you want to have a single-coloured candle.
  3. Heat water for use as a water bath.
  4. Fill the container of your choice with the wax shavings to the brim and place it in the water bath. Slowly add a little wax, as it loses volume as it melts.
  5. Remove the container from the water bath once everything has melted and place the wick, wait for it to stop moving.

Your candle is ready ! The first time you light it, it may take a few seconds.

DIY for Washing Powder

Posted in: Cleaning Do-it-yourself

Making your own laundry has many advantages: it’s very easy, economical, and ecological! Whether you are a beginner or a Zero Waste expert, doing your own laundry is useful and accessible to everyone!

What you need

  • Kitchen scale
  • Container with lid

Ingredients

  • 200 g of grated of flaked soap
  • 200 g of baking soda
  • 200 g of salt

Cautionary note

Please read this information carefully !

Method

  • Mix the finely grated soap or soap flakes with the baking soda and salt.

Remarks

Sodium carbonate can also be used here as an alternative to baking soda. However, it must be closed tightly, as it reacts with moisture in the air and tends to agglomerate. Laundry sodium carbonate is also much stronger and is therefore more suitable for heavily soiled clothes.

For whiter clothes: add 200g of sodium percarbonate.
To remove odours (tobacco, perspiration): add a small glass of baking soda directly into the drum.
For softer laundry: add 1 glass of vinegar in the softening compartment of the machine. Add lavender essential oil if you want the laundry to smell good (more effective than in laundry).

DIY for Liquid Laundry Detergent

Posted in: Cleaning Do-it-yourself

Making your own laundry has many advantages: it’s very easy, economical, and ecological! Whether you are a beginner or a Zero Waste expert, doing your own laundry is useful and accessible to everyone! The homemade laundry can be used for hand washing as well as for machine washing.

What you need

  • Heat-resistant metal bowl or saucepan (3 litres or more)
  • Kettle, water heater
  • whisk, tablespoon
  • 1 bottle or old washing powder canister (2 litres or more)

Ingredients for 2 litres of liquid detergent

  • 2 litres of water (1 litre + 1 litre)
  • 35 g of real Marseille soap
  • 35 g of liquid black soap
  • 2 tablespoons of soda crystals

Cautionary note

Important: Excess soap can damage your machine or clog your drain lines. It is important to dose the product correctly. If the water in your area is very calciferous (they say the water is “hard”), the PH value should be increased by adding soda powder (Sodium bicarbonate) to improve the effectiveness of the soap and reduce deposits. Please also read this information carefully !

Method

  • Boil 1 litre of water.
  • Grate the soap into a container, add the black soap and pour boiling water into the mixture.
  • Let stand for a few minutes, then stir until the soap is dissolved. Add 1 litre of tap water (cold).
  • Add the soda crystals, mix and leave to cool for a few hours.
  • Put the detergent in a canister. If desired, scent with essential oil.
  • If the detergent thickens too much, it can be diluted with a little bit of water the next day.
  • Shake the canister well before each use. Use this detergent in the same dosage as any other detergent.

Remarks

For very dirty laundry:

You can rub the Marseille soap directly on the stains by moistening it with water. It is an excellent stain remover.
You can also add 2 tablespoons of Sodium Percarbonate (solid hydrogen peroxide, made from natural raw materials) in the drum of the machine.

For the fabric softener:

Alcohol vinegar is perfect as a fabric softener, put 1 tablespoon in the softener tray. Be careful not to use too much, as it can damage the elastics of your clothes.

DIY for homemade Lip Balm

Posted in: Do-it-yourself Hygiene and care

Making your own lip balm is actually easier than it seems! Just buy a few ingredients and trust their natural properties to say goodbye to dry lips, all at a low cost! Here’s a recipe for a moisturizing lip balm that’s completely homemade and quickly prepared!

Ingredients

  • ½ tablespoon of almond oil (or other oil)
  • 2 tablespoons of beeswax flakes
  • 7 drops of vitamin E oil (grapefruit seed extract)
  • 15 drops of lemon essential oil
  • 15 drops of rosemary essential oil

Cautionary note

Please read this information carefully !

How-to

  1. Clean, sterilize your container(s).
  2. Melt the oil and wax in a double boiler.
  3. Remove from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
  4. Add the essential oils and the extract, stir the preparation with a spatula until it gets homogeneous.
  5. Gently pour the liquid into the chosen container before it solidifies again!
  6. Allow the mixture to cool for a while before using your lip balm.

