What’s in for 2024? Easy sustainable swaps that you love and that love the Earth. What’s out? Throwaway single-use items that clog up our landfill and rack up our credit cards.
This year, let’s say goodbye to paper-towel-replenishing grocery store trips, sayonara to plastic produce bags that kill our veggies, and arrivederci to any and all single-use products. Instead, let’s welcome in easy sustainable kitchen swaps that save your greens, save the planet, save you money, and save you A LOT of time. Give yourself more time to do literally anything other than browsing the paper towel aisle.
What does ‘sustainable’ even mean?
Sustainable means products and processes that cause "little or no damage to the environment and are therefore able to continue for a long time". Basically, products that don't hurt the Earth and will allow us to live here for as long as possible.
Keep reading for a few of our favorite hand-picked sustainable kitchen products that are not only earth-friendly, but incredibly effective and aesthetic!
Swedish Dishcloths
Out:
Single-use cleaning products that clog up on our landfill.
In:
Reusable, earth-friendly cloths that last and never get smelly.
Did you know one swedish dishcloth can replace 17 rolls of traditional paper towels? They’re incredibly absorbent, dry super fast, never start to smell, and last for the long haul. Plus, they’re super cute and will brighten up any kitchen – who says cleaning cloths need to be boring, am I right?
Perfect for every kind of cleaning like dishes, floors, counters and everything in between, your swedish discloths can replace sponges, dish cloths, rags, and wasteful paper towels. Use with or without your favorite eco friendly cleaning product.
After each use, lay your swedish discloth out to air dry and when you're ready to wash, toss it in the washing machine or in the top rack of your dishwasher.
Machine wash them up to 200 times and when you’re ready to say goodbye, just throw them in the compost bin! A win for you and for Mother Earth.
Unpaper towels
Another aesthetic sustainable swap for paper towels, these bright and funky cloth towels are washable, reusable, and can be used everywhere paper towels can. With a randomly selected assortment of prints, every pack is a fun, mood-lifting surprise. Made of super soft 100% cotton flannel, these reusable cleaning cloths are made in Oregon by one of our favorite woman-owned brands. Replace countless rolls of paper towels with these happy zero-waste towels.
Pro-tip:
Wrap them around your paper towel holder for an easy way to dispense and store your new favorite cleaning cloths. The perfect zero-waste alternative to regular paper towels.
Veggie Savers
You know those plastic produce bags that clog up our landfill? They also suffocate your fruits and veggies, making them go bad sooner.
As if it’s not tough enough to get your greens in – enter plastic produce bags that kill your fruits and veggies in just a few days. We are not about that life, we need TIME to psyche ourselves up for that veggie salad.
Enter veggies biggest promoter – the reusable, earth-loving produce bags that keeps your greens happy for two to four weeks! All of the time to Pinterest a delicious recipe to reach your green goals or a sneaky sauce that your kids will never guess is stacked with every veggie under the sun.
Not to mention, these 100% natural cotton bags can save you up to $1400/year in food waste alone!
Eco-Friendly Cotton Mesh Produce Bags- 3 Pack
You want to avoid plastic produce bags, but you also don’t want your veggies sitting directly against the grimy grocery cart or bacteria-laden checkout conveyor belt. We hear you! Say hello to Me Mother Earth cotton produce bags. Washable and reusable, these 100% cotton mesh bags are free from chemicals and plastics and will last a long, long time.
Solid Dishsoap
Here’s the truth: of the many items that are considered recyclable, only about 5% actually gets recycled once they reach the sorting facility. The rest is sent to the landfill or incinerated.
Why?
The buyers of raw materials like plastic used to purchase recycled materials because it was cheaper than buying new. Now, it’s often cheaper to buy virgin plastic, so the companies that want to maximize their profit (most of them) are opting for the less expensive option, leaving a massive surplus of recyclable material that has nowhere to go but the landfill or an incinerator.
The answer:
say goodbye to plastic containers wherever you can! Instead, opt for this deliciously citrusy solid dish soap in biodegradable packaging. It will clean your dishes just as well as bottled dish soap, with a yummy natural smell, zero toxic chemicals, and no more plastic pollution.
Heavy Duty Scrub Brush for Pots & Pans
You know those throwaway scrubby sponges that disintegrate after just a handful of uses, or those plastic brushes that leak toxins into your dishwater? Just say no, my friends.
The better solution:
Instead, befriend this stunning plastic-free scrubber brush with a solid wood handle and agave plant bristles. A seriously effective scrubber, this brush can be used for cleaning anywhere in the house - dishes, floors, showers - the limit does not exist.
Stainless Steel Straw Set
Depending on where you live, plastic straws may have been outlawed (it’s about time), but if you’ve tried out their paper straw replacements, you know you better drink up fast because they'll become soggy and unusable in just a few minutes!
The solution:
Bring your own super chic, reusable steel straws that will last forever, make drinks taste just a touch more delicious (IYKYK), and come with a cute straw cleaner for between uses.
Collapsible Straw and Cutlery Set
Ditto on the straw situation above, and wood cutlery is no better. As your children may have made you aware, it makes their food taste like wood and it’s not rare to get a sliver from eating too enthusiastically.
The answer:
An incredibly chic stainless steel cutlery and straw set that folds up into the cutest, most streamlined little case that can pop in your purse or even your pocket.
