Are you looking for a few SIMPLE ways to make your home more earth-friendly & healthier this year? Here are five simple cost-effective changes that will make a positive impact on your health, your family & the earth, and as a bonus SAVE you money in the long run!
simple, eco friendly Options that you’ll love!
Today, I am going to share with you five simple eco-friendly replacements you can easily make that offer a variety of benefits! Toxic household products contain harmful chemicals that not only leech into our foods and our bodies but into our atmosphere and soil.
You can opt to make simple, cost-effective changes that make a positive impact on your health, your family, and the earth. It’s a great feeling when you find a product that is healthy for your body, the planet and saves you money! Let me show you my top favorite eco-friendly sustainable products and why our family LOVES them!
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One earth friendly Step At a time
Making small changes one by one can add up and make a big difference. The first step is to choose the items you most want to replace in your home. Your motivating factor may be choosing the products you spend too much money on, the ones that make the most waste, or that are the most harmful to your family.
opting to make your own healthy products
Some toxic items we have said GOODBYE to purchasing are candles, room sprays, linen sprays, body sprays, bug sprays, and skincare products. We now make healthier versions ourselves using all-natural ingredients and storing them in reusable glass jars. I will be sharing many D.I.Y. tutorials with you & how to make those items (and more) for gifts! Here are just a few for starters.
How to Make a Quick & Easy Soothing Foot Soak
How to Make Beeswax Candles Quick & Easy
1. ReusAble Stainless steel bento storage boxes
1-Swapping out plastic food containers for eco friendly glass jars and stainless steel bento boxes. We use glass mason jars or reusable glass jugs to store everything from leftovers in our fridge to dry goods in our pantry.
My greatest find for lunch box food storage has been these STAINLESS STEEL BENTO BOXES with silicone lids from Brooklyn Bento. We have tried different bento boxes including ones made from wheatgrass to other stainless boxes. Some box lids pinched fingers while most others lids snapped or broke into pieces. (Still in new condition 2 years after purchasing, not one flaw or issue) and they are used multiple times a day!
I purchased two different sets from Brooklyn Bento and they are so easy to use and wash! They have no leak lids which are easy and safe for little hands to use. My kids love filling their BENTO LUNCH BOXES with their favorite food and snack choices. We were impressed with their amazing quality and the variety of sizes available!
2. REUSABLE eco friendly drinking straws
2.-We said, “goodbye” to plastic straws and “hello” to reusable straws. They are available in a variety of materials such as STAINLESS, COPPER, BAMBOO, or FOOD GRADE SILICONE.
Plastic Free Waters – a collaboration across public, private, & nonprofit sectors to reduce plastic & debris in all waterbodies
“Over 500 million straws are used and discarded daily in the U.S. and rarely recycled.”
In order to stop straw waste, we switched over to reusable straws almost two years ago. We are now saving money as we are no longer buying plastic disposable versions. Our reusable versions will last for many years to come. Our motivating factor to stop this waste was seeing photos of the damage that plastic straws are doing to our waters and their creatures. It was a quick and easy switch that we are so glad we made!
3. wool dryer balls
3.-Ditching toxic dryer sheets for REUSABLE WOOL DRYER BALLS. We choose this brand because it’s made in the USA. Wool dryer balls are a big money saver! Not only will you no longer have to purchase boxes of chemical-laden dryer sheets but wool balls cut down on drying times and save energy. Sometimes we infuse ours with essential oils. I have friends who opt for organic fabric cloths soaked in white vinegar.
We made this switch over 6 years ago due to toxic chemicals in commercial fabric sheets and softeners. This one swap has saved us $100’s and saved us from unwanted chemicals on our clothing. We still use our original set of dryer balls a few times each day!
4. Plant based household cleaner
4.-We ditched a dozen cleaners for one vegetable-based cleaning product. This one swap has saved us money, time and put an end to the most waste created in our home. Before we were purchasing and storing a dozen different cleaning products for the floors, kitchen, bathroom, oven, furniture, glass spray, and laundry stain remover.
We switched to the plant-based THIEVES HOUSEHOLD CLEANER by Young Living for ALL of our cleaning needs. It was an easy swap, we fell in love with the natural scent, cleaning results, and how much money it saved us! We use it daily in both our home and business. It can be diluted to different strengths for a variety of tasks. Click here to read more about my Favorite Thieves products
5. beeswax wraps & biodegradable paper
5.- Swapping out plastic wraps and sandwich bags for BEESWAX WRAPS and BIODEGRADABLE PARCHMENT PAPER. This was another easy swap to make and we fell in love with the scent and ease of use with the beeswax wraps. I will be sharing with you soon in a D.I.Y. tutorial on how to make your own wraps and reseal them for years of use! We swapped out toxic aluminum foil for parchment paper and use the paper with the wraps for food items that tend to dry out faster and need extra coverage. Here you’ll find my D.I.Y. tutorial for homemade beeswax wraps.
CONSCIOUS buying and other options
Here are a few different purchasing options that can not only save you money but cut down on a lot of waste. For your convenience, I’ve added the product links (highlighted items) that you may directly SHOP from.
Purchasing more whole foods, fresh produce, buying items in reusable glass vs plastic, buying in bulk and locally when it’s available.
Packing a small TRAVEL KIT OF REUSABLE UTENSILS and THERMAL TRAVEL CUP will help to cut down on wasteful single-use plastics when grabbing food or coffee on the go.
Keeping REUSABLE CLOTH BAGS in your vehicle to have on hand for shopping trips cuts down on plastic and paper waste.
Opting first for borrowing, up-cycling, and buying second hand.
Buying sustainable, high-quality items that will last you a lot longer.
COme join us!
our families next eco friendly switch
Our next switch will be to opt for BAMBOO TOOTHBRUSHES, BAMBOO HAIR BRUSHES, and a BAMBOO SCRUB BRUSH and BOTTLE BRUSH.
Slowly as our plastic brushes are wearing out, we will be replacing them with new brushes made from bamboo. Bamboo offers a more sustainable option that is healthier than plastic and is compostable, reusable, and biodegradable.
And these will be on my “To Try” list, as well. I actually am ordering a set of each for Christmas gifts. Reusable steel chopsticks and Reusable bamboo chopsticks
Please be sure to share your favorite eco friendly products with us and what swaps you’ve successfully made and LOVED!
Love this post! Our family has been trying to use more eco friendly products as well and love these ideas! I always wanted to try the dryer balls .
Thank you! Little changes do add up! Let me know how you end up liking them!
I just ordered the wool dryer balls and can’t wait to try them! It warms my heart to know the many things we can do to help better care for our environment!
Oh that’s wonderful! What a great way to start the new year!
Love this post, and I love using my EO on dryer balls!
Thank you! YESSSS me, too!