5 Easy Ways to Minimize Waste in Your Home

There are so many items we use in our everyday lives that, while small, add so much waste to the landfill every year. I’ve found some replacements and hope that you will give these a whirl in your own home!

The Laundry Room

mommypotamus.com will get you crafting!

I’ve been using dryer sheets for years. They make my clothes so soft! However, while there may be several uses for them, I think it’s time to try a new reusable product that I won’t have to throw away week after week, load after load. How about a wool dryer ball? They’re an all-natural (read: no chemicals!) laundry softener that shorten dryer time, remove pet hair and soften fabrics. You can put as many as you want in your dryer depending on size of load and you won’t have to throw them out after one or two uses!

If you’re feeling crafty, you can easily make your own with very few items! Will you try this?

The Vanity

Most ladies use eye makeup remover and whether you use pre-soaked pads or a tissue or cotton ball with a liquid or cream remover, you’re throwing something away every day. S.W. Basics of Brooklyn has solved this issue! They make reusable and washable cotton rounds that come with their own mini laundry bag. For just over $20, you get 8 pads, giving you an extra pad for laundry day and a mesh bag for the pads so you don’t lose them in your washing machine. They’re made from certified organic cotton and they get pretty stellar reviews. The company has estimated that these 8 little pads eliminate about $50 worth of disposable cotton from going to landfill. That’s over 20 bags of cotton balls! How great is that?

The Shower

It's like candy for your body and hair!
Photo source: My Chic Sweetness

All of us go through a few bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash each year. Do you ever wonder how you might reduce this kind of waste, recyclable bottles or not? Lush is a British company that prides itself on having fresh, unpackaged and handmade cosmetics. Their shampoo bars are not only beautiful and wonderfully scented, but just one will last for about 80 shampoos!! They have solid conditioning bars and beautiful and moisturizing soaps, too. Go to a store near you and see what all the fuss is about. The little to no packaging as well as the freshness of all ingredients used will be hard to pass up.

The Floors

Do you love your Swiffer? I thought you might. They’re pretty great and so easy to use. Those disposable pads on the bottom pose a problem, though. Like makeup remover pads and dryer sheets, they add up and fill your trash. I have an easy solution for you, though. Buy a reusable and washable microfiber pad instead of box after box of disposable wipes. They work just as well and rinse super easily; plus, they can go right in the washing machine when they get extra dirty.

The Kitchen

Stop storing items in Ziploc bags and Saran wrap. These are some of the most wasteful items partly because you can’t even recycle them. Instead use glass containers with lids; they’re durable, washable and come in every size. If you still want a sandwich bag for your PB&J sandwich or your toiletries when you travel, consider buying some from Blue Avocado instead! They, too, are reusable and washable. Plus, they’re pretty cute and versatile!

My verdict: I’m definitely making the switch to these items! Will you? What’s your favorite reusable item you use in your everyday life?