Great tips! One thing I try to be careful with, though, is waiting until my currently used item breaks or is no longer usable to replace it with one of these more sustainable options. Tossing out a perfectly good plastic dish brush because you got a more sustainable replacement, for example, just adds to the problem! Waiting and having patience does not come easily to me. Haha. So this has been a good skill for me to learn…slow and steady wins the race after all. ;)
Thank you for the kind shout-out my friend! Love all of these tips and re: getting rid of saran wrap, also wanted to recommend Bees Wrap. Very handy when, say, you have a plate of leftovers and just want to toss a cover on the plate...which also saves you a little in dishwashing. :-)
I love all of these ideas. I'd add a safety razor, menstrual cup, and diy multipurpose spray (water, Dr. Bronners and essential oil) to the list. All are tried and true in my house!
This is a great list. Thanks for pinging my memory. I forgot that I have a wooden dish brush I bought when purchasing Lodge cast iron some years ago. Missed seeing it during kitchen decluttering activities. Tossed sponges for cloth. Considering mesh bags rather than the large canvas totes I currently use. Mesh seems more convenient. What are your thoughts? Perhaps both?
Personally, I love a large canvas tote - mesh has the downside of things falling through unless it's a super tight weave. Since you suggested it, I did a quick Google search and found this one which is pricey but looks super chic and durable! https://duckcamp.com/products/mesh-gear-tote-large
Guests always love it when we serve food with real plates, glassware, and utensils. It's a little more cleaning but has so much less waste. I try not to buy things in plastic but choose paper or glass containers instead. Thank you for keeping unnecessary waste in the forefront.
I started getting the bamboo paper towels from Grove. They are more expensive, but I feel much better about having them if I feel like we need napkins or paper towels. And we do use cloth napkins when I remember to clean them 😂
I’m trying to do this! I made myself a sandwich and put it on a pretty vintage plate I’d found. I went to grab a paper towel and thought wait a second I should get a cloth napkin (usually reserved for holidays). It was just a basic turkey sandwich, but I felt like the fanciest person 😂 definitely escalated my lunch and even convinced me to sit down rather than stand at the counter!
Thank you for the tips, it's important to get small reminders regarding sustainable actions every now and then without making it a stressful main topic.
My favorite swap were cotton handkerchiefs which I found for cheap in op stores because I all the time used to overlook a paper tissue in a pocket when doing laundry and well, you probably know the mess. :D
After my mom and dad died I found STACKS of beautiful clothes handkerchiefs of my dad's and embroidered ones my grandmother and great grandmother made that my mom held on to. I kept them and gave a couple to each of my kids with the hopes that they USE them rather than letting them linger in a drawer. I use them; it's a wonderful reminder of my family and just looks so much nicer to pull one of those out of my purse instead of a crumpled, dirty paper tissue.
Great tips! One thing I try to be careful with, though, is waiting until my currently used item breaks or is no longer usable to replace it with one of these more sustainable options. Tossing out a perfectly good plastic dish brush because you got a more sustainable replacement, for example, just adds to the problem! Waiting and having patience does not come easily to me. Haha. So this has been a good skill for me to learn…slow and steady wins the race after all. ;)
So so true. Always better to use up what you have, rather than to buy something new! x
Thank you for the kind shout-out my friend! Love all of these tips and re: getting rid of saran wrap, also wanted to recommend Bees Wrap. Very handy when, say, you have a plate of leftovers and just want to toss a cover on the plate...which also saves you a little in dishwashing. :-)
Anything that saves in dishwashing is a WIN! x
I love all of these ideas. I'd add a safety razor, menstrual cup, and diy multipurpose spray (water, Dr. Bronners and essential oil) to the list. All are tried and true in my house!
Thanks for sharing! x
This is a great list. Thanks for pinging my memory. I forgot that I have a wooden dish brush I bought when purchasing Lodge cast iron some years ago. Missed seeing it during kitchen decluttering activities. Tossed sponges for cloth. Considering mesh bags rather than the large canvas totes I currently use. Mesh seems more convenient. What are your thoughts? Perhaps both?
Personally, I love a large canvas tote - mesh has the downside of things falling through unless it's a super tight weave. Since you suggested it, I did a quick Google search and found this one which is pricey but looks super chic and durable! https://duckcamp.com/products/mesh-gear-tote-large
Guests always love it when we serve food with real plates, glassware, and utensils. It's a little more cleaning but has so much less waste. I try not to buy things in plastic but choose paper or glass containers instead. Thank you for keeping unnecessary waste in the forefront.
Yes! We host so often we ended up investing in a huge box of Duralex glasses which work for any beverage and are virtually indestructible. x
We pretty much do all of these things in our house. I love my mesh produce bags and I take my RTIC cup with me everywhere.
Yay, happy to hear! x
We switched to using cloth napkins. It was really easy! Before we were using a lot of paper towels for napkins.
I started getting the bamboo paper towels from Grove. They are more expensive, but I feel much better about having them if I feel like we need napkins or paper towels. And we do use cloth napkins when I remember to clean them 😂
Good for you - I have not been able to break my love of paper towels but at least we have municipal composting in the SF Bay Area! x
Oh yes - we recently started using cloth napkins instead of paper - so much less waste! x
I’m trying to do this! I made myself a sandwich and put it on a pretty vintage plate I’d found. I went to grab a paper towel and thought wait a second I should get a cloth napkin (usually reserved for holidays). It was just a basic turkey sandwich, but I felt like the fanciest person 😂 definitely escalated my lunch and even convinced me to sit down rather than stand at the counter!
Thank you for the tips, it's important to get small reminders regarding sustainable actions every now and then without making it a stressful main topic.
My favorite swap were cotton handkerchiefs which I found for cheap in op stores because I all the time used to overlook a paper tissue in a pocket when doing laundry and well, you probably know the mess. :D
After my mom and dad died I found STACKS of beautiful clothes handkerchiefs of my dad's and embroidered ones my grandmother and great grandmother made that my mom held on to. I kept them and gave a couple to each of my kids with the hopes that they USE them rather than letting them linger in a drawer. I use them; it's a wonderful reminder of my family and just looks so much nicer to pull one of those out of my purse instead of a crumpled, dirty paper tissue.
* cloth
That is so lovely - what a beautiful and sustainable way to honor the stuff - and the memories. x
That is such beautiful story, thank you for sharing, Lauren!
I loved all these ideas! I'm wondering if the head of reusable wood dish brush just goes into the trash? Or is it somehow recyclable?
I throw mine in my compost pile! I've been doing this for years, and they've always broken down over time.
Appreciate the reply! Thank you!