I am excited to share some easy switches & practical sustainable tips for the kitchen that have drastically changed both the number and quality of products we use in our kitchen. Saving money & helping the planet, it’s a win-win.
While we are constantly striving to be mindful of the environmental consequences of the products we bring into our home and while I love the idea of “greening” my kitchen, I live in the real world and if I start my dishwasher at night those dishes MUST be clean when I wake up. This means we spent a ton of time testing all of the things so I could share my findings with you!
Luffa- These natural “dishcloth” sponges are actually the inside of a gourd vine that can be grown in most climates during the warmer summer months. An added bonus is that I feel like they don’t get nearly as stinky as our old sponges.
Whenever we have an excess of luffa you can find them in our SHOP We have SEEDS so you can grow your own!
Lets’s Chat Stainless steel scrubbers These are fabulous for use on our cast iron skillets and they last forever! While we are on the topic did you know that if properly cared for a cast-iron pan can last forever! Talk about a great return on investment! We have donated all of our old nonstick pots & pans and now use exclusively cast-iron & stainless steel.
I tried countless dish soaps and dishwasher detergents. I made multiple DIY recipes and “green brands” that left my dishes with a hazy film or flat out still dirty. After nearly 6 months of frustrating disappointment, I finally found a line that worked and has limited, quality ingredients that work to get even our messiest dishes clean. In our kitchen, the dish soap, dishwasher detergent, and rinse aid are all ECOVER.
I’m proud to say I used up my last roll of paper towels almost 2 years ago and haven’t bought any since. I don’t even miss them. Now in our kitchen, you will find dish towels for drying dishes & hands as well as washcloths for cleaning up messes or general counter wiping. You can find dish towels just about anywhere but a great washcloth is hard to find. In our house all countertop/kitchen washcloths are white. This way I can visually see when it’s time to replace them. I recently switched brands and absolutely love the quality & value. This pack has 60 high-quality washcloths for $40. I expect this pack will last us a year or more! Talk about savings & reducing waste!
We also purchased a few packs of cloth napkins & were gifted some from family. I love cloth napkins because these kids are messy and the pile of paper napkins or paper towels at the end of meals was creating so much excess waste in our house. I also love that all of these paperless swaps are one-time investments for years of use!
We’ve all heard about how bad single-use plastic straws are for the environment. Many people recommend swapping out for paper straws which get soft and frankly feel weird to drink from. Bamboo, metal, and silicone straws all make great swaps. Don’t forget to pick up a straw cleaning brush too!
Buy in bulk when you can. When you purchase items in bulk it not only reduces the number of small containers you are tossing in the trash or recycling but also the price of bulk goods is usually less expensive in the long run. I always purchase the largest containers we can within our budget.
Start composting- There are a million options for compost setups like this compost tumbler. There is bound to be one that fits your lifestyle, we even got this Compost Bin for our kitchen using Biodegradable bags. The amount of compostable food waste that fills our city dumps is INSANE! We love composting not only to reduce our waste but also to produce FREE garden amendments!
Avoid plastic whenever possible.
Utensils made from wood, bamboo, metal, or silicone tend to last longer in my kitchen anyway.
Glasses and ceramic dishes can be scary with little kids, however, rather than caving and buying plastic or paper look for an alternative- hemp, bamboo & stainless steel are all great options and are surprisingly accessible on the internet!
