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Are you looking for simple and easy eco friendly switches to make around your home? You may want to cut down on single-use plastic, other single-use products and toxic items in your home. This list is a great place to start with 109 different eco-friendly switches to make around your home that are easy. You will be able to incorporate these eco-friendly alternatives into your daily life and never look back.
the Bathroom
The bathroom is full of products that have a negative environmental impact! Swapping out a few of these items below will help cut down on plastic pollution and help you swap out toxic items for ones that are better for your health. Remember, what you put on your skin gets absorbed into your body.
1. Toothbrush– Swap your plastic toothbrush for a bamboo toothbrush. The handle of a bamboo toothbrush is compostable with plant based bristles.
2. Toothpaste– Have you ever thought about the toothpaste that you are using? What are the ingredients? It also comes in a plastic tube that gets thrown away and creates waste. Toothpaste bites are a great alternative! They are healthier for you and come in a reusable container that you refill whenever you run out.
3. Shampoo/Conditioner– I started using conditioner and shampoo bars a few years ago. I fell in love with them, and I haven’t gone back to plastic bottles. These are full of tons of ingredients that are not good for us. Shampoo bars are all-natural and create no waste!
4. Shave Bars– Shave bars can replace your shaving cream. I started using these a few years ago and loved them! They make my legs super soft and create no plastic waste. The best part is that the wrapper they come in is a seed wrapper. It is biodegradable and can be planted to grow wildflowers which creates zero waste.
5. Cotton Pads– Cotton balls or cotton pads can only be used once. Then they get thrown in the trash. An easy switch for these is reusable wipes or pads! They can be washed and reused many, many times. I love mine!
6. Deodorant– I switched my deodorant because of the harmful chemicals that are in most deodorants. I found one that I love that is non-toxic as well as sustainable!
7. Dental Floss– Swap out your regular dental floss with biodegradable dental floss.
8. Disposable Razors– Disposable razors are an easy swap! A nice, reusable razor means that you only have to switch out the blades when they dull.
9. Tampons- Ditch traditional tampons for a menstrual cup or organic cotton tampons (these still come in a plastic applicator, but they are better for you to use than non-organic).
10. Toilet Paper– Bamboo toilet paper is a great alternative.
11. Washcloth- I use washable washcloths, which can be used a ton of times.
12. Loofah– Plastic loofahs are horrible for the environment and hold so many germs! Biodegradable loofahs are the way to go.
13. Body Wash- Replace your body wash in a plastic bottle with bar soap. It works just as great and is much more eco-friendly.
14. Perfume- Perfumes can be full of toxic chemicals that aren’t good for your skin or body. Many of them also come in plastic bottles. Try to find replacements with natural ingredients and in glass bottles. Essential oils are great for perfume!
15. Bamboo Bathroom Accessories– Swapping out your bathroom accessories for bamboo ones not only looks pretty, but they are also a more eco-friendly material.
16. Energy Efficient Shower Head- This will save energy and cut down on water waste and usage.
17. Bath Towels & Mat- Cotton towels and mats are great alternatives.
18. Shower Curtain- Switch to a cotton shower curtain to replace a plastic one.
19. Body Lotion- Lotion bars are a great alternative to lotion in a plastic bottle. I love to use lotion bars with natural ingredients like coconut oil.
20. Dry Shampoo- Dry shampoo can be full of toxins! Make your own and store it in a glass jar.
21. Cotton Swabs (Ear Buds)- You can usually find biodegradable cotton swabs at the store. Make sure to buy these made from recyclable materials.
22. Bamboo Hair Brush– Swap out your plastic hairbrush for an all bamboo option.
23. MakeUp- It can be hard to completely get rid of plastic with make-up containers. I do suggest switching to non-toxic makeup, though. What we put on our skin gets absorbed into our bodies. Many harmful ingredients are allowed to be used in our make-up and beauty products! Check out this guide to help you properly discard make-up and beauty containers.
24. Hand Soap– Solid hand soap is an easy swap!
Related Post– How to Ditch & Switch to All-Natural Products Easily
The Bedroom
There aren’t as many products in the bedroom to switch out for eco-friendly products, but there are still a few!
25. Plastic Hangers- Yuck! I hate the bulky plastic hangers. I have worked on swapping out plastic hangers for wooden and felt ones for a while now. I pick up a few hangers every time I go to the store and switch a few at a time. I recycle the plastic ones by using them for clothing sales or second-hand items I take off.
