Products Tried
Becoming more sustainable is a lot like a crosswalk. On one side are the products you're using that are not sustainable, on the other side are the sustainable alternatives. The crosswalk opportunity happens when you're needing to replace/get more of a product and have the choice of choosing different.
The links provided are for your convenience, I am not affiliated with any of the companies, and make no money if you decide to purchase through the links provided. All pictures are from Google-Images.
Personal Care
Handsoap
The company Blueland has a focus on the plastic pollution problem. Everything is packaged in paper or cardboard, and their refill-packaging is compostable. The hand-soap fragrances are lovely. My husband has eczema and the fragrances do not bother his skin, but if you are fragrance sensitive you might need to look at another brand.
Laundry
Detergent: Blueland
These tablets don't have any fragrance, cleaned clothes as expected, and didn't leave any residue behind. I'm a BIG fan of containers, so the classy looking tin is a big plus for me. However, I do miss that "laundry day" smell.
Laundry
Detergent: Dropps
These laundry pods, unlike the Blueland tablets, do come with fragrance and de-odorizing options. Which is a big plus. I did find that clothes that were air-dried after washing had some type of residue on them which did not come off easily. Clothes that went into the dryer did not. The box they come in is the box you use them from, so not a great look if your laundry shelf is viewable to others (ours is) or if you're going for a sleek look. Nothing to say you can't get a container though!
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Dropps also offers fabric softener and dishwashing pods, neither of which I have tried.
Kitchen
Cleaning
Like the washing machine tablets, these are pressed tablets for your dishwasher. They also come with a cute tin even though it'll likely sit under your kitchen sink. Hoping that Blueland, or another sustainable company, comes out with a "finish" type product, because no type of pod is going to help with our hard-water here in Arizona. Downside of these tablets are that they can break apart, probably during shipping. Plus side is that I'm pretty sure the powder left over is what is in the silicone shaker for dishes by hand!
The shaker and powdered dish soap works best if it's placed directly on the sponge/scrubber being used, or directly onto the dishes being washed. If you put it into the water, it will not foam.
Because of wanting to do things more "al la carte" and less subscription based, we are now using Dropps dishwasher pods which you get off of their website or Amazon, and Etee concentrated dish soap that you squeeze into a squeezable or pourable, bottle of your choice and mix with warm-hot water. The Dropps comes in the cardboard box like the laundry detergent, and the Etee comes in beeswax tubes which are biodegradable/compostable. Overall happy with both products. The Etee dish soap doesn't foam up much, and still works best if applied to the sponge, scrubber, or the specific dish. There could be some user error in over-applying, but we do go through the product faster than regular soap. But at least we're minimizing our plastic footprint!
Bathroom
Toilet Paper: Who Gives a Crap
The marketing for this company is fabulous, the name alone is catchy. There is no plastic involved, and the rolls are wrapped in bright colorful paper which gets recycled. You could get crafty if you wanted and use it as wrapping paper for gifts if you wanted too? We did their recycled paper 3 ply-sheet rolls, which, if you're used to thick and soft TP, won't cut it. They offer a premium bamboo TP which is pitched as soft and strong, haven't tried it though. 100% wish I had used this during the 2020-rush on toilet paper, the box we ordered will last a while.
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The company also offers facial-tissue, paper towel, and sponge-cloth products.
Bathroom
Personal Care: Shaving
Safety razors are not new to the market, however they are becoming new (at least to me) to the female-identifying market. They do take time to get used to, and require a different technique to shave. But let me tell you, they look SO MUCH CLASSIER than the cheap plastic ones and they don't do that weird "sticking to the tub" thing. Also, because the blades are all metal, they can be recycled (see below!). I got mine (pictured right) off of the Big A. Only complaint is that the rose gold finish I got mine in is starting to wear down where it sits in the stand.
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Other options: The companies Leaf and Albatross sell plastic-free razors. Leaf razors apparently come with a used-razor blade tin that you can send back to them for recycling.
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For the blades (if you go this route): Used safety razors cannot be put into your recycling. Thankfully there is a solution. Once the blade is rusted or dull (whichever comes first) put it in a container. We're using an empty Rx container. Then, you can mail it to Albatross Blade Take Back Program.
