Getting your home clean is a non-negotiable (we hope!) bit of life admin, but have you ever wondered what happens to the products you use once they’re washed down the drain? Between scrubbing the loo and wiping down the benchtops to doing the laundry and getting the dishes done, a lot goes into it. That also means you probably have a cupboard full of products with a whole host of different ingredients. 

Some of those ingredients can be harsher than others, with long-term impacts on our water table and all the creatures that live in our rivers and oceans. The good news? You can actually get some fantastic substitutes that get things just as sparkling clean, all without impacting our environment. 

How Chemicals Reach Australian Oceans

We’ll get to the impact shortly, but in case you’re unfamiliar, we’ll cover how waste water gets from your house back out into the world. Here in Australia, there are two ways water can make its journey. The first is your wastewater systems (that’s the water that goes down your drain) and the second is a stormwater drain. 

When you do laundry, have a shower, or clean the dishes, the water will gurgle down the pipes of your home before making it to a water treatment facility. That’s where it’ll get filtered and treated, but not all of the chemicals that go down the drain can be removed easily before they end up in the rivers or ocean. 

Stormwater drains are even more direct. If you’re cleaning your car or are water-blasting your drive with cleaning chemicals, the run-off will go into an outdoor drain. From there, the water goes straight into waterways without any treatment at all. 

The Impact of Household Cleaning Products on Marine Ecosystems

For most of us, the things that get washed down the sink (or the toilet) will end up far beyond our homes and usually end up in wastewater systems. From there, they’ll reach rivers, coastlines, and marine ecosystems. We’ve got some incredibly stunning beaches and a whole lot of life living under the waves, and doing our bit to protect it is as easy as making a few swaps and avoiding a few key ingredients. 

While the water that gurgles down the drain does get processed, there are a few chemicals that can’t be fully removed during wastewater treatment. These include things like phosphates and triclosan. If you’re not familiar with them, here’s a little run down of the impact they can have: 

Phosphates are often used in detergents like dishwashing and laundry soaps to break down dirt and oil. When they get into the waterways, they can contribute to algal blooms that deplete oxygen levels in water, which can then suffocate marine life. Triclosan is a common antibacterial agent found in things like hand soap and laundry sanitiser. It can also affect algae growth and marine microorganisms that form the base of the food chain, which has a major knock-on effect to all other marine life. 

While small amounts of these ingredients are found in household products, the more people use them, the more they can build up and accumulate over time. Reducing or removing these chemicals from your daily routines can make that little extra difference in reducing how much ends up in the rivers and oceans. 

The Effects on Marine Life and Coastal Wildlife

We’ve mentioned the effect that some of the most common chemicals can have on things like algae, but there are even more implications for bigger organisms. Harsh chemicals like ammonia and bleach can be toxic to fish and aquatic organisms, even in small doses. Due to how caustic they are, they can damage their gills and disrupt their reproduction cycles. 

On a similar vein, phthalates and parabens act as endocrine disruptors, which can result in abnormal hormone function for fish and sea life, having a knock-on effect on their growth and reproduction. When seabirds and bigger aquatic mammals consume those smaller fish, the chemicals continue to travel up the food chain, having a lasting impact on our environment and all the animals living in it. 

The Role of Biodegradable Ingredients and Reusable Packaging

The good news is, it isn’t all doom and gloom and avoiding the damaging ingredients in cleaning products is easier than you might expect! Look for cleaning products that are greywater safe (hint: anything made by the team at Skipper will fall under this classification). These products are not only better for the environment, but they’re also better for you and your skin too. Biodegradable ingredients are essential for reducing long-term environmental impact, as they degrade into non-toxic components, keeping our rivers running clear and the creatures living in them feeling their best. 

Opting for biodegradable products from your body and face wash to your toilet cleaner is particularly important for protecting the water table. Water is one of our most precious resources and the water table refers to the underground layer of water that supplies our drinking water, as well as supports ecosystems. 

Finally, opting for products that are refillable not only reduces the amount of plastic waste that can end up in landfills, but also saves you some money too. Here at Skipper, we’re all about preventing plastic from even getting into the environment in the first place. That’s why all of our starter kits come with tins and bottles that can be refilled for life, saving our watery environments one household at a time. 

Ready to Reduce Ocean Pollution at Home?

You can’t change everything on your own, but you can control your cleaning routines which have a huge impact over the span of a lifetime. Whether you introduce new cleaning products that are safer for our oceans one at a time, or want a complete overhaul, we’re here to help. 

Giving you options that are free from parabens, phosphates, ammonia, VOCs, bleach, triclosan, and phthalates is a strong starting point. On top of that not only are our ingredients gentle on your skin and marine life, but they’re also tough on dirt. No sacrifice to be made here, just an easy swap for a cleaner planet.