26. Lint Roller– Who doesn’t love a nice lint-rolled shirt? Replace the single-use roller sheets with a reusable lint brush.
27. Organic Sheets- Organic cotton sheets are the best!
28. Clothes- Secondhand clothing is my favorite type of clothing. Throw it in the washing machine when you get home, and it’s practically brand new. I get the cutest clothes at second-hand stores.
29. Pillows– You can’t go wrong with these bamboo pillows!
The Laundry Room
The laundry room is where you can make small changes that go a long way.
30. Laundry Detergent- I’ll admit that I occasionally buy laundry detergent if I’m busy (or possibly lazy) and don’t have time to make more before I need it. But, for the most part, I always make my own laundry detergent and store it in glass jars. I love to make my own because I know what products I am using.
31. Dryer Sheets– Who even uses these anymore? Why wouldn’t you save money AND create less waste by using wool dryer balls? I started using these before anything else on this list to help cut out unnecessary expenses. Fortunately, it’s also more eco-friendly to use them.
32. Stain Remover– These stain remover bars are one of my favorite sustainable switches! They replace plastic and are made from natural ingredients.
33. Drying Rack– I love to use my drying rack for my clothes. It saves energy and money over using the dryer! It even comes in handy when I need more space to dry my herbs in the summer.
The Kitchen
The kitchen is probably where most of the waste in your home occurs. Between plastic bottles, single-use items, and food waste, there are many small steps we can make to help cut down on all the unnecessary waste we create.
34. Plastic Bags- Plastic bags are very hard to avoid. An eco-friendly swap for them is reusable bags. Take them everywhere with you so that you always have one to use if you need it.
35. Plastic Water Bottles- We have finally stopped buying plastic water bottles! It was a struggle for so long, but we use a reusable water bottle, and we have glass bottles that we refill to to keep in the refrigerator.
36. Reusable Food Storage Containers- To help cut down on food waste, put leftovers in these containers for easy lunch options the next day!
37. Plastic Wrap- Instead of using plastic wrap or saran wrap, make the switch to reusable beeswax wraps.
38. Coffee Cups- A reusable coffee cup is the perfect addition to your cabinets! Take your coffee on the go with you, or even use it at your favorite coffee shop instead of the throwaway cups they give you. A stainless steel coffee cup will keep your coffee hot for hours!
39. Produce Bags– Ditch plastic produce bags from the grocery store, and get some reusable produce bags to take with you. This is an easy way to cut down on plastic use.
40. Rolls of Paper Towels– Reusable paper towels are the best option for cutting down on this single-use product. You can wash and reuse these for a very long time! They also roll up nicely on an old paper towel roll.
41. Plastic Cutlery– Never have to get plastic cutlery from fast food again, or bring it in your lunch. Keep this bamboo cutlery set in your car or purse, so you always have it with you.
42. Plastic Straws– Plastic straws are horrible for the environment. There are several good options for alternatives! Stainless steel, bamboo, or silicone straws are great to be used time and time again.
43. Swedish Dishcloths– Replace paper towels with these awesome dishcloths!
44. Compost Bin– Having a small countertop compost bin is great for vegetable and fruit scraps you accumulate. You can throw the scraps in there, and when it gets full, take them out to your larger compost bin or compost pile.
45. Biodegradable Compost Bags– Biodegradable compost bags means that your bin won’t get nasty! You can take these out and throw them in with the compost.
46. Coffee Filters– Some coffee filters are biodegradable, which is a great option. I love to use a reusable one and just rinse it out every day.
47. Dish Soap– A solid dish soap bar is the sustainable alternative that I use to eliminate the plastic container of liquid dish soap.
48. Dish Scrubber– If you need to use a scrubber to get your dishes clean, a bamboo one like this is great!
49. Bamboo Cooking Utensils– Who doesn’t love all the bamboo options? They’re so pretty and eco-friendly!
50. Reusable Plates– We haven’t used paper plates in so long! We use plates that can be microwaved and thrown in the dishwasher for almost everything.
51. Water Filter– Refill your water bottle as many times as you want with fresh water.
52. Glass Containers for Storage– I love to store anything I can in glass jars. I may have an obsession with jars, lol.
Related Post: The Best Tree-Free Eco-Friendly Card Alternatives
53. Non- Toxic Bake and Cookware- What you cook your food in matters! Make sure your cookware is non-toxic so that you can cook dinner without worry.
54. Food Huggers– Food huggers help to cut down on food waste by preserving produce that you don’t use all of.
55. Plastic Baggies– Plastic baggies are something we use in our daily routine, mostly for lunches. Reusable baggies are a great way to replace these in your everyday life.
