It's a total wipe out.

Hello my dear readers,

I thank you again, if you are returning this week for another fun packed deadly serious blog post about saving the world. Today, I am talking about a plague of the Earth known simply as: The Wet Wipe. That's right people, we are going to be tackling a monster today!!

On a more serious note, concerns have been had over the wet wipe for many years now, however consumers still cling to them. There has been talk of wet wipes being banned in the UK, but this has not happened yet due to public outcry against the idea. Many consumers are up in arms about the possibility of a ban, saying they cannot live without wipes. Well I disagree, where there is a will, there is a way.

What is a wet wipe anyway?

Well if you don't know what a wet wipe is (hey I'm not here to judge) I will explain.

It's basically a wet piece of plastic, folded into a nice little parcel, that is full of lovely chemicals designed for different cleaning purposes. Are you sensing the sarcasm?

So, What's the problem?

There are quite a few, very BIG problems with wet wipes.

1. Due to the chemicals present in some wipes, they can cause skin irritation and allergic reactions. 
2. Some wipes are marked as flushable however when flushed they still cause blockages. When the wipes combine with fats in the sewers they form 'Fat Bergs'. Which is just totally gross and very expensive to clean up.
3. The wet wipes that make it through the sewers get into the rivers and cause problems, again their removal is expensive.
4. Wet wipes that end up in the rivers, oceans and environment degrade and a bi product of this is - yup, you guessed it - Micro-Plastic. I am sure you have heard about micro-plastics, I spoke about them in last weeks post and they are a massive environmental issue.

What can YOU do about it?

Personally, I have hardly ever used wet wipes in my lifetime, I have only used them to remove makeup (the rare occasions that I wore it before going more green) and for cleaning jobs that were awkward to do with a cloth. Some people, however, may use wet wipes on a daily basis.

The first thing you need to do is assess how much you use wet wipes, If like me you hardly ever use them, cutting them out altogether should be fairly straight forward. However, if you use them daily, it is going to be trickier to cut them out. But it is SO important, if you do use wipes all the time, that you consider making a switch. There are always other ways to do the cleaning, without creating this waste for the environment to choke on.

What are the alternatives? 

• Bio-degradable wipes

Bio wipes are not the best option, some 'flushable' wipes of the past have been proven not to be so. A new law in the UK in 2019 came into action restricting the use of advertising wipes as 'flushable' to certain criteria. Only one brand of wipe actually makes the grade so far. Also, just because a product says it is biodegradable, does not mean it contains no plastic. If you have certain jobs that really need wipes, then use them sparingly and find other alternatives for other jobs. But be creative, you can always find a way around using wipes.

• Cloths or flannels along side a cleaning solution

Using soft cloths and flannels is a great way of cutting out wet wipes. If it is a job that does not need to be antibacterial, simply use water. I use cloth makeup wipes with water and soap to take my makeup off. However, this may not be the best thing for your skin, there are many recipes out there for home made natural cleaning solutions that iihave yet to try but these could be made up and carried around with you.

One of the most common uses for wet wipes, is cleaning the toilet! Just go back to using a cloth and spray, and it cuts out all that waste. 

Another major use for wipes is of course, for babies. Babies get messy wherever you go, and wet wipes are very convenient. If you can't go without them, go for some bio-degradable ones at least. Another way is to use a spray on tissue paper making your own wet wipe without the plastic. And finally, the greenest way, is to use pre-wet cloths in a water proof bag, or taking the clothes dry and using a spray on them. There might be some concern with bacteria, so the best thing to do would be to use a specific spray that is antibacterial to wet the cloth and not to leave it in there more than a day. There are now reusable baby wipes on the market you can buy, or, something my cousin told me she did, cut up old flannel like pyjamas and use those as wipes! There are many options out there other than wet wipes.

If you can't cut wipes out of your life completely, even reducing them as much as you can is enough. We are all working towards a greener way of living, take it one step at a time and you will get there.

Thank you kindly for reading :) 

Beautiful yellow flowers photographed using my film camera.