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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NEW PATTERN ALERT 🎉
She’s giving comfort, she’s giving style, she’s giving palate-cleansing sewing. There’s nothing quite like an easy breezy dress that’s not only a dream to wear but a delight to sew, and the NEW Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress delivers!
Cute, classic and cool with a touch of retro: the Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with sleek lines and elegant curves. Bust darts are in play for shaping and spacious pockets to hold all your treasures. Top-stitching detail around the neck and armholes invites creative contrast threads and the keyhole loop closure at the back neck begs for a feature button (or a tie closure!).
Myrtle cuts above the knee with options to customise the length. Don’t think she’s reserved for hot weather either: try a heavier-weight fabric to turn your Myrtle into a pinafore-style garment for layering.
For our fabrics we chose two from @Karmme_Apparel – the bold Rottnest Stripes in a lightweight, soft-drape cotton, and the quality linen in the handpainted Mexico Collection. Karmme also stocks darling tassels so we popped a hot pink one on as a closure!
The love child of Imby Langenbach, Karmme Apparel (fittingly pronounced ‘calm’), is a haven of boho apparel sewing patterns alongside complementary fabrics steeped in tradition with modern iterations from Jaipur, India. Hand block-printed and digitally printed soft cottons produced by Indian artisans showcase rich colours and designs from Imby’s travels, perfect for showing off me-made masterpieces.
Our dresses were superbly stitched by our sewing manager @Laura_The_Maker, and modelled magnificently by Shannon @Pins_And_Tonic and Serah @SerahSews. And that perfect pink wall was courtesy of the good folk at @ShareTheDignityAustralia, an organisation that aims to bring dignity to women, girls and those who menstruate who are experiencing homelessness, domestic violence and period poverty.
Get making the Myrtle – the only question is, can you stop at just one?
Link in bio 🪡
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
Patternmaker: @GarmentaApparel
Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
#PeppermintMyrtleShiftDress #PeppermintPatterns
Connection 🫶🏻
Such great ideas from @GrowWithColby:
“A common theme I noticed in 2025:
Everyone is craving more connection.
Use these friend nights to make it happen in 2026.
Send this to the people you want to do these with.”
#Connection #Friends #Community
No bull - these pants are the cat`s (or cow`s) pyjamas...
Jenny from @RhubarbSundays:
And they are done! My @PeppermintMagazine #PeppermintFernPleatedPants made using a gorgeous fabric from @IndyBindyFabrics! I absolutely love this fabric! It’s soft and drapes beautifully. And the best thing about it is that, from a distance, it looks like an abstract print and then you look closer and theres a curious bull looking right at you. 🤣🤣 🐄 🐮
Really happy with the end product. They are very comfy! I didn’t make many changes to the pattern. Just a touch more room in the rise and a little bit off the waist. I’ll post some closeups of the details tomorrow when I actually take them off. 🤣 "
Grab the pattern from the link in bio!
#PeppermintPatterns #IMakeMyOwnClothes #ClothesThatFeelLikePyjamas #SewersGonnaSew
Missed issue 64 at the newsagent?
Grab a digital copy from our website and read it whenever you like. 📱💻️
Link in bio! 💜
#PeppermintMagazine #YouBelongHere
🌤 Festival forecast: high creativity, with a strong chance of radical hope on the horizon.
If you’ve been craving a little colour in your calendar, consider this your sign. This May, the Sunshine Coast’s much-loved Horizon Festival is celebrating ten years of art, imagination and joyful gathering, returning from 1–10 May on Kabi Kabi and Jinibara Country.
For ten glorious days, beaches, streets, galleries and unexpected corners of the coast become places to wander, wonder and play. There’s music drifting on the sea breeze, performances that make you feel things, art you can step inside, and plenty of moments where you’re invited to join in rather than just watch. With 35+ events across the region (many of them free), expect live music, First Nations gatherings, immersive dance, family-friendly fun, writers’ talks, artist markets and more. At its heart, @HorizonArtFest is a celebration of people, place and shared imagination, honouring the first artists and storytellers, while making space for new voices and bold ideas.
Then there’s ‘Radical Hope Machine 2’: an immersive exhibition at Caloundra’s new Library+ that will fuse textiles, technology and storytelling. Featuring textile artist @Shaye_Hardisty, award-winning author Peter Carnavas and artist Sarah Winter, this series of events explores what hope looks, feels and sounds like to the Sunshine Coast community in response to the question: ‘how to solve the world’s wicked problems?’ We spoke with Shaye about tech vs textiles, magical garments and tiny joys.
Read more at the link in bio!
Photos: @HorizonArtFest
#HorizonFestival SunshineCoastEvents
Style, sass and simplicity: Miss Myrtle is almost here! 💕
Lay your peepers on the new Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress – this sensational sewing pattern is going to be winging its way to subscribers inboxes this Sunday 1st March at 11am, so if you`re not a subscriber already, you know what to do!
We created this pattern with the support of @Karmme_Apparel – and how gorgeous are those fabrics! The love child of Imby Langenbach, Karmme Apparel (fittingly pronounced ‘calm’), is a haven of boho apparel sewing patterns alongside fabrics steeped in traditions with modern iterations from Jaipur, India.
Modelled magnificently by Shannon @Pins_And_Tonic and Serah @SerahSews, the Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with sleek lines and elegant curves. You won’t be able to stop at just one!
Subscribers – keep an eye on your inbox on Sunday for your exclusive download code. Everyone else - subscribe now before Sunday so you don`t miss out!
Launch date: 5th March 💕
Link in bio 💕
Pink wall courtesy of the good folk at @ShareTheDignityAustralia, an organisation that aims to bring dignity to women, girls and those who menstruate who are experiencing homelessness, domestic violence and period poverty. 💕
Sewing and instructions: @Laura_The_Maker
Photos: @KelleySheenan
#PeppermintMagazine #PeppermintPatterns #PeppermintMyrtleShiftDress
