8 environmentally friendly products for your kitchen that I highly recommend. With a focus on storage and cleaning products.
In October 2021 we finally moved into our very own home. It had been a long journey of saving up for a bigger deposit, finding the right property, and buying it. It was such a relief when we were handed our keys!
To summarise our house buying journey in three sentences: We unexpectedly had to leave the cottage that came with Nathan’s previous job (I share more about our sudden departure in this blog post). We decided to live with Nathan’s parents to allow us to save up for a bigger deposit and to be able to take the time to find the right property for us. And now we own a lovely end of terrace that’s over a 100 years old!
Because we didn’t live in a place of our own for over a year. We were more or less starting with a clean slate when it came to food staples and cleaning products for example.
So, before we moved we decided to put some money aside to purchase more natural, durable, and eco friendly products for the kitchen. I created wish lists with Amazon and Peace With the Wild which I have to admit had to be narrowed down a bit.
Now 10 months later, I’ve had a good opportunity to test those products. And today I am sharing the products that I highly recommend!
REUSABLE STORAGE BAGS
These reusable storage bags are GREAT. I would say that they are my favourite products on this list. When I was looking for reusable storage bags, it took me a while to pick a set. I wanted to ensure that the food bags sealed well and that the sizes of the bags made sense. I eventually settled for this set.
The set contains 8 large, 6 medium and 6 smaller bags. Even though we use the smaller ones less. There are still great uses for them and there are sufficient large and medium bags.
Thus far, we have used the bags for food storage but also for travelling. Food wise we have used it to freeze items, store items in the fridge, and to pack lunches. So to give you an idea what the different sizes are good for I will share some of the things we use them for.
The larger bags are ideal to use as toilet bags for travelling. I manage to fit almost all of my toiletries in a larger bag but I tend to use a medium sized bag as well to store my perfume and face oil in case they leak. I also use the larger bags to store larger or multiple food items such as carrots, little gem lettuce’s and lemons.
The medium bags are an ideal size to hold sandwiches. I use the medium sized bags to store smaller food items like limes, cut up pineapple, and berries. I’ve also put oats in a medium sized bag in the past. So that I could make porridge for breakfast when we stayed in a self catering apartment for a weekend.
The smaller bags work well as ‘snack bags’. Nut mixes for example. And to store herbs. I also use them to freeze small amounts of fruit that are about to go off. That way I can use the fruit for smoothies at a later date!
DISH DRAINER RACK
When I was looking for a dish drainer rack. I wanted to make sure that it was made of wood. That it would fit soup plates too (not just dinner and side plates). And that it wouldn’t mould (quickly). We went for this dish drainer rack and after extensive use, it’s still very sturdy and there’s no sign of any mould.
It’s a delight to look at. Even though we have a dishwasher since last week, we will still be using it for things that don’t go in the dishwasher. Frying pans, plastic cutting boards, and sharp knives for example!
ORGANIC COTTON DISH CLOTH
Do you know those cheap IKEA like dish cloths that don’t seem to absorb any liquid? We had a lot of those and it was starting to frustrate us. So we decided to purchase two of these organic cotton dish cloths.
They still look like new, absorb a lot of liquid, and are a delight to look at! The only disadvantage? They look SO lovely that our guests often mistake them for hand towels and can’t believe that they are dish cloths!
WOODEN DISH BRUSH
Before purchasing this wooden dish brush. We used one of those Dishmatic handles with refillable sponges. It worked well but I couldn’t ignore the amount of plastic that the handle and sponges contained.
10 months later, this wooden dish brush is still going strong. We do need to buy a new one since it has started to look a little bit mouldy in between the bristles (which makes sense). But it works well, the wood hasn’t cracked, and it hasn’t lost many (if any) bristles!
DISH WASHING LOOFAHS
The wooden dish brush is good for simple things like glasses and plates with crumbs on them. But when it comes to tableware that has bits of food stuck on them like sauce or porridge. Then these dish washing loofahs are really handy because they allow you to scrub a bit firmer.
The ones that I bought aren’t available on the website anymore but hey a loofah is a loofah isn’t it? So I suspect that these will do the trick just fine!
WOODEN POT BRUSH
If you paid close attention. Then you will have noticed that I mentioned tableware with bits of food stuck under the loofah section. But what if there are stubborn bits of curry or pasta sauce stuck in your pots and pans?
Then this wooden pot brush is the one you want to use. The firmer bristles will help you to tackle those stubborn bits.
By now, the wood has started to split a little bit and some mould has started to appear in between the bristles. So, just like with the wooden dish brush, it’s time to replace it! But other than that it works really well.
WASHING UP SCRAPER
What if something a bit more stubborn is stuck to your pots and pans? Like the bits that are left after caramelising onions or frying bacon for example. Or those overcooked cheese bits on your pizza dish after baking a pizza. Then this washing up scraper is really handy.
I also use it sometimes to remove dried drops of batter on our kitchen counter. We do love our pancakes and waffles!
It’s still in great shape, so I suspect I will only have to replace it once a year.
DR BRONNER’S CASTILE SOAP
Now, this one can feel a little bit like a gulp investment at first. But it is true what they say, it lasts a long time because a little goes a long way.
A major benefit of Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap, other than it being natural, is that it is so versatile! I have already used it to make floor cleaner, window cleaner, hand soap, and as a ‘help we have run out of dishwashing liquid’-alternative. Those examples are only the tip of the iceberg, there are many more uses for castile soap.
I personally decided to go for the unscented castile soap because I wanted to be able to add scent with the help of essential oils. But there are scented ones that are worth checking out.
That’s 8 environmentally friendly products for your kitchen that you could swap right. now. These products have been tested and tried and withstood the test of time (ok 10 months). If you end up trying any of these products, I’d love to hear your thoughts on them!
And of course, if you have any recommendations I’d love to hear them down below in the comments section.
