It is not often when a parcel arrives in our office that the actual box itself makes me chuckle, the reason for the chuckle was the message on the box – ‘Rethink What’s Under Your Sink’. Then when I opened the box there were a further 2 cardboard messages on the inside flaps – ‘Homethings Makes Sense’ and ‘The World Is Bonkers’. Well the ‘world going bonkers’ is a sentiment I totally agree with and as for Homethings Makes Sense, well time would tell on that one as testing still had to be done. But actually testing appears to have been done as the company have appeared on Dragons Den and BBC TV.
My starter bundle included:
- 3x refillable 100% recycled plastic bottles
- 3x cleaning spray tabs: 1x Allthings (general purpose), 1x Baththings, 1x Shinythings (reflective surfaces)
- 30 laundry pods
- 40 all-in-one dishwasher tabs
- 20 floor cleaner pods
- 3 magic sponges
- 1x refillable washing up liquid bottle
- 1x powder-to-gel washing up sachet
Washing Up with Refillable Cleaning Spray
This came with a reusable bottle and a powerful eco powder-to-gel solution with a fragrance was apple + nash pear. You simply dissolve the solution in 325ml of warm water, stir and then pour into your bottle. Wait 10-15 minutes before using and squirt 1 -2 pumps onto a sponge, ideally the magic sponge – or directly onto your pots and pans. The results were sparkling. Amazingly this clever solution cuts through grease and grime, using ingredients that are non-toxic, plus it is cruelty free and vegan. When you need a refill, you can buy the sachets, which are made from paper and keep on refilling your bottle, again and again and again. Yes it is that easy to use and makes total sense that we should protect our environment. I have no idea why I hadn’t worked out that most washing-up liquids are made up mainly of water and packaged in single-use plastic. Yes that even includes the ‘eco’ ones. So when you do actually think about the products you are using daily at home, Homethings make total sense to me. But why are we not getting this message across the country and the world?
Homethings are the UK’s first powder-to-gel washing-up liquid and I did have another chuckle reading the comment on the washing-up box which said – Don’t Be Vanilla, Be A Refilla – that has hit home with me and their company ethos makes total sense, I shall no longer be Vanilla.
Eco Dishwasher Tabs
I wonder if like me you really prefer to do the bulk of your dish washing in your dishwasher machine, if that’s the case then you will love these eco-friendly tabs as they are an all-in-one so include rinse and salt. These tabs are made from 90% plant and mineral based ingredients and really are effective against the stickiest stains even at 30 degrees. These tabs offer a powerful clean. One tab = 1 use in your dish washer. Hopefully it is worth reminding you, not preaching – promise, for you to periodically check and clean your machine’s filters and also to add extra salt if you are in a hard water area.
There are 40 tablets in the box and they do not contain phosphates, phosphonates, chlorine and no harsh chemicals either, just powerful eco cleaning that is planet friendly with a low impact. My drinking glasses came out looking shiny and not streaky, which I used to find, and my dishes were bright and sparkly. Plus my machine felt and smelt clean, with no stale odours left behind.
Floorthings
Floorthings are drop + mop floor cleaning pods. Now you might, like me, bleach your hair but there’s no place today for bleaching your floors. I’m aware of the five second rule when food is dropped on the floor, but especially with children that can sometimes turn quickly into more like five minutes, so why clean your floors with products that are full of nasty chemicals such as bleach? When you are using the non-toxic cleaning Floorthings, you’ll find your floors are clean enough to eat off, even though I still prefer a plate or a dish!
To use, fill up your mop bucket with warm tap water. Toss a pod into the bucket using dry hands. Swirl the water with your mop until dissolved and then get mopping and enjoy a squeaky clean floor. Each pod makes up to 5 litres of solution. These pods offer you powerful eco cleaning without any single use plastic in sight. They are non-toxic and have a lovely lavender fragrance. This is powerful eco cleaning at its best.
