Unplastic Your Cleaning Routines

Welcome to Plastic Free July, 2026!

We’re excited to celebrate low-waste lifestyles and to challenge Gainesville (and beyond) to “unplastic” your daily routines more than ever before, even if just for this month.

We love to think about these challenges as an experiment (read more about that here and here), so we invite you to try out whatever tips you’re curious about. Worst case, you learn something new… best case, you find a new habit that makes your life more sustainable.

This week, we’re bringing you tips and tricks specific to cleaning. In this blog post, learn just a few of the many ways to use cleaning vinegar around your home, what proper sponge care looks like, plus a couple of our very favorite unplastic cleaning staples.

Use White Vinegar Just About Everywhere!

White vinegar is non-toxic and biodegradable, unlike many store-bought cleaning products that have artificial colors, fragrances, and harmful chemicals. If you buy your cleaning vinegar from Life Unplastic or similar refilleries, you can even skip the plastic packaging, and buy just the amount you need. Save money, save the planet.

One caveat:

Our white *cleaning* vinegar is concentrated and 10% acidity, about 2x as strong as standard white vinegar (4-6%).

For most everyday cleaning, dilute it with 1-3 parts water to 1 part vinegar.

For tougher jobs, use less water – or even full strength.

1. Glass cleaner
We use it in the shop every single day: glass cleaner made with two simple, cheap, readily available ingredients. Using equal parts, mix 10% vinegar and water and spray it on glass, ceramic, or stainless steel. Wipe off with a lint-free cloth. We find that it dries crystal clear and fragrance-free, but if you have issues with lingering streaks or smell, you can try adding a splash of isopropyl alcohol to the mixture.

2. Floor Cleaner
Another LU-certified use for cleaning vinegar. If making a gallon of mop water, use 1/2-1 cup of 10% vinegar or 1-2 cup of diluted vinegar. If adding to a spray mop reservoir, use about a 1:10 ratio to water if using the 10% vinegar. If it’s too strong, add more water. The vinegar smell will dissipate as it dries, leaving you with sparkling floors.

3. Laundry Booster
If your pets are particularly messy, you have stubborn grease stains, or your whites have gotten dull with time, vinegar can fix that. Add up to 1 cup of diluted (4-6%) vinegar to a load, run on hot, and experience fresh, bright clothes.

4. Dishwasher Rinse Aid
Gainesville is known to have pretty hard water, which can leave spots on your dishes, even after they’ve been cleaned. To fix this, just fill a small bowl with cleaning vinegar, place on the top rack of the dishwasher, and run as normal. If you’re out of space on the top rack, you can also add a bit to the “rinse aid” compartment, but avoid doing this too often, and always dilute first, because concentrated vinegar can corrode the parts of your dishwasher.

5. Mold Killer
Areas like bathrooms, garages, laundry rooms, and kitchens are bound to get some mold and mildew occasionally, especially in Floridian humidity. While large areas should be dealt with by a professional, small patches of mold and mildew can be eliminated with a spritz of cleaning vinegar and a coarse brush soaked in warm water. This method isn’t effective on wood, and may damage stone, grout, or marble, so exercise caution.

6. Drain Maintenance
Drain clogs are usually simple build-ups of hair, dirt, soap, or food. These clogs can be loosened by pouring undiluted cleaning vinegar down the effected drain, waiting for the liquid to filter through and work its magic, then running hot water. If the problem persists, try starting the process with baking soda, then following with vinegar and hot water.

Take Care of Your Sponges

If you’re opting for less plastic, you can certainly try skipping plastic or polyester scouring pads, shower poufs, sponges, and scrub brushes (scroll down for some natural alternatives). But whether you’re choosing a plastic scrubby or a natural one, a surefire way to reduce your waste is to replace it less often. There are a few simple steps to caring for your sponge (or pouf, or brush) to make it last as long as possible, so you don’t need to toss it and get a new one every few weeks.

1. Rinse after each use
Soap and grime can quickly build up on a well-loved sponge. Make sure to rinse with water when you’re finished, so all that gunk doesn’t sit in your sponge overnight and weaken the fibers or cause it to stink.

