4 eco-friendly switches to a sustainable household

Our planet needs us to do more for it. It’s our only home! I love taking care of it by buying pre-loved items, picking up garbage on walks, and trying to use more sustainable items in our daily lives. It definitely is tough to make the change and go zero waste. A good way to start is to change the way you do things at home, and the products you use as well.

Tru Earth is a Canadian company with a small team. They started their company with the belief that they were going to help people make better choices and help our planet in the same time. They now serve 40 countries! The company goal that most resonates with me is that they create products that empower people to choose sustainability without compromising convenience. Pretty neat!

Here I’ll share my four favorite products from Tru Earth! I’m happy to have added them to our household in order to achieve more sustainability, to reduce waste, and to help save our planet even by taking small steps.

Laundry

Laundry detergent
I’ve been using Tru Earth laundry strips for a while now; it’s been almost 2 years! I’m pretty happy with them. They’re phospate-free, biodegradable, hypoallergenic, and the packaging is free of plastic. My favorite ones to use are the Baby eco-strips! They smell so good.

Wool dryer balls
Ever since I moved to the US, I’ve been using a dryer machine. We would always buy dryer sheets. Even though I would reuse them after they were in the dryers, I was always worrying about the waste. I’ve been using Tru Earth wool dryer balls lately to get rid of static in our clothes and to leave them softer. I had to get a new pack for when I do more than one load at a time.

Wool dryer balls replace dryer sheets & liquid fabric softeners, which ultimately help you save money. There’s other plastic dryer steamer balls on the market, but wool balls are eco-friendly and they’re a petroleum-free alternative!
TIP: You can add some drops of your favorite essential oil to each ball before each use.

Self care

Reusable makeup remover pads

I’ve been using reusable makeup remover pads for over 3 years. It was time to get a new set, so I went ahead and got the ones from TruEarth. Their bamboo rounds reusable makeup remover pads come with a reusable cotton laundry bag.

They come in a set of 14. You can use them either with water or your favorite makeup remover. I use micellar water since I wear waterproof mascara.

Photo from TruEarth.com

Kitchen

Swedish dishcloths

By using TruEarth Swedish dishcloths you can replace the use of paper towels! It’s kind of crazy to think, but one of them replaces up to 17 rolls of paper towels!

They’re made of cellulose-cotton blend, and they’re 100% biodegradable. They’re super absorbent, and to clean them you can either pop them on the top rack of your dishwasher, or you can put them in your washing machine. Eventually, by purchasing and using this set of 6 Swedish dishcloths and replacing your paper towels, you will save about $180 dollars, and 102 roles of paper towels!

Go to TruEarth and check out their amazing products to make true lasting change that helps save our beautiful planet.

By switching little by little to using eco-friendly products we can help save our planet. These are only 4 ideas. What else have you been doing for our planet?

Michelle | con limón, please

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DIY biodegradable St. Valentine’s garland. Orange peel garland

Valentine’s Day is such a lovely holiday. In Mexico we call it Day of Love and Friendship. I love hearts and all the décor that comes with it. However, many of the décor is disposable, and even most things you can basically only use them once. I wanted to create something either made of paper, or even something sustainable and biodegradable! I saw this cute idea from Valerie Garcia back in December. She used orange peel to make gift tags! So I thought I could follow her lead and make a dry orange peel heart garland for Valentine’s Day!

You’ll need:

  • 4-5 navel oranges (big oranges work better)
  • Heart shaped cookie cutter
  • Jute cord or cotton string
  • Cooling rack and baking sheet

Preheat oven at 200°F (90°C). Cut the ends of your oranges, and slice the peel lengthwise. Peel it off carefully so that the peel stays as whole as possible. This way you’ll have more area to work with.

Place the orange peel with its inside up on a cutting board. Use a sharp cookie cutter to cut out heart shapes. Press hard with your palm to get an even cut. Place the hearts on a cooling rack on a baking sheet, or on your baking sheet using some parchment paper.

Place the tray in the oven, and bake for about 2h.

Remove from the oven, and use a needle and jute cord or cotton cord to string your hearts and form a garland as long as you need it. Et voilà! Your garland is ready to make your place look more charming!

NOTES:
* I recommend using bigger oranges so that you get more material to work with. Even bring your cookie cutter to the store, and buy some that are good for its size
* Don’t be tempted to add more temperature to the oven
* If you don’t have a cooling rack, don’t forget to use parchment paper on your baking sheet so that the shapes don’t get stuck on it
* Play around with this sustainable idea! You can buy grapefruit, red oranges, or even limes!

The best part about this DIY is that it is completely sustainable, biodegradable, and you get to eat your oranges! Click here to see what I did with mine. Also, you can totally adapt your garland to any other holiday. And even make ornaments and gift tags for Christmas!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Michelle | con limón, please

Some other garlands I’ve made before:

Other St. Valentine’s ideas:

St. Valentine’s Day date idea at home

St. Valentine’s Day snack idea: St. Valentine’s popcorn

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For some more St. Valentine’s Day craft ideas go see what my friends shared!

DIY Valentine’s Day Welcome Sign For Front Door by Cameron

Toddler Valentine’s LOVE Art by Amy

Paper Hearts by Stephanie

Valentine’s Day Craft: Thumbprint Tree by Ally

DIY Valentine’s Day banner by Cammie

Simple Valentine’s Day Toddler Craft: Heart-Shaped Shortbread Cookies by Kirsten

Colorful Heart Garland for DIY Valentine’s Photos by Amy

Valentine DIY decor by Kimberly

Valentine’s Day Craft by Christa

Valentine Love Wands by mamallamallama

Yarn Crafts Valentines Edition by Stephanie

DIY Valentine’s Day Tree Decor by Alex

Valentines Day Craft for Kids by Alexa

Valentine’s Day Activities for Toddlers by Surabhi