Making sustainable swaps in your home can make a difference!
In 2022, I wrote a pair of blogs about small changes I had made in our daily lives to have a better impact on the environment (Small Steps to a Sustainable Kitchen and Seven Ways to a Mother Earth Approved Bathroom). I thought it might be a good time to update you on what has worked and what hasn’t.
Successful Swaps
Kitchen:
- UNPaper Towels – I can testify that we are still using the original 24 Marley’s UNPaper Towels I ordered in 2022! My original goal was to get a couple of years out of them. We are going on three, and they’re in great shape. Admittedly, we do continue to use standard paper towels, but I don’t buy them as often. Plus, I switched to bamboo paper towels based on the success of our toilet paper experiment (see below).
- Plastic Wrap Swaps – We still use the silicone bowl covers I mentioned in my original post. We’ve also added a few fabric options that have been perfect for our oddly shaped bowls, or for the bowls where the plastic covers just didn’t quite fit. I cannot remember the last time we bought plastic wrap.
- Plastic Ware Swaps – The most consistent eco-friendly change I made in the kitchen was my travel utensils. I have two sets of bamboo flatware (including chopsticks) that I use for every lunch in the office. I’ve even inspired co-workers to find their own sets for their lunch!
Bathroom:
- Bamboo Toilet Paper: This has been a big win for us. It isn’t as soft as your standard 2-ply, but after a few uses, you won’t notice. The individual rolls from Who Gives a Crap are wrapped in paper and not plastic. That caused a panic on a rainy delivery day. Luckily, the toilet paper was double-boxed, leaving it protected from the elements.
- Bar Soaps: I love the soaps I have found made by Osmia Organics in Colorado. I use their body soaps and have added their facial bars to my rotation. My new local favorite soap is Woodberry Soaps. They can be found at local farmer’s markets or on their site. Their bars are beautiful, so it’s sometimes hard to use them, but I always do.
- Facial Care: Acure’s products still pass the clean ingredient test. Unfortunately, they’ve discontinued their recycling program through TerraCycle. I have also started purchasing some of my skincare and makeup in glass containers to help eliminate even more plastics from the house.
- Facial Rounds: These have been a true game changer. I’m still using the same dozen from my post long ago. And the bag of cotton balls has lasted just as long.
Swaps that Failed
Kitchen:
- Trash Bags: I cannot find a trash bag that can fit our trash can and not rip or tear before it gets to the curb. The upside is that due to recycling more and less plastic in the house, we typically only have one bag of trash per week. Based on my research, a family of four goes through 2-4 bags of trash a week.
- Produce Bags: I have been consistent at carrying my totes for groceries. But, where I consistently fail is carrying the produce bags for lettuce and broccoli. I’ll forego the plastic in the produce section sometimes, but then wonder when the last time the cart was wiped down. New goal – Remember the produce bags.
Bathroom:
- Bar Shampoos: I had been happy with J.R. Liggett’s shampoo and conditioner, but by week three, it left my hair with a crazy buildup. Then I found the perfect bar shampoo. Used it for a year, and then they closed shop, and the product disappeared. That also happened with the brand I tried next. I’m now using Briogeo and Innersence products, which have cleaner ingredients but are still in plastic.
- Makeup: My favorite eye-shadow brand is no longer in business. I still have enough stashed away to get me through a bit longer. The brand I want to try next is Scoop Whole Beauty from Australia. Their products are in sustainable packaging, and their ingredients are clean.
- Cotton Swabs: The Last Object swabs have not landed in our regular rotation, but the bamboo cotton swabs do. That makes me feel a little better.
I hope my successes (and failures) inspire you to see what simple swaps you could make in your home to make it a little more Earth-friendly and safer for you and your crew.
