A household produces on average 11-25 kg of non-food plastic packaging waste every year, as per research by NeerSol!
I’m always keen to find more sustainable alternatives to adopt, so I was pleased to hear about NeerSol who are crowdfunding for their idea of eco cleaning tablets. Their strap line is Just Add Water – Don’t Have It Shipped which is an excellent ethos, along with their focus on reducing plastic waste. Did you know that most liquid cleaning products comprise about 80-95% water. So by purchasing tablets, you reduce the carbon footprint of shipping the solvent.
They will be restocking with plenty of kits and refills in November/December after the crowdfunder, but in the meantime they sent me a free refill sample pack containing 4 of their glass cleaning tablets. Also suitable for cleaning mirrors. This refill pack is entirely packed in paper / cardboard which you may either recycle or compost, so reducing single-use plastic waste that may potentially end up in the ocean, plus it easily fits through your letterbox. The NeerSol range also includes both all-purpose and bathroom cleaning tablets, and they are planning on introducing more products next year.
Now as I just got the tablets only, I did need to find a suitable bottle that I could reuse for this but if you purchase a kit, it comes with a reuseable bottle which has a spray nozzle attachment.
The directions on the packet advise you to half fill a 350ml container with warm tap water and then drop in the tablet. Wait for the tablet to fully dissolve before filling the rest of the bottle.
As my bottle was larger than 350ml, I decided it would be best to measure it in a jug and it was a good job I did, since I had deliberately chosen a bottle with a narrow neck because I didn’t have a spray bottle. However I hadn’t factored in that the tablet was too big to fit through a narrow necked bottle.
Now one thing that isn’t specified in the directions is how long it will take for the tablet to dissolve. I naively assumed this would be a couple of minutes, but it was actually over half an hour, even with stirring, by which time the water was fairly cool. So do allow yourself plenty of time. I wonder if there is any particular reason, it states to use warm water, as I’m sure it would be quicker if you could use hot or even boiling water for dissolving.
I put a little on a cloth and tested it out on an internal window. Initially I thought it was going to be a little smeary, but a bit more rubbing and it looked perfect. Also no over-powering synthetic cleaning smell. Job well done.
Another big plus point of this product is that it contains no SLS, Bleach, Phosphates, Triclosan, Parabens, Ammonia or VOCs (volatile organic compounds) so reducing your family’s exposure to hazardous toxic chemicals typically found in traditional non-eco cleaning brands. Instead it is formulated of the following components – plant-based surfactant, food-grade chelating agent and preservative, 100% natural essential oil fragrance so much more enviromentally friendly for the future of our planet. Also it has not been tested on animals.
From a price point of view, you are probably aware that you tend to usually pay more for green eco products. Well NeerSol have carried out some market research which indicates that legacy brands are £1.70 – £2.50 per litre and other eco cleaning brands are £2.80 – £5 per litre. However NeerSol tablets are £1.75 per litre making them much more budget friendly on your wallet.
You can check out the NeerSol crowdfunding campaign here. They are offering some great discounts for backing them.
In summary, NeerSol cleaning tablets are a great sustainable innovative product. I’d love to hear what eco-friendly swaps you have made.