Cleaning

Waste! There is so much waste when it comes to kitchen cleaning products. Popular sponges are made of polyester and send micro-plastics into waterways, little pieces of plastic can even end up in your food! Paper towels are just as bad. Like a lot of plastic products, paper towels are single use. No matter how sustainably made they are, they create a lot of waste. Deforestation and large amounts of water usage are the main issues with the paper towels. While it takes some trees 10-20 to grow, it only takes you a few seconds to use up a paper towel before you throw it away. Just like the need to avoid single-use plastic, we also have to avoid single-use products like paper towels. Instead we can buy reusable products that last an entire year, instead of just a few seconds, and are biodegradable.

DIY

Another moment where you can be crafty! Essentially you need something that will sop up a large amount of liquid. Think about all the paper towels you go through in a day. You may even pull one, barely even get it dirty, and then throw it away. It feels like it isn’t a big deal yet the amount of waste you create with this habit is major. Paper towels are convenient but a simple rag is just as effective and reusable. If you want to mimic the your old paper towel habit, you can make a fabric paper towel roll! You’ll need terrycloth(you can use your old towels!), flannel fabric, and a sewing machine. In this video, to achieve the paper towel roll, she uses a plastic snap kit, but you can avoid using plastic but keeping the sheets in a stack rather than a roll.

Second-hand

Look at second-hand stores for fabrics you can make into cleaning towels and rags. For cleaning solutions, you can buy containers and bottles to fill and reuse old bottle pumps you have around your house. Like the diy above discusses, terrycloth and flannel fabric are a good option for homemade reusable towels. Both of these fabrics can be found at second-hand stores. Look for a store that has towel and fabric sections. If you find a cheap flannel shirt, you can cut it up and use it for your diy! The main goal of second-hand shops is to give old products, new life. So don’t feel bad cutting up fabrics and clothes you find in the store. As long as you are giving it a second chance by reusing it, you are doing good for the planet.

Buy New

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A lot of stores sell great zero-waste products but you don’t really know if they are sustainable until you read into it. Avoid synthetic fibers, plastic brushes, and single use products. I’ll save you the time and tell you about a few kitchen swaps I trust. These brands use sustainable materials and have a clear mission for reducing waste.

My Picks

Swedish Wholesale

A great alternative to paper towels, and the Nordic people would tell you the better option! They are reusable, biodegradable, and come in all different patterns and colors.

can be washed up to 100 times
biodegradable cellulose, natural cotton

Blueland

Blueland’s cleaning products are a great addition to your kitchen collection. Along with their popular cleaning solutions, blue land sells plant based scrubbing sponges, dishwasher soap, and their own cloud cloth(super soft and reusable). Blue land is amazing!!!

Free of parabens, VOCs, ammonia, phthalates, chlorine bleach

Ingredients are vegan, gluten-free, soy/nut free

Cruelty-free, EPA Safer choice, USDA Biopreferred, Cradle to Cradle certified, Certified B corp

Full Circle

Full Circle sells everything you need for a sustainable kitchen. Their plant dyed kitchen clothes are organic cotton, super absorbent, and machine-washable. They can replace paper towels and napkins in your kitchen, and be used over and over again.

B corp, USDA certified bio-based, GOTS, Global recycled standard, carbon neutral, plastic neutral, organic, plant-based, recyclable, compostable

Marley’s Monsters

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Marley’s Monsters started when Sarah Dooley began sewing her fabric scraps into rags, blankets, and other products for her newborn baby. Since then, her company has grown into low-waste products for the whole house including reusable paper towels and cleaning brushes.

organic cotton, low-impact, vegan options, handmade in Eugene, Oregon, BRING rethink sustainable business

Ecoroots

A small business that sells zero waste products.

Vegan, plastic-free, zero-waste, sustainable, compostable, plant based, sustainable beech wood, replaceable head, cruelty free, 1% for the planet

Zefiro

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Zero waste company from Chicago that supplies shops across the country! Their bottle brushes, loofah sponges, and bamboo soft bristle scrubbers are all sustainable and affordable kitchen cleaning swaps.