It wasn't until I crewed on a yacht that I really noticed my direct impact on the environment I live in.
I was hostess & 2nd mate on a brand spanking new privately-owned 56ft Lagoon catamaran between the Bahamas and the US. The only cleaning practice I had was cleaning rental properties I temporary called home, never ever any commercial experience. Apart from the detail and frequency of cleaning; all the interior is made from expensive and delicate materials.
“If you accidentally get this window cleaning chemical on the bathroom teak, it will cost US$2000 to replace.” The hostess who trained me was very patient and clarified the importance of knowing what chemicals could be used where. With eyes wide open, I frantically took notes on the do’s and don’t of cleaning and the products. 'Flipping a boat' as it’s called, is a riggorous process that a hostess must do on the departure of guests leaving. We leave nothing untouched, we dis-infect everything, and we find every speck of dust and fingerprint before the next group arrives.
On a boat YOUR impact is immediate. You use a chemical to clean something and it gets washed off with freshwater straight into the sea. No drain, no filter, no-one monitoring. With a marine biology background, I know how sensitive our ocean ecosystems are and in particularly coral reefs to anthropogenic influences. This includes cleaning chemicals. Initially I was horrified by what was going down our drain, but it wasn’t just my boat that put chemicals into the ocean, it was every other boat in the sea too!
Without getting too worked up about it, I decided to start locally. A friend in the yachting industry recommended that I use doTTERA On Guard Cleaner Concentrate. It is a fully natural product containing a blend of orange, clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary essential oils.
This powerful plant-based blend is a non-toxic and biodegradable way to clean. It’s safe for those in your house and for the environment too! With it’s multi-purpose capabilities, it ideal to clean hard surfaces in the kitchen, bathroom and even tough stains without sacrificing ANY efficiency.
I found it got rid of shower grime, stains on the bathroom gel-cot (night-mare) and galley surfaces better than the regular chemical-heavy products. Even though I was slightly hesitant of its efficiency at the beginning, it didn’t take long until it replaced my once 20 different chemical products that were initially used.
In my cleaning cupboard to clean the entire interior of the yacht, which includes a diverse range of surfaces; 2 spray bottles & 1 bottle of doTERRA:
Multi-purpose for the galley, cabins and saloon with lavender essential oil for scent,
Bathroom disinfectant with vodka and tea tree essential oil,
doTERRA concentrate for direct application for tough stains.
Directions:
Using a 500 ml (or 16 oz) spray bottle
Multi-purpose spray
Mix 1.5 tbsp of concentrate
Additional: 10 drops of tea tree, lavender or another essential oil for a preferred scent.
Bathrooms with disinfectant
Mix 2 tbsp of concentrate
1/2 cup Vodka (inexpensive) AND / OR 30 X drops of tea tree oil
Additional: 10 drops of tea tree, lavender or another essential oil for a preferred scent.
Dishes
Mix 1.5 tbsp of concentrate per 2 L (1/2 gallon) of water.
Tough stains
Apply concentrate onto designated area directly and let it soak. Wipe off and repeat if needed.
I hope this information can help you with cleaning your house or turning the yacht you crew on “green”. It’s better for the environment, it’s kinder on your home and its more gentle on you.
**This post is a NON-sponsored product review. These are my honest opinions and experiences. I share these stories to help others make wiser house-hold product choices and to help the ocean.