A Guide to Sustainable Home Goods (That Actually Work)

If you are a millennial, your life is lived through a series of jars. Containers. The shoe box that you will never really touch, but hang onto because “it’s a good box.” The big box that eventually becomes your box-of-boxes (which you keep right next to your bag-of-bags). That interesting bottle of liquor that you think “will look good with some flowers in it.” (It won’t.) Instead of creating more clutter, recycle those boxes and bottles and invest in some long-term sustainable alternatives for single-use plastics and other home products. While refilling bottles of Palmolive with water and giving them a good shake (there’s still some soap in there!) is a good start, there are better, more effective, and more environmentally friendly ways of getting the most out of your soaps, cleaners, and personal care items, and of becoming more savvy on zero-waste household products in general.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to buy an entirely new plastic bottle of Windex each time you run out. You can actually just refill that bottle (or purchase a glass spray bottle) with a glass cleaner solution from a variety of awesome, sustainable brands. And trust us when we tell you that these items have come a long way—sustainable home products are not just for our crunchy-groovy brethren anymore. Toothpaste comes in tablets now. There are vacuums with no bags. A new era of sustainability is upon us, and it’s got sleek branding, affordable prices, and widespread availability.  

All you have to do is make the switch to some sustainable home goods.

You’re the kind of person who doesn’t half-commit, but also knows when to ask for a little guidance. If you don’t yet have a spare dream mason jar and tote (where have you been?) then you’re probably the type of person who’s gonna need the whole shebang—from zero-waste kitchen cleaning kits to grown-up lunchboxes, utensils, and food storage.

We’re big fans of Grove Collaborative. The direct-to-consumer brand makes it incredibly easy to swap all your old products out with new, eco-friendly versions. It’s basically Target for sustainable stuff—it has everything.

Blueland had its big break on Shark Tank, which automatically makes it a front runner for our favorite reusable home product brand. The company helps reduce single-use plastic by sending customers pretty little bottles with specialized tablets for refilling all its cleaning goods.

Look at those cute little shroomies. They’re begging you to stop using one-and-done sponges and paper towels to clean dishes and kitchen spills. Grab a reusable dishcloth can be washed and reused. We’ve found plenty of fun designs in a variety of patterns—from mushrooms and fruit to fish.  

If you’re addicted to paper towels, we get it—but you don’t need to opt for a big box from Bounty. It’s 2023! There’s both reusable and sustainable bamboo alternatives, so you don’t have to feel guilty when cleaning up your latest soda spill.

As tempting as it is to put half-onions and other kitchen scraps in plastic bags (where they’ll take up space in your fridge until they eventually make their way to the garbage can), there’s a better, more sustainable way to let yourself down. These reusable silicone bags are airtight, resealable, and plastic free. They’re also dishwasher, microwave, boiling water, freezer, and oven safe up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Say goodbye to making a scene when you can’t cleanly rip off a plastic bag from the roll next to the lettuce. (Does anyone actually use those little twisty green ties?) These cotton produce bags cut down on plastic and are great for fruits and veggies, bulk dry ingredients, groceries, and other miscellaneous items. 

Not only are beeswax wraps a reusable alternative for food storage, but they’re malleable enough to cover your half-eaten grapefruit, that bowl of pasta you were too lazy to put into a container, and anything else it can wrap around. Plus, they come in neat designs.

Now that you’re cooking at home and taking lunch with you to the office, you should feel good about how much less styrofoam you’re contributing to our dying planet. A bento box is a great way to pack your sad lunch al desk-o and have it alfresco.

Don’t forget about trash bags! HoldOn makes our favorite line of compostable kitchen bags, compost bags, and storage bags.

If licking those floors clean isn’t your kink, this spray solution from Grove will do the job. Pick from four different natural scents to come in your glass spritzer that promises to remove all your “common stains.” (We’re unclear about the uncommon ones). If you’ve never heard of Grove, the environmentally-conscious household and personal care store started much like our favorite sitcom: “As an idea between three friends talking in a spare bedroom in San Francisco: What if it was easy to find healthier home essentials?” 

Can’t score almond milk? No worries: You’ll just go home and sniff the sweet, almond aroma of your biodegradable, non-toxic floor cleaner solution. It’s safe for floor dwellers (pets, babies, buzzed friends) and an excellent partner for our longtime lover, the mop. Seriously. Mops are way less wasteful than floor wipes, and this O-Cedar spin mop has been going viral as of late.  

Blueland has a ~clean suite~ collection that gives you all of their cleaning products, including seven reusable containers and plastic-free refills for cleaning everything in the bathroom, the living room, the dungeon—whatever. You even get laundry soap and detergent, and to top it all off, some foamy hand soap.

Be nice to your teeth—and the Earth—by ditching the plastic drugstore toothbrushes and picking up a pack of these BPA-free, compostable bamboo toothbrushes. They’re affordable, entirely plant-based, and they come with compostable packaging.

Toothpaste tablets?! What’s next, free college and world peace? (Fingers crossed.) Basically, you pop one in your mouth, chew it up, and brush like you normally would. Then you can smile, knowing you cut down on some plastic. They’re also BPA-free and fluoride-free. 

Have you tried a vaginal chalice yet? Really, though, a menstrual cup can save you so much money, potentially decrease cramping, and does a lot of good for mamma earth. Plus, one percent of every purchase goes to Grove’s 1%4Women fund, which supports women’s health organizations in the U.S.

Have you considered the fact that your pet might hate baths because you’re not using sustainable grooming products? No? Hmm. Well, this refillable waterless pet shampoo is great for keeping your pet fresh in between baths, so you can cut down on the amount of arm scratches you have. 

No, we did not forget about laundry, thank you very much. We’re currently staring at the massive pile of it on “the chair” and letting it marinate. When we do get around to doing the laundry however, we’ll be using some of Dropps’ toxic-free, low waste detergent (that comes in four scents) and popping some of the brand’s dishwashing pods into the dishwasher and kicking our feet up.

Now go watch the Judi Dench special on listening to trees.

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.