17 Easy Eco-Friendly Swaps for Your Home
Reduce your impact on the environment with these 17 eco-friendly swaps. You’ll have a more eco-friendly home that is better for you and the environment.
Reducing your impact on the environment can feel overwhelming. Just thinking about completely overhauling our home purchases makes me want to stop before I even start. That’s why I came up with this list of seventeen easy eco-friendly product swaps for your home.
Remember when you wanted to declutter your home but it was so overwhelming you didn’t know where to begin? Everyone has to start somewhere. There are the easy ones that will make a huge difference. Next month, we’ll expand this list, and then before you know it, you are a zero-waste family. Okay, maybe not that far, but these changes will make a huge difference.
It’s all about the baby steps.
17 Easy Eco-Friendly Swaps
Making the switch to more eco-friendly products doesn’t have to be expensive. Think about the things you use most in your home that are thrown away frequently.
1. Buy a reusable water bottle.
Ditch the plastic disposable water bottles for stainless reusable bottles. You’ll be amazed at how much you save and how much more water you will drink.
2. Reusable Straws Instead of Plastic Straws.
This is one of the easier eco-friendly swaps that you might not think about. While we use stainless and glass straws at home, we’re also now taking them with us to Walt Disney World since they are now using paper straws. There is just something about paper straws that is similar to fingernails on a chalkboard. Reusable straws for the win!
3. Use Dryer Balls Instead of Dryer Sheets.
My husband thought I was crazy when I started making our own dryer balls. He didn’t think they would really work. In fact, I’d venture to say he was addicted to the smell of dryer sheets. I knew we needed to make a change though and using dryer balls was the first step. Plus, they were cloth diaper safe! These hedgehog dryer balls are SUPER CUTE!
4. Swap Essential Oils for Candles and Wall-Plugins.
Candles were a huge part of my life before I was introduced to essential oils. I didn’t realize that some candles are toxic though. While they smelled nice, they were slowly making us sick. When our oldest was born, I started diffusing essential oils more and lighting candles less.
5. Dish Towels and Rags for Paper Towels.
We still keep paper towels in stock because sometimes the messes are more than I want to clean with washable towels. But for daily hand drying and small spills, unpaper towels are the way to go.
6. Make Your Own Household Cleaners Instead of Buying Toxic Cleaners.
It’s easier than you may think and they smell great! You won’t have to worry about small children coming up from behind and touching the cleaner when you aren’t looking. As always, keep cleaners away from little hands.
7. Compost Your Food Scraps Instead of Throwing Them Away.
Compost your coffee grounds and food scraps for a rich soil you can use for your garden! Keep it on the counter to easily throw the scraps in.
8. Use a Tea-Strainer instead of single-use tea bags.
Using a cute tea-strainer instead of single-use tea bags is one of the more simple eco-friendly swaps you can make. Plus they have some really cute ones!
9. Bento Boxes Can Replace Brown Paper Bags for Lunches.
I love bento boxes! They make lunch fun again with their bright colors.
10. Take Reusable Produce Bags to the Grocery Store Instead of Bringing Home Plastic Bags.
Most of the reusable produce bags also keep your produce fresher longer so it’s a great eco-friendly swap that will prolong the refrigerator life of your food.
11. Switch From K-Cups to French Press.
While it’s super easy to pop in a pod, when you think of the number of people doing the same thing, the numbers are insane. We can do our part to save the environment and make the eco-friendly switch from K-cups to French Press. Plus, it tastes better too.
12. Pack Your Lunch with Reusable Bags Instead of Plastic Baggies.
Ditch the plastic baggies for silicone or reusable bags for sandwiches, snacks, and sides you take for lunch.
13. Ditch Cotton Balls for Reusable Makeup Rounds.
Did you know these were even a thing?! Try them and let me know how well they work!
14. Instead of Using Foil or Parchment Paper to Line Baking Sheets, Use a Silicone Mat.
This is such an easy switch. Your cookies will thank you.
15. Replace Your Paper Napkins with Cloth Napkins.
Every meal will feel fancy using cloth napkins.
16. Instead of Using 4-5 gallons of Water Per Shower, Use Less than Two with a Low-Flow Showerhead.
Save water, reduce your water bill, and make a difference with this little switch.
17. Bring Reusable Canvas Bags Instead of Using Plastic or Paper Bags at the Grocery Store.
If you live in a place that has started charging for bags, you know that those little charges can add up. Bring your own and save money. You can also make your own Market Tote!
Which of these eco-friendly swaps are you looking forward to doing first? It’s not as hard to make the swaps as you might think. Your home and family will thank you.
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