“Fresh and Green” Top 5 Tips for Wildlife-Friendly Cleaning

• Make your own cleaners – it’s easier than you might think. Some cheap and basic ingredients can be combined to make powerful cleaners that won’t hang around in the environment. South Ayrshire Council have a good alternative cleaning guide.
• Switch to eco-friendly – for personal care products and toiletries, making your own is more complex; but there are plenty of environment-friendly products out there. Remember to check the small print to make sure it really is natural ingredients and not marketing hype. The WaterSense website has lots of links to help you track down suitable products.
• Use less – for those jobs you cannot find a suitable alternative product for, just cut back on the products you already use: Nearly all of Scotland has soft water, so the minimum amounts of cleaners are needed to get good results. Lather is the ‘spare’ detergent that’s not being used to clean, so if you get lather the first time there’s no need to shampoo your hair twice, and if you see suds in the washing machine use less detergent next time. Don’t be tempted to put toothpaste along the length of the toothbrush – just a pea-size amount is enough.
• Dispose responsibly – whatever you use, make sure it only goes down the drain or plughole if it’s meant to. Oils and fats, paints and solvents, pesticides and fertilisers, they all cause problems for wildlife if they get into the water system. The WaterSense website has useful links to put you in touch with your Local Authority, nearest paint recycling scheme or oil bank.
• Check your shed – make sure you’re not harbouring any out-of-date or recently banned chemicals. The Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) has useful advice on their website about which chemicals are banned, and how to dispose of them safely.