The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Detergents

What Lurks in Your Cleaning Cabinet ?

When it comes to keeping our homes clean, we rely heavily on detergents, but did you know that the seemingly innocent bottle of store-bought cleaner might be doing more harm than good? Beneath their floral scents and promises of sparkling results lies a cocktail of chemicals that can harm humans, pets, and the environment. Let’s break it down: here’s the good, the bad, and the downright ugly about detergents—and how you can clean up your act sustainably.

The Good: Why Detergents Exist in the First Place

Let’s give credit where it’s due: detergents revolutionized cleaning. They make short work of greasy pans, stubborn stains, and dirty laundry. Their surfactants, which reduce surface tension in water, allow grime to be lifted effortlessly. Without them, we’d still be scrubbing with soap and elbow grease.

But, as they say, “Not all that glitters is gold.” Let’s dive into the murkier waters of detergent use.

The Bad: Top 5 Concerns About Store-Bought Detergents

1. Toxic Scents: That lavender-scented detergent isn’t as “natural” as you’d hope. Many scented detergents are packed with carcinogens disguised under the term “fragrance.” Worse, a University of Washington study revealed that these chemicals can be released into your home via dryer vents, polluting both indoor air and the environment.

2. Surfactants That Suffocate: Surfactants like petroleum distillate and phenol make detergents effective but come with risks. These chemicals can inflame mucus membranes, irritate the lungs, and even increase the risk of asthma and cancer. Phenol, in particular, can seep into your skin and wreak havoc on your organs and nervous system.

3. The Hidden Danger of 1,4-Dioxane: This unlisted ingredient is a byproduct of certain surfactant manufacturing processes. A known carcinogen, 1,4-dioxane is linked to tumors and is sneaky—you’ll never see it listed on a label. Look out for ingredients ending in “-eth,” like sodium laureth sulfate, to avoid it.

4. Phthalates and Hormonal Havoc: Phthalates, often hidden under the term “fragrance,” extend the life of a product’s scent but wreak havoc on your endocrine system. They can lead to hormone imbalances, fertility issues, and even cancer.

5. Bleach and NPEs: The Unseen Villains: Bleach, often masked by names like “optical brightener,” causes skin irritation and respiratory issues. Meanwhile, nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), banned in the EU but still present in some detergents, disrupt hormones and harm fetal development.

   
   

The Ugly: Environmental Consequences

Every time you rinse out your mop bucket or do a load of laundry, harmful chemicals flow down the drain and into our waterways. Detergents can poison aquatic ecosystems, disrupt marine biodiversity, and contribute to the buildup of microplastics. For a small island nation like Malta, where the sea is central to our heritage, this impact hits particularly close to home.

Cleaning Up Your Act: Eco-Friendly Alternatives

1. DIY Cleaning Solution: Why not take matters into your own hands? A simple mix of vinegar, sodium bicarbonate, and lemon juice makes an effective, all-purpose surface spray that’s safe, cheap, and chemical-free. Bonus: your home will smell as fresh as a Maltese lemon grove!

2. Go Ocean-Friendly with OceanSaver: At ReRoot, we’re proud to stock OceanSaver—a brand committed to eco-friendly, non-toxic cleaning. Their range includes everything from dishwashing tablets to laundry solutions, all in sustainable packaging. With OceanSaver, you can keep your home spotless without harming the planet.

The Bottom Line

The next time you reach for a bottle of detergent, think twice. By switching to sustainable alternatives, you can protect your health, safeguard our environment, and embrace a cleaner, greener way of life.

What’s your favorite eco-friendly cleaning tip? Let us know in the comments or tag us in your sustainable cleaning snaps! 🌿✨

#EcoCleaning #SustainableLiving #GreenCleaning #OceanSaver #ReRootMalta #DIYCleaning #MaltaGoesGreen #oceansaver

Wasting is so last season: 5 tips on how to cut out food waste

We all love food in one way or another, but do we really appreciate the amount of work and natural resources it takes to make? Food waste is one of humanities big failures of the 21st century and we, as individuals, have the responsibility to change our habits before it's too late.

