Life in Plastic, Not So Fantastic: 12 Products to Help You Scrub Plastic From Your Laundry
- Words by Peppermint
What month is it again? While mentally we might still be stuck in 2019, Father Time keeps ticking away and all hands are pointing to Plastic Free July. 2022 sees the initiative in its twelfth year as millions of people around the globe join the pledge to reduce their plastic waste.
We know you’re already shunning plastic straws and remembering your reusables, but this Plastic Free July, we thought we’d take a journey through the home, eliminating plastic in each room as we go. Of course, the most sustainable products are the ones you already have on hand, but there’s no better time to share some love to the brands out there fighting the war on waste, all year round. Next in the series… the laundry for all things cleaning.
Does anyone here actually like doing laundry? If so, we have a couple of piles we’d be more than happy to send your way… In all seriousness though, when it comes to cleaning, life can sometimes get in the way and good eco habits can start to slide. We get it. Here are a few brands we love who can help clean up your act.
READ MORE – Life In Plastic, Not So Fantastic: 13 Products to Help You Flush Plastic from Your Bathroom
ENVIROCLEAN
No one likes doing the laundry but dissolvable, plastic-free, plant-based detergent strips from Enviroclean that you just chuck into the wash do make the whole Mount Washmore challenge slightly more enticing…
PLEASANT STATE
This female-founded, B Corp-certified cleaning brand is on a mission to change the way you clean your home. Using plant-based surfactants and essential oils, Pleasant State’s Australian-made, just-add-water concentrated cleaning bars look good, smell good and do good. Two percent of all sales is donated to clean up our ocean.
Get $10 off your next purchase here!
BIOME
Home to a wonderland of sustainable goodies from more than 400 brands – including lots of small Aussie makers – Biome operates across six bricks-and-mortar stores and an online marketplace brimming with eco solutions. Offering plastic-free orders and carbon offsetting shipping, the team is dedicated to making sustainability work for you.
THE DIRT COMPANY
Sleek and minimal, The Dirt Company’s liquid laundry concentrate in a glass pump bottle is a weekly washing triumph. Return the reduced-plastic refill packs by subscription to be refilled, for a truly clean planet.
ETHIQUE
Don’t be fooled by Ethique’s household cleaners’ chocolate-like appearance. These snappable, multipurpose concentrates pack a seriously sweet cleaning punch – simply melt and pour into a bottle.
MUNCH
All natural and organic, these innovative wool dryer balls from Munch offer a chemical-free alternative to dryer sheets and plastic dryer balls. And because of the wool balls’ natural anti-static, they reduce wrinkles, lint, and the need to iron your clothes.
READ MORE – Life in Plastic, Not So Fantastic: 12 Products to Help You Chop Plastic Out of Your Kitchen
BARESOP
You have to hand it to Baresop – their plant-based, vegan hand wash powder, in a home-compostable sachet, deserves a high five. Mix with water and add to the foaming pump bottle, made from recycled ocean waste.
SINGLE USE AIN’T SEXY
Sexy sells! And these clever tablets keep selling out. With a ‘just add water’ foaming formula, light aloe scent and ultra-cool glass bottles, we’re not surprised that the Australian company is… getting busy.
COVE
Found at Coles, Cove’s plant-based cleaners are packaged in reusable and infinitely recyclable aluminium bottles and lightweight pouches that can be REDcycled, creating a system where plastic is over and out.
ECYO
The brainchild of three science-loving sisters, Ecyo pods take the guesswork out of plastic-free DIY cleaning. BYO bottle, warm water and dirty house – the biodegradable, dissolvable pods do the rest. Well, almost…
ZERO CO
Circle up, earth-lovers! Zero Co wants to rid your home of single-use plastic with its “order-deliver-refill-return” system. Cleaning, laundry, dishwash and body wash, all in bottles and refill packs made from recycled plastic.
ONE LESS BOTTLE
Grab your own bottle and refill at One Less Bottle’s vending machine refill stations in Melbourne. Elsewhere head to a Coles in NSW offering EcoStore refills, or try Biome in Brisbane, The Source Bulk Foods nationally or a local bulk store.
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Look, I don’t want to make anyone panic but IT’S DECEMBER!!! If you’re planning to give homemade gifts, you’re going to have to act fast. …
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“In the 1940’s, Norwegians made and wore red pointed hats with a tassel as a form of visual protest against Nazi occupation of their country. Within two years, the Nazis made these protest hats illegal and punishable by law to wear, make, or distribute. As purveyors of traditional craft, we felt it appropriate to revisit this design.”
Crafters have often been at the heart of many protest movements, often serving as a powerful means of political expression. @NeedleAndSkein, a yarn store in Minnesota, are helping to mobilise the craftivists of the world with a ‘Melt The Ice’ knitting pattern created by @Yarn_Cult (with a crochet pattern too), as a way of peaceful protest.
