What Is A Luffa

Phew, the kids have finally gone back to school. After weeks of shoes in the hallway, snack requests on repeat and a washing basket that never seemed to empty, there’s finally a little more peace in the house. To help us move out of the chaos and back into something resembling a routine, we asked Seep’s Head of Product, Kirstie, to share her realistic back-to-school cleaning and home organisation checklist. Kirstie takes the start of a new routine as an opportunity to declutter and reset, by primarily focusing on everyday products and tools she uses around her home.  ☐ Clear out the snack cupboard After a summer of picnics, day trips and hungry children appearing every 20 minutes, the snack cupboard may need attention. Kirstie suggests: Bring older food to the front Group similar items together Dispose of any expired products Make a note of what you need and don't need for your next food shop You’ll find things more easily, buy fewer duplicates and avoid discovering four open packets of crackers in November. ☐ Create a small school station Choose one place for the things that otherwise disappear when you really need them - school letters, keys, PE kits, water bottles and permission slips. It doesn’t need to be Pinterest-perfect. A basket, a few hooks and a visible weekly planner can make school mornings much smoother. Most importantly, make sure everyone knows where things belong. Home organisation only works when the rest of the household is in on the plan. ☐ Sort the bathroom cupboard Kirstie recommends starting by taking everything out and giving the shelves a wipe, then: Group everyday products together Move duplicates to the back or to a dedicated restock place Dispose of any empty, expired or no longer used products Old towels can be repurposed as cleaning cloths before being recycled appropriately, while empty packaging should be separated according to your local recycling guidance. ☐ Face the holiday washing Beach towels, summer bedding and sports kits... now is the time. Rather than attempting one enormous laundry marathon, Kirstie suggests: Sort everything into smaller loads and work through them over a few days Wash reusable cleaning cloths and tea towels at the same time Give the laundry basket itself a quick clean at the end If something is clean enough to wear again, put it away. Less washing means less water, less energy and less time spent sorting socks. ☐ Reset your cleaning cupboard This is often a place that gets forgotten or under-appreciated, but it's also a department Kirstie knows a lot about. This is what she'd do: Wash reusable cloths and sponges Compost any worn-out compostable sponges Replace tools that are no longer doing their job Keep the essentials easy to reach so that quick daily cleaning feels manageable. Choosing durable, plastic-free cleaning tools can also help reduce unnecessary plastic waste and microplastics in your home. A calmer home, one tick at a time Getting back into a routine doesn’t mean creating an immaculate home or completing every job in a single day. As Kirstie puts it: “I’m a big believer in doing one small thing that makes tomorrow easier. A clear kitchen worktop, an empty laundry basket or knowing where the PE kit is can make the whole week feel calmer.” So, pick one box and tick it off. Then make a cup of tea and enjoy the peace... at least until school pick-up.

Plastic is everywhere. In our food packaging, water bottles, clothes, cosmetics, children’s toys and even the sponge sitting by the kitchen sink. We already know what plastic waste does to the planet, but there’s another side to the story that’s much harder to see: the chemicals used to make plastic flexible, durable, colourful or water-resistant. Some of these are known as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). They can interfere with the hormones that help regulate everything, from growth and metabolism to fertility and reproduction. Research has linked exposure to some EDCs with reproductive, developmental and metabolic health problems, although scientists are still working to understand the effects of different chemicals, doses and combinations. That's worrying, but this isn’t about panicking, emptying every cupboard or throwing away everything plastic overnight. It’s about knowing where exposure can happen and making a few sensible swaps when something needs replacing. What are endocrine-disrupting chemicals? Our hormones act as tiny chemical messengers, helping to control many of the body’s essential processes. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals can mimic, block or alter those signals. Two of the best-known groups found in everyday plastics are: Bisphenols, including BPA, which have been used to make hard plastics and epoxy resins, including the linings of some food and drink cans. Phthalates, which are used to make plastics softer and more flexible and can also be found in some fragrances, cosmetics and household products. The tricky bit is that these chemicals aren’t always firmly bound to the material. Over time, they can migrate out of packaging and other products, entering food, household dust or the air around us. We may then be exposed by eating, breathing or through skin contact. And a “BPA-free” label doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story. BPA may be replaced with related chemicals such as BPS or BPF, which are also being studied for possible hormone-disrupting effects. Where might you find them at home? EDCs aren’t limited to one type of plastic or one room. Common sources include: Plastic food containers and drinks bottles The linings of some tins and cans Cling film and other flexible food packaging Takeaway cups and lids Scented cosmetics, air fresheners and fragranced household products PVC items and some synthetic furnishings Thermal paper receipts Household dust, where chemicals released from products can settle This doesn’t mean every plastic product poses the same risk, or that occasional contact will make you ill. Exposure depends on the chemical, the amount, the way an item is used and how often you come into contact with it. Does heat make a difference? Yes. Heat, wear and prolonged contact can increase the movement of chemicals from some plastics into food or drink. That’s why one of the simplest changes is to avoid heating food in plastic, even if the container is labelled microwave-safe. Seven easy ways to reduce your exposure You don’t need a dramatic “plastic detox”. Start with the changes that are easiest and most relevant to your household. 1. Don’t heat food in plastic Use glass, ceramic or another heat-safe non-plastic container in the microwave and avoid pouring boiling liquids into plastic unless the product is specifically designed for that use. 2. Store hot and fatty foods carefully Heat can increase chemical migration, while fatty foods may absorb some plastic-associated chemicals more readily. Let food cool before putting it into plastic, or choose glass or stainless steel storage. 3. Choose loose or simply packaged food when practical You don’t have to eliminate packaged food. But choosing loose fruit and veg, glass jars or less heavily processed options can reduce the amount of plastic your food touches. 4. Decant cupboard staples Rice, pasta, oats and other dry goods can be transferred into glass jars or stainless steel containers, particularly if they’ll be stored for a long time. Reuse what you already own before buying a matching pantry worthy of social media. 5. Be fragrance-aware Some phthalates are used in fragranced products and may be hidden under the general term “parfum” or “fragrance”. You don’t need to give up every scent you love, but choosing fragrance-free options for products you use frequently can reduce one source of exposure. 6. Say no to receipts you don’t need Thermal paper may contain bisphenols. Choose a digital receipt when offered and wash your hands before preparing food after handling lots of receipts. 7. Keep dust under control Regular vacuuming, damp dusting and opening windows can help remove dust where chemicals from household products may accumulate. Glamorous? No. Useful? Yes. Don’t bin everything plastic today Replacing perfectly usable belongings all at once creates more waste and more expense. A more realistic approach is to swap things gradually, prioritising plastics that come into contact with hot food and drink, items that are worn or damaged, and products you use every day. Small changes repeated across a household can make a meaningful difference without turning life upside down. Start with the sink. One of the easiest places to begin is with the cleaning tools you replace regularly. Many conventional sponges, scourers and cloths are made from plastic. As they wear down, they can shed microplastics into your washing-up water and eventually into our waterways and food chain. At Seep, we make high-performing cleaning tools from natural and renewable materials, without the hidden plastic. Explore Seep’s plastic-free cleaning tools Sources: The Times: The hidden chemicals in everyday plastic — and how to avoid them World Health Organization: Endocrine-disrupting chemicals and child health National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: Endocrine disruptors Endocrine Society: Plastics, EDCs and health

