I have always done my best to be green, but over the past three years, I have really reassessed what this means in terms of running a household.
There are so many ways to cut down on waste and there are dozens and dozens of new green products available to replace old staples, it was just a case of doing a little research.
As a teen and into my university days I was really environmentally conscious but I lost my way a bit as I started to work full time and travel around. Certainly, as I became a parent and convenience was important, I definitely could have done better at looking for greener habits when it came to products I used or what I bought.
However, I have made massive improvements in the past number of years which I will share with you now!
I started with the bathroom, looking at what I buy, what we use as a family weekly, and if there were better options out there, and turns out there are tons! First I ditched bottles and bottles of shower gel in favour of good old-fashioned bars of soap like we used in the ’80s.
I found a lovely Irish producer called Tinnock Farm based in Tipperary who have a gorgeous smelling, hard-working range of soaps. Also, a firm favourite of mine for all sorts of soaps and skincare handmade in small batches in Abbeyleix is Naturally at the Wren.
I tried various different brands of shampoo bars and honestly, none of them worked well in my hair. So I am sticking with bottled shampoo but loads of different brands have gone green like Garnier have introduced Ultimate Blends which uses a 100% recyclable bottle made from 50% recycled materials.
They have partnered with Terracycle which works to keep beauty products out of landfills. Also, long-running Dr Bronner have lovely multi-use soaps and they are a very green company.
When it comes to oral care there are dozens of different kinds of bamboo brushes but hands down my favourite is Irish-made Bambooth which makes 100% biodegradable handles. Georganics is an English company that do a whole range of green products like silk dental floss (natural fibre) in glass jars and toothpaste in recyclable jars.
Next, I tackled the kitchen and shopping. I ditched buying fruit and veg in packaging and bought loads of cotton produce bags from the Little Green Shop. Wherever possible everything I bought was either in tin or glass or in some cases I used the same container and bulk bought pasta or rice.
When it came to cleaning the kitchen I absolutely fell in love with Iron and Velvet cleaning products. They come in tiny dissolvable pouches, clearly marked with bathroom, kitchen, window, floor cleaners. You put the pouches in my other favourite tool now, glass amber bottles, shake it and done!
Literally zero waste, as the packaging goes into the recycling and the cleaner pouch dissolves in water and no plastic bottles.
Along with products you decide to buy, habits need to be green too. I have talked to my daughter a lot about this. Not leaving lights on all over the house, checking to see if something can be worn again and putting things in the right recycling tray.
But one of the things we can do with the best impact is to literally buy less. All of us. I have worked to buy a sustainable and minimal wardrobe for myself over the past nearly four years now. I buy Irish, mainly and from brands that use sustainable materials and have fair work practices. I am getting better at doing this for my daughter's wardrobe too. Instead of buying lots for her I am buying a lot less but better quality.
We are definitely a greener household now and I feel good about that. It does take a bit of work to put into action new practices but once you do, you won’t look back!
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