Money-Saving Tips To Help Our Planet

Learn Money-Saving Tips That Can Help Our Planet

 

 

Summer is warming up in Sonoma County and it got me thinking about what buying choices could be money-saving tips that can help our planet at the same time. I started changing more of my buying choices last year to even greener choices. I thought I would share what I’ve learned and how easy it has been to switch. I was surprised that making these changes not only saved money, but made life easier, and helped our planet.

 

Making Life Simpler with Greener Choices

I got very serious this last year about cutting my carbon footprint. I started switching over to greener choices than I had made before as I ran out of products for our home and personal care. I found there are now so many green choices that help us help the planet and cut our waste and the use of plastic.

 

The plastic we use is a petroleum hydrocarbon by-product many have BPA’s. Some, but not all, plastics that are marked with recycle codes 3 or 7 may be made with BPA. Reduce your use of canned foods where you can or make sure the liner is BPA-free. When possible, opt for glass, porcelain, or stainless-steel containers, particularly for hot food or liquids. Using baby bottles that are BPA-free is safer for your baby.

So many products have now become compostable. I’ve changed over to compostable garbage and kitchen bags that don’t add to landfills to take care of kitchen waste and our garbage. They are competitively priced and available at many retail and online stores. I also purchased a Vitamix Food Cylcer that creates instant compost for your garden. No more smelly compost containers in our kitchen, and this machine easily turns food scraps into compost or mulch for your garden.

 

Money-Saving Tablet Hand Soap

 

I like moisturizing hand soap. It’s less messy in a bottle compared to a bar. I don’t like continually buying plastic bottles with soap. I did some searching and came up with foaming tablet hand soap. I bought a glass bottle for creating foaming hand soap, dropped it in a tablet, added water, and within minutes I had foaming hand soap. Also, hand soap tablets are a fraction of the price of bottled hand soap. Hand soap tablets come in many types and scents. I love the lavender tablet hand soap I bought, it saves money, and doesn’t contribute to landfill.

 

Laundry Sheets Save Money

 

Laundry sheets for the win. Only a box, no plastic. HE compatible and so many choices to choose from for your laundry needs. Laundry sheets come both scented and unscented and work in both top-loading and front-loading machines. With laundry sheets you ditch the plastic bottle and the box takes up less shelf space. Changing from plastic laundry bottles to laundry sheets will help our warming planet and save you money too.

 

Buy In Bulk & Save Money While Not Adding to Landfill

 

Crystal Clear Home has always used eco-friendly choices to clean homes and businesses. This last year we started buying our eco-friendly cleaning products in bulk. We are also buying some products as concentrates while using fewer containers all around. I was encouraged when I started trying to source my favorite home care products and found many of them in bulk. It saves money and using fewer containers has us not adding to the landfill. There are also many manufacturers selling products in cartons or bags, which also helps our planet.

 

Switch to Bamboo & Help Our Planet

 

I’ve known about bamboo as a renewable resource for a long time. This year I started switching my toilet paper, paper towels, and facial tissue to bamboo products. I even found reusable bamboo paper towels! I thought I would be giving up soft and absorbent products and I was surprised that the bamboo products outperform conventional paper products, save trees, have no chemicals, and are septic tank safe! Bamboo paper products have gone mainstream and can be purchased online and at most retail stores. Amazon has the largest selection, but Cost, Target, and Walmart also have many choices in bamboo paper products.

 

Thrift Bags for Recycling Clothes

 

The newest trend is recycling thrift bags that you pay a small fee and then when mailed you get a gift card for purchases at many well-known retail and online shops. There are so many choices today and each company has its unique benefits, so find the one that works best for you.  Trashie has the Take Back Bag, when you buy 3 bags you get free shipping. The Take Back Bag costs $20 and you receive a $30 gift card with your favorite brands. If you don’t want retail credits to spend there is Simple Recycling, use any bag and schedule a pickup date. Both solutions make recycling and keeping products out of landfill easy. Most of these companies except any clothes, towels, sheets, or most fiber based products for recycling.

 

Personal Care Products That Don’t Add to Landfill

I’ve changed my personal care products for greener choices. Instead of shampoo bottles, I’ve started using rice water shampoo bars. There are many choices for all hair types in bar shampoos these days. There are also many companies manufacturing bar conditioners.

 

Also, some companies have gotten on board with greener options, and products are now available in bags instead of plastic bottles. I’ve changed out liquid soap for bar soap locally made and handcrafted with organic ingredients. This is a two-way win supporting organic choices and local companies. I’m buying my foundation from E.L.F. the one I love comes in a glass bottle. As I run out of products, I’m looking for products that either use recyclable plastic containers, glass, compostable bags or come in cartons.

 

Buy Concentrates for Your Garden

 

This year my garden care costs less and uses less plastic. I’ve started buying concentrates for most of my garden needs. My chicken manure comes in recyclable bags also. I’ve found fertilizers, natural pest products, and more in concentrated form so I can use one container and mix my garden supplies when needed. Also, concentrates tend to have a longer shelf-life, which saves you both money and time.

When our buying habits change it sends a strong message to manufacturers that they need to change how they manufacture and package products. Have fun making new buying choices for your home and garden this summer.

We hope you have a wonderful summer and encourage you to call us at 707-827-3316 or fill out our FREE estimate form for your house cleaning and one of our cleaning professionals will call you promptly to answer your questions. Taking house cleaning off your to-do list this summer frees up your time so you can do more of what you love!