Making the choice to live greener and cleaner may seem like a daunting task, but there are a number of easy ways to be eco-friendly within your household right now.
In fact, it’s important to start simple when it comes to creating new habits and behaviors. Humans are creatures of comfort after all! Without thinking we’ll stick to a daily routine or products and not consider the consequences or effectiveness of such things.
So while you’ll definitely have to shake up your status quo in order to live a more sustainable lifestyle, we have seven simple ways to be more eco-friendly at home right now.
Organic Cotton Towels
Or paper napkins for that matter.
Using cloth towels for clean ups and spills, is a no-brainer.
Saule founder Ania Czuprynski swears by these organic cotton towels that she’s had for years, and that do wonders for every room and need around the house.
Budieggs Wool Dryer Balls – $8.99
2. Level Up Your Laundry with Wool Dryer Balls
Real talk: Doing laundry is never going to be super green. Most clothes release tiny microplastics that then enter our water streams. But we can make smarter choices when it comes to laundry.
Wool dryer balls are one such option. If you aren’t familiar with these outstanding eco orbs, listen up: Felted wool dryer balls bounce around inside your dryer, allowing how air to circulate and reduce drying time, and they naturally soften clothes, reduce wrinkles, and stave off static.
They can also last up to 1,000 loads, which also saves you money as well as time. Bingo bango!
Bamboo Food Containers Set of 4- $31.99
3. Keep Convenient Carry-out Packaging
Sure you keep the plastic silverware, but what about the carry-out containers? Especially as restaurants and patrons move to take-out and curbside orders more and more, saving the containers that the food comes in is going to be key.
The smaller sizes are perfect for weekly meal prepping, on-the-go snacks, or even casual picnics.
If your favorite dinner place doesn’t provide save-worthy containers, we recommend opting for glass tupperware over plastic too.
Aunt Fannie’s Glass and Window Cleaning Vinegar Wash – $8.99
4. Banish Harsh Chemicals from your home
Newsflash: You may have some natural, effective, and eco-friendly cleaning ingredients sitting in your closet right now.
Yet. common household products like baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, and water can tackle most of your cleaning needs and save you money to boot.
Hook and Loom Eco Cotton Rug – $48-$685
5. Rip out that Carpet
We all know carpet is dated, but did you know that it can also negatively affect your health? Yep. Carpets are a catch-all for dirt, dust-mites, bacteria, mold, volatile organic compounds, and other nasty allergens.
As such, it’s best to remove carpet in your home if you can. You may have hardwoods hiding under there anyways! And if you don’t, why not embrace the unfinished floor? Give it a coat of (eco-friendly!) paint and then throw a colorful eco-friendly cotton rug over the top. So cute, and soooo much better.
Tony Scavo Organic Basil Packet of 250 Seeds – $3.25
6. Grow Your Herbs
This is a fun project for the whole family too. When you grow your own herbs you have the freshest ingredients right at your fingertips, whenever you want or need them.
Plus, adding fresh herbs to your diet is a great way to boost your vitamin intake.
The Laundress Signature Detergent Gallon – $56
7. Switch to an Eco Dry Cleaner
Many dry cleaning solvents are toxic to humans and the environment. In fact, one such solvent, “perc” (short for perchloroethylene), can cause dizziness, headaches, drowsiness, nausea, and skin and respiratory irritation. Prolonged exposure to the chemical has even been linked to liver and kidney damage, and cancer.
So what’s an eco-minded gal or guy to do when they’re faced with a “Dry Clean Only” label? Answer: Find an eco-friendly dry cleaner. They exist! And there’s probably one relatively close to you. If there isn’t one within understandable range, try hand-washing your item at home and then taking the clean piece to your standard neighborhood cleaner for pressing only, to get a professionally crisp look without the poisonous chemicals.