I stumbled across an interesting thread yesterday that got me thinking about our relationship with stuff. Someone was asking for help cleaning their discolored flip-flops - they’d tried soap, scrubbing, dish soap, vinegar, the whole nine yards. The responses were fascinating and really divided into two camps: those saying “just bin them and buy new ones” and others offering actual cleaning solutions.

What struck me most wasn’t the cleaning advice itself, but the underlying tension between our throwaway culture and environmental consciousness. The original poster mentioned their flip-flops cost $40 USD (which is about $60 AUD these days), and they’d been wearing them for three years. When they finally found success with a magic eraser, they added an update that really resonated with me: “I refuse to throw away what is still perfectly good but not as pretty anymore. Our landfills are full and we are drowning in fast fashion.”