Eco-Friendly Products That Really Work
Reusable and “green” products are more relevant and essential than ever. During the recent supply line struggles and product shortages, sustainable choices met practical needs and proved invaluable to have around.
Fortunately, these smart products are a great idea no matter what options are available at the store! Learn more below about which of these eco-friendly products stood out the most and earned the most 5-star ratings!
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Eco-Friendly Products That Work
Smartly designed products can make your job easier and be better for the environment. Check out the variety of ways to be more green and work with eco-friendly products!
Reusable Products for the Home
There are many places in our modern homes that use a lot of single-use products. This may seem like the easy solution, but it creates additional waste for our landfills, plus the repeat purchases will cost you more in the long run versus making an investment in a one-time, reusable option.
Take a look at the lists below to see if these long-life products could work well in your household.
Sustainable Kitchen and Dining Products
There are many ways to reduce waste by using reusable kitchen products. The products below are a collection of my favorites — some have been especially handy during the paper-product shortages at the grocery stores!).
Washable Cloth Napkins
These upgrades to paper napkins are eco-friendly, and the washable cloth napkins also add an element of style to your meals that a paper napkin just can’t do.
For a fun bonus, there are many online tutorials on cool napkin folding to dress up your table (a great project for kids!).
Reusable Kitchen Towels
While traditional paper towels are convenient and can seem essential, these eco-friendly washable Swedish Dishcloths can do the job just as well. Click to learn more about these popular dishcloths, which have over 42,000 5-star reviews!
Reusable Water Bottles
Ensure you always stay hydrated with this highly-rated Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottle. Available in a wide range of sizes and colors, these bottles are perfect for staying hydrated and reducing waste! Click to find your ideal match.
Enjoy Pure Water from Home with a Countertop Distiller
Get clean, distilled water with a Stainless Countertop Water Distiller and reduce the need to purchase plastic bottles of water from the store.
Soda and Seltzer Makers
Enjoy the convenience of making your favorite fizzy drinks at home with the SodaStream Terra Sparkling Water Maker. This smart product reduces the need to purchase and lug heavy drinks home from the store, and it also reduces waste from single-use bottles.
Fans of the Bubly brand will be excited to know they can purchase their favorite Bubly flavor drops for seltzer makers!
Stainless Steel Insulated Tumbler
The popular YETI Ramber 20 oz Reusable Thermos has 125,000+ 5-star reviews and is available in over 40 eye-catching colors! These highly-rated tumblers are more eco-friendly than disposable cups and keep hot drinks hot and iced drinks cold.
Stainless Steel Reusable Straws
Plastic straws contribute heavily to pollution, and other disposable straws have their drawbacks too. Consider switching to Reusable Stainless Steel Straws for an affordable, durable, highly-rated, and eco-friendly alternative!
Reusable Non-Stick Baking Mats
These food-safe reusable silicone non-stick baking mats will keep your food from sticking when it cooks and can be reused again and again. They also allow easy cleanup and eliminate the need for parchment paper and/or foil in some dishes.
Coffee Makers with Reusable Filters
Coffee is one of the world’s most popular drinks and how millions of people start their day. No matter how you enjoy your brew, these coffee-making methods can help you create less waste.
Reusable Coffee Filters
For standard drip coffee makers, choose a long-lasting, reusable coffee filter and eliminate the need for a disposable paper filter with each pot of coffee that you brew. As a bonus, the metal filters allow more of the coffee’s oils to pass through into the brew (versus paper filters), enhancing the flavor of your coffee.
French Press Coffee Maker
One of the best ways to start the day is with freshly brewed French Press Coffee. This double-insulated stainless steel French Press Coffee Maker comes in 2 sizes and can also be used for brewing tea, hot chocolate, and keeping frothed milk hot.
Pour-Over Coffee Maker with Permanent Filter
Savor your daily coffee in the Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker, made from high-heat borosilicate glass carafe that won’t alter or impair flavors or aromas. Additionally, the permanent stainless steel filter doesn’t trap oils and reduces paper filter waste.
Percolator Coffee Maker
This Presto Stainless-Steel Electric Coffee Percolator is a standalone electric model that makes fresh coffee without paper filters!
Espresso Maker
For a small but mighty dose of concentrated coffee, make yourself a hot espresso at home anytime. This popular Bialetti Stovetop Espresso Maker has over 60,000 5-star ratings and is available in different sizes and colors to help you achieve the perfect cup!
Patented Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Eco-friendly fans of cold-brewed coffee will love the Takeya Patented Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker, which features a fine-mesh reusable filter.
