Rethinking Paper Products

Have you ever taken a moment to stop and think about how much waste you create throughout the day? If you do, you might be surprised at how quickly it can build up without even realizing it. One of the things that adds to that waste without giving it a second thought is commonly used household paper products - from single use paper towels in the kitchen, to Kleenex for sniffles in the bedroom, to toilet paper in the bathroom. Being aware of this is a good thing though because if you’re anything like us, you know making smarter sustainable decisions is the savvy thing to do. The good news is there are simple swaps you can make in your day-to-day activities that will help you cut back on the paper waste, and we are going to share some of our favorites here!

Paper Towels

This one is an easy one. You can easily find reusable cloth towels that you can throw in the laundry. For a super absorbent option, we love Swedish cellulose dish cloths. Not only are they made of biodegradable cellulose and organic cotton, the brand says that these cloths can absorb 20 times their weight.

Tissue 

For this one, we recommend taking it back old-school style and investing in a reusable handkerchief. If that isn’t your style, you can even make your own by repurposing old cloth shirts. Just make sure the material is a quality that won’t make your nose raw! We recommend these LastTissue Reusable Organic Tissue Packs. They even come with a cute carrier!

Toilet Paper

This one might initially seem trickier to navigate, but you’d be surprised how many options there are out there! Our favorite is Betterway Bamboo Toilet Paper. It is septic safe, organic, plastic free, compostable, and biodegradable. We also like that is 3-ply because you know it is sturdy.

Napkins

Like tissue and paper towels, you can simply replace paper napkins with reusable cloth napkins. Not only will you be reducing waste, you’ll look classier to guests as well! However, not all cloth is created equal. When choosing your napkins, it is best tom select materials that are natural and not synthetic. Also, to be as sustainable as possible, we also look at manufacturing practices. Our favorite brand for cloth napkins is Made Trade. They value fair trade and handcrafted products by workers paid fair wages and most are GOTS certified. You can shop multiple brands so there are lots of colors, prints, and fabrics to choose from. And even better - They are a woman-owned and family-run company! So savvy!

We hope we were able to show you how making simple changes in everyday household items can have a big positive difference. Let us know what you di to reduce waste in your life!