Natural cleaning agents such as vinegar, baking soda, and lemon are safer, greener alternatives to corrosive, polluting cleaning products sold in stores. By going natural in the household, consumers can save money and do their part to improve indoor and outdoor air quality.
One TikToker found a way to make a natural product for chemical-free cleaning while reducing household waste.
The scoop
Sustainable TikToker, gardener, and soapmaker DaddyDaughterSoaperyCo (@daddydaughtersoaperyco) shared the hack with the TikTok community, demonstrating a smart way to engage in safe cleaning by reducing food waste.
@daddydaughtersoaperyco Lemon cleaner 🍋 #fyp #lemon #lemoncleaningproducts #lemoncleaner #garden #gardening #gardenproject #gardening101 #gardentok ♬ luther - Kendrick Lamar & SZA
"When my garden gives me lemons," the creator said, "I make lemon cleaner."
In the video, DaddyDaughterSoaperyCo flashed home-grown lemons and then juiced them. The TikToker then soaked the leftover lemon peels in vinegar, as noted in the comments, for two months. By the end of those two months, DaddyDaughterSoaperyCo had a homemade natural cleaner.
If you plan to do this yourself, pour the concoction into a spray bottle and bask in the clean, sour smell of lemons, which are naturally antibacterial. At the end of their service, the lemon peels can be composted.
How it's helping
This hack is a two-for-one, as it saves consumers money on disinfectants and ensures they make the most of their leftover food. Replacing half the cleaning products in the home with DIY cleaners can save consumers up to $900 over 10 years, while reducing food waste by 10% can save $75 annually.
Smart grocery shopping with services such as Misfits Market saves money and reduces food waste, but individuals can do their part in the household. Eating, freezing, or repurposing leftovers saves grocery money, while reusing things such as lemon peels saves money on cleaning products, which are not only pricey but also unhealthy.
Non-natural cleaning products can leave a harmful residue on household surfaces and the overall environment, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Additionally, the plastic bottles that cleaning products come in take up significant space in landfills.
One study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health asserts that plastics in landfills have slow degradation periods and pollute the air with microplastics. Similarly, food waste pollutes the air with greenhouse gases emitted as organic material decays without oxygen, per the EPA.
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Saving money 💰 What everyone's saying
The TikTok video was well received. Commenters praised DaddyDaughterSoaperyCo and offered similar solutions to reusing food for cleaning.
"Awesome way to use everything!" one person commented.
Another suggested using other citrus fruits in the eco-friendly cleaning solution: "I've seen hacks like this before. I should really do it myself. Add the limes and oranges too."
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