Putzen, spülen, waschen: So geht’s günstig, sauber und nachhaltig | Ökochecker SWR

Hygiene, cleanliness, a pleasant scent, and yet as few environmentally harmful chemicals as possible in the household: Cleaning products, dish soap, and laundry detergent put to the eco-check. 00:00 Intro 01:35 DIY Eco-Cleaning Products: Making Your Own Cleaners 04:48 Are Conventional Cleaners Better? 13:50 Dishwashing – Eco vs. Regular Tablets 15:50 Plastic Brush, Steel Wool, or Natural Sponge? 19:07 Dishwashing: The Eco-Check! 29:32 How Much Laundry Detergent Do We Need? 31:00 Eco-Soap from the Soap Tree? 33:40 Powder, Soap Nuts, and Washing Eggs: The Review! 40:15 Eco-Friendly Washing! 43:50 Conclusion Note: This extended EcoChecker episode is a summary of the episodes "How eco-friendly are eco-cleaning products? And which products and cloths clean sustainably?", "Dishwashing tablets, powder, or liquid detergent – ​​by hand or in the machine?", and "Washing nuts, washing eggs, washing powder: Which detergent cleans well and sustainably?" CLEANING PRODUCTS: BUY OR MAKE YOURSELF? Supermarket shelves are full of cleaning products. But do you really need all these different cleaners? If you want to save yourself a trip to the supermarket and do something good for the environment at the same time, homemade cleaning products are a good option. It's easier and faster than you might think and saves a lot of money. When making your own, the rule of thumb is: acidic solutions help against limescale, and alkaline solutions are particularly good at dissolving grease. To make an all-purpose cleaner, you only need washing soda and water. Citric acid effectively removes limescale. Our tests of purchased products show that conventional and eco-friendly options clean equally well. However, conventional detergents often contain high levels of fragrances and preservatives, which, due to their poor biodegradability, are particularly harmful to our water and the environment. WASHING UP – WHAT'S BETTER: BY HAND OR IN THE DISHWASHER? Wanting clean dishes means polluting water and consuming energy and resources. Washing up always puts a strain on the environment. Environmentally friendly and sustainable dishwashing means washing less often – only when there's a large amount of dishes. In this case, the dishwasher is clearly the better option. Using water and detergent as sparingly is hardly possible when washing by hand. When it comes to the question of "powder or tablet?", the answer is clearly powder, which is easier to measure. The less detergent you use and the more precisely you measure it, the better. The good news is that wastewater treatment plants remove most of the ingredients in dishwasher detergents. Benzotriazole (BTA) is an exception. It is used as a corrosion inhibitor and is intended to protect silverware. Environmentally friendly dishwasher detergents without benzotriazole can be identified by the "Blue Angel" or the EU Ecolabel. These labels prohibit environmentally harmful substances. Further links • Consumer Advice Center (2022): Environmentally friendly cleaning products: Four products are sufficient for household cleaning. https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/wi... • Ökotest (2020): All-purpose cleaners put to the test: How good are Sagrotan, Frosch & Co.? https://www.oekotest.de/bauen-wohnen/... • Stamminger (2006): Data and facts on washing dishes by hand and in the dishwasher. See: https://www.forum-waschen.de/files/co... • Ökotest (2018): Dishwashing liquids tested: Only one product is recommended. See: https://www.oekotest.de/bauen-wohnen/... • German Federal Environment Agency (2021): Environmentally conscious washing and cleaning - reduce environmental impact. See: Washing and cleaning products | German Federal Environment Agency • Stiftung Warentest (2019): Soap nuts and washing chestnuts tested. See: Soap nuts and washing chestnuts tested: Gray laundry – no ecological benefit | Stiftung Warentest Credits Authors: Sandra Klösges, Babette Urban Presenters: Tobias Koch, Maral Bazargani, Anne Chebu Editorial Management: Kathrin Gatzemeier, Sarah Weihsweiler Editorial Team (SWR): Katharina Voigt, Cordelia Marsch Image Source: SWR Legal Notice, Netiquette, and More ► Subscribe to the Marktcheck channel: http://x.swr.de/s/13x1 ► Instagram @oekochecker:   / oekochecker   Ökochecker is produced by SWR ► https://www.swr.de/impressum ► Comments are welcome – but please observe our netiquette: http://www.swr.de/netiquette #oekochecker #sustainability #cleaning