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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Price Points: Enamel soap dishes

We have a few enamel items – both new and vintage – in our kitchen and bathroom. It’s a beautiful and useful material.

We have a handy Emma Bridgewater enamel saucepan that we use for heating milk and making porridge on our induction hob. We have a vintage ‘chippy‘ white enamel jug that’s kept in the bathroom that’s used to rinse shampoo & conditioner from hair. We have a trio of graduated, enamel lidded containers next to the sink which hold food waste and the washing-up sponge. There’s a similar one to these in the bathroom where we store bath salts. Enamel is great for all these products because it’s a strong material that’s easy to keep clean.

We currently have a bronze soap dish next to the bath – we’ve had it for decades and it’s a beautiful thing. However, it looks out of place in a bathroom where the décor is white, grey and stainless steel. I’ve wanted to swap it for a white enamel soap dish for a while… and we finally have one!

The three enamel soap dishes above were ones that I looked at and, for me, they all have pros and cons. I prefer the round shape to the rectangular, but the John Lewis one (#1) doesn’t have the useful drainage holes. I hate soft, waterlogged soap! I think the wall-mounted one is sweet and it has the all important drainage holes, but we don’t have a practical or convenient place to hang it above the bath. That means that #2 is the winner for us – it’s not round, but we can live with that!

Enamel soap dish, white: £8.00, John Lewis
Enamel soap dish: £10.50, Trouva
Wall-mounted white enamel soap dish: £24.07, Amazon

shop enamel soap dishes

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Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Wall-mounted white enamel soap dish
£24.07

Enamel soap dish
£10.50

Enamel soap dish, white
£8.00

Wall-mounted white enamel soap dish
£24.07

Enamel soap dish
£10.50

Enamel soap dish, white
£8.00

Wall-mounted white enamel soap dish
£24.07

Enamel soap dish
£10.50

Enamel soap dish, white
£8.00

Wall-mounted white enamel soap dish
£24.07

Enamel soap dish
£10.50

Enamel soap dish, white
£8.00

Wall-mounted white enamel soap dish
£24.07

Enamel soap dish
£10.50

Enamel soap dish, white
£8.00

Soako

We’ve been sourcing vintage metal and enamel advertising signs over recent months. They’re the kind of vintage item that works well in our old cottage. In previous homes, we’ve incorporated mid century modern, op art and the more ‘groovy’ 1960s items. However, they just don’t ‘sit well’ here, but we do love the interest and aged character that vintage items bring… so these signs are one way in which we’re doing it.

We bought this Soako soap powder sign with our bathroom area in mind. It dates from the 1920s era and was designed by Tom Purvis. He’s famous for those classic railway destination posters of the day. Come to think of it, we’ll have to feature him in one of our weekend Designer Desire posts to showcase more of his work.

It has lots of bumps and scratches, but we don’t mind that… it’s 100 years old! The design is still clear and colours are bright. Soako does the work, eh? It will need to, judging by the filthy state that Justin gets in doing up this place!

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.

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Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission - at no cost to you - if you click through and make a purchase.
Prices & links correct at time of publication.