56. Separate Recyclables and Non-Recyclables– Separating your trash from recyclables is so important!
57. Trash Bags- Compostable trash bags are much better than plastic!
58. Bento Box– A metal bento box is great to have for taking your lunch to work or school.
59. Plastic Packaging- Try to avoid plastic packaging in the kitchen whenever you can! Choose more sustainable products and packaging when at the grocery store.
60. Dish Sponges– Biodegradable dish sponges are great because you can throw them out when you are finished with them.
The Play Room
The playroom should be the room that you want to change everything! Make sure to keep the future generations in your home safe. Switching over to non-toxic and plastic free are so important for your children.
61. Crayons– Crayons made from beeswax or other recycled materials are great for your children.
62. Pencils– Pencils are one of the easiest eco-friendly swaps to make! Grab some that are made from recycled materials.
63. Kid’s Toys- Wooden toys are amazing!
64. Non-Toxic Art Supplies- Make sure the art supplies your children are using are non-toxic and safe for their skin!
Pets
Our fur babies are a huge part of our families. We can make a positive impact on the Earth even when we are taking care of our pets!
65. Natural Dog Treats- Dog treats that are made from all-natural ingredients are the best way to reward your sweet pup!
66. Natural Dog Food- All-Natural dog food is much healthier for them. Humans need to watch what is put in their bodies, and we also need to watch what goes into our fur babies’ bodies
67. Biodegradable Poop Bags– Make sure to clean up after your dog in the most eco-friendly way.
68. Recycled Toys- Buy your pups next favorite toy from recycled materials.
69. Pet Wipes- Create less waste when taking care of your pets by using biodegradable pet wipes.
Related Post: Natural Living: Laundry Detergent Recipe
70. Disposable Litter Box– Great for reducing waste while traveling.
71. Collar Made From Recycled Material– Style your pup with a cute collar made from recycled materials!
Cleaning Supplies
I went through my cleaning supplies when I first began my sustainable living journey, and it was wild the amount of cleaners that were horrible for me and my family! I got rid of things I could make myself and tried to replace others with more eco-friendly supplies.
72. Toilet Brush– Add a toilet brush made from natural materials to your cleaning supplies.
73. Cleaning Rags– I love to use cleaning rags that can be thrown in the washing machine and used a million times before throwing them away.
74. Toilet Bowl Cleaner- Find a recipe that you like and make it at home. The ingredients will be so much better for your family.
75. Reusable Cleaning Pad for Swiffer Mop– I love my reusable pad for my Swiffer mop! Not only does it save me money, it keeps me from being wasteful with the disposable pads.
76. Swiffer Mop Cleaning Solution- Using one of your old containers, make your own Swiffer mop cleaning solution. Check out this article for how to do this!
77. Duster- Use an old fashion duster rather than a Swiffer that has disposable pads.
78. Cleaning Scrub Brush– Clean everywhere in the house with the natural scrubbing brushes.
79. Dusting Spray- Save money, make your house small amazing, and be sustainable. All at the same time with this dusting spray recipe!
80. Window Cleaning Spray- Making your own window cleaning spray is very easy. Make sure to store in a glass spray bottle!
81. Other Cleaners- Do some research on other cleaners around your home. You will be shocked to see the horrible ingredients that are in them! There are a lot of cleaners you can make at home or replace with other non-toxic ones.
82. Biodegradable Gloves– If you like to throw away your gloves after using them, get the more eco-friendly option!
83. Glass Spray Bottles– There are perfect for storing your homemade cleaning solutions in.
Miscellaneous
84. Trash Bags in Small Cans- I used to always put plastic bags in my small trash cans around the house. Now, I don’t put anything in them to help cut down on plastic waste.
85. Travel Containers– Reusable travel containers are great! You can pack your own beauty supplies without having to buy travel size items that you end up throwing away.
86. Candles- Essential oils or simmer pots are great alternatives for candles.
87. Greeting Cards- If you love to send greeting cards, check out these tree-free alternatives!
88. Blinds- Replace the plastic blinds in your home with something more sustainable like bamboo.
89. Sunscreen- Do some research and find the best option for your family. There are many good, non-toxic options out there!
90. Bug Spray- Deet free bug spray is the best option. I buy natural bug spray from a lovely store in my town that makes natural products!
