These eco-friendly cleaning products helped me cut down on plastic waste

I suffer from eczema, so a good pair of rubber gloves is an essential piece of cleaning kit for me, as exposure to hot water and cleaning products dries out my skin. Having experimented with different gloves at various price points, I’m not averse to paying more for gloves if they protect my hands, keep them at a comfortable temperature, and have a nice texture.

At £4 per pair if you buy a pack of three (£12, Amazon.co.uk), these gloves are fairly affordable and feel lovely. Sometimes, the texture and smell of a rubber glove can cause me to cringe but these are super flexible and easy to put on. They have a soft cotton flock lining, which felt smooth next to the sensitive skin on my hands. I tried the medium size, but they also come in small and large.

What impressed me most with these gloves was the grip. Some rubber gloves are so thick, you can’t feel what you’re washing up, which may cause you to drop things. However, with this Seep pair, I had full hand and finger control. Plus, as the texture was so nice, it motivated me to use them more often.

I’ve also noticed the skin on my hands is a lot less red than usual. Eczema flare-ups depend on a variety of factors, but I do feel like these gloves have worked well at protecting my skin.

Bin liners might not be the most exciting item in your shopping basket, but they are essential. These bags from Seep felt reassuringly thick, however, as I overfilled one during initial testing, the bag ripped as I tried to lift it out of the bin. With a 30l capacity, the bags are capable of taking a lot of rubbish, so I assumed I could fill it to the top and it would hold up. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

As long as I only filled up my bin to three quarters, these bags fared up very well. Admittedly, this means I got through them faster than typical black bin bags, but as the Seep bags are biodegradable, I’d rather do this than contribute further to the problem of plastic build-up in landfill sites.

On one side of this Seep sponge is a more abrasive surface (equivalent to the scouring side on standard yellow-and-green sponges) made from pure loofah plants. The other side is made from wood pulp cellulose sponge, for gentle scrubbing on smooth surfaces.

As I wear rubber gloves, I couldn’t feel the texture of the sponge while washing up but I could see it was effective at tackling tough messes. We’re talking baked beans dried onto the bottom of a saucepan, Weetabix that had taken on the consistency of cement, and the remnants of a smoothie my husband had left in the Nutribullet cup.

Even better, the sponge is machine washable, so you can keep it fresh for longer. I can’t imagine going back to a yellow-and-green sponge ever again.

I usually buy a packet of cloths that costs around £1.99 for 10, so I hoped Seep’s alternative would be strong and long-lasting, to justify the fact it costs much more.

The first thing I noted was the lovely thick material, and I found this really helped with the cleaning process. For example, when I was clearing up spilled milk, this cloth was able to absorb all of the excess moisture.

Seep’s cloths are also made from bamboo and are really durable. I used one for three days in a row, washed it at 30C, then started using it again. I’d probably only get a maxium of 48 hours’ use from my regular cleaning cloths before they ripped and I’d have to throw them away.

Overall, I think the durability, along with the fact I know I’m making a better choice for the environment, justifies paying more than £3 per cloth.