Want to live a more sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyle but don’t know where to begin? Start small with changes you’re more likely to stick with. These mini moves can help make your household a little less wasteful.
Skip the plastic loofah - When you toss those mesh scrubbers, more plastic ends up in the landfill. But natural fiber loofahs are breeding grounds for bacteria, so try a soft bristle brush or a good old washcloth instead.
Swap out the clay kitty litter - We get it, the clay litter clumps, is easy to scoop and keeps the house smelling fresh, but it’s not biodegradable, so it sits in a landfill. Cats can be finicky, so try a couple eco-friendly alternatives made of wood, grass seed, corn or walnut shells until you find the one kitty likes best.
Avoid buying single-use cleaning products - Save money while you save the planet by switching to refillable bottles for cleaning supplies. Then instead of buying a new plastic bottle when you need more hand soap, detergent or counter spray, you can get a concentrate and dilute in a bottle you already own.
Ditch the kitchen sponge - Those foam sponges also harbor so much bacteria, they need to be replaced once a week. But you don’t want to toss 52 sponges a year into the landfill, so try a dishwashing brush and a silicone pan scraper for a greener way to do dishes.
Switch out the plastic toothbrush - We’re supposed to trade toothbrushes out every few months, which creates a lot of household waste. But you can cut down by moving from plastic to a bamboo toothbrush and using your old one for cleaning chores.
Reconsider trash can liners - You could swap your usual plastic garbage bags for paper ones or even skip the bag all together, depending on what you’re tossing in there. And you don’t have to throw the bag away each time, just dump the contents into the larger kitchen trash and keep using the can liner until it gets gross.
Only run a full dishwasher - It uses the same amount of water no matter how many dishes are inside, so avoid wasting water by only running it when the machine is full.
Clean up your coffee habit - If you’re a Keurig user, consider switching to reusable pods you can fill with your favorite coffee so you can stop tossing all those empty K-cups.
Source: https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/wasteful-home-habits
photo credit: annca / pixabay royalty free images
