One easy change to lessen your environmental impact is to purchase concentrates.
While I’ve always known this to be beneficial, I’ve never really dug into the advantages not only to the planet, but also to my pocketbook.
Last week, I ran out of my countertop cleaner in several rooms and pulled out the concentrate. I decided to take some photos, explore the costs, and share the benefits here.
Background
My countertop cleaner of choice right now for the kitchen and bathrooms is Mrs. Meyers. I have a spray bottle of the cleaner in every room where it’s used so that I don’t have to shuttle the cleaners around the house all the time.
The Refill Process
Because I had several bottles to fill, I mixed ½ gallon of the cleaner. The process was simple – Mix 1/8 cup concentrate with ½ gallon of water in a pitcher and then pour into the spray bottles.
For times when I just have one bottle to fill, I have a reminder note on the concentrate bottle to use a ½ tablespoon of concentrate. I put that directly in the spray bottle, add water to fill, and shake.
The Costs
The bottle of concentrate was $8.99 for 32 ounces. Using ½ tablespoon of concentrate to refill a spray bottle, you get 64 refills for the price. That is about 14 cents per refill.
This compares to $4.88 for a new spray bottle. To purchase 64 new bottles of cleaner it would cost $312.
So, going the route of the concentrate, you save just over $300 and keep over 60 disposable plastic bottles out of the ecosystem. You also don’t have to take the time and mindshare to remember you are running out and buy/order refills.
Win. Win. Win.
Your Turn
Do you use concentrates?
What cleaners, soaps, and detergents could be converted from single use to concentrate?
How much time money might you save by switching to concentrate?