Corentin Alloune 15:23 pm, April 24, 2023

The sunny days are coming. The opportunity to make your house or apartment dapper for this spring and summer but without damaging the planet. Perrine Brami, ecology columnist for "Bienfait pour vous", shares tips to make her annual cleaning environmentally friendly.

It's holiday time in part of the France. The opportunity to put the house in order and do the spring cleaning. Clean, yes, but green, especially for this cleaning from A to Z of his home. And the task is immense. The French do the cleaning at least twice a week, according to a 2019 survey. In total, they spend nearly 2 hours 40 minutes each week.

The right products and accessories are therefore required. But how do you embark on a big green cleaning? Invited in Bienfait pour vous, our ecology columnist Perrine Brami gives some tips to make it as successful as possible.

Choosing the right accessories

The first reflex to adopt is to forget everything that is disposable. "It generates considerable waste and it is not always recycled well," says Perrine Brami. So, for example, we say goodbye to single-use wipes or synthetic sponges. Derived from a petroleum derivative, it is ultra-treated to be more resistant. Instead, reusable sponges should be adopted. "I tested for example those of the brand Inga, which are really good. They cost 16 € both. Well, I can just regret that they are in a small plastic packaging. It's supposed to help them dry. But frankly, they are really very good," she says.

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They can be used for two years and this is roughly equivalent to ten disposable sponges. It can be put in the dishwasher or washing machine. "Frankly, in use, it's just as convenient. I tested it and it's very effective," explains our green columnist. After finding the right accessories, you have to find the products that go with it!

Turning to natural products

Nearly 1,083,000,000 products are sold in France each year. And for many of them, the composition can be dirty. It is possible to find ammonia, phosphates that are harmful to aquatic fauna and flora, or chlorine. The list remains long and chilling.

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So the solution is natural products, with the famous combo of black soap, white vinegar and baking soda. It's a winner! But there are also brands that offer a range with a natural composition such as "Étamen du Lys", to be found in all organic stores. In all, there are 35 products, all natural, from plants and made in Anjou labeled, for the majority, Ecocert.

But also towards 100% biodegradable products

Some products are not as effective as strong detergents. "I recommend testing and keeping the ones that suit you because not all of them are very efficient," says Perrine Brami. But also to favor products that make the month of waste possible by turning to bulk or refills to dilute. All that remains is to add tap water to get the same bathroom cleaner again, for example. That's 80% less plastic.

And the carbon footprint is also less consequent because there is no transport of bottles usually filled with 95% water. Price level, it is possible to save money with this type of product. "For refilling, it's about 4 euros while the large bottle, already nearby, is 6 euros," points to our specialist. But we can also turn to solid products.

As for cosmetics or hygiene products, "La marque en moins" makes it its specialty with in particular cleaners for the floor and for the toilets. Small pellets that are 100% natural and biodegradable, very concentrated, to avoid bulky packaging and to go directly from the producer to the consumer.