Social media has made food sexy! From cherry tomato and feta pasta to the infamous Green goddess salad, great mouth watering recipes are literally at our fingertips. It's just a matter of finding the motivation to make them, especially after Sussie_91 from Idaho makes it look so effortless and easy.

But how many of us actually stop and think about the amount of work and natural resources it takes to make those raw ingredients. From physical labour to water to seeds and feed, the effort needed to make even the most simple vegetable, fruit or cut of meat, is immense .. and let's not get started on the carbon footprint related to transportation and packaging.

So essentially: Wasting food = Wasting all of the above! This in turn increases green house gases which, as we all know causes Climate Change. It is estimated by the UN that food wastage's carbon footprint is approximately 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 released into the atmosphere per year. Now if that doesn't shake you, I don't know what will.

We have a responsibility as individuals of this gorgeous planet to begin educating ourselves and changing our habits for the better. It's never too late to change. Age is just a number and you're not a dog, so you can definitely adopt a new trick or two #fetch

Tip #1 - Buy only what you need

Preparation is key. In today's shiny new fancy supermarkets it's very (VERY) easy to get swayed by in-store marketing, lighting, music, scents etc. Trust me, these guys know how to play on your senses and emotions!

Shopping lists make your life that much easier and efficient. Think of them as your 'blinders': there's no need to even glance at the new Cookie dough Oreo biscuits: are they on your weekly grocery list? - No. Avoid those tempting impulse buys and you'll realise just how much food waste AND money you'll save.

Tip #2 - Storage is king

The power of a good airtight container should not be underestimated. Let's face it, fresh food, doesn't stay fresh for long - unless you store it correctly. Bad storage = spoiled food = food waste .. which we're trying to avoid now, remember?!

Food huggers is an amazing brand we're currently stocking, that offers a range of products focused on a mission to keep fresh food fresh for longer! From airtight hugger bags to Huggers that keep cut veggies from spoiling, these BPA-free silicone reusable powerhouses are your new kitchen best friend. Our mothers had Tupperware, we have Food huggers ;)

Hugger bags 900ml

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Food Avocado Hugger

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Food Huggers - Set of 5

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Tip #3 - Composting is queen

Remember about all those natural resources I mentioned earlier? The ones like water and land and feed that are used to make the food we eat every single day? Well, besides respecting our food, there is a way we can give back: composting!

"Home composting can potentially divert up to 150 kg of food waste per household per year from local collection authorities." – FAO, United Nations

Now before you go out and buy your first worm and start stinking up the neighbourhood, there are some simple solutions. We're lucky enough that our local authorities are investing in facilities to process food waste. By starting to actually use our 'green' bins and disposing of our food waste correctly, we can help give nutrients back to the soil and reduce our carbon footprint

Tip #4 - Support local

We may be small but we are mighty! Malta and Gozo have some of the best produce around, and what's great is that it's super accessible. Busy week at the office? In today's convenience driven world we can order fresh local produce to our door with a touch of a button.

Better yet, make an outing of it and head on down to a farmer's market like the one in Taqali. They open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m and sell all your local favourites including Gbejna, Bigilla and more. Your waistline may not be happy but your tummy and pocket will be all the more grateful for it.

Tip #5 - Love thy leftovers

Lastly, left overs are a great way to reinvent an old dish. How many of us have woken from a rough night out and found themselves cooking a Michelin star worthy meal from scraps we've just found in the fridge? Garden Ramsey eat your heart out!

Be creative, have fun with it, add spices and herbs to bring new life to Wednesday's casserole. Trust me, you'll be surprised with what you can create when you're on the spot.

Time to go out there and get saving ...

