Take a second to look around your home. Look at your sink, bathtub, food pantry, refrigerator, cupboards ect. How many plastic bottles do you have laying around? Are there more plastic containers than you can count?

Mostly likely there are, and you’re not alone. With the way our world is producing and packaging products, it’s hard not to buy anything stored in plastic. Along with the issue of products being contained in plastic bottles and bags, the toxins and chemicals that are in most products are harmful and alarming.

It’s time to detoxify your home! Close your eyes and imagine a home that is plastic and toxin free. Doesn’t the image in your head make you feel better just thinking about it? Cleaner. Fresher. Stress free.

Join us in the challenge of making your home eco-friendly! Use our tips below to get started. It may be a journey to get into these habits – but a journey well worth it.

Make Your Own Homemade Cleaning Supplies

There are an endless number of homemade household cleaning recipes out there that include natural, non-toxic ingredients for your home. Some include lemons, vinegar, baking soda, essential oils, ect. By going natural you are not only preventing harmful chemicals and toxins from getting into our environment but you can avoid plastic spray bottles by storing the products in your own glass containers.

Buy Natural Body Care Products with Zero Plastic Packaging

If you want to skip on making your own products, there are eco-friendly companies that sell natural soaps without plastic packaging. These include hand soaps, body wash bars and shampoo bars, even dental floss!

Exchanging your average cleaning and beauty supplies for more simple natural ingredients can help change your home into an eco-friendly haven.

Buy Dry Goods from Bulk Stores

Our cupboards are filled with foods in all sorts of packaging – packaging that will stay on our earth for 100+ years. Some quick online research can tell you the closest bulk store in your area.

Instead of going to your main grocery store every week, try out the bulk store first! Be sure to bring your own containers and reusable bags to fill up. You can usually find dried beans, lentils, oats, fruits, cereal, snacks ect. This will not only help you avoid plastic, but these bulk options are usually healthier because they aren’t coated in preservatives.

You can reuse your old glass peanut butter jars or spaghetti jars to store your new dried goods in! Glass jars also last longer than plastic containers, don’t get stained and can be heated up without worrying about the chemicals coming out of the plastic.

Buy from Local Farmers Markets

Nowadays even our fruit and vegetables are covered in plastic at the grocery store. To avoid this, take weekly trips to your local farmers markets. Bring your own reusable bags and fill up on organic produce for the week.

It will feel amazing to leave the farmers market knowing you didn’t need a single piece of plastic to get the majority of your food for the week!

Replace paper towels with dish cloths

Stop buying paper towels and paper napkins. There is no need for them. First off, they are usually packaged in a plastic covering. Second, you can easily start using rags and dish cloths instead. Put a couple extra in your purse or bag so when you need one, you are prepared. Pack one (or a couple) with your lunch and/or keep back up cloths in your office.

Hang Dry Your Clothes

Instead of drying all your clothes in the drier, hang your clothes out on the line. This will help your clothes last longer and the sunlight naturally kills bacteria that may be on them. You will also save energy by not running your dryer as much, which will save you money and make the environment happier as well.

Compost Your Waste

Start a compost bin or pile at your house. When compostable items are thrown into regular trash, they can’t decompose effectively, which adds to the waste problem. If you compost your food scrapings, you can reduce your waste and even create a nutrient rich soil for your garden!

Do you think you can incorporate these changes into your daily and weekly routine to make your home more eco-friendly? It may be difficult at first and there may be times that you forget your bag or container- no one is perfect.

However, if you are consciously making eco-friendly choices every day, you will eventually make those sustainable decisions without even thinking. It will become a part of your life and your home and planet will be grateful for it!

You will feel better knowing your home is filled with earth friendly products that aren’t harmful to your health or the environment.