Eco-friendly Items to Make Your Home More Sustainable

With the protection of our environment becoming one of the key issues within our lifetime, it's more important than ever to take steps towards becoming a sustainable household.

Take a look below at some of our suggestions for eco-friendly items you can use within your home. The great thing about these items is that you can literally start using them tomorrow.

1. Bamboo Toothbrushes

It's hard to imagine but if people living in the 16th century had access to plastic toothbrushes, the ones they threw away would still be decomposing today. What's worse, when the brushes breakdown they shed infamous micro-plastics which wreak havoc on marine life.

A bamboo toothbrush is a sensible replacement with its 100% biodegradable handle. What's more, bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants on the planet making it incredibly sustainable to produce.

2. Vegan Soap

Plastic containers for liquid soap take up to 20x more energy to produce than simple paper/cardboard packaging. This energy-intensive process is very wasteful, especially when you consider that liquid soap doesn't last as long as a regular bar of soap.

A vegan soap bar takes it a step further, eliminating not only the use of plastic but also catering to those against animal cruelty.

3. Reusable Cotton Pads

Billions of disposable make up wipes are thrown away in households each year, causing hazardous effects on our environment as well as in our sewer systems as many choose to flush them down the toilet.

Making a switch to reusable cotton pads is a great step towards sustainability. They are multi-use, reusable and machine-washable. If you truly want a sustainable household, reusing items is a very important step.

4. Plastic-free Cotton Buds

Many governments around the world are starting to ban plastic cotton buds and with good reason. Many plastic cotton buds end up in the sea and our waterways contaminating everything in their path. What's worse, the microplastics shed end up in different food chains and have even been found in humans.

A switch to plastic-free cotton buds is an ideal way you can become more sustainable in your home. There are many options currently available including bamboo, paper and reusable cotton buds.

5. Reusable Bamboo Cutlery

Disposable plastic cutlery is a major problem in countries around the world. All stages of a disposable piece of plastic cutlery is an environmental disaster. From the huge amounts of energy required to create them to the pollution of our seas, there's no doubt that switching from plastic cutlery would be much more beneficial for our environment.

What's the alternative? Investing in a reusable bamboo cutlery set would be ideal. Bamboo is incredibly lightweight yet extremely durable, making it a perfect material for cutlery. On top of this, bamboo has natural antimicrobial properties which makes it easy to clean - especially in regards to use with food.

These five changes will certainly help you on your way to living in a more sustainable household but there are so many more alternatives out there to be discovered.