The proceeds from the $5 pattern will go to local immigrant aid organisations – or you can donate without buying the pattern.
Raise those needles, folks – art and craft can change the world. 🧶
Link in bio for the pattern.
Images: @Gather_Fiber @NeedleAndSkein @a2ina2 @KyraGiggles Sandi.204 @WhatTracyMakes AllieKnitsAway Auntabwi2
#MeltTheIce #Craftivism #Knitting #CraftForChange
TWO WEEKS TO GO! 🤩
"The most important shift is moving from volume-led buying to value-led curation – choosing fewer, better products with strong ethics, considered production and meaningful stories. Retailers have real influence here: what you buy signals what you stand for. At Life Instyle, this means using the event to discover and invest in small-scale, planet-considerate brands that align with your values and your customer’s conscience. Consumers don’t need more things; they need better things, and retailers play a key role in selecting, contextualising, and championing why those products matter."
Only two more weeks until @Life_Instyle – Australia`s leading boutique retail trade show. If you own a store, don`t miss this event! Connect with designers, source exquisite – and mindful – products, and see firsthand why this is Australia’s go-to trade show for creatives and retailers alike. And it`s free! ✨️
Life Instyle – Sydney/Eora Country
14-17 February 2026
ICC, Darling Harbour
Photos: @Samsette
#LifeInstyle #SustainableShopping #SustainableShop #RetailTradeEvent
Calling all sewists! 📞
Have you made the Peppermint Waratah Wrap Dress yet? Call *1800 I NEED THIS NOW to get making!
This gorgeous green number was modelled (and made) by the fabulous Lisa of @Tricky.Pockets 🙌🏼
If you need a nudge, @ePrintOnline are offering Peppermint sewists a huge 🌟 30% off ALL A0 printing 🌟 when you purchase the Special Release Waratah Wrap Dress pattern – how generous is that?!
Head to the link in bio now 📞
*Not a real number in case that wasn`t clear 😂
#PeppermintWaratahWrapDress #PeppermintPatterns #SewingPattern #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
8 Things to Know About January 26 - from @ClothingTheGaps:
Before you celebrate, take the time to learn the truth. January 26 is not a day of unity it’s a Day of Mourning and Survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
It marks the beginning of invasion, dispossession, and ongoing colonial violence. It’s time for truth-telling, not whitewashed history.
Stand in solidarity. Learn. Reflect. Act.
✊🏽 Blog written by Yorta Yorta woman Taneshia Atkinson.
🔗 Link in bio of @ClothingTheGaps to read the full blog
#ChangeTheDate #InvasionDay #SurvivalDay #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe #ClothingTheGaps
As the world careens towards AI seeping into our feeds, finds and even friend-zones, it`s becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
We just wanted to say that here at Peppermint, we are choosing to not print or publish AI-generated art, photos, words, videos or content.
Merriam-Webster’s human editors chose `slop` as the 2025 Word of the Year – they define it as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” The problem is, as AI increases in quality, it`s becoming more and more difficult to ascertain what`s real and what`s not.
Let`s be clear here, AI absolutely has its place in science, in climate modelling, in medical breakthroughs, in many places... but not in replacing the work of artists, writers and creatives.
Can we guarantee that everything we publish is AI-free? Honestly, not really. We know we are not using it to create content, but we are also relying on the artists, makers and contributors we work with, as well as our advertisers, to supply imagery, artwork or words created by humans. AI features are also creeping into programs and apps too, making it difficult to navigate. But we will do our best to avoid it and make a stand for the artists and creatives who have had their work stolen and used to train AI machines, and those who are now losing work as they are replaced by this energy-sapping, environment-destroying magic wand.
Could using it help our productivity and bottom line? Sure. And as a small business in a difficult landscape, that`s a hard one to turn down. We know other publishers who use AI to write stories, create recipes, produce photo shoots... but this one is important to us.
`Touch grass` was also a Merriam-Webster Word of the Year. We`ll happily stick with that as a theme, thanks very much. 🌿
If your fingers are twitching for some crafting, take a peep at this massive list of marvellous makes that can be whipped up in a flash, put together by our Sewing Manager Laura. Ok yes, it was originally a roundup we created for easy Christmas gifts, but now it can be your blueprint for easy craft wins to go on your 2026 making must-do list!
If money and time are slim for you right now – as they are for many of us – these 22 projects will help you avoid the chaos and consumerism of the malls, scratch that creative itch and produce a fun me-made make that won’t break the bank.
Link in bio! 🪡🎨✂️
#PeppermintMagazine #MeMadeGifts #DIYs #EasyWins