Every September, I convince myself that this will be the year I’m organised. The uniforms will be ordered early, the shoes will fit, everyone will know where their calculator is. The cupboards will be stocked, the washing finished and I’ll return to the office refreshed, focused and completely on top of things. It's never happened. Back-to-school season isn’t one task. It’s about 47 small tasks that need doing at exactly the same time, usually while you’re still surrounded by half-unpacked suitcases and wondering how every plant in the house managed to die while you were away. There are uniforms to check, which involves persuading the kids to try on clothes when neither of you can remember what fitted at the end of last term. I inevitably miss the secondhand uniform sale, find out something essential is out of stock and end up pre-ordering a jumper that may or may not arrive before Christmas. Then come the shoes. An in-store experience that feels less like shopping and more like crowd control. Are they the right size? Is there enough growing room? Will they actually be worn, or declared deeply embarrassing within a week? Next, we begin the annual hunt for the missing stationery. Calculators disappear, pencil cases mysteriously empty themselves, school bags that looked perfectly fine in July are suddenly deemed unusable. Old exercise books and folders are still lurking around the house, although nobody is quite sure which can be recycled, which must be kept and which apparently contain “really important stuff”. Meanwhile, I’m attempting to restore some order at home. The holiday washing has turned into its own mountain range. Summer items need putting away, the Tupperware cupboard has descended into complete anarchy, there are twelve lids and somehow none of them fit the three remaining containers. I’ll do a food shop, forget what we already have and double-order half the kitchen. We’ll then have six cans of tomatoes but nothing anyone can actually take to school or work for lunch. And then the WhatsApp messages begin. School groups, year groups, sports groups, clubs, classes, sign-up forms, payment reminders, dates for the diary. Dates that have changed since the last message. One notification leads to another until I’ve opened 14 conversations and can’t remember what I was originally trying to find. This year I even nearly missed the netball sign-up, which would have been particularly embarrassing because I’m the organiser! There’s also the health and life admin I’ve conveniently ignored all summer. Haircuts need booking, dentist appointments need arranging. Everything that felt like it could wait in July suddenly becomes urgent in September. At the same time, I’m trying to switch my founder brain back on and catch up on work. While I’ve been thinking about school timetables, work hasn’t exactly been quiet. On one particularly chaotic day, ten event enquiries landed in my inbox. There are meetings to organise, opportunities to assess and an investor-and-founder event in Leeds that I’ve mentally flagged but haven’t yet worked out how to fit into the diary. Running a business and raising a family often means moving between completely different worlds within minutes. One moment I’m thinking about Seep’s next stage of growth, the next I’m trying to work out who has taken the only working black pen in the house. My own routines have fallen away too. Exercise has slipped, meals have become more improvised. I keep telling myself I’ll get back into a rhythm once everything else is sorted, but perhaps that’s the trap - nothing is ever completely sorted. There will always be another form, another meeting, another load of washing or another cupboard that could do with a clear-out. September has a funny talent for making us feel as though everyone else has returned from summer beautifully organised while we’re the only ones scrabbling around for a PE kit. I’m fairly sure that isn’t true. So this year, I’m trying to resist the urge to fix everything in one heroic burst. I’m tackling one pile, one email and one sign-up form at a time. The dead plants may have to wait a little longer. If you’re also limping rather than gliding into the new term, you’re in very good company!