Ten eco friendly tips about staying green afloat

Living on a boat can be a very eco friendly way of life, keeping you floating footprint to a minimum! Canal liveaboards Donna, Mark and Inky have some suggestions about staying green afloat.

1. Hot Water Bottles.
   You will feel chilly or need comforting and there’s nothing like the proximity to soul-warming heat that a hot water bottle allows.
   Get an old fashioned one – not one that goes in the microwave as this only complicates matters and you are more likely to be without 240v than gas.
2. Cheap toilet roll
   … is better for a boat’s bottom we are advised.
   ‘Marine’ toilet roll is an option but gosh, tis expensive.
3. A collapsible spade
   … could just dig your way out of a desperate situation if there is a situation with the toilet.
   Mark hunted high and low eventually finding one for £9.99 in Robert Dyas.
4. Eco -Friendly cleaning products
   … are better for you and the watery environment you live on. Ecover and Bio D make great washing up liquid and why not make your own multi-purpose cleaner for galley and shower room?
   We use Raleigh Briggs’ book ‘Make Your Place, Affordable, Sustainable Nesting Skills’ for it’s non-toxic recipes and DIY approach to your life.
5. A fold up bike.
   Space-saving wheels are very handy for when you need to wheel yourself somewhere and so much more stylish than a shopping trolley.
6. Clothes Dryers.
   I would love an old fashioned wooden clothes horse like Nan’s but haven’t found one yet so utilise a metal collapsible one and a natty device which perches on the window frame to catch the outside breeze.
   Trees are a natural alternative of course and quite a boating tradition I understand.
   If you like your laundry to have the Hanging Gardens of Babylon effect Brian recommends attaching hooks either end of your living space in the boat and hitching up a line. Sort of all-consuming though this approach.
7. Reusable Dishcloths.
   Run up a few dishcloths on your Singer and boil them up to refresh instead of endlessly buying disposable ones. One in use, one being boiled and one for spare.
8. A Tennis ball
   … on your mooring stakes to alert passers by of the potential hazard of your ropes. Tennis balls are curiously omnipresent in canals presumably as lost dog toys rather than  due to incompetent tennis players. Slash a cross in the top a la brussel sprout kissing and pop over the pin. Not completely successful as can be too much of a temptation for passing doggies to resist.
9. Bicarb of soda.
   What an amazing powder. Buy in 3kg paper bags from Chinese shops for flumpence and use as an abrasive cleaner with a little water and maybe some lemon juice; sprinkle generously down the sink to banish smelly smells, add to warm water as a shampoo alternative and rinse with cider vinegar and a few drops of your favourite essential oil.
10. A re-chargeable LED spotlight hand-held torch.
    We have found an effective model for £19.99 in Robert Dyas. It lights up the night sky in a Flash Gordon beam, but more usefully it illuminates the towpath home from the pub.