Tuesday, March 3, 2015
This post contains affiliate links, however all opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.  My full disclosure is available HERE.
I've been sharing a variety of ways to easily make more healthy and ecologically friendly choices this year during the Make it Green in 2015 campaign.  We all know that reusable products are better for our environment, more cost-efficient, usually more convenient and definitely beneficial to your health.
Here's a list of Ten Reusable Products to Try Right Now!

1. Reusable Water Bottles
Glass and stainless steel are most recommended because they're easily recyclable but if you can only find plastic, read this helpful article from the Natural Resources Defense Council about what plastics to avoid and also check out this chart explaining the types of plastics and adverse health affects from www.green-4-u.com.
I  personally like the food grade stainless steel, dishwasher safe, insulated water bottle designs from Klean Kanteen!  They even offer stainless steel sippy bottles!
2. Reusable Bags
Here's a list of 8 reasons why you should limit your use of plastic bags.  Luckily there are many alternatives to plastic that we can use for food storage and shopping. Many supermarkets or stores offer reusable shopping bags at a small price, but if you have an old t-shirt you can quickly make your own market bag!  Check out my Pinterest board Eco-Friendly: Reduce Reuse Recycle for inspiration on how to make your own!  Mothering Mother is a company who makes several different kinds of reusable 100% unbleached cotton bags, and they can replace all the other bags you use!
If you're looking for a special deal right now, you can find the Simple Ecology 9 Bag Grocery Shopper Kit for under $50.


3. Unpaper Towels
How many paper towels do you use a day?  Switching over to cloth is a much more environmentally friendly idea! Check out my review of Bambooee Unpaper Towels, each sheet replaces up to 100 ordinary paper towels!
Also visit my Pinterest board for DIY reusable towel ideas- Eco-Friendly: Reduce Reuse Recycle
4. Dryer Balls
Wool dryer balls eliminate static electricity as well as (if not better than) fabric softener sheets and can go through 1,000 loads of laundry!  That could very well be several years worth of dryer sheets you would otherwise be throwing away.  I think that's a great reusable product, don't you? Wool is also compostable so it's a double win!  Click to read my review of Woolzies Dryer Balls.
5. Glass Food Storage
Why glass?  Good question!  It's a reusable option that is quite cost-friendly!  I love the post written by Elana's Pantry- 10 Reasons for Glass.  I think that glass is much more appealing than plastic!  Lifefactory offers an attractive food storage solution on Amazon!

6. Reusable Cling Wrap and Baking Mats
The cling wrap, aluminum foil or parchment paper that you use might not seem like much, but over time it definitely amounts to something.  I love this post by Measuring Flower for a DIY cling wrap!
Another alternative that I just found out about is a reusable non-stick baking mat from Silpat.  Everything Mommyhood wrote a great review about Silpat and I think my family needs to get them ASAP!
If you prefer to stick to aluminum, there are several brands that carry 100% recycled aluminum and it can be recycled over and over again!  
7. Reusable Nursing Pads
These are absolutely a necessity, quit throwing away the disposable versions and try a more natural approach!  You can read my review of Milkies Softies from Fairhaven Health to learn more about why this option is one you want to go for. 
8.  Reusable Baby Wipes and/or Family Cloth Wipes
Baby wipes and toilet paper may sound like something you cannot get by without.  But you're flushing or throwing away money and trees- NRDC says the toilet tissue accounts for 15 percent of deforestation. It's easy switching to cloth, and I wrote a detailed tutorial on how to make your own cloth wipes HERE!
9. Cloth Diapers
Disposable diapers are full of chemicals and your baby's excretions are being put into our landfills at an alarming rate of 3.4 million tons per year.  I once was intimidated by cloth but it didn't take long to find what worked best for our family.  
(image courtesy pixabay.com)
Read my review of Owl Be Green cloth diapers, a local WAHM that makes adorable and affordable AI2's!
10.  Reusable Menstrual Products
Check out my review of GladRags Color Night Pads HERE!  I have used cloth pads before and they're not as gross as you'd think... if you can handle cloth diapers, you can handle cloth pads! I haven't yet tried a menstrual cup but that's next on my list. Visit GladRags for all your reusable menstrual product needs!

What are your favorite reusable products? Do you have anything you think should be added to this list?  Leave a comment below!


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