Creative packaging design: Eco laundry detergent

Washing powder is one of those long-time stalwarts of marketing and advertising – alongside toothpaste, beer, cigarettes and foreign travel. Detergents were always “new & improved” giving you “whiter whites” and “brighter brights”.

Things have come a long way since the Mad Men mid-century era and before. The 21^st century eco laundry detergent buzz words are now ‘plastic free’, ‘refillable’, ‘ocean friendly’, ‘biodegradable’ and ‘cruelty-free’. We’ve never had so much choice! Furthermore, we don’t even have to go to the shops to buy those bulky, heavy boxes of washing powder. Light-as-a-feather laundry strips can be bought on subscription, popping through our letter boxes on a regular or flexible basis.

Sheets & strips

Liquid

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Pods & capsules

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Creative packaging design: Furniture polish

The preferred furniture polish in my childhood home was Mr Sheen. I can smell its distinct fragrance now!

Now, with a house of my own, I choose to use Wood Silk; a non-silicone beeswax based spray with a wonderful smell.

When it comes to the vintage and antique furniture that we sell in our shop, we apply dealers’ favourite, Bri-wax and buff to bring out the grain and shine in the wood.

Below, we’ve chosen a few of our favourite, eye-catching receptacles for furniture polish in liquid, aerosol and wax forms.

Left to right:

Method wood polish

Howard Feed-n-Wax wood polish

Wheeler’s Furniture Polish

Left to right:

Rhoose Point Remedies Beeswax Wood Polish & Treatment

Antiquax Original Wax polish

FurnitureClinic Beeswax Polish

Left to right:

The Original Wood Silk

Mr Sheen Multi surface polish

Best Shine Plus furniture polish

Price Points: Natural soap bars

We have a bio-digester at our new house – a drainage & waste system that we’d had no experience of previously. Basically, over time, natural bacteria breaks down waste in a series of tanks. It means that anything that goes down the sinks or loo has to be completely natural so as not to harm the bacteria or upset the balance of the system.

We have to source suitable bathing, laundry and cleaning products, but we’ve got used to it quite quickly… and there are lots of lovely products out there from which to choose. This week, we installed a couple of those wall-mounted vintage soap trays in the cottage; an old pottery one in the kitchen and a shabby chic enamel one in the garden room. Each will hold a nail brush and a bar of soap – useful at any time, but particularly so now with the current emphasis on handwashing.

Perhaps you have a bio-digester system too…. or just like the idea of completely natural soap bars with no harsh additives. So, here are three of our favourite natural soap bars from our shopping search.

Dr Bronner’s All-One Hemp Pure-Castile Almond Bar soap, 140g: £5.35, Feel Unique
Warm, comforting and slightly sweet—like marzipan or amaretto! Our Almond Pure-Castile Bar Soap is made with certified fair trade ingredients and organic hemp oil for a soft, smooth lather that won’t dry your skin. 100% biodegradable in a 100% post-consumer recycled wrapper.
Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Bar Soaps are biodegradable-vegan, gentle and versatile, good for washing body, face or hair!
UpCircle chocolate charcoal chai soap bar, 100g: £6.99, Holland & Barrett
Gently exfoliating soap to brighten and nourish face and body. Activated charcoal draws out toxins and tightens pores. Cacao extract boosts skin radiance resulting in brighter looking skin. A gently-exfoliating soap to brighten and nourish both face and body. Skin is left cleansed without feeling dry. Certified Organic, 100% natural, vegan and cruelty-free. Made in UK. Reused, repurposed, reloved. This soap is made with residual chai spices used to create chai syrup.
Aleppo original soap (50% laurel oil and 50% olive oil), 200g: £13.75, Amazon
Aleppo soap also known as savon d’Alep, laurel soap, Syrian soap, or ghar soap, is a handmade, hard bar soap associated with the city of Aleppo, Syria. Aleppo soap is classified as a Castile soap as it is a hard soap made from olive oil and lye, from which it is distinguished by the inclusion of laurel oil. As it is produced only from natural oils, Aleppo soap is biodegradable. It can be used daily as soap for washing and shampooing, as face mask, as shaving cream and for bathing infants and babies. Laurel oil is an effective cleanser, antimicrobial, anti-fungal and anti-itching agent.

shop natural soap bars

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Aleppo original soap (50% laurel oil and 50% olive oil), 200g
£13.75