Baking Soda. Who knew this competitively priced, common household object could hold the key to cleanliness? Trawling through the web for alternatives to Mr Muscle, Cif and Cillit Bang, I have come to understand that this simple item is the solution to all my cleaning demands. Seriously though, why is my cupboard full of expensive cleaners and detergents when this stuff (added to a little white wine vinegar) does the same job?
The bottles under my sink are over-priced. I knew that when I bought them, but I didn't think there was any alternative. Looking at the ingredients, I'm sure they are potentially harmful/ polluting. And they don't get the job done that much better. In short, it is a rip off. Which is one of the arguments I'm starting to come around to more and more re this project. The plain and simple truth is that branding artificially inflates the value of the product that it is attached to. We pay over the odds for products that are often only marginally better than the non-branded alternative; some of the time I think we know these things are overpriced, yet we are compelled to buy them anyway. I think it is a con.
I'm amazed that so many of the angry people who've visited this blog and the BBC site have missed this point. We are being ripped off on a grand scale. And to top that, we are so entrenched in the culture, we place so much of our time, energy and faith in it that we get upset when someone rejects the value of these things and decides to throw it all away. As an anonymous visitor to the blog posted yesterday, the likes of Elton John throw more money away on flowers in a month than the sum total of my entire bonfire's worth, and he is congratulated for it, as are all the majority of the wealthy who throw money away on luxury before our eyes in the papers each day.
16 Comments:
Neil
http://www.ecocycle.org/hazwaste/recipes.cfm
You should find that website very helpful; it gives several alternative cleaner recipes :D
Though, there IS a brand in it as "borax" but I'm sure you can find something non-branded along those lines if need be.
Keep up the good work! I'm rooting you on!
~Dana
Great concept for a blog
Will check back with regularity
Keep strong!
Not only are we being ripped off, these products are full of harmful chemicals, which are polluting our environment and causing health problems. Massed produced cleaning products ( for us and our living spaces), contain harsh industrial strength detergents which are far too strong for the purpose. Triclosan, an anti bacterial cleaning agent which is found in big brand toothpastes, is also used in toilet cleaners and scouring pads! Just look at the label of your shampoo, face cream, shaving cream etc, you will see Parabens and Sulphates, both in common use but linked to many health problems. Sixty percent of what goes on your skin is absorbed into your body and toxins can build up in your liver, kidneys and brain, as well as other vital organs and tissues. There has been no research done on the "cocktail effect', that is the effect of two or more chemicals on your body, remember this when you next wash your body, or clean your house! The giant brands are making huge profits out of this huge con, which not only affects our health but costs us dear - it's time to get mad about it!
Neil: lemon juice is the best descaler, use it to descale your kettle, clean your taps (can dilute it with water).
It seems that by going no-brand you actually become more knowledgeable about how to take care of yourself and your home better.
Hope you chucked out those trainers (that are for PE classes)
greententacles: so big cleaning stuff producing companies put harmful triclosan into products and the authorities just let this happen... ok.
Hettie - yup! "The Authorities" whoever they are, are hand in glove with the producers of this stuff, It's all about money I'm afraid. Triclosan, is an antibacterial chemical which can be found in washing up liquids, soaps, liquid handwashes, dishcloths, chopping boards, binliners, plastic kitchin utensils, scouring pads, toilet cleaners as well as toothpaste and mouthwash, it has been detected in human breastmilk and fish, which suggests that it is bioaccumulative. 'Total' toothpaste and mouthwash advertising focuses on our fears of the horror of bad breath,( caused by bacteria), and our obsession with antibacterials. Antibacterials however, are believed to target the same enzymes as antibiotics, overuse is a concern and may lead to super-resistant bacteria. Producers of these products often trivialise the dangers in order to protect their profits, but we are free to choose to buy or not to buy, I no longer subscribe to any big brands, as there are many natural ecological alternatives out there, which will save you money AND help save the Planet. Money talks, people whisper, £6 BILLION spent on personal care every year. Anybody listening?
Way to go, Neil! You tell 'em!
The people who keep banging on about giving it to charity are completely missing the point (as I also pointed out in my second comment on your "Call of the Mall" post). The megacorporations spend so much money on branding and advertising - why don't people complain that they don't give that money away to charity?
Neil, the bigger and more "wasteful" your bonfire is, the louder its message will be - this is the backlash that happens when a living, breathing person is seduced by brands. I think it would be morally and philosophically wrong to give that stuff away because it would legitimise the brands; it would be the same as saying "This stuff is good; it has value".
But wilfully destroying your possessions; taking a conscious, deliberate decision that these things are simply not necessary for you to live your life - and that they are not necessary to anyone else, either - that's the kind of message that brandmongers can't ignore.
With best regards,
Colin
Leave Elton John out of this....
All this reminded me of an anti fashion campaign I'd been amused by on the web some while back and I've just found it again; you might find it amusing too, although it is Canadian:
http://www.thegreysweatsuitrevolution.com
See yourself in saggy grey marl for the duration? Would work with the plimsolls but can really show the dirt...
Cheers
Geoff
You disgust me. You deserve to be homeless and destitute and hungry and shivering and completely lacking in all the products which add value and happiness to your life.
Go and speak to people in China and Africa and Eastern Europe and tell them you're burning your things, things which they dream of owning because they know their *real* value, and watch the horror on their faces.
If you were actually "tricked" or "conned" or "lied" to, go to the police.
But you weren't. You bought these things voluntarily, even though you didn't think they were worth the price you paid. So stop blaming companies for your own stupidity and accept responsibility for your own actions.
And go to biased-bbc.blogspot.com to see the kind of organisation you've allied yourself with.
Shame on you!
I have to admit that in the beginning I was a bit sceptical about the project, not because I thought it was self serving but because I thought it was futile. I thought that brands were inescapable. What I love about this post (not the idiotic rant that precedes this but your original post) is that you show how easy it is to unmask the branded bullshit and reveal the "secret formulas" that these huge cleaning corporations are pushing. In a marketplace where the shelves are choked by identical products, any marginal difference is blown out of all proportion. What if the upshot of all this was not that you had to retreat into some sort of hay strewn cloister, but instead discovered that leading a brand-free life is really...not all that difficult?
You might find this book helpful.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clean-House-Planet-Pennies-Nontoxic/dp/0671535951/sr=1-6/qid=1157482657/ref=sr_1_6/026-3247557-2995627?ie=UTF8&s=books
So did you burn your original blog down then Neil?
Can you please let us know the venue now? :D
A really good books on all sorts of household cleaners & stuff is: Better Basics for the Home, by Annie Berthold-Bond.
And to the Anonymous poster who tells you to "Go and speak to people in China and Africa and Eastern Europe and tell them you're burning your things, things which they dream of owning because they know their *real* value, and watch the horror on their faces."
I live in Africa and these people do not dream of owning branded clothing, shoes, iPods or any such items, they want food & a roof over their head, clean water & a flushing toilet. So get your facts straight and at least have the decency to post your name.
Way to go Neil.
Need help with apartment cleaning services, apartment cleaning Darr
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