How to Clean a Wooden Dish Brush
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When the weight of climate news feels too heavy, it helps to turn to small, grounding tasks – the kind that remind us that our small actions are part of the solution. Cleaning your natural dish brushes might seem like a minor chore, but it’s a simple way to take care of tools that help you reduce plastic waste in your home. If you are wondering how to clean a wooden dish brush, read on!
Why Switch to Natural Cleaning Brushes
Switching to natural dish brushes is a small but impactful step toward a more sustainable lifestyle. There are so many good reasons to make this simple, sustainable swap!
- Plastic cleaning brushes are typically coated with harmful chemicals and shed microplastics down the drain, whereas natural brushes are made from materials that are naturally antimicrobial and easy to clean.
- Natural brushes are biodegradable and/or compostable at the end of life, so nothing is sent to landfill.
- They are free of synthetic materials, making them a non-toxic choice for your home and the planet.
- With proper care, they can last for years! Some parts, such as cleaning heads are also replaceable.
- They just look pretty! A sustainable lifestyle isn’t all about the aesthetics, but natural materials are always in style.
My Favourite Natural Cleaning Brushes
You only need a few good cleaning brushes to keep a tidy, sustainable home. When my brushes are looking a little worse for wear in the kitchen, they get demoted to general cleaning brushes, before finally returning to the earth in the backyard compost pile.
These are the brushes I have used in my kitchen for the past few years:
- A sturdy pot scrubber with a bamboo handle and palmyra fibre bristles.
- An “everyday” dish brush with a long, stainless steel handle and a replaceable head. I love this one the from Make Nice Company, made of beechwood and agave leaf fibre bristles. The handle is compatible with most replacement heads.
- A natural bottle brush (with beechwood handle and Tampico fibre bristles) comes in handy for your reusable water bottle and all the jars you started saving for your plastic-free pantry!
- Redecker makes a great collection of cleaning brushes.
TIP: Rinse thoroughly and allow your brushes to dry completely between uses to keep them clean and extend their life. We keep a jar beside the sink for the handled brushes and a small dish for the pot scrubber to rest on.
How to Clean a Wooden Dish Brush
Keeping your dish brushes clean is quick and easy. Here’s how I do it:
- Rinse well: Start by rinsing the brushes under running water to remove any food debris.
- Prepare your cleaning solution: In a shallow dish, sprinkle some baking soda and add few drops dish soap.
- Soak the brushes: Place the brushes bristle-side down into the dish.
- Add vinegar and water: Pour in hot (but not boiling) water until the bristles are submerged. Add a good splash of white vinegar to the solution.
- Let them soak: Allow the brushes to soak for about an hour.
- Rinse thoroughly: After soaking, rinse well under running water all allow them to dry completely in full sun.
With regular cleaning, your brushes stay fresh and ready to tackle another round of dishes for years to come. As I was writing this post, I checked my archives and saw that we have been using the same pot scrubber brush for nearly 4 years!
Small Changes Make a Big Impact
Every plastic brush we have ever used still exists somewhere on the planet (and will for centuries to come), so switching to tools made of natural materials just makes sense. An eco-friendly dish brush might seem like a drop in the ocean, but those drops add up! Every sustainable swap is one less item ending up in a landfill, and that matters.
So next time you’re feeling overwhelmed by *gestures broadly at everything* focus on a tiny, manageable task like this one. It’s a simple way to channel your energy into action and keep moving forward. Besides, those dishes aren’t going to wash themselves!
What’s your favourite sustainable kitchen swap? Let me know in the comments and share your eco-friendly cleaning tips!
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