Trying to go green in your household? There’s a little more to it than just adding a recycling bin to your kitchen. A few Google searches will tell you all about how the products we use every day damage the environment. But a few more of those searches will also tell you about great alternatives to those products that – you guessed it – will greatly decrease your carbon footprint. From swapping your big plastic jug of laundry detergent out for laundry detergent sheets to using compostable trash bags, here are some of the best eco-friendly household products to stock up on today.
Ingredients to Avoid
A lot of household products on the market today hide their environmentally harmful qualities pretty well. Wet wipes, for example, seem like harmless, sort of papery, sort of fibery wipes that wouldn’t have too much of an impact, but in reality, they’re all over our beaches and in our landfills. Why? Because they contain plastics that can’t be dissolved. Here are a few things to avoid as you shop for eco-friendly household products.
- Plastic. As we just mentioned (and as many people know), plastic doesn’t dissolve. There’s a reason the world is attempting to move away from plastic products and plastic packaging. But in many products, it’s hidden. So be aware of products that contain microbeads, like many facial cleansers, scrubs, and household cleaning products. And in general, ditch the plastic packaging whenever possible.
- Phosphates. Frequently found in laundry detergent, phosphates can cause serious damage to our water sources thanks to a process called eutrophication. Phosphates can cause plants and algaes to grow and multiply much more rapidly than they would naturally, and not in a good way. Eutrophication leads to algal blooms, which diminishes water quality and can make watery environments unlivable for the creatures and other plants that typically inhabit the area. We’ll have more on laundry detergent sheets as an environmentally-friendly alternative to phosphate-filled detergents just ahead in this article.
- Chlorine bleaches. We know that bleach is harmful to humans, so it should be obvious that it’s bad for the environment as well. When bleach enters the environment through our waterways or the atmosphere, it can mix with other chemicals to form extremely harmful toxins. It’s not just dangerous for us, it’s dangerous for our world, too.
Ditch the Detergent
Laundry detergent is a major player in environmental harm from household products, but there’s a great eco-friendly alternative: laundry detergent sheets. Laundry detergent sheets are plastic-free and completely dissolvable, and their packaging is typically cardboard, which is recyclable. Most laundry detergent sheets are also created with the intention of being an environmentally friendly household product; this means they’re almost always free of the harmful phosphates common in household products (like we mentioned above). An added benefit? They’ll save some space in your home as they come in small cardboard boxes rather than giant plastic jugs.
“Reusable” is the Name of the Game
Many common household products can be eco-friendly by simply getting a reusable alternative rather than a single-use plastic version. A few examples are below.
“Plastic” Wrap
It’s time for us to ditch the single-use plastic wrap and swap it out for alternatives. One popular option is a cotton wrap covered in bee’s wax. The wax covering not only keeps the wrap dry and makes it easy to clean and reuse, but it also is what gives it that sticky quality that plastic wrap has, making it an easy choice for wrapping up vegetables or covering up a dish.
Sponges
Disposable sponges: they don’t last long, they often come in plastic wrappers, and they’re made of plastic, so not only do they live in landfills for years but they also shed microplastics as you use them. Thankfully there are numerous reusable options made from silicone, fabrics, bamboo, upcycled materials, and natural fibers. They’re not hard to find in local stores and online, and they’re still in the $3-$10 range.
Food Storage Bags
Ditching the single-use plastics once again. Reusable food storage bags can replace just about any size ziplock bag you’re used to using, but they won’t end up in the trash after one use. They’re durable, easy to watch, and they can hold both warm and cold foods.
“Paper” Towels
Who among us isn’t guilty of using too many paper towels? Fortunately, Europe is a little ahead of us in this battle and has created reusable paper towel alternatives. That’s right, once you moisten them with a little water, you can wipe down your counters, your floors, or even your hands with this not-paper towel, then clean it and use it again next time you’ve made a mess. Some of them can even be washed in a dishwasher.
Dryer Balls
After washing your clothes with laundry detergent sheets, toss them in the dryer with a couple wool dryer balls. This is the reusable alternative to dryer sheets, and users rave about their effectiveness in reducing wrinkles and dryer time. (alprazolam) Plus, they won’t end up in the landfill.
Shop Conscious, Think Twice
Hopefully this list gets you on the right track towards an eco-conscious lifestyle by simply showing you how many single-use products can be swapped for reusable ones. The list doesn’t end here, either. There are some easy well-known swaps you can make, like ditching plastic water bottles for a refillable one or swearing off plastic straws and replacing them with a pack of metal ones (or whatever material you prefer, as long as it’s reusable). At the end of the day, it’s all about just being conscious when you shop, reading ingredients, and thinking twice about if there might be a more eco-friendly alternative out there.