We all know how busy and complicated life has began, but that's no excuse to choose convenience and laziness and simply waste food when there are so many ways and means to avoid it. Let us know if you have any other great tips on how to avoid food waste - Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.

New Year, Same me ... SMALL changes

Yes, we’re posting a blog about the New Year nearly 1.5 months after the New Year. Don’t worry, I see the irony too. But Hey: with two moves, a business change from in-store to online and general everyday life mayhem (in January alone), led to some stuff being pushed to the back burner. And that, I need to believe, is OK.

We’re all too familiar with the phrase “New Year, New me”. It instils a feeling of new beginnings, a 'fresh start' one might say. A possibility to wipe the slate clean and start all over. But that is not what life is all about. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m the first person to pre-order the latest self-help book on January 1st whilst starting a new fad diet and yoga all on the same day. But change, big meaningful change, needs to happen slowly and consistently over time.

Ask me if I’ve kept up the Yoga in 2 months and you’ll see what I mean ;).

With an ever-growing trend of environmental activism on social media we can easily find ourselves under new pressures to implement changes in our everyday habits to help fight climate change and the plastic crisis. From Meatless Mondays to Mobility Thursdays, we’re in a new era of wokeness like never before. It's overwhelming to say the least!

In some cases, trends like Veganuary have really managed to stick around and even triggered long lasting positive changes. But in most instances, resolutions on better environmental habits tend to fizzle out after being beaten by our fast paced lifestyles which pushes us more and more towards today’s worst enemy: convenience.

Then what’s the solution you might ask? Sit back and do nothing? No, on the contrary, DO something, but do it in a sustainable manner whilst keeping true to yourself and your busy schedule. The point is to focus on small realistic changes. No one needs hundreds of stressed out self-proclaimed Zero Waste queens to give up EVERY piece of plastic in their lives from yesterday to today. What we need are thousands of people implementing small changes in their everyday habits.

Whether it’s as simple as switching to a reusable coffee cup for your on-the-go double shot oat milk Mocha or turning off the water as you lather shampoo into your hair or even switching your drinking water to filtered water; as long as it works around your lifestyle with a little bit of effort, then it’s a habit that will stick … and from one good habit it can multiply and grow into many (sustainable) habits over time.

You might ask “how do I even get started though?”. Well, that’s where we can suggest a little exercise that is super simple and you can even involve your friends and family: The Infamous Home Waste Audit

*queue intimidating music*.

A home waste audit is a great way to find out where most of your plastic waste is coming from and just how much you are generating. Once you have that information in hand it’s up to you to choose one or two items and think on how you can reduce or better yet eliminate it from your household. Think of it like a waste version of Pac-man, just minus the stress inducing ghosts.

So, what do you need to do:

1. Firstly, collect your recycling waste i.e., the grey bags, for at least 2 weeks

2. Once the bags are full, find a clear surface or floor, lay down some newspapers or a dirty sheet and empty the contents of the bags

3. Now it’s time to channel your inner Marie Kondo and start sorting. Split up all the plastic, paper, and metal contents by room in your house e.g., bathroom, kitchen etc.

4. Once you’re ready, just take a step back and marvel at how much plastic we use as individuals in just 2 weeks

5. After getting over the mini shock, start identifying where the most plastic in either volume or quantity is coming from e.g., plastic water bottles tend to be a common one in Malta and Gozo

After you’ve identified your top 3 contenders what’s left to do is to decide yourself or as a household on how you plan to reduce or eliminate this item over the next weeks. And that’s it. Just from this simple exercise you can already begin identifying where your small realistic changes can start from.

We understand all too well how daunting change can be at times. Trust us, owning a small business is constantly keeping us on our toes. At the end of the day human’s work best by constantly challenging ourselves and we’re currently facing the biggest challenge that we’ve ever had to face as a species. Climate change. If we don’t start from somewhere today, then all the New Year resolutions in the world can’t save us.

Now let me get back to that Yoga class #letsdothis