Sustainable Living Tips: What's Under the Kitchen Sink?

Sustainable Living Tips: Under the Kitchen Sink.

note: image IS under my actual kitchen sink. to normalize that under your kitchen sink does not need to be 'instagram worthy'

I know, it's a hot spot of stuff. People pay organizers a lot of money to come clean under their kitchen sink and put more plastic stuff under there to hold the stuff.

What do you actually need?

Personally, I like to tackle this by taking an audit of what I have, and what I need. Because, you know what’s not sustainable? Throwing it all out and buying it new again (though I make an exception if we are talking about less than ideal products with toxic ingredients, particularly around more sensitive populations) or spending $200 on plastic organizers. 

1. My guess is that you have paper towels (or they are perhaps on your counter top). Most likely they are made from virgin paper (paper that has never been used before meaning trees were cut down just for that), filled with bleach (to make them white and pretty), previously wrapped in a ton of plastic, AND you probably spent over $20 on them, which you will spend another $20 on them next month. I also have a roll of paper towels under my sink (yes still) because I’m not a total sadist. I have a cat, a dog, 3 kids…sometimes you need a paper towel, because vomit.  BUT what we mostly use are rags, big cotton flour sack towels, and paper towel alternatives. We have a laundry bin nearby, and they get washed with the towels. Some folks like to put them on a paper towel roll (use an old one or snag a sturdier one), I stuff mine in a drawer because thats easier for us. My suggestion? If you like uniformity, invest in a set or two of paper towel alternatives (don’t care? Find some free rags). Take the paper towels…and put them in an inaccessible place, ya know, like the above the stove hood cabinet. You won’t get out the stool and reach for them unless you are desperate. Have some larger towels accessible for drying hands etc. 

    Our picks:

• Best for napkins/cleaning counter tops/misc chores like dusting – paper towel alternatives: Marley’s Unpaper Towels, Planet B Paperless Towels

• Best for drying hands/large spills- 100% cotton Flour Sack Towels (we don’t carry these, I haven’t been able to find a good wholesale source)

• Best for all the things - Durafresh cloths (ps. Extra sustainability points bc made from wood pulp waste). I love for cleaning/dusting

• Best for folks that like cleaning with sponges (pro tip, hole punch it and add a string if you want to hang it.

• And the paper Paper towels? Try to find a more sustainable version, look for recycled materials or bamboo, no additives, and/or plastic free packaging (or next best, recycle the plastic film at the grocery store)

2. Dishwasher Detergent ….With pods, tabs, powders and gels…I’m not going to begin to guess what you have. But ingredients aside…what’s the packaging? Can you reuse it? Is it plastic? Lets try to refill it instead (ps. You’ll save money) Not local? Find a refill store, get it shipped from us in a compostable bag, or just swap to something that is more sustainable/plastic free. 

• Tablets from Green Llama 

• Dropps Pods 

• Dishwasher Powder from Lovett’s Sundries.

All of the above are available in bulk in our store, as well as for shipping in compostable tin tie bags.

 

        3. Rinse Aid. I have a bottle that I just refill and refill. In bulk from the store.

4. Cleaners…should I even guess what’s under the sink? Are you all purpose all the time kind of person or are you specific areas person? So here’s what I would do. See what you need and don’t need. Then grab a sharpie and/or some masking tape

          -  For things that you don't need….label “when finished….” recycle, reuse, or throw out depending on the container

         - For things you do need..”when finished switch to X product” or “save container to refill.” i.e. keep your spray bottle and swap for a new cleaner to put in the old one. Save your dish soap bottle to refill.

 

What’s under my sink?

• Spray bottles (that i use over and over and over. No new plastic). I have one glass cleaner (because it's not streaky), and one all-purpose cleaner (and I have an additional bathroom cleaner upstairs, but downstairs I just use all purpose cleaner in the bathroom). You can a) repurpose one you already have b) buy a new one if thats your jam…. Just a broken sprayer? Well that’s why we sell just sprayers, you don't need to ditch the whole thing!

• All purpose cleaner options- Green Llama, Meliora, Mama Suds Concentrate

• Glass + Bathroom Cleaners from Green Llama

                 I’m always going to opt for a plastic free way to refill my containers. And I’m always going to opt for products without phthalates, parabens, endocrine and disruptors. 

• Cleaning Scrub. I love this for tile, stainless steel, smells divine. Similar to a comet/bartenders keeper/bon ami.

• Borax. Available in a box at your grocery store. 101 uses. I most often use it as a laundry boost/stripping sheets when needed and safely (as in not toxic to other creatures/pervasive in the environment) getting rid of garden pests. Oh and nasty garbage bins.

• Baking Soda. I get the monster cardboard box for cleaning all the things. Deodorizing, urine, IDK, like everything (I grab whatever's cheapest for cleaning purposes) (oh and getting rid of pesticides on produce!)

• Castile Soap bottle. I don’t use it for everything (but you can!!! Its just a texture thing for me), but I use this when camping for hands/dishes, cleaning outside (yup I put it in the powerwasher), and carpet mishaps 

• Gloves. My hands get destroyed, especially in the winter. So yeah I like to wear cloves. These are 100% compostable, and made from sustainably sourced rubber (not all rubber is ethically sourced)

• Sponges. Always extras under my sink to swap. We carry the reusable sponges, or if you prefer a compostable loofah sponge, we got that too.

• Vinegar. Usually a gallon is under my sink or in my laundry room. Great for cleaning...great for floors (or grab some of our concentrated floor cleaner), great for sanitizing, cleaning drains...(my kids love a baking soda vinegar party!) and more.

Thats all folks. More to come. Perhaps under the bathroom sink next?!

***Please note….these are all things designed to clean and sanitize, not disinfect. Helpful summary.  Most households do not regularly need disinfecting (you need some germs friends). However, in high risk populations, communal settings with high touch surfaces, etc etc, disinfection, particularly after illness is important. I highly recommend an EPA registered disinfectant. I like Force of Nature for that purpose. please skip the Clorox Wipes (and please don’t let kids handle bleach.)