Bathroom
Personal Care: General
Everyone's hair and skin needs are completely different. So for personal care, it'll be an experiment, but it'll be about the bars. Body-bars, facial bars, shampoo and conditioner bars, and finally, deodorant bars.
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Face: Some of the better facial bars are from Cetaphil, CeraVe, or Clinique. None have a fragrance, and all have been recommended to me by dermatologists.
Hair: This took a lot of trial and error folks. In the end, the ones I got from NOTICE HAIR CO (previously known as unwrapped life) are ones I will be loyal to for my hair type. The shampoo bar has a good lather and there isn't residue left over. If you go this route it is recommended to store the bars in a draining container outside of the shower if you're a once every few days hair-washer. I purchased a berry-container to keep my bars in between uses.
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Deodorant: And finally, deodorant. Another trial and error process. I am now set and happy with the deodorant offered by Bite. Your first order comes with a reusable metal sleeve, and the refills are cardboard that slide in. This feels like regular deodorant to me and when I sweat (hello Arizona summers), I think it neutralizes any smell. When I was shopping around I noted Dove and Secret have come out with refillable options, based on reviews however it sounds like there is still some quality-testing that needs to be done (the deodorant doesn't stay in the cartridge). Native is a popular brand that is going plastic free, and Ethique is also a brand that offers shampoo and conditioner bars.
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Bathroom
Personal Care: Periods/Menstruation
Periods. If you were assigned female at birth, you probably get them, and we all have different comfort levels for how we handle them. I personally was never a fan of pads, so went for the menstrual cups first. I tried the Diva Cup, and then the Lilly Cup. I wasn't thrilled with either. I asked my doctor if I had a weird shaped cervix because I was striking out so hard, she recommended I look more into discs. I gave the Pixi Disc a try first, it comes with a tail bit which helps with removal. However, this tail bit can break (as mine did) and it wasn't pleasant. Cue me getting my current Cora disc. It has a notch in it, but I'll be real, it's still a bit of a "bear down" experience. Regardless, I'm happy and have no trouble with leaks. Throughout all of these changes, I have loved this cup-cleaner that sterilizes your cup without you needing to use a kitchen pot.
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I have also tried, and am okay with Thinx for the underwear. Downside is that they can smell easily. For more of my thoughts on this topic check out my Menstruation Sensation Blog Post.
If you're 100% pad or tampon, fantastic. The paper wrapped-cardboard tampons are of course better than the plastic ones, and I'm sure now there are sustainably made bamboo-fiber pads. You do you. Period.
Bathroom
Personal Care: Teeth
Toothpaste/Mouthwash: This change was one I couldn't wait for. I was SO TIRED of chucking limp, empty toothpaste tubes into the trash. Toothpaste bites, specifically Bites, kept popping up on my targeted ads. So, that's what I went with. I got the charcoal ones because I love coffee, and was pleasantly surprised with how minty they were. They did take some time to get used to, especially with having to chew on them a bit to get the grittiness to go away. And I have felt like I need to use 2 at a time to get enough of a minty-clean feel. I have tried some other brands while experimenting with the deodorant, but when I found the Bite-deodorant I was able to bundle that and mouth hygiene products together.
The mouthwash bites seem good as well. Found out that the mouthwash bites are actually extremely helpful for plane trips and unexpected hospital stays because they're compact, and all you need is a sip of water to help you feel less like a cotton mouth-dragon.
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Floss: I have not tried Bite's floss yet.
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Toothbrush: Previously, I was using a recycled-plastic soft bristled toothbrush and was considering getting a bamboo-replaceable head, like this one from Bite, because the whole head can be composted. However, the dentist kindly said I needed to get an electric toothbrush because my manual-brushing wasn't cutting it. So, I got this middle-of-the-road Oral B toothbrush, and user these replacement heads from Luzhisnug. These replacement heads are a 100% recyclable product and packaging with a free recycle return scheme from the UK, USA, Germany, France, Spain, Australia, and The Netherlands. If you have a Sonicare toothbrush, consider trying these plant-based heads from Plus Ultra.