Refillable K-Cups
Save money, reduce waste, and customize your morning beverage with any brand of ground coffee you like with a Reusable K Cup Coffee Filter Set!
Sustainable Bathroom Products
These bathroom ideas can help you reduce paper waste from one-time-use items in your bathroom without sacrificing comfort or cleanliness.
Self-Cleaning Non-Electric Bidet
Many cultures already prefer a bidet over toilet paper for its superior cleaning ability, but it’s also a great way to be less affected by any toilet paper shortages. This popular Non-Electric Bidet Attachment has over 90,000 reviews and features adjustable water pressure and a self-cleaning nozzle.
Additionally, if you have the space and someone to do the installation work, you could consider a standalone bidet.
Reusable Swab Cleaners
This set of reusable swab sticks includes different tip styles and a bamboo carrying case. The versatile swabs are made of bamboo silicone and can be sanitized and reused over and over again!
Mini Product Spatulas
This Set of 3 Mini Silicone Spatulas helps you get the last bit of expensive product from the hard-to-reach areas at the bottom of the bottle. Eliminate waste and save money by refilling less often, too!
Foaming Soap Dispensers
Enjoy stretching concentrated liquid soaps into rich handfuls of foam with the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Foaming Soap Dispenser. This popular dispenser features a non-slip base and has over 10,000 5-star reviews!
Eco-Friendly Household Items
These additional items can be used in many areas of your and will help eliminate the need to go to the store as often to replace single-use items like paper towels and duster mop refills. These products are an investment in quality, simplicity, and less time at the store to purchase replacements.
Reusable Microfiber Cleaning Cloths
A set of highly rated Reusable Microfiber Cleaning Cloths is excellent at grabbing dust and helping to curb dust around the house.
Reusable Sweeper Duster Mop Refills
Instead of purchasing single-use disposable duster refills, try a Swiffer-compatible Reusable Heavy Duty Mop Pad made from microfiber that can be rewashed and reused hundreds of times!
Reusable Dryer Balls
Eliminate the need for disposable dryer sheets and liquid softener with a set of Reusable Wool Dryer Balls that reduce wrinkles and static cling and save drying time.
Personal Eco-Friendly Products
These products are great ways to make a one-time purchase for things that you formerly needed to repurchase often. Consider these eco-friendly options instead of your usual personal products.
Vikings Blade Double Edge Safety Razors
Not only do Vikings Blade Double Edge Safety Razors provide a fantastic, clean shave, but they will also save money over disposable razors. In addition, a quality safety razor will provide one of the most comfortable shaves, plus a pack of refill blades will likely last for many years.
Reusable Microfiber Facial Cloths
These Fast-Drying Reusable Microfiber Facial Cloths are incredibly effective at removing heavy makeup from the eyes and face. TIP: For best results, saturate the washcloths with a lot of water.
Leakproof Period Underwear
Sanitary products can be quite pricey, so learning about money-saving and eco-friendly alternatives to disposable products is great. A pair of Washable Period Panties absorb fluids and can be washed and reused to save on this recurring monthly expense.
Reusable Silicone Menstrual Cups
Reusable Silicone Menstrual Cups are an innovative way to manage your menstrual flow without using disposable products. These BPA-free silicone cups can be washed and reused for up to 5 years, making them also a smart investment that can save money.
Reusable Cloth Pads
A set of Reusable Cloth Panty Liners and Sanitary Pads offer an affordable and eco-friendly option to single-use disposable options.
More Ways to Be Eco-Friendly
In addition to the smart products above, you can find new earth-friendly solutions to lots of household challenges.
Eco-Friendly Smart Devices
Small investments in smart devices can make big impacts over time. Consider these additional ways to update and find what is eco-friendly products.
Smart Thermostats with Remote Access
Install the highly-rated Sensi Smart Thermostat and save energy with features like flexible scheduling, remote access, and usage reports. These remote-controlled features ensure your home is always in the right zone.
Smart Light Bulbs
Light your daily routines with Philips Hue Smart Light Bulbs with White and Color Ambiance that feature millions of customizable colors and dynamic light effects.
Highly-Rated Smart Plug
Control the power on almost any device with this Amazon Smart Plug with over 450,000 5-star reviews! Set up routines to automate everyday tasks or control at any time via the Alexa app.
Backup Power Sources
These items can literally provide life-saving power during emergencies and reduce the need to go to the store for disposable batteries. Be sure to have at least one alternative method of powering your devices should you ever need it!