2. Leave out to dry completely
Mold loves a wet, soaked sponge! Not to mention the stress that being constantly wet puts on any connecting stitches or bits in sponges and brushes. Hanging loops are very convenient for letting your sponge dry out, but you can also use a soap dish or store it in your dish drying rack. Be sure to store it bristles down, so the water isn’t dripping onto the wood.

3. Disinfect regularly
Natural-fiber sponges and brushes are often best disinfected with a simple dunk in cleaning vinegar (a truly multi-talented cleaning agent!), but you can also boil or microwave a soaked sponge to kill bacteria. You can even put some options in the dishwasher or washing machine to really refresh them.

Some of Our Favorite Plastic-Free Alternatives

If and when it’s time to replace something, these are a few of our favorite low-waste cleaning swaps. They’re durable, effective, and designed to help you buy less over time – not more.

Remember: you don’t need to replace everything at once. Use what you have, take good care of it, and when it’s time for something new, consider choosing an option that’s designed to last, good for you, and good for the planet.

Meliora Gentle Home Cleaning Scrub
We love Meliora products because they prove simple ingredients really work. This gentle cleaning powder tackles metal, ceramic, porcelain, and tile using just three ingredients (baking soda, vegetable soap, and essential oils) with great results. Available in bulk or in refillable carboard/metal containers.

Skoy Scrub Scouring Pad
This tenacious scrubby made from recycled materials pairs great with the cleaning scrub mentioned above. Made in Sweden, skoy scrubs are woven from the tiny cotton fibers left behind when manufacturing towels, and coated in a plant-based plastic alternative to add some extra abrasion. The skoy scrub softens when wet, so it becomes flexible enough to contour into nooks and crannies of dishes, counters, showers, tubs, car interiors, you name it!

Natural Loofah Sponge
For other scrubbing needs that perhaps require a gentler hand, try a real dried loofah. This natural sponge is simply a dried out loofah plant, with the seeds still inside so you can grow your own if you wanted! Each stalk we sell can be cut into smaller pieces (we usually get about 4 or 5 from each one) and used to scrub dishes, your body, your face, or surfaces that are more prone to scratches, like wood and stone. They expand drastically in water, and soften to a cushy texture that feels nice to hold while helping you remove gunk and grime from a variety of materials.

Scrap Felt Mop Pads
Unlike those single-use, pre-soaked, plastic mop pads that come in big plastic tubs, these cotton pads are durable, washable, and reusable (and much cuter!). Because of the flaps on either side, you can attach them to your Swiffer mop handles just like you would with the single-use ones. Then simply spray your floors or the mop pads with cleaning solution (like the vinegar one discussed above) and get to work. When you’re done, just remove the mop pad and throw in the laundry. These, like the reusable paper towels below, are a bit of an upfront investment. But overtime you will save tons of money when you quit buying disposables.

Reusable “Paper” Towels
Paper towels are extremely convenient. The size, the roll, the fact that you don’t need to soil a whole towel when cleaning up a wet mess… But you can actually get all of this convenience without the bleached, plastic-wrapped waste. If you want an aesthetic and hardworking reusable alternative, these might be perfect for you! The flannel even magically clings to itself so they can be rolled up and stored on the paper towel holder you already have. When they’re dirty, simply throw them in the washing machine with your other laundry.

Toilet Cleaning Bombs
Many toilet cleaners rely on harsh chemicals that aren’t necessary for routine cleaning. These fizzing tablets dissolve quickly in water, loosening gunk freshening with tea tree, peppermint, and lemon essential oils. Drop one in the bowl, let it fizz, scrub, and flush.

We also have cleaning supplies by the ounce in our refillery, as well as sponges, brushes, soap bars, and more! Check out all our Cleaning Supplies here.

What is “real change” – some thoughts on Plastic Free July

In the environmental activism scene, there’s a bit of a debate over where “real” change comes from.

Some argue that individual actions add up over time, some say that things can only be improved when action is taken at a systemic level, and many try to combine the two approaches. Sometimes, environmental stewards will shame others for not doing it all, or for being eco-friendly “incorrectly”.