Magic Spongethings
Spongethings is another crafty idea. There were 3 x eco-friendly, home-compostable, zero micro plastic and cellulose sponges in my starter pack. To use these simply run the sponge under your tap and then you’ll witness the magic as they ‘grow’ into a sponge, then you can start your cleaning. I love these Spongethings as initially they just look like pieces of thin card until you add water. Such a clever idea and useful in your home, your bathroom and kitchen in particular, but also think great to take on holiday, as they weigh so little if you are self-catering.
These sponges are planet friendly without single use plastic and offering you powerful eco cleaning.
Allthings Multi Surface with Refillable Cleaning Spray
Allthings is a general purpose cleaner with a refillable bottle that is made from 100% recycled plastic, so you will never have to buy a cleaning spray bottle again. Why do you need to keep paying for a spray plastic bottle that you cannot recycle? With Allthings you just keep refilling with a tab, which is non-toxic, vegan and cruelty free and just add tap water. How easy is that? The signature scent for Allthings is grapefruit and mandarin and this is a great general purpose cleaner.
Use Allthings on quartz, stainless steel, tiles, laminates, stone, marble, granite and sealed wood surfaces. It is not suitable to use inside ovens or on unsealed surfaces. To use top up your bottle with 500ml lukewarm water then drop in the tab. Wait for the tab to dissolve, leave the trigger off whilst it’s fizzing. Then all you have to do is get cleaning!
The company source super concentrated eco scents that require one tenth of the dosage of ordinary scents, which massively saves resources in the fragrance production process. The scents are composed of natural and synthetic blends in order to achieve the concentrate and resource efficiency required.
Baththings with Refillable Cleaning Spray
With Baththings, just drop your cleaning tab into your bottle, wait for the tablet to dissolve and then get cleaning. I actually used it for everything in my bathroom, including shower tray, the bath, taps and the washbasin. It was very effective and for me this is eco bathroom cleaning at it very best and the fragrance of lavender and tonka bean is gorgeous. If you are unsure about a surface, just do a small patch test first.
Shinythings with Refillable Cleaning Spray
Shinythings is for you to use for your glass, mirrors and stainless steel and you make it up as you did with Baththings. This is a reflective surfaces cleaner, which works! I just sprayed and wiped with a damp cloth, then buffed dry to get a dazzling shine. If you are unsure about a surface, just do a small patch test. The fragrance on this one is another lovely one, peony and pomelo.
To be able to do your cleaning throughout the house, with products that actually work and to know that you are using responsible products, is what is should all be about. I am now converted that being a Refilla is the way we all should go.
Laundrythings 2.0 with Refillable Cleaning Spray
The Laundrythings pods have had a makeover so for your dirty clothes the company now have an even better product for you. There are 30x eco laundry pods that work their best, dissolve at 30° and have been proven to outperform leading brands. These pods are made with planet-friendly chemicals that leave your clothes fresh without leaving any residue. You can choose between Bio (Fragranced with Lazy Daisy fragrance) and Non-Bio (Fragrance-Free).
Once again a product that gives you powerful eco cleaning that is planet friendly with again a low impact. Please just rethink what is under your sink.
These are a few snippets taken from Homethings website:
Their mission is:
We’re on a mission to change how the world cleans.
The world is bonkers. A typical cleaning spray is 95% water packaged in a plastic bottle and we’re using billions of them to clean our ‘homes’. Even the ‘eco’ brands are selling us single-use plastic sprays, dishwasher tabs wrapped in plastic and laundry detergent bottled in……. you get the picture.
It’s time to Rethink What’s Under Your Sink. So we’ve made powerful and actually eco-friendly things that, when you run out, you ‘Just Add Tap’ (water) and keep on refillin’.
Powerful, planet-positive products that make sense, keeping your home our values
We’re here to change the status quo for good. We apply strict criteria to every single product we launch to make sure that fits with our brand values. All our products must be waterless, concentrated, plant based, cruelty free and non-toxic. We are 100% transparent about what we do and always listen to your feedback.
- No nasty things: We will never use harsh chemicals or toxic ingredients. All our products are plant based + cruelty free.
- No plastic things: We will never use single use plastic. All our products are refill + reuse.
- Things that work: We will only sell products that are powerful and work well.
- No liquid things: We would never ship water based products. Why would we when you have a tap at home?