Rechargeable Batteries
It’s important to have power for our devices when and where we need it, but dead batteries can harm the environment. Switch to the convenience of Highly-rated Rechargeable Performance Batteries, which have a shelf life of up to 5 years and 500 recharges.
Portable Battery Chargers
This slim Portable Power Charger Bank is a highly rated (more than 80,000 5-star reviews) choice for fast charging on the go.
Portable Solar Charging Panel
If you live in an environment with a lot of sunlight, a Portable Solar Panel can offer a great off-the-grid charging option for your devices.
For more solar-powered innovations, solar-powered cars are becoming more mainstream, while a solar-powered roof for your home (to take your house completely off-grid).
Fire-Powered Generators
These fire-powered generators first made big news when used in urban areas like NYC during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The versatile BioLite Campstove 2+ is a wood-burning camp stove that provides heat for cooking or warmth, PLUS it generates electricity to charge your devices!
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What other products or ideas is your family using to be more eco-conscious and/or eliminate the need for trips to the store?
Thank you for this article, It’s always not condusive going out to get similar products often times so I believe this article will help people a lot just as it has helped me. Personally I never knew there are sustainable products that eliminate trips to the Store. Products that can be use repeatedly with just a wash,thereby saving one some time. I think the reusable straws are amazing.
This is definitely a good time to give reusable products a try, as many of the single-use products are getting hard to find in stores!
This is an excellent article and I think that many people who were on the fence or only partially committed to sustainable products will convert! I happen to love my Menstrual Cup. It’s way less hassle than using the traditional stuff. Now if you have some more tips on talking the rest of my housemates out of paper towels… I’ll take that advice.
Hi Ashton, I’ll admit that the paper towel habit can be hard to break when paper towels are so wonderfully convenient. It’s taken the local shortages to convince my housemates that using kitchen towels is a better alternative. I’d recommend that you find a place to keep your kitchen towels handy and easy to use, and see if the trend catches on when they see you using the towels! 😉
Thank you so much for sharing all of these products. I live in NYC and they really take the social distancing to the extreme, I mean I cannot blame them there are so many people infected here.
I love the bidet, I already have one installed at my place and I just love it. Gonna have to share your link to my friends, especially when they run out of the toilet paper lol.
Period panties is a good one. I have a difficult time getting the sanitary napkins that I want. This will be a perfect back up. Cheers!
I’m glad to hear that everyone is being careful in NYC — I spent a lot of time there and know it that it’s challenging to stay at least 6 feet from everyone (the big crowds are part of the appeal of NYC!).
Thanks for sharing the article. You all stay safe!!
Hi there!
It’s been a great pleasure for me to talk about your article – really it’s a good article. You have some products that are eco friendly and I like that these products are helpful for our natural world and environments. I have some of these products and they perform really good. As a woman, it’s great to save money and know that these products are always available at home (no running out like with disposable products). Thanks a lot for this informative post.
Thank you so much – you are right that it is great to know you’ll never run out of certain necessities!
Hi, thanks for this article. I really learned a lot from this article – definitely helpful to know about these sustainable products and eliminate trips to the store. there are lots of places in our homes that use a lot of single-use products. this may seem like the easy solution, but it creates additional waste for our landfills, plus the repeat purchases will cost you more in the long run versus making an investment in a one-time, reusable option.
I’m happy to hear that you may have learned of a few new products that will make smart, ecological investments around your home!
Very accurate review, sadly, you can’t make people to take care of our planet, sad but it’s a fact. More and more people tend to do this nowadays, but still not enough. I think that this change has to be made from somewhere in the upper line of the world management because I don’t see the way of people understanding what is the importance of everything…
Hi Victor, the great thing about some of these products is that they also provide superior performance when compared to the disposable counterpart. Often a little bit of self-interest is a great motivator!
This is really an insightful post and i am sure that this article will be of great help to so many people just as it has really being of great help to me. This is a great article on sustainable products that can help with not going to the store. these items here are mostly reusable but i do not think it will work with food stuff.
Hi Benny, I’ve read that there has been a comeback of “victory gardens” in recent weeks, as more people are planting their own gardens to grow their own food. At our house, we’ve just planted herbs and peppers, and we’re exploring what other garden items will work with our climate and daily sunlight.
The first i want to do is try to share this great article with some of my friends. The website is really nice. and i have learnt something tangible from this well detailed article on sustainable products that eliminates trips to store. getting water bottles and reusable straws will really serve well.
Hi Smoochi, thanks so much for sharing!
