Ocean Protection Through Plastic-Free Living
If you’re like me, Spring means some much needed Spring Cleaning! What this does not mean is buying a bunch of chemicals that will stink up your house and plastic tools that will fill your trash. Here are some tips for plastic-free Spring cleaning.
Ditch the plastic bottles of smelly chemical cleaners and plastic brushes. Instead, choose a plastic-free cleaning routine. With just three ingredients you can clean your whole house!
In 2017, after Plastic-Free July, I started slowly replacing all my disposable plastics with items that were package-free, reusable, or packaged in glass or metal. It’s been a fun challenge to simplify my routines as much as possible and try to find alternatives to the remaining disposable plastics. Along the way, I’ve learned so much and here, in no particular order, are my top 10 favorite swaps since going plastic-free.
I’m a minimalist. I wasn’t always this way, but there’s nothing like moving across the country twice that makes you think “I have WAY too much stuff.” So, between the moving and trying to find plastic-free alternatives to things, I find myself constantly asking “Do I really need this?”.
As I started looking for plastic-free replacements, when I used something up, I’d ask myself if I really needed it. If the answer was “no”, I’d stop buying it! It was surprisingly freeing. It was one less thing I had to go buy. One less thing I had to maintain. One less thing I had to worry about.
There are so many things I stopped buying after going plastic-free. One great example is dryer sheets. I had always used dryer sheets because that’s the way my mom taught me to do laundry. Eventually, I replaced the sheets with wool dryer balls, but I found that the wool left a wool-like dust on my clothes. Then one day, I thought…why do I need anything in the dryer? So, I stopped using them!
Sometimes the best swap is nothing at all! So, the next time you use something up that’s in disposable plastic, ask yourself if you can replace it with nothing.
Ahh, the mason jar. How I love you so. Mason jars are so versatile. I use them to store food. I use them as drink cups. I even have one that I use as a dish soap dispenser! I find that they are very sturdy and handy!
I prefer the wide-mouth versions so you can actually fit your hand in them to clean. I have both the 16-ounce mason jars which I use as drink cups or to store coffee in the fridge:
And the 32-ounce mason jars which I use to store bulked goods or bring home berries from the Farmer’s Market:
We used to make coffee at home using a French press but would always end up with coffee grinds in our coffee. My husband bought a Chemex Coffee Funnel and we love it!
He originally bough the expensive paper filters that go with it, but I eventually bought one of these reusable metal filters:
For more plastic-free coffee & tea options, check out this post:
I used to be a big Brita filter fan until I discovered charcoal sticks. A charcoal stick is created by heating wood to a very high temperature to carbonize the wood. During this process millions of pores are opened up. With these open pores the charcoal captures other carbon-based impurities like chlorine.
Most common water filters uses some charcoal. If you’re ever noticed the black specks that come out of a Brita filter, that’s activated charcoal. I like Kishu Brand charcoal because they ship plastic-free:
I use glass carafes to hold the water and charcoal while it’s filtering.
For more on how to filter water with charcoal sticks, check out this post:
I LOVE tacos. What I did not like was how expensive it was to buy a small pack of tortillas. Plus, I was throwing away a thin plastic bag for six measly tortillas. For a while, I would go to my local taco shop and have them place tortillas in a container I brought but eventually, I started making my own tortillas.
There are few things better than a fresh tortilla off the pan. It’s SOOOOO delicious!
Now, I make as many as I want without the plastic or the trip to the local taco shop! Check out this post for the recipe:
Like most people, the cabinet under my sink used to be packed with cleaning products. Now, I just use Castile soap, vinegar, and baking soda (not all mixed together) to clean my whole house.
This means less stuff I have to buy. I don’t have to buy specialized glass cleaner, toilet cleaner, surface cleaner, granite cleaner, or whatever. It makes my routine much simpler which saves me time! For more on my cleaning routine, check out this post:
This is going to sound funny, but I love how empty my shower looks! Before going plastic-free, I had plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face wash, shaving cream, and whatever else in the shower. It wasn’t until I switched to shampoo, conditioner, and soap bars that I realized there was a bunch of visual “noise” in my shower. There was basically a bunch of advertising every time I looked at my shower. And now, it’s beautifully silent:
For more on shampoo and conditioner bars, check out this post:
As an engineer, I love a good design. Silk, or corn silk floss, in glass tubes is a sleek design that I love! Even more, I love that you can order refills for the glass tube! This is the way things should be designed. Our products need to be durable and refillable!
For more on plastic-free dental care, check out this post:
Periods suck. There’s no way around it until you stop having one. But a menstrual cup can make them a little better. I love that I don’t have to change it for up to 12 hours! It’s great for long hikes or other situations where it’s not convenient to change your pad or tampon. Plus it’s reusable! Think of all the menstrual products thrown out each month. A menstrual cup is a great reusable alternative!
For more on plastic-free periods, check out this post:
Finally, my strawberry lip balm makes me so happy. It really is the little things in life. I found this strawberry lip balm at Sephora but you can buy it online as well. It comes in a metal tin and smells like strawberry heaven!
For more plastic-free lip balm options, check out this post:
What do you think? Would you try one or maybe even all ten of my favorite swaps?
For related and random posts, check out:
When you first start off on your plastic-free journey, it can seem daunting. But I like to tell newbies to eliminate before finding replacements. Here are 10 things I stopped buying when I started living plastic-free.
From brushing your teeth to showering and cleaning your bathroom, there are many opportunities to get rid of disposable plastics! Here are some of the easiest bathroom swaps.