Biome Lifestyle Blog: Eco Design, Ethical Fashion and Green News

Dare I say it but winter seems to finally over! Hurrah! Now it’s time to give your home a new lease of life. Below are 5 top spring cleaning tips to help you declutter and revitalise your life and home.

1. Break it down, stage by stage. Sometimes I rush into things like a bull in a china shop! This approach with a spring clean will just leave you feeling overwhelmed and more likely to give in! So set yourself a room a day/weekend/week then start with one cupboard or area at a time. Be realistic and be thorough that way you are sure to do a proper job!
2. Recycle. Anything you come across which you feel you don’t use anymore or will never wear again, then either donate to a local charity shop or even sell larger items on Gumtree. There is also a fantastic website called freecycle whereby your rubbish could be gladly bagged by someone else as their treasure. Warning: Be careful when donating clothes to door-to-door charity schemes! I foolishly donated one large bag of clothing to a scheme, only to later find out it was a scam company! Very annoying! Always check for the registered charity number and if you are still sceptical then google the charity name and check it out online first.
3. The dreaded job: Clean your oven! After a winter of cooking roasts and casseroles, the inside of your oven is probably crying out for a scrub! Mix some bicarbonate of soda into a thick paste, then spread it inside your oven – and leave for a few hours or overnight. Then you simply wipe it away with a damp sponge. No chemical cleaners required!
4. Pack away your woolens: After living in your cosy woolly jumpers all winter, it’s now time to bid them farewell and store them away for the summer months. Always handwash your clothes before storing away as moths love to feed on the proteins in wool – and they especially love the food and skin particles we leave behind on our clothes. Store clothes in cotton, breathable bags then place on top of your cupboards or away into baskets.
5. Clean your windows: Now the sun is starting to shine, let it pour through clean, sparkly windows. To make a natural window cleaner, just mix together 2 tsp. vinegar with 1 qt. warm water. Apply to a sponge, wash over the whole window then rub dry with newspaper to avoid streaking. Voila!

Here’s proof that recycled glass can be really beautiful. Biome Lifestyle is delighted to announce that their new glass tableware, is made exclusively from recycled drinks bottles in Swaziland and is now available for sale online.

Africa’s only craft glassblowing workshop was first established in 1979, thanks to aid from Sweden. After a period of dormancy in the 80s it was reborn in 1987, and now employs more than 60 people, in one of the world’s poorest countries.

The great thing about our new glassware is that it fits all Biome’s cherished values. First, it looks great. The pictures on our site can’t really put over the subtle elegance of the glasses. But try one in your hand, preferably with your favourite vintage, and you’ll see what we mean. This is a quality product. We love it, and that’s not just the wine talking!

Secondly it’s recycling at its absolute best, turning a waste material into great household products.

Thirdly, there’s the use of a demanding craft skill. Glassblowing is hard!

And finally, it’s from a thoroughly worthwhile enterprise. There are lots of families in Swaziland who make their livelihoods from the glass workshop. There are wildlife conservation projects funded by the supplier too. And there are African craftsmen keeping the skills of glassblowing alive in the heart of Africa.

They are first class products, with a first class story behind them.

Cheers!

This year why not spoil your mum with a special ethical gift she won’t find on the high street. We have handpicked a selection of our top Mother’s Day gifts, all have a unique and interesting story.

For the coffee lover…

For the comfort lover …

For something sentimental…

For the house proud mum…

For a mum in need of pampering…

For the social entertainer…

I love Ascension (previously Adili). However I very sadly read yesterday that the ethical clothing e-tailer was sold, for a mere £1!!

The store reports that sales were growing at 20% but sadly this was not inline with the growth of mounting bills… In February, Ascension was forced to suspend trading in its shares, “pending clarification of its financial position”.

The good news is the fantastic store has been bought by the successful entrepreneur Luke Heron, who I do hope will now take the company from strength to strength.

I thought their website was stylish, easy to use and they always had something lovely to choose from their ethical clothing range. I even just visited their great new store on St. Christopher’s Place in London. Although I did restrain from buying, I was very tempted to buy MORE than a few items…

I digress…

So what does this mean for ethical clothing? The Guardian states that the sale displays “the challenges facing the ethical clothing industry”. However, succesful and established designers such as Stella McCartney and Katherine Hamnett appear to counteract this statement. Both designers are often at the forefront of fashion, yet their ethical stance continues to be at the forefront of their business too. Perhaps then, it is the smaller, lesser known ethical brands which will struggle in the forthcoming years due to the recession and lack of experience and funding behind them (pre-recession). I certainly do hope that isn’t the case.

Being a small ethical business ourselves, I always grow nervous when I read about ‘bigger boys’ such as Ascension being forced to sell… However, we have made it this far through the recession and aim to grow again this year too so I think the saying has to be “keep calm and carry on”!