12 May 2026
Spring always feels like a natural moment for a few smol resets. Flinging those windows open to let that fresh air pour in. Feels like a good time for some fresh habits too. But let’s not panic and overhaul everything. It’s more about making a few smarter swaps or finding a couple of clever shortcuts.
This month, we’re talking about saving water in unexpected places, giving odd socks a second life, and taking a closer look at what “natural” really means when it comes to cleaning.
Last week was Water Saving Week (4-8 May), which usually has us taking shorter showers and turning off the tap as we brush our teeth.
But there are much more interesting ways to save water! Small tweaks that don’t feel like effort, but quietly add up over the course of a year.
Here are a few that surprised us:¹
Quirky swap | Litres saved each year |
Water jug in fridge instead of running tap until the water is cold | Up to 10,000 litres |
Reuse freshwater fishtank water for plants | Up to 780 litres |
Wee on your compost heap (it’s a powerful accelerator) | Up to 7,665 litres not flushing the loo! |
Skip 1 ChatGPT answer a day | Up to 180 litres |
No big lifestyle changes. Just small (slightly odd) tweaks to make better use of water you already have.
But it's not just how you use water at home. It’s also the water unnecessarily shipped inside everyday cleaning products.
Switching to concentrates means adding the water at home instead.
smol swap | Shipped water avoided |
7.2 litres per year | |
8.5 litres per year | |
Total from 2 smol swaps² | 17.2 litres per year |
Just a couple of smol swaps. But they quietly reduce the amount of water being transported to your home.
Saving water doesn’t always mean doing more. Sometimes it’s just noticing the unexpected places it shows up.
The washing machine giveth, and the washing machine taketh away. It’s basically a portal to another dimension… one that is probably full of odd socks.
So instead of wondering where they all go, why not put the survivors to good use?
Socks are ideal for dusting because the soft, slightly textured fabric helps trap dust rather than just pushing it around. And because they fit snugly over your hand, you get much better control for getting into awkward gaps.
Slip that lonely sock over your hand and you’ve got an instant duster that’s perfect for tricky spots:
- Between blind slats and shutters
- Cleaning car dashboard vents and awkward interior gaps
- Around taps and mirrors for streak-free polishing
- Over ceiling fans (pull the sock on over the blade then slide it off so the dust stays inside)
- Quick wipe-downs for small spills
Pair it with our Multi Purpose Spray for dusting all around the home or stick with simple warm water for some damp dusting magic.
Sometimes the smartest cleaning tools are already sitting in your laundry pile.
We’re often told to look for “natural” cleaning products. It sounds reassuring. Maybe a bit safer.
But here’s the surprising bit: natural doesn’t automatically mean better, or even very different.
Take “plant-based” surfactants. They’re often promoted as the natural way to clean. But after processing, the final ingredient can be chemically identical to the version made using non-plant sources. Different starting point… same end result.
It’s also worth noting that natural doesn’t always mean lower impact either. Producing a small amount of rose essential oil, for example, can require tens of thousands of rose petals along with the land, water and energy needed to grow and process them.
And some naturally-derived ingredients can still irritate our skin after all that. Essential oils, for example, can be quite potent when concentrated (hence why some are now listed as notifiable allergens… looking at you tea tree oil)!
So the better question we might want to ask ourselves isn’t “is it natural?” it’s whether the product has been designed thoughtfully or not.
Things like…
- Dermatological testing
- Suitable pH levels
- Safe fragrance amounts
- Correct dosing
…often matter far more than whether something started life as a plant or not.
Because when it comes to cleaning, it’s not about natural versus chemicals. Everything is chemistry, it’s just about using the right kind, in the right way.
A bottle worth keeping.
While we’re on the subject of thoughtful design around cleaning formulations… we’ve recently introduced our new 100% recycled aluminium bottles.
Spotted them yet?
Talk about a design showstopper!
They’re made to be refilled again and again (goodbye single-use plastic bottles) and they’ll give your worktops a handsome upgrade at the same time.
They’re durable, endlessly recyclable and built to last. No wonder our customers are falling head over heels for them.
Such a smart swap. And you only need to make it once!
¹ Sources & calculations
Water in fridge: 5 litres running tap for 30 seconds to cool water, 6 x per day. UK tap flow rate 10 litres/minute. (5L × 6 × 365 ≈ 10,950L)
Fish water reuse: 50L freshwater tank with 30% weekly water change. (15L × 52 changes ≈ 780L/year)
Compost heap (ski flush): 7 short flushes/day at 3L per dual-flush toilet. (7 × 3L × 365 ≈ 7,665L/year)
AI response: 0.5L water per 100-word response for data centre cooling. (0.5L × 365 ≈ 182.5L/year)
² Reference
Zero Waste Week (468m spray bottles/year); Office for National Statistics (28m UK households); Astute Analytica (2-3 liquid hand soap bottles/month in developed countries).
Catherine Green, Cleaning Expert
Catherine has been on a mission to revolutionise the way we tackle chores since the dawn of smol and is an advocate for making more sustainable living accessible to all, with a strong focus in cleaning that’s heavy on dirt, lighter on the planet. Catherine has tested hundreds of hacks to make tackling chores easier, safer, and better for the planet and our homes.
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