The Simplest DIY. Ever.
Confession. I don’t DIY much.
But here’s a simple, quick, and cheap DIY that even I do.
A DIY glass spray bottle!
There’s lots of options for glass spray bottles to buy. But there’s a simpler (and cheaper!) option.
Just reuse a glass bottle!
Apple cider vinegar bottles or glass sparkling water bottles work beautifully!
Don’t have one of those laying around in the fridge? That’s okay! Many glass bottles have the threading to accommodate most spray nozzle tops.
Experiment!
Don't Buy, Reuse
Maybe it seems like a no-brainer to reuse a glass bottle.
But I find my ingrained consumerism tricks me into buying stuff I don’t need.
I thought I needed special glass spray bottles to put my cleaning solutions in. I prowled the internet longer than I should have till I realized (with a facepalm) that I already have what I need.
I think: “I need to buy something!”
But that’s not always true.
Another example is my water bottle.
Ditching plastic water bottles meant finding a glass alternative.
And glass water bottles are expensive! Then it dawned on me, I could just reuse any old glass bottle!
Buying more isn’t always the answer.
In fact, it’s often the last thing to do.
That’s why ‘buying less’ makes My Top Sustainable & Ethical Tips list.
Now for the nozzle:
The universal threading means most nozzles will work on your glass bottle. Try ones you might have around the house and see.
Wash well and reuse; buy nothing if you have that option.
If you don’t, I’d recommend heavy duty chemical resistant sprayer from your local home improvement store.
Glass Spray Bottle, Not Plastic
I like reusing only food grade glass bottles for this DIY glass spray bottle as a precautionary measure. Plastics can contain harmful chemicals like:
- Bisphenol A (BPA)
- Phthalates
- Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
- Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC)
These chemicals can leach from plastic, and are linked to health problems like hormone disruption, infertility, cancer, birth defects, and endocrine disruptors (1, 2, 3, 4). The last thing I want is to spray that all over the house.
Plus, I choose plastic free whenever possible because of the detrimental effects plastic has on the environment and animal life. (5)
Since I so rarely buy any plastic, it’s hard for me to reuse it. Even if I wanted to.
Glass, by default, is what I have to repurpose.
What to fill your awesome DIY glass spray bottle with?
DIY: Cleaning Solution. Just Add Water!
Here’s one more DIY I do: water-free cleaning tabs.
Just pop them in a glass spray bottle full of water and shake!
No measuring stuff.
No essential oil ‘recipes’.
No expensive fancy cleaning products.
And no water-filled products. My favorite!
Again, if you’ve read My Best Sustainable & Ethical Tips than you know I don’t like water-included products.
I hate buying things with water in it. I already have water.
I can add my own. Thanks. <3
These tabs let me add my own water to my awesome glass spray bottle.
Not only does this reduce weight for transportation (thus reducing transportation carbon emissions), it also means I’m not paying for something I already have.
Meliora® All-Purpose Cleaner Tabs
Product Kudos
Origin: Chicago, Illinois. USA.
End of Life: Recyclable/compostable paper packaging.
Ingredients/Packaging: All-Purpose Cleaning Tabs: Vegetable Soap, Glycerin, Water, Organic Coconut Oil.
Packaged in paper box.
Why It’s Awesome:
- 1% For the Planet®, B-Corp®, MADE SAFE®, Woman OwnedTM, and Leaping Bunny® certified!
- Biodegradable, groundwater-safe, and septic-safe.
- Easy. Just drop into a glass spray bottle and add water.
- Plastic-free, palm-oil free, fragrance-free, cruelty-free. The list goes on and on.
- Water-free too!
- Works! The cleaner can cut through grease and grime. And without harsh chemicals.
(6, 9, 11, 12)
Company Kudos
- All products are made on the West Side of Chicago by people paid a living wage.
- Annual sustainability reports made available online with new sustainability goals every year too!
- Eliminated all single-use plastic from product line in 2020.
- Lobbied in support of the cleaning product Right-To-Know Act, that would require cleaning products to list their ingredients on product packaging.
- Through 1% For the Planet® and Women’s Voices For The Earth, Meliora® donates 2% of annual revenues goes to environmental and charitable nonprofits. Also donates to My Black, My Hood, My City, a Chicago-based Black-founded & operated nonprofit.
- Uses a local Chicago-based supplier to source global organic & sustainably grown/produced coconut oil and uses Wisconsin-grown sunflower oil.
(6, 7, 8, 9)
That’s How i Healthy!
-Artemis
- Rustagi, Neeti, et al. “Public Health Impact of Plastics: An Overview.” Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, Sept. 2011, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3299092/
- Sax, Leonard. “Polyethylene Terephthalate May Yield Endocrine Disruptors.” Environmental Health Perspectives, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Apr. 2010, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2854718/
- Grün, Felix, and Bruce Blumberg. “Endocrine Disruptors as Obesogens.” Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 25 May 2009, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2713042/
- Hauser, R, and A M Calafat. “Phthalates and Human Health.” Occupational and Environmental Medicine, BMJ Group, Nov. 2005, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1740925/
- Thompson, Richard C, et al. “Plastics, the Environment and Human Health: Current Consensus and Future Trends.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, The Royal Society, 27 July 2009, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2873021/
- “All-Purpose Home Cleaner.” Meliora Cleaning Products, https://meliorameansbetter.com/products/all-purpose-home-cleaner-tablet.
- “Our Story.” Meliora Cleaning Products, https://meliorameansbetter.com/pages/about-us.
- “Sustainability.” Meliora Cleaning Products, https://meliorameansbetter.com/pages/sustainability.
- Meliora Sustainability Report. Meliora Cleaning Products, 2020, https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0648/0001/files/2020_Meliora_Cleaning_Products_Sustainability_Report.pdf?v=1619023886.
- “Plastic-Free Dish Soap for Hand Washing – Package-Free.” Meliora Cleaning Products, https://meliorameansbetter.com/collections/homecleaning/products/plastic-free-dish-soap.
- Berners-Lee, Mike. How Bad Are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint of Everything. Profile Books, 2010. https://books.google.com/books/about/How_Bad_Are_Bananas.html?id=fCsEvr8lcScC
- “Carbon Pollution from Transportation.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/transportation-air-pollution-and-climate-change/carbon-pollution-transportation
Want More?
Got your DIY glass spray bottle figured out?
Want more easy cleaning DIYs?
Or ready to go water-free in other ways?
These are for you!
