While most people think about green living in terms of energy sources, cleaning products and organic diets, there are many other products and home items you can get that adhere to green living. To start, we will talk about what “green product” actually means. You often see labels like organic, sustainable or green but it isn’t clear what that means for products. After talking through what green living home products are we, will talk about some different options you can try.
What are green products?
Be careful of following packages that say the are “earth friendly” or “green” and read the packaging to see what is actually in the product. When looking for green products they generally have the following qualities/standards:
- Energy efficient and durable; oftentimes with low maintenance requirements
- Toxic compound free and doesn’t produce toxic by-products
- Made up of recycled materials or renewal and sustainable sources
- Locally sourced materials and products
- Biodegradable
What should you look for with green products?
The EPA has tips and recommendations to help you find green products for cleaning, electronics and even landscaping. For example, when looking for green cleaning products you should look for the Safer Choice logo.
The safer choice logo was designed by the EPA and the safer choice standard to ensure that products are not harmful for the environment and your family:
“Every ingredient must meet strict safety criteria for both human health and the environment, including carcinogenicity, reproductive/developmental toxicity, toxicity to aquatic life, and persistence in the environment. This means that Safer Choice-labeled products are safer for: You, your family, and pets; Workers’ health; Fish and the environment.” –EPA
Green cleaning products you can try at home:
If you aren’t sure where to start when it comes to green cleaning products, you can find rankings and reviews online. A few that we like are:
Green & Eco-Friendly Home Decor:
There are other great ways to freshen up your home while using chemical free, and sustainable products. For example, using recycled glass is a great way to incorporate sustainable and reusable items. You can also switch up some items in your home to make it more eco-friendly:
You can also look into brands that use locally sourced materials and recycled items. Do your research and see what is out there. Some of our favorites for home décor are:
- BottleCloth – BottleCloth sells table clothes made from 100% recycled woven fabric, and recycled bottles. WAY COOL!
- Coyuchi – Coyuchi makes and sells bedding, textiles, mattresses and more that are all produced from 100% organic cotton. Their patterns are beautiful, the products are high quality without the use of dyes and bleaches.
- Lite+Cycle – if you love candles, you need to check out lite+cycle. All of their candles are made with high-grade essential oils, and use non-GMO vegetable wax and a cotton wick. They smell heavenly, burn purely and no waste is left behind once they are all done.
There you have it. This has been a crash course green living home products. When looking for green products, do your research. Read reviews for products online, look at the labels and educate yourself. The best way to find out if a product is eco-friendly, is to read up on it. By incorporating green living products, or recycled and reusable goods in your home, you can feel good about the items that you are using.
