Each year, I like to do an updated post on my favorite eco-friendly items around the house. New sustainable products are always coming out, and I’m always finding new favorites. These products make my life so much easier and more eco-friendly. Feel free to check out my post on eco-friendly bathroom products from last year, with all products I still love and recommend.
Here, I will just touch on why sustainability is important to me with a little bit of information. When I was in college as an Anthropology major, we spent a lot of time studying the waste that humans create and how it breaks down over time. The growing fear of plastic is a legitimate concern as it really is scary how long it lasts in our environment. Plastic never fully breaks down, but gets smaller and becomes microplastics. Many other materials take an extremely long time to break down as well, and the end goal should be to produce as little waste as possible with our lifestyles. The following table is very helpful and comes from an interesting article about plastic waste that you can check out if you have the time.
I don’t mean to share this information to scare anyone, only to bring awareness to this problem and think of how we can make small changes to help prevent it. Our home is where we have the most control over our sustainability, and changes at home are very easy if you have the resources.
In this post, I’ve rounded up my current favorites for a more sustainable home. These products make it seamless and easy to practice more sustainability. All of these are things I absolutely love and recommend everyone try in their own home. For easier reading, I’ve categorized these favorite items into different sections of the home. If you have any sustainable favorites you think I should add, please feel free to comment below!
Affiliate disclaimer
This post contains affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases using the sponsored links in this post at no additional cost to you.
For the Kitchen:
We use these glass food storage containers all the time! I bought the older version, but they aren’t available anymore. These updated containers are so much better, and I’ll definitely be getting them next time I need to order more.
These containers are leak-proof and completely plastic-free. They are microwave, dishwasher, freezer, and oven-safe.
I bought these silicone lids from Thrive, but you can find them in lots of other places. They make food storage so easy so you can store food in any container, and they come in all different sizes.
These lids are much more sustainable than plastic wrap or tin foil. They are made from food grade, eco-friendly silicone. They’re also dishwasher and freezer-safe.
Reusable paper towels are my new staple in the kitchen. They last so much longer than paper towels, and clean better in my opinion. There’s lots of different ones out there, but Papaya is a really nice-quality brand.
These cloths are quick-drying, dishwasher-safe, machine washable, and all natural.
I buy my bamboo dish brushes from a local store, but these are a good option from Amazon. They work much better than plastic brushes at getting tough grime off dishes, as the bristles are really strong. I particularly like them for cleaning our cast iron pans too.
These brushes are made from bamboo and natural fibers, making them more sustainable than plastic as they’ll break down much faster should you throw them out.
For the Bathroom:
I have yet to sacrifice having an electric toothbrush, and I was so excited when I found out there are better options now! The bamboo electric toothbrush I have at home is hard to find now, but this option on Amazon is really similar and has great reviews. If you’re not in the market for a whole new toothbrush, Amazon has a lot of bamboo head replacements available too!
As written above about the bamboo dish brushes, bamboo breaks down much faster than plastic. This makes bamboo brushes a more eco-friendly option, even if you use an electric toothbrush.
I’ll be honest, I was intimated by these metal razors for a long time until I finally tried one. I’ll never go back to plastic razors again! This option is a little pricey, but the razor replacements are so affordable that it makes it cheaper in the long run compared to buying plastic razors.
These razors are entirely plastic-free, and the blades are recyclable as well.
I’ve posted all about shampoo, conditioner, and lotion bars, but this is my first time sharing a face wash bar. The one I use can only be found at a small local store, but this face wash is very similar. Turmeric has been so good for my sensitive skin and helps a lot with my rosacea.
This face wash is made in the USA, free from parabens, phthalates, silicones, and sulfates. It is also plastic-free!
*Feel free to skip this product if it’s TMI or doesn’t apply to you! This is another product I was skeptical about, but my goodness – period underwear are the greatest invention! I couldn’t imagine life without them now. This brand is my favorite, but there’s a lot of other good options out there too.
Saalt period underwear are available in regular, heavy, and super. They are also reusable and machine washable. I can personally confirm they wash very well!
The last thing I want to touch on in this post is refillery stores. There are more of them opening up in the US, especially on the west coast. We finally got one where we live called The Waste Less Shop! This is one of my favorite local stores, and they specialize in all things sustainable. Their refill bar has endless options, including laundry detergent, cleaners, face wash, lotion, hand soap, and even sunscreen. All you have to do is bring in a container or buy one from the store, and they will fill it for you. You’ll never have to throw away used containers if you use refill stores!
I hope this post had some good ideas for you to live a more eco-friendly life, especially at home. If you have any personal favorites you think I should try next, please comment them below. Thank you for reading!
Leave a Reply