zero waste (or close to it) products

[DawnM]

I am looking into some products, cleaning supplies, laundry, even shampoo/conditioner in zero waste type options.

I have just started researching.   I haven't ordered anything yet.

I thought I would come here and see if any of you have opted to do more of this type of thing and what your thoughts are.

Wow, I didn't realize there were so many companies out there!  

Any suggestions or things you like?

 

 

[Laura Corin]

I use bar shampoo and  conditioner.  It's pretty good.  I have short, straight, thick hair, not coloured.

This is the shampoo: https://www.lushusa.com/hair/shampoo-bars/montalbano/9999905595.html

I can't see the conditioner that I use, but it's also from Lush.

For cleaning, I mostly use this: it's a concentrated product that I decant into an existing spray bottle with lots of water added: https://www.ecoverdirect.com/products/all-purpose-cleaner-1l/ealp1l.aspx?productid=ealp1l

[73349]

I like Fillaree's hand soap (if you want liquid) and dish soap. Their hair care line is new, but I'm sure I will wind up trying it soon. I haven't tried the spray cleaner.

[Selkie]

I like Dropps laundry detergent. It does a great job and has no plastic packaging. https://www.dropps.com

[Carrie12345]

Not zero waste, but I do get many of my cleaning products in concentrated form, which helps. Namely, Mrs. Meyers, Better Life, and Angry Orange. Though I have found that the Angry Orange tends to clog up my spray bottles.  We go through so much of those things that it just makes sense financially, for my stockpile obsession, and for drastically reducing plastic waste.

[Emba]

I use dropps for laundry and dishwasher pods, and have been satisfied with the performance of each.

Honestly for hand/body soap I just buy bar soap from the $ Tree that comes in cardboard boxes instead of plastic. Seems  like less waste than having anything shipped. 
 

I’m still in the process of using up my first shampoo bar, which I got at Wal-Mart. It had a plastic package, though. It doesn’t dry out my hair like I was afraid it would, giving me confidence to try something a little pricier. I haven’t taken the plunge on conditioner bars yet; my hair is picky and I’m still working my way through conditioner that I already have.

I bought some bamboo toothbrushes from Zero Waste Cartel. Not impressed with the toothbrushes, but the double-edged razor I got there is good. They have shampoo and conditioner bars and other things that I’ve not tried. https://zerowastecartel.com/

Edited August 27, 2020 by emba56

[alisoncooks]

I've been looking at these hand soap tablets:  https://www.blueland.com/products/hand-soap-refill-packs

But if you look up "foaming soap tablets" on Amazon, there are a lot of options. 

[DawnM]

1 hour ago, alisoncooks said:

I've been looking at these hand soap tablets:  https://www.blueland.com/products/hand-soap-refill-packs

But if you look up "foaming soap tablets" on Amazon, there are a lot of options. 

 

I have been looking at blueland, I thought the concept was cool.  I hear their bottles aren't that great.  They look really cool though!  Have you tried any of their cleaning supplies?

[alisoncooks]

1 hour ago, DawnM said:

 

I have been looking at blueland, I thought the concept was cool.  I hear their bottles aren't that great.  They look really cool though!  Have you tried any of their cleaning supplies?

I haven't tried any of their products. I was interested after seeing a FB ad at the beginning of the virus/SIP.  

Re: the bottles. It *looks* like the foaming soap dispensers from Bath & Body Works may work, if you happen to have any of those on hand. (Same volume and has a wide opening for the tablet.)

[DawnM]

14 minutes ago, alisoncooks said:

I haven't tried any of their products. I was interested after seeing a FB ad at the beginning of the virus/SIP.  

Re: the bottles. It *looks* like the foaming soap dispensers from Bath & Body Works may work, if you happen to have any of those on hand. (Same volume and has a wide opening for the tablet.)

 

Oh, I see now you said you were looking at them.   I have been watching some Youtube videos and the soap dispenser was ok, but the complaint was the cleaning bottles.

[Desert Strawberry]

I'm trying out Sheets and Earth Breeze for laundry. I think I like Sheets better. More sheets, less cost, better scent-though I think I'll switch to unscented, but they come in a box inside a box. Both are recyclable cardboard. Earth Breeze comes in a paper packet inside a manila envelope. 

We're using shampoo and conditioner bars and dish soap concentrate from Funky Soap London.  I'll order the dog soap when we finish our current bottle. Of course bar hand and body soaps, face soap, lotion bar. Shaving soap bar. Bamboo toothbrushes. Next, we'll try toothpaste tablets, and plant-based floss. When we finish our current cleaners, we'll get earth-friendly all-purpose cleaner concentrate. I bought metal spray bottles today. 

Plant-based biodegradable trash bags and reusable zipper bags and plant-based dish sponges. I made cotton/bamboo knit washcloths and makeup remover pads. Next up is a few soap savers. 

I'm currently switching to refillable fountain pens, using bottles not cartridges. My pens now are plastic, but my next ones will be metal. 
Canning jars instead of plastic food containers. 

Glass drinkware instead of plastic. Stainless steel or glass water bottles. Reusable coffee and drink cups. Reusable picnic ware. Cloth napkins, kitchen towels instead of paper towels. Reusable cloth face masks. Handkerchiefs instead of kleenex. 

Buy used whenever possible. Clothes, kitchenwares, housewares, furniture, dishes.

Replacing all plastic kitchen utensils with wood or metal. Cast iron pots and pans. 

edit:Reusable razors . Safety razors if you're brave, but we aren't. We're using Harry's and Dollar Shave Club.
This is all I can think of right now. 



 

Edited August 31, 2020 by Desert Strawberry

[Carrie12345]

5 hours ago, Desert Strawberry said:

Reusable picnic ware

This is an area where I struggle.  We have really cute cases of utensil sets, but my kids are always losing a piece here or there.  We’ve had similar issues with water bottles, though it hasn’t been as bad as the utensils in the past year or so.

I also love metal straws, but I’m a bit emotionally scarred.  I don’t know if someone tried to use the dishwasher, decided to skip washing, thought it was already clean, or what, but I once sat down to a nice drink only to suck up something old and I may have contemplated throwing myself off my balcony for a second.  I now wash/rewash every straw before use.

[Desert Strawberry]

7 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

This is an area where I struggle.  We have really cute cases of utensil sets, but my kids are always losing a piece here or there.  We’ve had similar issues with water bottles, though it hasn’t been as bad as the utensils in the past year or so.

I also love metal straws, but I’m a bit emotionally scarred.  I don’t know if someone tried to use the dishwasher, decided to skip washing, thought it was already clean, or what, but I once sat down to a nice drink only to suck up something old and I may have contemplated throwing myself off my balcony for a second.  I now wash/rewash every straw before use.

 

oh yes, metal straws. We've had reusable straws for years. We have a few plastic, a few silicone, but mostly metal now. Running a bit of water through before using is not a bad idea. 

For picnic ware, we just had the plastic toddler ware left over from Luna. I bought a box of heavy duty plastic utensils on our last camping trip. We wash and reuse. Then if they get lost, it's not a big deal. 
My kids and I have bento type boxes for packing lunches. Trying to keep it simple and tidy.