Switch to cleaning concentrates and refills
Ready-made sprays are mostly water in single-use plastic. Concentrated drops, tablets or refill pouches let you reuse one bottle for years — cutting plastic, shipping emissions and cost in one swap.
Pick up almost any spray cleaner and you’re mostly buying water — typically more than 90% of the bottle — plus a brand-new plastic trigger-spray to hold it and a lorry to haul all that weight to the shop. It’s a strange thing to pay for and ship around the country, when your tap supplies the water for free. Cleaning concentrates and refills fix the absurdity: the active ingredients arrive as a small tablet, a few drops of concentrate, or a light pouch, and you add the water at home.
The plastic saving is the obvious one — keep a single sturdy bottle in service for years instead of buying and binning a new one every time it empties. But there’s a real carbon angle too. Shipping a feather-light tablet instead of a kilo of bottled water means dramatically less freight for the same number of cleans, and it usually costs you less per bottle into the bargain.
The honest caveat is to read the packaging on the refill itself. Some “refill” systems just shift the plastic from a big bottle to a chunky cartridge, which barely helps — look for tablets or concentrates in paper or minimal packaging for the genuine win. And remember the cheapest, lowest-waste option of all is often just a bit of diluted soap or vinegar in that same reused bottle. Save the concentrates for the cleaners you truly prefer to buy ready-made, and let one good bottle serve you for years.
How to do it
- Keep one or two sturdy trigger-spray bottles you already own, or buy a refillable starter kit once (brands like Everdrop, Klaeny, Ecover refills or Frosch concentrates are widely sold in Germany).
- Pick your format: a dissolvable tablet, a few drops of concentrate, or a refill pouch — whichever your local shop or favourite brand offers.
- Fill the bottle with tap water as directed, drop in the tablet or concentrate, and let it dissolve — you've made a full bottle of cleaner in under a minute.
- Label each bottle (glass, bathroom, all-purpose) so the right concentrate goes in the right one and nobody guesses.
- When it runs low, refill the same bottle again. Reorder just the tablets or pouches, which post flat and light, instead of a whole new bottle.
- Buy refill tablets in bulk or as a subscription to cut the per-use cost and the number of deliveries.
Pro tips & pitfalls
- Watch the small print: a refill is only a real win if the concentrate itself comes with minimal packaging — a paper sachet of tablets beats a chunky plastic refill cartridge.
- Even cheaper and lower-waste: many simple jobs need only DIY basics like diluted soap or vinegar — keep concentrates for the cleaners you genuinely prefer ready-made.
- Make sure your reused bottle is fully empty and rinsed before refilling with a different product, so cleaners don't react or cloud.
What it's good for
Good for the planet
- Beats plastic One bottle refilled for years replaces a steady stream of new trigger-sprays — a typical household gets through several plastic cleaner bottles a year.
- Cuts CO₂ Ready-made sprays are 90%-plus water; shipping a lightweight tablet instead of bottled water means far fewer lorries and far less freight per clean.
- Cuts waste Slashes the volume of empty plastic bottles in your recycling, replacing them with small, lightweight refills in minimal packaging.
Good for you
- Saves money Concentrates and refill tabs usually work out cheaper per bottle than buying ready-mixed sprays, often saving €20–40 a year across your cleaning cupboard.
Find your next hack
Browse more home hacks, or jump to another part of your life.
More home hacks All categories