Eco-friendly tips from a professional organizer
Want to be more environmentally conscious in your everyday life, but have no idea where to start? I got you! A very practical place to start is at home— with your habits, routines, and even with the products, you decide to use or not use on a daily basis.
These easy eco-friendly tips for your home will help you reduce clutter and reduce waste (as well as save you $).
TIP 1: Shop your home
Ever come home from the store only to find you already had two other bottles of olive oil just sitting in your cabinet? This is actually super common. A great way to save money, reduce clutter, and be less wasteful is to know what you have at home and use it first. It all comes down to making lists. And nowadays with apps and Alexa it’s super easy. Just take 5-10 minutes before you head out to the store or press buy on your favorite website to check out your current inventory. I promise this one tip alone could truly help you be a more conscious and less wasteful consumer
TIP 2: Stop junk mail clutter before it starts
Yes, it is super helpful to recycle that pesky junk mail daily, but did you know you can pay $2 (for a period of TEN years) for a service that lets you remove your name and address from a number of lists? DMAChoice.org offered by Data & Marketing Association allows you to unsubscribe from entire categories of mail including catalogs.
A free option is Catalogchoice.org which allows you to unsubscribe from catalogs one at a time. Note this does not apply to companies that you have been a customer of- you may have to go to their site directly to unsubscribe.
TIP 3: Uplevel your cleaning products.
Did you know that in the US, cleaning companies aren’t legally required to disclose the ingredients in their products? Think about that for a second, isn’t that crazy? Many regular cleaning products contain toxins that can affect your health and the environment negatively. Also, most cleaning products are sold in plastic bottles which are known to take hundreds of years to decompose and only 9% of plastics are actually recycled.
Personally, I use a combination of DIY cleaning sprays as well as products I purchase. So far my favorite eco-friendly laundry products are the Earth Breeze laundry strips. They are so cool actually! They are a strip of laundry detergent that dissolves in your wash and actually cleans our clothing great! They come in compostable paper envelopes too!
Another eco-friendly cleaning product I love is the dishwasher detergent pods from Dropps. They are super convenient, clean well, come in compostable packaging, and are environmentally safe & toxin-free according to ewg.org. Try out these products using my link and don’t forget to use this coupon code: MINIMALISTA25 for 25% off ( for new customers) or MINIMALISTA15 for 15% off (for existing customers).
Check out this blog post for more on decluttering cleaning supplies.
TIP 4: Use cloth rags and napkins
We all know that using rags and cloth napkins is much more eco-friendly than paper towels and paper napkins all the time. One trick in our home that makes this swap so much easier is to dedicate a child-height drawer to these. We bought a set that we like using and our kids can now grab one whenever there is a spill or they need to wipe their hands. You can also cut up old towels or dedicate a certain color for rags vs. towels/cloth nakins.
TIP 5: Repurpose your bins, baskets, and dividers
If you know me, you know I love decluttering by category. When you do this, it can leave you with many empty bins and baskets. There often is no need to buy tons of new baskets in bins if you already own plenty (pantries can be the exception here). Get creative! Use that wire basket for blankets and place that straw basket near your front door to collect visitors’ shoes. You will save lots of money and be less wasteful by using what you already own first.
TIP 6: Grab a reusable container whenever you go out to eat
I know I’m not the only one who hates styrofoam containers when you want to take your leftovers home. I try to prevent needing to use these by throwing a Tupperware or lightweight bento box into my purse before heading out to eat. It’s such an easy swap and can prevent so much waste!
TIP 7: Shop secondhand first
Pretty self-explanatory, but when you need something try looking at your local thrift store or an online secondhand marketplace to see if someone is selling exactly what you need. It saves lots of money and prevents the waste needed to produce new products. Not to mention I find it fun to find exactly what I was looking for secondhand.
TIP 8: Use eco-friendly hair products
My favorite eco-friendly hair product line is Plaine Products. I love them as they are tear-free, smell great, and come in reusable aluminum bottles. You simply send back your empty bottles for free and they wash and reuse them, so cool, right? I have used their products in my home for years and even have a discount code for you: MINMOM for 20% off if you decide to try them out using my affiliate link.
TIP 9: Compost
Research if your area has a composting service. Often local farmer’s markets will take food scraps too! If you decide to compost on your own there are many ways to do so. I use an open-air bin and put all my food scraps in there (minus any animal products). You need a ratio of three to one dry to wet scraps (or brown to green). So, I often put in shredded paper with the food scraps since we don’t have a lot of dry grass or leaves in our area. It is surprisingly easy to maintain! If you do not have a yard, don’t worry there are indoor composter bins or worm bins. The ultimate goal is for your compost to turn your food scraps and yard waste into rich soil. But be prepared to be amazed by how little dirt is actually made from all of your food scraps!
TIP 10: Limit the number of items you own
Top tip for reducing clutter and being less wasteful, only own what you need and love! If your kids love balls, for example, then limit the number they are allowed to own at once and only keep their favorites. Limiting the quantities of things in your home will make it more peaceful, easier to pick up, and as a side product, it will be better for the environment as you will not purchase as much when shopping. Curious about decluttering? Check out this blog post!
