favorite green goods for the kitchen

While it’s not terribly hard to find ‘green’ products for the kitchen, it is sometimes hard to find quality green goods that are affordable and actually do their job well. The following is a list of some of my favorite green products that have outperformed other green goods- and often, their traditional non-green counterparts.

Green Genius Garbage Bags: Who knew I could be so excited about rubbish bags? These are biodegradable ​under landfill conditions! ​ And they are made from 40% recycled plastics. And they have drawstrings which keep everything neat and clean. Another win- cheaper than the Seventh Generation, and less likely to leak. I found them at our local health food store. Unfortunately, their website is unavailable, and it seems their products are too.

Scotch-Brite Greener Clean Sponges: So many times ecofriendly sponges fall apart after just a few uses, which is not acceptable in my very busy and very clean kitchen. About a year ago I found these awesome sponges that are made from 100% plant-based fibers and are 23% recycled. The scrubby parts are made mostly from the fibers of the agave cactus and work almost as good as the non-green scrubby options. Better, these can be found at Target, and are almost as cheap as the conventional brands. Overall, a big win for a clean kitchen and bathroom!

Costco Brand Eco-Friendly Dishsoap: This is my only purchase from Costco, which I annually request annually from my brother who actually pays for a membership. This soap is great- it comes in a gallon-sized recyclable container, contains plant-based ingredients, and it excludes some of the nasty stuff found in other soaps (phosphates, dyes, bleaches). And it’s not tested on our fuzzy friends. Mostly, it works better than any other eco-dishsoap, at a fraction of the cost. My second favorite is the Seventh Generation, but it comes only in 25- and 50-oz sizes, which means a lot more plastic to recycle.

Baking Soda: Yes, really! Easily found and very cheap, simple sodium bicarbonate can do quite a bit of dirty work around your kitchen and not damage the earth in the process. It can be used to scrub the stainless steel sink to a new shiny state, used on dishes that have baked-on foods, and on your counter tops as a very mild abrasive to clean stains. Mixed with vinegar it can help keep your drains running smoothly, use in the litterbox and in the fridge to keep everything fresh-smelling. Check out this incredible list for more ideas for using this non-toxic cleaner in your home. Just remember to buy it in bulk to save on packaging.