Over the past few years our home has slowly transitioned into using less plastic household products and paper products to reduce our impact on the environment. Despite the labels, much of our plastic is not recycled in the United States, ending up in a landfill instead. It may seem minor, but our use of plastic products will accumulate over the years and common household products play a big role in this.
Here are some of our favorites after trying different brands:
Laundry Detergent:
Blueland
We use wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets to get our clothes dry and wrinkle-free. Another option is to line-dry clothing in the house or outside to avoid using the dryer altogether.
Previously tried Dropps but prefer the Blueland tablets
Hand Soap:
Blueland tablet – they have seasonal flavors or the classic tablets. We use glass mason jars for the soap and affordable foam pumps.
Cleaning Products: Household cleaner, Glass cleaner, Bathroom cleaner, Toilet bowl tablet
Blueland
Dishwasher Products:
Blueland
Paper Towels:
Reusable microfiber towels, Blueland Towel, Papaya Towel
Reel Paper Paper Towels are an alternative but not as eco-friendly as a reusable one listed above
Napkins:
Linen Napkins – we own ones in our favorite color from our Buy Nothing Group or buy at your local store. We throw in the washer and dryer once a week.
When we receive paper napkins in our take out orders, we save them and use them to clean up grease on our stove since that is harder to clean on a linen napkin or microfiber cloth.
Toilet Paper:
Reel Paper – made of bamboo
Tissue / Kleenex:
Last Object
Surprisingly, I enjoy the reusable tissue/kleenex and throw them in a delicate laundry bag (buy here) and wash on hot/warm weekly. I also dry in the dryer and they have kept up their durability over the past year.
Cotton Balls / Q-Tips:
Last Object or Reusable cotton pads
Honestly, the Q-Tips transition has been one of the more difficult to get used to.
Shopping Bags and Produce Bags:
Baggu Bags
I’ve used these shopping bags since ~2010 in Los Angeles, CA. I still own my original ones and throw them in the laundry each week and dryer and they still look like new 10+ years later!
When we receive a shopping bag from a store, we keep it and use it in another way. For paper shopping bags, we use them as gift bags or wrapping paper. For plastic bags, we use them as garbage bags to dispose of smelly salmon skins or cooking oils/grease.
Shampoo and Conditioner:
Superzero Bars – We have tried all the options for our different hair types. To help preserve the bars, we put them on bamboo trays in our shower and then wipe the water off them at the end of the shower so they dry out faster.
Body Soap:
Since I was a child, I’ve always used bar body soap (sensitive skin by Dove). There are a lot of different bar body soaps available – find the one that works best for you.
Deodorant:
Native Plastic Free
Water Bottle and Coffee Mugs:
Yeti or Contigo ones we own and love
Water Filter: Get one to connect it to your ice line or put one into your refrigerator
Living in an apartment, we have this one from Brondell that we connected to our water line behind the refrigerator
Body Lotion / Body Stones:
Kate McLeod
This has been a luxury item to purchase more recently. With sensitive skin, we like the mama stone the best. The mini sets to try out the different options or give as a gift are amazing. Body lotion is a daily routine and using a non-plastic bottle has been a joy!
Food Containers & Ziploc Bags:
Glass Food containers with silicone liners. We prefer food containers over silicone alternatives for ziploc bags but these are the best if you go with the silicone bag option. Be sure to air-dry to reduce bag smells/mold build-up in them.
Dixie Cups:
Growing up, we always used dixie cups for water to rinse our mouth after teeth brushing. Now we use a coffee mug as our water cup and wash it in the dishwasher.
Batteries:
Rechargeable batteries – there a lot of brands you can buy. Here is one option.
Hair Ties:
Instead of ones that break and are nearly one-time use, we love the GIMME beauty ties. Get 15% off your order with code DRJESSICALOUIE.
See the full Hair Tie Review post and videos here.
I wear once and then throw in a delicate laundry bag (buy here) to wash weekly with my reusable cotton pads.
Straws:
We like glass straws. Another option are stainless steel straws. We use them daily (to avoid coffee staining our teeth) and clean in the dishwasher.
Candles:
Candles pollute the environment with their smoke. If you like the smell, consider a diffuser with essential oils to create your own scents.
Compost:
Composting is done in many different ways. Living in an apartment, we currently add scraps (mostly fruits/veggies/coffee grounds) to a bag in our freezer and take the compost bag to our local Whole Foods or local Farmer’s Market once a week to deposit the compost responsibly. If you have a yard, you can also compost directly into your yard/garden – be sure to read up on the methods that are best depending on the scraps.
Give up Gum:
Gum is made of synthetic rubber – aka plastic.
Razor:
I bought my husband this razor kit years ago when we were dating. He still uses it today after 5+ years.
For women, find a safety razor that works for you. Leaf Kit is one option.
Makeup:
A lot of makeup is packaged in plastic containers. I’m still using up a lot of my previous makeup and plan to try out Treatique, Alima Pure or Ilia Beauty with their recycle program.
Recycling Clothing:
Fordays has an option to recycle old fabrics.
Chop Value:
This is an interesting way to recycle old chopsticks into something useful!
Shop Secondhand or Share within a Buy Nothing Group:
Instead of investing in new furniture or new clothing, a great way to save items from a landfill are to check secondhand first – ask to borrow from friends/family or search locally on eBay, Poshmark, Facebook Marketplace, etc.
Joining a Buy Nothing Group locally can also help save on these items. My Buy Nothing Group is hosted on Facebook and it’s a great community of sharing.
Big Picture:
We are reducing our impact on the environment with our electric car and plan to place solar panels on our roof when we buy a house. We also plan to use an electric dryer instead of a gas dryer when we own a home. We are considering an induction cooktop/oven (that uses electric energy instead of gas) when we own a home as well. Transitioning away from our dependence on fossil fuels is a high priority in our lives.
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Jessica Louie, PharmD, APh, BCCCP is the CEO of Clarify, Simplify, Align and Host of The Burnout Doctor Podcast. Dr. Louie uses her signature Burnout Doctor Method to coach burned out pharmacists & professionals to simplify because work-life balance is a LIE. Align work into your life & break free from people pleasing, perfectionism and thrive in life on YOUR TERMS.