91. Light Bulbs- LED light bulbs will last longer and use less money.
91. Tissues– We all need tissues. Stock up on these compostable ones!
92. Tissue Paper- When the holidays roll around, you’ll be using and throwing away TONS of tissue paper! Compostable tissue paper means it won’t stick around forever.
93. Recycled Notebook– A fun addition to your office.
94. Sunglasses– These sunglasses are so cool that are made from plastic waste found in the ocean.
95. Upcycled Handbag– Check out these fun handbags made from plastic waste that is headed to the landfills!
Start with a few of the simple switches and see how easy it is to make eco friendly switches in your home. You can make a huge difference in the amount of waste you create and the toxins that you allow in your home by focusing on being more eco friendly and having a more sustainable lifestyle. Your body and the Earth will thank you! The good news is that you don’t have to change everything at once. Pick one room at a time, one product at a time, or however you want to do it.
The best thing is to get started!
I would love to know what kind of eco-friendly switches you have made in your home.
Until next time,
Catherine
love the list thanks for this
You’re welcome! I’m glad you like it.
This is a great list and very helpful. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for reading!
Wow, some of these I didn’t even think about! I’ve been making the shift this year towards more clean and eco friendly products. Looks like I have some more to add to my list now!
I’m glad I could give you some ideas to add to your list. Thank you for trying to be more eco-friendly 🙂
As someone with lots of dogs in the family – bio degradable poop bags is a great idea for a simple eco-friendly switch. Fab.
They are wonderful! You don’t have to worry about contributing to waste with these bags.
This is a fantastic eco-friendly switch list. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for reading!
What a fabulous resource for easy and simple eco-friendly switches. I saw the toothpaste bites on TV recently – sounds like a great idea!
Thank you! The toothpaste bites are really cool!
These list of eco-friendly alternatives are super dope. I have been observing that more and more companies are using bambo to replace plastics or other non-degradable materials. I now own a bamboo toothbrush and pillow; how cool. Thanks for shedding light on how we all can help save the environment through sustainable living.
That’s great! I love replacing my plastic items with bamboo. It looks pretty and is a great sustainable/eco-friendly alternative. Thanks for reading! Hope you love your new bamboo items 🙂
What a sensational list Catherine. I love the idea of toothpaste bites. We’ve also seen metal as well as paper straws during our world travels in terms of eating out.
The toothpaste bites are really cool. I haven’t seen the metal straws when traveling abraod, but I haven’t been to a lot of countries. Hopefully I will! I prefer the metal straws, lol.
That’s a great helpful list. I liked the idea of sunglasses made of plastic.
I thought those were cool as well!
I love this post. I am a very big advocate for ecofriendly living, yet it is so hard to be consistent with my daily life. Using computers and smartphones that have metal s and electronics that get dumped into a big dump after a while is terrible. I have to remind people compost is different from garbage all the time. And things that aren’t clean cannot be recycled. This is by far such a great read though!.
Those are some great things to add! People thought I was crazy when I wanted to buy a composter, but it makes me feel better when I can throw something in there instead of in the trash. Thanks for your insight!
I need to be more environmentally conscious so definitely will reread this post later. More closely. 🙂 Pinned!
Thank you for reading! There are some easy ideas here to be more environmentally conscious 🙂
I love my drying rack – for clothes and herbs. It is a simple eco-friendly switch
Yes! I love using mine for both as well 🙂 Thanks for reading!
This is a great list of eco-friendly switches! We have changed so many things over including shampoo/conditioner, body wash, deoderant, hand soap, toothpaste, laundry detergent, and cleaning supplies. Plus, we use reusable bags and more. I have hormone issues, and I know chemicals only make it worse!
I think it’s wonderful that you have changed many things around your home! Chemical free/ Non toxic beauty products are so much better for you.
Whoa! We can make a lot of changes. It’s amazing how some small changes could make a big difference. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for reading! There are many small changes that we can make that really do make a big difference!
Wow, there are a lot of choices for products and things we use everyday! This is a great list!
Thank you! There really are a lot of options for switching to eco-friendly products.
This is a great list of easy and simple eco-friendly switches! One of the first moves I made years ago to be more eco-friendly was to eliminate paper plates from my household. I didn’t have a dishwasher at the time, so I opted for paper plates. I finally sucked it up and began using the plates in my cabinet rather than throwing away paper plates. Now I have a dishwasher thank goodness!
That’s wonderful! I grew up in a house with no dishwasher, so we utilized paper plates all the time as well. I’m glad you decided to make the switch! 🙂
What a great list of eco-friendly switches. Thank you for sharing these easy, simple options.
Thank you for reading!