EN | £ Single-use, no thank you!
The demise of single-use wipes and why reusable wipes are better
The trusty old flannel gives a smug nod and a wave to the army of reusable baby wipes moving into UK homes sixty-one years after the invention of the throwaway baby wipe. Days are definitely numbered for these once seemingly harmless little single-use critters. Responsible for tonnes of waste and many a fatberg, it’s time for throwaway wipes to hang up their flimsy little soapy coats in a bid to reverse the damage that they have caused to our environment, sewers and in some cases skin.
As a parent, wipes have become a necessity to our daily life ensuring clean bums and faces throughout the day; a bolognese covered face, you reach for a wipe; chocolate hands, you reach for a wipe; a poopy bum yup, you guessed it we all reach for a wipe but this comes at a cost both financially and environmentally. In the UK 11 billion wipes are thrown away every year causing 300,000 sewer blockages creating an annual repair bill of £100 million for the water companies. It's such a huge waste of natural resources, time and money.
To enable you to wipe surfaces (and our lovely children), without the fear of continuing the environmental catastrophe that little plastic wipes are causing, we have several solutions to help you ditch the single-use wipes forever.
- Flannels - get yourself a pack of cloths they are cheap and multi-use. Get everyone in the house their own colour, and off you go.
- Reusable baby wipes - these can be made from any material really, but the more absorbent the better and a bit of texture will give you a good wipe for those extra grubby messes.
- Washable dishcloths - Recycle old dishtowels into washable dishcloths. Perfect for cleaning the kitchen and household surfaces and will save you money on your weekly shop too.
In addition to being eco-friendly, opting for reusable fabric cloths and wipes will cut down on chemicals too. Clever marketing has meant we have become reliant on the notion that brightly packaged concoctions of so called gentle chemicals are needed to kill bacteria, when really a good old fashioned bar of soap and a splash of water does exactly the same job. It also means you’ll stop your skin coming into contact with a collection of chemicals that can cause reactions and dry it out.
You may be surprised to know that making your own baby wipes solution is possible too. Google ”homemade baby wipes solution” and see for yourself…be careful though you will be spoiled for choice and may very likely lose a few hours reading all about it! Just pick the one that sounds the most appealing and off you go…stay away from any with key ingredients that are oil-based as this will affect the performance of cloth nappies. A few drops of essential oils are fine but some recipes contain baby oil as the base and that would be a no-no from us.
You can even make your own eco-friendly cleaning fluids using store cupboard household ingredients such as lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda. Not only is it cheaper, but you’re cutting down on plastic waste by avoiding throwing away single use plastic spray bottles too.
When your cloths and reusable wipes are dirty, throw into a wash with non-bio powder, dry thoroughly and use again.
It’s time to go back to the good old ways and say no to single-use. If you don't have the time to make your own reusable wipes, you can buy them from us, we have lovely bamboo ones!