Grime, grease, dust: three things that are most certainly way up there in homeowners’ biggest nightmares.

All that time and effort spent getting every square inch of your house designed and laid out, just to have it be marred by dirt mere days into moving in? Unthinkable — and days could even be an overstatement if you’ve got a handful of little tykes running about. Plus, with what feels like the millionth strain of Covid making its rounds, you probably want to keep your quarters as clean as possible.

The natural inclination when dealing with debris is to run out to the nearest supermarket, grab the most aggressively labelled product on the shelf, spray it on every surface imaginable once you get home, and pray you can stand the fumes. After all, that bottle screaming “Kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses with just one swipe!” in bright red letters can be all too tempting — not just for hardcore germaphobes, but even the casual home cleaner.

Yet, such products are known to have several drawbacks, not least their impact on the environment. For instance, most household detergents contain high levels of phosphorus and phosphates. These, when introduced into waterways, can leach into rivers and oceans, disrupting the balance in these ecosystems.

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And if you think living in Singapore — where nearly everything is linked to drainage and plumbing — makes you exempt from this, think again. Rinsing products when you wash, say, your patio or front porch, can easily cause runoff into the soil and water column. Studies have shown that such runoff can cause mutations in the surrounding flora and fauna, and even cause entire parts of ecosystems to become uninhabitable.

Then there is the issue of packaging; constantly buying new bottles to replace empties can add up over time. Even if you buy soft refill packs, which use less packaging material, a good number of such packs are non-recyclable. Add to that the seemingly endless piles of plastic bags we use to throw rubbish out every day, and it all combines to form the mountains of trash that end up in landfills. And we for sure haven’t forgotten that Pulau Semakau is already reaching capacity.

There is, of course, a cleaner way to clean. Homemade cleaning products gained some popularity as a way to pass time during the early days of the pandemic; but they never really had the chance to catch on, especially since people were mostly allowed to leave their homes and return to the safety of the supermarket.

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That isn’t to say such homemade products are just meant to be a cutesy DIY project; in fact, with just a little more effort than it takes to run down to the shops, you can make something that is effective at getting your place spick and span, without all the nasty want-nots.

There are also ways to reduce the total amount of waste that leaves your house — that means fewer plastic bags that are meant to only fall down a chute or flap about in a dumpster. And no, you won’t need to squirrel away rubbish or start padding it in your walls. Read on to find out how you can turn your home into a clean, green fighting machine.

Fruity fresh

Unless you happen to be housing an army of grime-generating gremlins, using heavy-duty detergents and cleaning products daily is really just overkill.

“Yes, our houses should be clean … but don’t convert your house into a hospital or clinic where everything is sanitised,” says Sangeeta Nair, founder of The Eco-Statement. “If we start living that way — and this is something we see in Singapore — we fall sick very easily … because our immune systems have not become strong enough to counter pathogens.”

Overly aggressive cleaning products can have other negative side effects as well, including triggering a host of skin conditions. Instead of going all in on harsh chemicals, using a gentler product — especially on large surfaces such as floors and countertops — can be easier on both the environment and your household.

Fruit peels are one solution, so to speak. These common kitchen scraps, combined with water and sugar and then left to sit, can form the base of a gentle cleaning liquid that is suitable for daily use. Over time, the sugar and fruit peels ferment, forming alcohol and acetic acid. Though the solution is commonly called “eco-enzyme”, it’s more likely that these are the agents behind its cleaning and anti-odour properties, and not any specific biological enzymes.

While there is generally no limit to the kind of peels that can be included, most proponents of DIY cleaning agree that citrus fruits and pineapple work the best. Pineapple, in particular, naturally contains terpenes, which are noted for their antimicrobial and antifungal properties. And because the solution is made from fruits, it naturally smells sweet and citrusy, so you can put that aerosol-laden room spray away.

Another plus point of this solution — because it’s only slightly acidic, it can be used on most surfaces without much fuss. Just avoid dousing your marble or other natural stone countertops with it, and you should be fine. Nair points out that it can even be used to gently clean toilets.

If leaving a bottle out to ferment is too slow a process, there is also a faster way to get a similar solution at home: just dilute some white distilled vinegar (no sherry or balsamic vinegar here, please!) with water and pour it in a spray bottle. This leaves out the alcohol and fruit compounds, though, so it won’t be quite the same as the original.

Eco-enzyme

  • 300 grams of fruit peels
  • 100 grams of brown sugar or jaggery sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of active dry yeast
  • 1 litre of water
Combine all the ingredients in a 2-litre or larger bottle.

Stir well, making sure the sugar is fully dissolved.

Close the bottle and leave the solution to ferment.

“Burp” the bottle by opening the bottle once a day, to avoid gas build-up.

After three weeks, strain the solution and store the liquid in a spray bottle for use.

All-purpose cleaner

  • 100 ml of white distilled vinegar
  • 100 ml of water
  • 5 to 10 drops of essential oil (optional)
Combine the vinegar and water in a spray bottle, then shake well to combine.

Add any essential oil you prefer; this is optional and purely to add scent to the solution.

Composting

Reducing waste is another way in which we can get green at home. Kitchen scraps, from bits and bobs of vegetables to coffee grounds and filters, are frequently thrown out; some estimates place Singaporean households’ food waste at around half of the total waste they generate. But all this “rubbish” can actually be kept at home and composted to create fertiliser.

Contrary to what some might believe, composting — when done right, at least — will not lead to any nasty smells. “I’ve been doing composting for the past seven or eight years, and there is no smell,” says Nair. To avoid any odours, she adds, having the right balance of composted materials is key.

A good rule to follow, according to GardeningSG, is to have one part of “greens”, such as fruit scraps and coffee grounds, for every two parts of “browns” — things like cardboard, paper and coffee filters. Having too many “greens” can produce an overly wet compost and lead to anaerobic fermentation, which is what causes the smells typically associated with rotten food.

The container you store compost in also matters. Ensure that your bin has sufficient holes for ventilation, to avoid anaerobic fermentation. Commercially available compost bins are a good option, not to mention aesthetically pleasing if you plan to keep everything indoors. Nair notes that clay pots are also great for composting, as they can absorb excess moisture.

The fertiliser produced from composting at home may not seem immediately useful if you don’t have a garden. But with the rise of community gardens throughout Singapore, there is sure to be one around the corner from you. “They’re always in need of homemade compost,” says Nair, so you have an opportunity here to share a little neighbourly love.

Having a compost bin also means less waste gets thrown out at the end of the day; in other words, you’ll need fewer plastic bags. This is especially the case as dry waste typically does not need to be bagged; Nair says she simply uses old newspapers to wrap up her dry waste.