Kitchen
Food storage
The easiest first step for better food storage: glass Tupperware. It's healthier for you (no plastic breaking down into your food) and better for the environment. There are so many options out there, so do what is best for your budget and space.
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The second step, one we are going to be reaching soon, will be cross walking to better cling-wrap and baggie solutions. These reusable silicone covers to help with starting that transition, so far have worked really well and don't sag like typical plastic-wrap. And I have recently found Responsible Products which claims it's plastic-alternatives (like cling-wrap and baggies) are made from plant-based material and are compostable. This is big for us because while Stasher bags are amazing (gifted two by family), they are too expensive for us. Regarding beeswax wraps, it might be because we live in the desert, it might be because I don't know how best to use them, or a combination of both, but they don't work well for us. More to come.
General
Cleaning
I've mentioned that I'm already using a number of Blueland products. This is because I was fortunate and got the Clean Suite as a gift which included the laundry detergent, dishwasher tablets, one soap dispenser, dish soap, a glass cleaner, general cleaner, and bathroom cleaner. The general cleaner and bathroom cleaners seem to work well and have a mild but pleasant fragrance. If you are at a crosswalk point, here is the link to these general cleaners.
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A "I'm human" point here. Because of the pandemic, we did get, and still have bleach spray and bleach wipes. We try our best to use vinegar (a very good natural cleaner, see this article on how to use it), but sometimes you just want/need to use bleach.
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Other companies offer plastic free cleaning solutions, like this set from Grove Collaborative, the downside being it doesn't come with bottles and you'll need to buy those separately. You can also go old school with DIY recipes, but I'm not sure how well these have been tested for cleaning effectivness.
Kitchen
Composting
A number of the items above are noted to be compostable. If you want to know more about how composting can help save our planet, and our food chain check out this article by the United Nations, and this page on the Environment Protection Agency's (EPA) website.
Product wise though, this brings me to Lomi, an at-home-composter. This is very much a luxury item, and one I got an "early-bird" discount on when it was in the kickstarter phase. It is developed by the company Pela which makes sustainable phone cases. I decided on Lomi vs. another composter like Vitamix because I owned a Pela phone case and trusted the brand. Second, in relation to that, I appreciated that Lomi says it can be used for the compostable bags, utensils, and even Pela phone cases. Overall Lomi is easy to use, though I would term the output more as a soil additive than true compost. The Pela case and Etee dish soap tubes both broke down completely. Downside is that the noise (about the sound of a printer running) can get a little annoying, so best to run it at night or when you'll be away.
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Like I mentioned, other companies, like Vitamix, also seem to coming out with similar products, so if you're able to, these could (since I'm not sure how well they work) help lower household waste.
There is of course, the old-school composting method as well, which the EPA goes into here.
General
Trash
Unless you're going to try to do the zero-waste challenge, you will produce trash. Thankfully, there is a growing market on more sustainable trash-bin liners, including recycled plastic ones or biodegradable ones. We have a SimpleHuman trashcan that is, come to find out, a "Code G" which isn't offered on their website anymore. Thankfully I was able to find these compostable trash bags for this Code.
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If you have a trashcan that has a particular shape, like a SimpleHuman one, you might need to search around. If not, you have many more options!
General
Entertaintaining
We've all hosted, been to, and now that things are "opening back up" want to host a get together. Which means not wanting to risk the day-to-day glasses or not having enough glasses. Enter the plastic solo-cups, styrofoam, or waxed paper-cups. Of which 2/3 are definitely not recyclable, and the last one may be depending on where you live. I was in such a predicament when my husband and I offered to host a little get-together at our house. Time was too short to try to order something. Thankfully, at Frys, I found these Ball Aluminum cups. These, come to find out, were recognized in the Fast Company's 2020 World Changing Ideas Awards with an honorable mention in the consumer products category.
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They are sturdy, kept drinks cool, can be reused if you want to hand wash them, and best of all, can be recycled (nearly 75% of all aluminum produced is still in use today because of it's recycling potential).