We know that feelings of shame, fear, and confusion don’t incite action, they stop it in its tracks. Decision fatigue is real; every time you doubt if you’re doing the right thing, you’re going to get a little less motivated to do anything at all. Not to mention the climate anxiety concerns, where every step towards eco-friendly living forces us to confront just how high the stakes are.

Life Unplastic was made to be a place where shame runs for the hills. We’re curious, we’re compassionate, and we’re community-focused. Every time we share a tip or trick about getting rid of single-use plastics, our aim is to help people who want to learn and maybe don’t know where to start. You’ll never catch us judging people for where they are on their zero-waste journey, because the reason this whole place was founded was to get away from the shame of not being able to do it all. We were made for the busy workers, parents, and students who have to juggle sustainability with their budget, free time, and mental wellbeing. We know it’s hard. So we’re very interested in the imperfect low-not-zero-waste lifestyle.

While we do everything we can to reduce waste in the shop, building sustainable practices into the structure of everything behind the scenes and on the shelves, we understand that there isn’t a way to achieve true zero waste in today’s society. In that way, individual action does fall short. But that doesn’t make it less important.

Our expertise is in daily interactions, friendly guidance, and small steps. So we follow that. Some earth heroes are drawn to environmental policy, political activism, or corporate leadership to change entire systems. We consider it our job to help them by making climate change a household topic and plastic-free living an approachable idea. We want to help people who don’t feel a calling towards Greta-Thunberg-tier activism, but want to make changes in their lifestyle anyway. In short, we believe that an all-or-nothing approach doesn’t help anyone involved. Neither individual action nor policy change can succeed without the other.

Rather than argue about the best course of action, we want to encourage people to just do whatever they can.

After all, it takes a village! If you feel most fulfilled being politically active and spreading the word, do that. If you are interested in a toxin-free home, reduce your impact that way. If you’re often too frozen to do anything at all, simply bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store. Baby steps are still steps.

Plastic Free July logo

Plastic Free July is a challenge to reduce your own individual plastic use and waste. Internally, the Life Unplastic team was wondering how to approach a plastic-free living challenge with grace within the context of… everything else. No one can ignore that there is a need for systemic change for the planet. How could we tell our fellow non-billionaire citizens to change their habits when so much more needs to be done? Ultimately, we landed on the simple fact that people are all we have. Someone — many someones — are fighting for the Earth on a broad, world-changing scale, and we would hate for them to be fighting alone. So while we may not have the time, or energy, or expertise to research plastic alternatives, lobby for recycling mandates, or build walkable cities, we won’t let that stop us. Helping others make those changes starts with shifting our lives away from the waste that haunts our planet. Besides, who’s to say when exactly those everyday habit switches become a huge cultural movement?

Blurb about Plastic Free July on a green background. "Our movement has inspired over 170 million participants in 190 countries. When many people make small changes, it adds up to a big difference in our communities. Choosing to refuse single-use plastics in July (and beyond!) often leads to discovering great alternatives that can become new habits forever." Link to making a pledge to refuse single-use plastic.
Click the image to make your pledge to refuse single-use plastic!

So while Plastic Free July focuses on individual action in a world controlled by systems, we still think it’s worthwhile to participate. Systems are made of individual people! For this month, dedicate a little more time than usual to replacing plastic with reusable or biodegradable alternatives, and challenge your peers to do the same. If you don’t know where to start (and it can be overwhelming), we’ll be here with tips and tricks to unplastic many different parts of your life, from cleaning, to meals, to pets. Follow along in the Eco Chat, or on our Instagram @unplasticgnv.

While individual action by itself isn’t the whole picture, each of us can benefit from changing our everyday habits. There are all kinds of reasons to enjoy a plastic-free life, besides the satisfaction of knowing that you aren’t contributing to the trash piling up in our oceans and in our neighbor’s countries. If you want to learn more about the health and financial benefits of low-waste, or maybe you want some good talking points to bring up next time you’re talking to a consumerist convenience-addict, read this blog here. If you want to know when we upload blogs, or when we’re holding events, subscribe to our mailing list! Once a month, we send out a round-up of our activities and announcements. It’s a great way to stay informed and connected!

Thank you for reading!

