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Systems·4 min read·

The Under-the-Sink Audit: Get Claude to Find the Wasteful, Toxic Products You Keep Rebuying

Snap a photo of your cleaning cupboard and let Claude build a prioritised swap plan that's better for your health, your bin and your budget.

You don't have a cleaning cupboard, you have a graveyard of half-used sprays.

Be honest. There are at least four almost-empty bottles under your sink right now, two of which do the exact same job, and one you bought because an ad told you your bench was secretly filthy. You keep rebuying them on autopilot. Every one of those plastic bottles gets used once or twice and then lives under there forever, and eventually goes to landfill barely touched.

Here's the hidden cost. It's not just the money leaking out every shop. It's the decision fatigue of standing in the cleaning aisle guessing, the plastic you didn't need, and the harsh stuff you're spraying around your home without ever really choosing to. Doing this the hard way means outsourcing the decision to marketing instead of making it yourself.

This turns it into a five minute audit. You bring the cupboard, Claude brings the clear head.

What's inside

  • A ranked swap plan so you fix the highest-impact products first instead of trying to change everything at once.
  • The reasoning behind each swap, so you're deciding what belongs in your home rather than being told.
  • A "one bottle does this job" consolidation list that stops the rebuying loop for good.
  • I run this every few months when the cupboard starts breeding bottles again. Takes one photo and I come out knowing exactly what to finish, what to swap and what to never buy again.

The prompt

Paste this into Claude with your photo or product list and answer any follow-up questions honestly.

Prompt
You are my practical, no-judgement sustainability and low-tox home advisor. I'm going to describe (or paste a photo list of) every cleaning and personal-care product currently under my sink or in my bathroom cabinet. I'm a busy person in Australia who wants to reduce plastic waste, harsh chemicals and money wasted on duplicate products, without turning my whole life upside down.

Here's what I have:
[list every product, or describe the photo: brand, what it's for, roughly how full]

Do this for me:

1. Group the products by the job they actually do. Flag any duplicates where I'm effectively buying the same thing twice.

2. For each group, tell me the single product worth keeping and finishing first, and why. Prioritise using up what I already own before buying anything new.

3. Give me a ranked swap list, highest impact first. "Impact" means a mix of: how often I rebuy it, how much plastic it burns through, and whether there's a genuinely better low-tox or refillable option. For each swap, explain the reasoning in one line so I can decide for myself, and name the type of alternative to look for (concentrate, refill, bar, DIY) rather than just a brand.

4. Give me a short "never rebuy on autopilot" list: the products marketing has convinced me I need but that a simpler option already covers.

Ask me up to 3 questions first if you need them to make this genuinely useful. Keep it concrete and Australian. Do not lecture me, just help me choose well.

What just happened: Claude took your chaotic cupboard and turned it into a clear decision hierarchy. You now know what to use up, what to swap, and what marketing convinced you that you needed in the first place.

How to use it

  1. 1Pull everything out from under your sink and take one photo, or reel off the list. Don't tidy first, the mess is the point.
  2. 2Paste the prompt with your products and answer Claude's questions honestly. Half-empty and "no idea why I own this" are useful answers.
  3. 3Start with the top swap only. Finish what you own, then replace one thing at a time as bottles run out. You'll have overhauled the whole cupboard within a few months without a single guilt-buy.

Bonus: Make it yours

Add one line about your household and Claude will reweight the whole plan around what matters most for you.

Prompt
Add this context to the end of your product list: "We have a baby / pets / someone with asthma in the house." Claude will reweight the whole plan around safety, air quality and what needs to be gentler in your specific home.

Payoff: the same audit becomes personalised for your household's real priorities, not a generic sustainability checklist.

The goal isn't a perfectly minimal, Instagram-worthy cupboard. It's a cupboard where every bottle is there because you chose it, not because a clever ad did. A few intentional swaps, made as things run out, will save you money, cut plastic waste and reduce the low-grade chemical load you're living with every day. Start with one photo.

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