Green and Clean Kitchen Swaps to Make Today
Happy Tuesday, Friends!
Arthur and I just got home from a short weekend trip to Jonesport, Maine. We loved the slower pace Downeast! Of course we headed out on Saturday morning in a hurry and I didn’t bother giving the kitchen a full clean before we left. Note to self: Clean the kitchen before you leave! Nothing is worse than coming home to a sink full of dishes!
Time to clean! Today I’m sharing the green and clean kitchen swaps I’ve made in the past few years in my journey to clean living. The kitchen is one place in your home that I recommend focusing on switching to safer, more eco-friendly products. Why? Well, we spend so much time in the kitchen! Our skin and internal organs are all impacted by the products we use for cleaning, food preparation, and food storage. It’s also important to consider the environmental impact of kitchen waste!
Need another awesome reason to switch to nontoxic, less wasteful products? In my experience, it saves money!
Okay, let’s get into it!
1. Ditch your icky dish sponge for a bamboo scrub brush! Dish sponges harbor bacteria (yuck) and need to be replaced often, producing unnecessary waste. I switched to this bamboo brush months ago and I’m never going back to sponges!
2. Switch to a reusable soap dispenser. Instead of buying endless single use plastic bottles of dish soap, switch to a reusable soap dispenser. (Most of the ones on the market aren’t good for your health anway – even the “green” ones. Not sure about yours? Check it on the EWG Skindeep Database) I have this one in my kitchen and bathrooms and love it!
3. Make your own soap! This has been such a game changer for me! For the past few months, I’ve been using liquid Castille soap for dish soap, hand soap, and our wood floor cleaner! Just mix 1-2TBS per cup of water. It’s saved me so much money and I feel good about the ingredients. Note: for best results you really do need a foaming soap dispenser for this recipe!
4. Switch to a refillable mop and reusable mop pads. Ditch your disposable Swiffer pads for reusable mop pads! Not only is it more eco-friendly, it’s also better for your health! This mop is amazing! It comes with two refillable soap dispensers and three reusable mop pads. For our wood and tile floors, I use a mixture of the Dr. Bronner’s Soap and water. When the bathroom needs a deep clean, I pour some Force of Nature Clean into the other dispenser. The pads are super easy to toss in the wash and reuse!
5. Ditch wasteful and unhealthy chemical cleaners for a nontoxic, reusable alternative. I love Force of Nature for our all-purpose cleaning. For years I used a DIY white vinegar mixture. While that’s a great option, I wanted something a little more powerful during the age of Corona! Force of Nature is made from electrolyzed salt water and vinegar, so it’s totally safe and effective! This system is awesome, it comes with a refillable container and everything you need to make more cleaner with the pods and water!
6. Switch to reusable silicone baggies instead of plastic baggies. It’s no secret that plastic isn’t great for our health or the health of the planet. The good news is that there are so many alternatives to single-use plastic on the market now! I love these reusable silicone baggies. We use them for so many things! Right now we have tons in our freezer that are full of raspberries. You can even put them in the microwave if you want! I just used one for storing toiletries while traveling this weekend. I also use these for beach trips or paddle boarding or canoeing trips since they do a great job of keeping out water! They seal well and it’s easy to compress the air inside. They come in multiple sizes, and they are super easy to clean.
7. Use a silicone baking mat instead of aluminum foil. I avoid aluminum exposure as much as possible (read more about why here), and this silicone baking mat is an amazing alternative!
8. Compost fruit and veggies scraps instead of sending them to a landfill. I’ll share more about this soon, but for now, know that composting is a great alternative to tossing your veggie scraps in the trash. It cuts down on the amount of trash bags you need, makes your house less stinky, it’s so much better for the environment, and will eventually give you great compost for your garden!
I hope those ideas are helpful! What’s one green and clean swap you are planning to make? What have you already incorporated into your routine? Let me know in the comments below!