{it's easy being green!}
Over the past six months or so, I've phased out our regular household products for more natural alternatives and I thought I'd share some of our favorites.
Whole Foods Store Brand: toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, trash bags
Seventh Generation: dish soap, laundry detergent
Ecover: dishwasher detergent, non-chlorine bleach
Dr. Bronner's: liquid hand soap
Tom's of Maine: toothpaste, deodorant
Yes to Carrots: shampoo, body wash, sunscreen
Physician's Formula: organic wear make-up
Honeybee Gardens: nail polish, polish remover
Seventh Generation: dish soap, laundry detergent
Ecover: dishwasher detergent, non-chlorine bleach
Dr. Bronner's: liquid hand soap
Tom's of Maine: toothpaste, deodorant
Yes to Carrots: shampoo, body wash, sunscreen
Physician's Formula: organic wear make-up
Honeybee Gardens: nail polish, polish remover
We also like Envirosax shopping bags, Flip & Tumble produce bags, Kleen Kanteen water bottles, Martha Stewart lunch containers, and Target brand recycled printer paper.
I haven't found good "green" alternatives for a few items - stain remover, carpet cleaner, plastic baggies and Goo Gone.
I haven't found good "green" alternatives for a few items - stain remover, carpet cleaner, plastic baggies and Goo Gone.
I make our own cleaning supplies and hope to make other things too. Maybe I'll try laundry detergent next...
Adam is a little skeptical about the benefits of more natural products, so I promised I would only make the switch if there wasn't an increase in price. I get emails from four deal sites daily {Groupon, Living Social, Google Offers, Plum District} and over the last six months I've found deals to Whole Foods, Bloom, Abe's Market, and CVS that have helped me stock up on these products for cheap. I've also used Drugstore.com {they're always having a sale of some sort} and the subscribe & save option at Amazon {although you really have to know your prices for that one, because sometimes it's a huge rip-off}.
*Not one of these companies has ever heard of me. I just thought I'd share for anyone else thinking of making the switch.*
Adam is a little skeptical about the benefits of more natural products, so I promised I would only make the switch if there wasn't an increase in price. I get emails from four deal sites daily {Groupon, Living Social, Google Offers, Plum District} and over the last six months I've found deals to Whole Foods, Bloom, Abe's Market, and CVS that have helped me stock up on these products for cheap. I've also used Drugstore.com {they're always having a sale of some sort} and the subscribe & save option at Amazon {although you really have to know your prices for that one, because sometimes it's a huge rip-off}.
*Not one of these companies has ever heard of me. I just thought I'd share for anyone else thinking of making the switch.*
Remember that you can also be greener by re-using things.
ReplyDeleteSo, for example, ditch the paper products entirely, and go all cloth. It's fairly easy to do with paper towels and kleenex. Some people do it with toilet paper too (Google "family cloth"). I know it sounds gross, but I really want to give it a try...soon.
Also, if you find there are some jobs where a reusable container just can't do the job, and you NEED a plastic baggie...just make sure to save it and wash it out when you're done. We started doing this a few months ago, and we haven't had to throw out a single one since!
Unrelated.
ReplyDeleteI had a dream that night that you and Adam were living in a reallllllly tall artificial tree for all of lent. Like 20 stories tall, and you were at the top. I came to visit you, and it was a really scary ladder up, and no railings or gates.
Don't ever do that. Okay?
We re-use our plastic baggies a few times each, unless we had raw meat in it for some reason. They also make reusable baggies, but I've never seen them in stores just online and through etsy. They're cloth with a liner and a zipper. They look super cute.
ReplyDeleteWe used to make our own laundry detergent but I haven't found a recipe I like. I recently bought soap nuts off babysteals.com and we LOVE them. Safe for the whole family and totally natural! Love them :)