Have any thoughts or questions? DM us on instagram or email us at unplasticgnv@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

There’s More to Less Waste

Many of our customers at Life Unplastic are definitely prioritizing eco-friendliness when they shop sustainably. But we also get customers who are in the low-waste game for different reasons. Turns out there’s a whole lot more to less waste.

First of all, if you’re watching your budget, you can be sure that reusable products with simple ingredients will carry you a lot further that single-use synthetic ones.

Reasons to go low waste for your wallet

Package-free goods like refills or naked soap bars ensure that you’re only paying for the actual product you’re using, and none of the price goes towards the packaging.

Similarly, extra-concentrated products make sure you’re not paying to package and ship the water you can just get from the tap. Concentrated bulk products also mean you can buy half as much, and dilute it at home!

A lot of organic or bio-based products have simple ingredients and nix the synthetic additives or fragrances. These simple recipes cut the cost for the consumer, and legible ingredients lists make it really difficult for companies to upcharge you for something you could make at home for cheaper.

These same simple ingredients can be used in many diverse ways! That’s actually a focus of low-waste lifestyles: cutting down on the amount of specific, distinct products you buy. The natural loofahs we sell aren’t over-engineered specifically for one scrubbing task; they can be used in your shower, to clean dishes, on the countertops or floors… you name it. You can even customize the size by cutting the loofah up however you’d like, so you can get many sponges out of one purchase!

Products like reusable “paper” towels last much, much longer than they single-use, straight-to-landfill items they replace. Think about it. Instead of buying dryer sheets every month or so, wouldn’t it be nice if you could just get a couple dryer balls once, and then not have to replace them for years?

… which reminds us, there’re a lot of mental work that goes into shopping for your home…

Reasons to go low-waste for your mind:

We’ve talked about it before in a climate activism context, but it’s real in your everyday routine as well: decision fatigue. It’s that feeling of “oh, geez, how will I know if I’m making the right choice?!” that happens when you’re confronted with a wall of options. Low-waste lifestyles take a lot of that stress away by emphasizing simple.

Most sustainable businesses’ shelves are a lot less crowded than big box retailers like Walmart or Target, simply because there’s less of a capitalist mindset, and a focus on small, local businesses that find their own niche rather than competing with each other to sell nearly identical products.

Sustainable brands are also mercifully prone to transparency, with legible labels and minimal advertising. It’s about what the product actually does for you in your real life, not brand loyalty or gimmicky mascots.

Products that are created sustainably are created with the end in mind. This means you often don’t need to worry about the proper disposal. A lot of Life Unplastic’s products are home-compostable, and even more are reusable and refillable, so you don’t need to get rid of them at all!

Unfortunately, some products are designed to be sold, not to be used, so not only are they made without the end in mind, they’re not even made with your best interests in mind.

Reasons to go low-waste for your health:

You’ve probably heard the term “microplastics” before. If you haven’t, here’s the scoop: plastic doesn’t break down chemically, but it DOES break apart, physically.

For example, when you use a plastic dish sponge in hot water, the heat breaks little pieces of plastic off onto your dishes and down your drain. These little plastics are called microplastics, and some of them are so small you can’t detect them with a naked eye. Microplastics have been found pretty much everywhere scientists have looked, and they’ve looked pretty much everywhere, including inside of human bodies. Scientists have estimated that an average adult consumes enough microplastics in one week to make a credit card.

The health implications of microplastics are not certain yet, and the research around them is still heavily debated as it evolves. The tiny bits of plastic have been found in connection to inflammation, heart attacks, and cancer, to name a few scary afflictions.

We’re not here to scare you, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention microplastics in a blog about the benefits of low waste living. Avoiding plastic waste oftentimes means avoiding plastic altogether, which is the best way to avoid microplastics. Opting for materials like wood, sisal, cotton, glass, linen, silicone, bamboo, steel, or other bio-based and non-plastic materials can eliminate plastics from your home AND help send a message to corporations that consumers are not interested in risking it for convenience anymore.

Whether you’re into the low-waste lifestyle to save money, reduce your stress, or to cut down on toxins in your life, we’re so happy you’re here. As we always say, it takes all kinds to change the world, and only by working together can we achieve real societal change that supports everyone’s minds, bodies, and bank accounts.