Mean, clean and green
There are some simple ways to improve your green credentials and cut costs, as Patrice John discovers when she talked to author Caroline Harris.
SEARCH as hard as you might when you enter Caroline Harris’s kitchen, you will be hard pressed to find a single chemical in sight.
Caroline is a complete eco convert and opts for bicarbonate of soda instead of bleach as one of her main cleaning products.
Now she has written a book passing on all of her best environmental tips.
“There are books that give you lots of environmental advice but I felt there needed to be something that was not too preachy,” she said.
“I needed something that could give you information on how to clean things up in a ‘green’ way and so I wrote it.
“It is one thing to tell people to use something like baking soda as a cleaning product but it’s something else to actually understand how it works.
“I did quite a lot of research, especially online, as well as looking at old household books to find out the best kinds of cleaning advice. I also spoke to my parents as they were from the war generation and they had to be more resourceful.
“I also tried out lots of different things to see what worked and what were the easiest methods to us. People automatically assume that if you try to do things in a greener way, it is always harder, but that is not always the case.”
Over the next two years Caroline’s home resembled a laboratory as she embarked on a programme testing different forms of greener cleaning.
She found out exactly how to get washing really clean, even when you stick to 30C, what kinds of green gadgets work best in the home and how not to take all the fun out of being thrifty.
She said: “My favourite products for cleaning have to be baking soda and vinegar as they are very good when used in the right ways.
“The problem is that some people try using a product, and if they don’t have the right guidance or it doesn’t work straight away they just give up on it.
“To get clothes clean at 30C you need to do a bit of pre-treatment and then you can use softer bleaches in the wash. I also tend to use eco washing balls instead of detergents as they last for around 1,000 washes and so I no longer have to use washing powder.
“But there are other ways to run your house in a greener way. I found that older generations are more used to growing their own vegetables which is a great way to be greener.
“They were also used to not having as many clothes as we do and so they got used to looking after clothes a lot better than our generation does.
“Things like polishing your shoes every day and saving bits of string, paper and other items are great ways to preserve items.
“Reusing items has to be the major way forward. For 44-year-old Caroline, the art of managing a greener household is not just about cooking and cleaning, it’s about making the right kinds of choices about what you choose to buy.
“Being green at home really does involve a number of things,” she added.
“There are some people who believe we should focus on saving energy while others care about the health of the planet.
“For me, it involves lots of things including the changing climate, saving energy, the health of the planet, the health of your own family and shopping in an ethical way,” adds Caroline, who now lives in Bath.
n Book of Green Household Management: The Essential Thrift Bible is published by John Murray (£17.99).