Hello there, thanks for sharing this awesome article I know it would be of great help to the public as it has been of help to me….although I have already done my shopping I seriously don’t mind if I have to go again I like this your article and I have to get some important kitchen stuff
Hi David, I’m glad to hear that this was a help!
Hi, I have read through your article about eco-friendly household items, and I am quite baffled about the diversity which is represented in your article! I know for sure that I will some day try out the Q Tips out of plastic or the Straws out of Bamboo or Glass or Aluminium…I guess your list will help a lot of people in covering their basic needs all around the household. How long did it take you in order to find out about all of these products?
Hi Fabi, These are a handful of products that I’ve gradually learned about over the years. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the collection!
Hey Alyce! I read your article thoroughly and, while I loved to do so since it was very readable and it made a lot of sense, that gave me some ideas on how I can avoid visiting the store less often. An example for that in my case as a man, is the Safe Razor, which can be used over and over again, and that means that I don’t have to worry to buy one again soon. Thank you for this!
Are there any side effects to changing my baking paper to silicone baking mat?
-Heku
Hi Heku, I really enjoy using the silicone baking mats. They are food safe and you can cut them to fit your favorite pans and baking sheets too! It’s definitely something I’d recommend and its a nice bonus that they are an eco-friendly option too.
I think the Covid- 19 pandemic will force us to rethink how we live our lives. I believe as bad as it has been there will many good things people will learn and apply to their lives in their future. Ideals like using reusable kitchen towels, cloth napkins, a tabletop water distiller (to use your tap water), a bidet, and cleaning clothes just to name a few of the things you listed will help avoid shortages during times of crisis but will help the environment. Great post and thank you for sharing. Ibelieve people will be looking to implement many of these ideals in the very near future.
Thanks Lee, These items makes sense from a lot of different angles, especially as we all deal with the COVID-19 coronavirus.
I particularly reuse my water bottles and gallons and have done so long before the spreading of COV-19. What I didn’t know was just how many everyday household items can be reusable which is great, considering the lack of stock on store shelves these days. If more of us knew how many reusable items we actually have in stock in our own homes, it would drastically reduce the feel that we need to panic shop for specific items. And most of us are inside these days as it is, so we may as well reuse what we have.
Hi Todd, it does seem like we are all getting a little more creative and conserving things better these days!
Thanks for these great list of items that we can reuse in our homes. During times like these, this will come in handy for sure.
I have thought about buying a bidet in the near future because In my wife’s country this is the only thing they use. Out of all these items which one do you think Is probably the best to reuse.
Also do you really think there is a reason for people to mass buy, or do you think they are just doing this because there scared?
Hi Michael, Most economies around the world view keeping inventory as an expense, and they go to great lengths to produce only what they are going to sell in a short amount of time so that they are not paying to “warehouse” or store extra products. This “just in time” idealogy is a way for manufacturers and companies to save money, but it runs into problems when there is a sudden increase in demand (like we’re currently experiencing on certain products).
Given our current advisories to stay at home combined with the number of people staying at home due to illness, it is possible that there may be some shortages in some products. However, if people would stick to their normal buying patterns (instead of suddenly buying in bulk), I don’t think there would be a shortage of paper products like toilet paper. It’s unlikely that people are suddenly USING more toilet paper than usual.
Unfortunately, there is a large spike in the usage / demand for medical items like N95 masks and other medical equipment. The only way to meet this demand is to increase the supply of these products. Hopefully this issue can be solved quickly in order to protect the brave healthcare workers who are risking exposure to illness in order to help others.
Stay safe and be well.
I am a person who is in favor of recycling and in the reuse of materials, but I have to confess that many of the articles that I did not know about on this list, perhaps at first you have to invest a little more or more expensive, but in the long term we will be saving and at the same time helping our beautiful planet.
Hi Hector, Some of these do require a little more investment up front, but they should pay for themselves fairly quickly. Others can save you money right away (a pack of kitchen towels costs less than a 12-pack of disposable paper towels)!
I like all of your ideas and practice most of them, except the bidet. LOL! I found a pattern to crochet Swiffer dust mop covers. They work great and just throw them in the washer when they need it.
I know we can all do our part and clean up our act!
Thanks Carrie! Every little bit helps!!
Thanks for sharing a number of new ideas to cut down on my trips out into the world for these “necessities”. I figured that there were some better alternatives to the single-use products I’ve been running low on, but these ideas and links make it much easier to figure out. Solid suggestions. Thanks, this make great sense and there has never been a better time than now to try some of these out!
Hi Dave, I hope you find some new favorites while also saving some money and time!