Join Cleancult to Exorcize the #plastICK for Plastic-Free July 2024

In honor of Plastic Free July, Cleancult, the eco-warrior brand for home and personal care, introduces its Plastic Intervention Initiative. This program serves as a gateway to Plastic Free July, setting achievable milestones to inspire individuals to minimize plastic consumption throughout the summer and beyond. 

Cleancult is on a mission to combat the cleaning industry’s dirtiest secret — plastic. As the first brand to successfully package liquid soaps and detergents into 100% recyclable paper cartons, they are a pioneer in bringing sustainable cleaning to the mainstream. Their refill and reuse method combines refillable aluminum bottles, recyclable packaging, and plant-based ingredients. In this way, they have successfully cut 90% of single-use plastic from cleaning rituals. 

Cleancult’s products are not just environmentally conscious. They feature non-toxic, cruelty-free formulas that ensure your cleaning routine stays truly clean. Infused with all-natural scents, these products leave your home smelling fresh, making them an ideal addition to your plastic-free July lineup.

Co-founder and CEO of Cleacnult, Ryan Lupberger, adds, “We get it. ​​Plastic is so prolific, that ‘cold turkey-ing’ plastic may be a bit daunting to the mainstream mindset… At Cleancult, we believe in the big potential of moving the needle.”

Holding true to Cleancult’s playful nod to cult vernacular and “deprogramming” from plastic addiction, the team is offering “intention-setting” ways to make reducing plastic fun for the whole family. 

Here are their tips to help you get into the single-use plastic reduction mindset. 

Plastic Purge Effigy: A bit of a riff on vision boarding, the Plastic Purge Effigy exercise is a way to tangibly vilify and expel the plastic you don’t want in your life (or on the planet) anymore:

• Step 1: Start with any single-use plastic bottle (water, laundry detergent, spray bottle). Use pens, markers, tape and/or other bits of plastic waste to shape the bottle into an insipid (yet powerless) monster effigy. You could also simply use a Sharpie to write boundary-setting affirmations on plastic (e.g. people over plastic. I refuse to bow to the plastic gods. Plast-ICK) Somewhat Simple has some fun ideas. Share your creations on social media with #plastICK.
• Step 2: Place the Plastic Purge Effigy on a shelf for an entire day as a reminder of the negative force you’re eliminating from your life while diminishing the plastic perpetrator with plenty of mad-dogging and side-eyeing.
• Step 3: According to the European Journal of Social Psychology, it takes on average 66 days to instill good habits. After 66 days, insert a paper message in the bottle with your hopes for a renewed ecological future and ceremoniously toss the Plastic Purge Effigy into the recycling bin.

Power of Three: Identify three meaningful ways to “EXORCIZE the plastic” in your own life and let those be the focus for the summer. Examples:

• Exorcize the produce bags. There are lots of options for reusable bags for veggies and fruits. If you forget the bag, go commando. Fruits and veggies should be washed anyway. 
• Exorcize the cheap party favors. Let’s be real. Plastic party favors can be fun, but their appeal value does not quite match their 700 years on the planet. For summer celebrations, skip the single-use plastic tablecloths, novelty glasses, and decor and opt for “find it in the yard” bouquets (weeds are pretty, too!), mixed-and-not-matched reusable plate ware, utensil-free menus (little clean up, no waste). Watermelon, hot dogs, veggie burgers, French fries, and cupcakes are all finger foods!  
• Exorcize detergent bottles. Those plastic behemoths have no place in the current plastic pandemic landscape – especially since there are some tremendously effective (ah-hem) laundry detergent sheet technologies that provide excellent stain removal and cleaning results without the plastic baggage. 

Taking the intervention even further, Cleancult’s Plastic Intervention Ambassador Program supports and rewards individuals as they exorcize plastic from their cleaning rituals. Best of all, it’s accessible to everyone, fostering widespread adoption of sustainable habits.