When it comes to jumping into sustainable living, the first, and easiest place to start, is your home! With Earth Month in full swing, I wanted to share easy and affordable home swaps that you can start implementing into your home today! There are a few places that I think are super easy to start implementing sustainable items in your home. The kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room. These places have plenty of opportunity to make easy swaps. Whether is a subscription based product or an alternative to something you already use, these products are ones I already use, or am looking to try myself!
3 Easy Sustainable Home Swaps
Kitchen
Reusable Travel Mugs/Bottles
An easy first one is swapping your paper travel coffee cups for a reusable mug. My favorite reusable cups are from Ello. I have the Aspen 16oz ceramic mug and LOVE it. It was a gift from a friend and it has been put to good use for sure! I also use my Ello half gallon as another great on the go bottle for water. two of these a day and I am a healthy and hydrated gal!
Kitchen Sink Essentials
Nowadays, you can get everything AND the kitchen sink when it comes to sustainable products. But when it comes down to it, you can start with refillable dish soaps! We use Petal pods for our dish and hand soap at the sink. This is an easy subscription that we love, plus it’s easy to access online! I go through about 2 ish pods a month, and am in love with the Citrus Ginger Scent. You can also swap your kitchen sponges and plastic brushes for a bamboo brushes and scrubbers. You can find these at pretty much any store, but Grove Collaborative has options from certified B Corps, which is always a great place to shop!
Cleaning Supplies
I am an all natural girl, and am slowly learning the power of natural cleaners. One thing I’ve added to my cleaning bucket is a box of baking soda. If you’re not using baking soda to clean non porous surfaces, trust me you’re missing out. I use this along with half a lemon to clean my sinks, tubs, and really anywhere I want a nice crisp clean on! PLEASE be careful though, as the baking soda can erode your marble and other porous surfaces. If you do need a cleaning items for those surfaces, try the Biom wipes! This is a new product that I haven’t tried, but I am already obsessed. Like Petal, you can subscribe to receive biodegradable 100% plant based wipes directly to your home. Plus, your starter kit comes with a chic plastic free refillable container. Perfect for any sustainable home!
Bathroom
Hygiene
Let’s be honest, oral hygiene products can be incredibly wasteful. Hence why brands like Bite exist! Bite is a unique sustainable brand that offers a plethora of plastic free product. From bamboo toothbrushes, toothpaste bits, mouthwash bits, floss, and more, Bite has really made it your one stop shop for all things oral and hygiene care. This is another brand I am itching to try. You can subscribe to receive regular shipments, or buy as needed. Perfect for anyone! Another great swap is your deodorant. Not only will you ditch the plactic, you’ll ditch chemicals that may irritate your skin and cause health issues down the line! I swapped to By Rosie Jane spray deodorant and y’all…game changer! This spray has kept me fresh on a 4 mile run, 3 hours in the sun of yard work, teaching, speaking, you name it. I use the Wake the F*ck Up deodorant spray and it’s a must have, even for the stinkiest pits. Pick up a bottle online or find a bottle at your local Sephora!
Shower
One of my favorite bloggers, Danni Duncan, recently shared that her shower is officially plastic free. Which while it may seem easy to do, you don’t realize what comes in, is stored in, or is shipped in plastic until you Start doing your research. Through Danni, I discovered Ethique, a hair care bar fit for any Sustainable Bestie out there! I may have mine coming in the mail and I am STOKED to try this out! Locally though, you can hop into the DIME Handmade store in Downtown Denton and pick up the Butter + Lye hair shampoo bar! For a fresh body glow, I have transitioned all of my body care in the shower over to Salted Sanctuary Soap. My favorite summer scent is honey suckle, but I have been loving on a hike recently! Her charcoal facial bar is also SKIN changing!
Beauty Tools
Ready to use your last cotton round, q-tip, and tissue you’ll ever need? Meet Last Object! I have been using their last cotton rounds for years and adore mine! They last up to 1,000 uses per round, are easy to clean, and have a plethora of uses. Not only do they have the rounds, they have last swab for health and beauty, or the last tissue for a set of reusable tissues!
Laundry
Detergent
Did you know your laundry detergent is 60-90% water? Yeah, I have water at home that I can add to my detergent! When it comes to detergent, a sustainable option is always a detergent strip! One detergent brand that you can try is Tru Earth! These laundry strips are HE compatible, dissolve instantly, and of course are gentle on fabrics but tough on grime. The packs that the strips come in are also recyclable and plastic free. So perfect for the conscious consumer beginner!
Dryer
Want a fresher load straight out of the dryer? Most people use dryer sheets. However, these single use sheets aren’t sustainable and often times aren’t biodegradable. Enter wool balls! These handy little balls are truly a work of art. They help reduce drying time, soften clothes naturally, and help save energy as well. When it comes to dryer balls, Tru Earth is another winner! You can try the plastic free home bundle and get everything you need for a plastic free laundry room and home essentials!
Fabric Refresher
This one may or may not be needed, but it’s always good to have handy! You can use on clothes, rugs, couches, wherever you have fabric. When it comes to the perfect fabric refresher, sometimes it’s just easier to make it yourself! I like to use this recipe to make a refresher for fabric. I don’t use it on delicate fabrics though! For my delicate satins, silks, and flow fabrics, I generally just let these air out outside or by an open window for an hour to freshen up the garment!
Always remember this one thing…
When it comes to living sustainably, I think Kathryn of Going Zero Waste says it best in this reel
if you’re doing something, it’s a step in the right direction. Making one small step today snowballs into bigger steps for the future.
Did you try one of these swaps? Share a post and tag #SustainableBestie on IG so I can see it and share it!