Notes

The preparation can be kept for several months as long as the container is resealable!

DIY for clay-based toothpaste

Posted in: Do-it-yourself Hygiene and care

Do you want to have a shiny smile? Check out this zero waste recipe!

With a few ingredients and in no time, it is possible to obtain a healthy paste for the teeth and for the wallet too.

What you need

  • Mortar
  • Scale
  • 1 small container with lid

Ingredients

  • 15 g of white clay
  • 10 g baking soda
  • 1 g of activated charcoal
  • 3 g of coconut oil
  • Optional: Zinc citrate 0.6 g
  • Optional: Menthol crystals 0.3 g

Cautionary note

Please read this information carefully !

How-to

Put the ingredients in a mortar. Mix with a pestle to obtain a homogeneous powder. Pour the mixture into the container.

Application: Dip a slightly dampened toothbrush into the powder so that a thin layer of toothpaste adheres, then brush your teeth as usual.

Store your jar away from light and heat.

Source: Aroma-Zone

DIY for Dry Shampoo

Posted in: Do-it-yourself Hygiene and care

Dry shampoo from 3 ingredients, which can be found without problems in bulk shops. Quick, easy and no more greasy hair!

What you need

  • Small resealable container, ideally with small holes in the lid (old face powder tin, talcum powder, spice tin, …)
  • Soup spoon

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon sodium powder
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (for dark hair)

Cautionary note

Please read this information carefully !

How-to

  • Mix all ingredients together
  • If you have dark hair, add cocoa powder
  • Pour into the closed container
    Apply directly to the hair with your fingers, ideally before bedtime to see the effect the next day.

Remarks

If you are allergic to baking powder, check out our other DIYs!
Alternative to cornstarch and baking soda: use one or two tablespoons of green clay.

The amount of dry shampoo you will apply depends on the volume of hair and the condition of the scalp.

DIY for Deodorant

Posted in: Do-it-yourself Hygiene and care

Here is a deodorant recipe from the Zero Waste Community. It is quick to prepare, economical and ecological!

What you need

  • small container
  • teaspoon

Ingredients

  • 1 teespoon of coconut oil (depending on the desired quantity)
  • 1 teespoon of sodium powder
  • 1 teespoon of cornstark
  • Possibly 3-5 drops of essential oil palmarosa* (or/and lavender, tea tree…)

*Palmarosa essential oil is not recommended for pregnant women.

Cautionary note

Please read this information carefully !

How-to

  • Knead the coconut oil with a teaspoon directly in a small glass container (or in winter when the oil is hard; melt it first in a water bath).
  • Add the sodium powder, the starch and the essential oil, mix and stir well.
  • Close the container with a lid
    Apply directly to the skin with the fingers.

Remarks

If you are allergic to sodium powder, check out our other DIY.

DIY for Dishwasher powder

Posted in: Cleaning Do-it-yourself

“Do it yourself” is great, because responsible consumption also means learning to do it yourself and reducing packaging.

And we wanted to get rid of the small, non-recyclable plastic packaging that surrounds the dishwasher tablets once and for all.

What you need

  • Recycled container (jar or bottle)

Ingredients

  • 200 g soda crystals
  • 50 g coarse salt
  • 200 g baking soda
  • 50 g of sodium percarbonate

Cautionary note

Please read this information carefully !

How-to

Mix all the ingredients in an airtight jar.

When you start the dishwasher, pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into the product tray.

DIY for Liquid Soap

Posted in: Cleaning Do-it-yourself

Making your own liquid soap is easy, economical and environmentally friendly. This multi-purpose soap, which works as well for hands as for the body, will quickly become a must-have in your Zero Waste adventure!

This liquid soap is the basis of various recipes.

Cautionary note

Excess soap can damage your machines or clog your sewerage system. It is important to dose your product correctly. If the water in your area is hard (water is supposed to be “hard”), you should increase the PH value by adding soda powder, e.g. by adding baking powder, which improves the effectiveness of the soap and reduces deposits.

Please read this information carefully !

Equipment

  • Roesti grater
  • Saucepan containing (2 litres or more)
  • Whisk

Ingredients

  • 30 g genuine marseille soap (grated)
  • 1 l of hot water

Method

  1. Add finely grated soap to hot water and stir until dissolved.
  2. If necessary, add more hot water.

Remarks

Soap quality is very important! The best choice is cold-stirred, granular soaps from reliable manufacturers.

If the liquid soap is used as hand soap, it is recommended to prepare it in a slightly thicker consistency.