In this article you will learn how to make diy sustainable swaps at home. These eco friendly swaps will help you to save money and start living more green and natural.
Many of us thinks that living sustainably is expensive and difficult. In the long run sustainable living is actually affordable and easy.
You can make small changes everyday, even a small change can make a big difference. So, here is a list of easy diy sustainable swaps to incorporate in your daily life.
These homemade sustainable swaps are really easy to make, needs less ingredients and lets you live more natural and guilt free life.
HOMEMADE SUSTAINABLE SWAPS FOR EVERYDAY LIFE :
MORNING SUSTAINABLE SWAPS :
What’s the better thing than starting your day without any guilt ? Yes you can make some small changes in your morning routine. Check out these homemade swaps for your morning
Diy Natural Toothpaste : ( Replace with toothpaste tube )
You can make your own non toxic and natural tooth paste at home. It is not only good for the environment but also for your health. Yes it many not be foamy but it does clean your teeth very well.
Many commercial toothpastes are filled with so many chemicals and you use those chemicals everyday. Also toothpaste always comes in a plastic tube that ends up in landfills. So, check this recipe
Ingredients :
- Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
- Bentonite clay – 1 tbsp
- Baking soda – 2 tbsp
- Peppermint essential oil – 3-4 drops
Directions :
- In a bowl add coconut oil
- Add bentonite clay, baking soda and mix
- Then add essential oil
- Mix everything and done
Homemade sustainable toothpaste is all ready.
Why this toothpaste is good ?
- Coconut oil helps to fight with bacteria that causes cavity and being gentle in nature it soothes inflammation
- Bentonite clay is high in calcium and also absorbs toxins. Helps to remineralize your teeth, reduces plaque and makes your teeth healthy
- Baking soda comes with whitening and anti bacterial properties. Helps to remove stains from teeth and removes plaque
- Peppermint essential oil has cooling and numbing properties, soothes inflammation, reduces toothache and also prevents bad breathe.
Diy Zero Waste Mouthwash : ( Replace with Bottled mouthwash )
You may be wondering why you need a mouthwash ? Because a toothpaste cannot reach all the areas of your mouth like upper part of your gums.
Using a mouthwash daily can help to prevent so many dental issues and make sure your mouth is completely clean. Again store brought and commercial mouth washes are filled with chemicals and comes in plastic bottle.
You can make your own diy mouthwash at home using natural ingredients which we already used to make our toothpaste. It will help you to save money, be more be sustainable and avoid chemicals and plastic.
Ingredients :
- A glass of boiled water – 200 ml
- Baking soda – 1 tsp
- Peppermint essential oil – 5 drops
Directions :
- Take a clean glass bottle
- Add all the ingredients and shake
- Homemade mouthwash is ready
- Take 1 tablespoon of it and squish for a minute and rinse.
DIY BATHING SUSTAINABLE SWAPS :
Your daily bathing can also be sustainable and zero waste just by swapping the chemical based and plastic items. Making some simple homemade bathing supplies like soap, scrubs, shampoo bar etc.
The best thing about making your own bathing products is you get to choose the ingredients you want to use. Simply be creative, use the ingredients you love, mix and match the ingredients.
Diy Sustainable Soap : ( Replace with your regular packaged soap )
Making soap at home is a very creative project you can choose any gentle soap base, add essential oils, add some more ingredients like turmeric, coffee grounds, carrot extract, papaya extract, rice etc.
There are countless ingredients that you can add to your soap.
Ingredients : ( chocolate coffee soap )
- Use any gentle natural soap base ( Shea butter, Oat milk, Glycerin etc ) – 250 grams
- Coconut oil – 20 ml
- Cocoa powder – 1 tbsp
- Coffee grounds – 1 tbsp
- Vanilla essential oil
Directions :
- Using double boiling method, melt the soap base
- Add all ingredients and mix properly
- Pour the soap mixture in mold
- Let the soap set and take them out from the mold
Diy sustainable soap is ready.
Also I have few other recipes to make soaps at home like :
Homemade activated charcoal soap
Homemade Zero Waste Body Scrub : ( Replace with regular scrub )
Just like making soap at home, body scrubs are also very fun to make at home. You can make sugar scrub, salt scrub, creamy scrub or even whipped scrub at home. Add ingredients you like and suits your skin the best.
Ingredients : ( Lemon mint sugar scrub )
- Sugar – 4 tbsp
- Lemon juice – 1 tsp
- Peppermint essential oil – 6 drops
Directions :
- In a bowl add sugar
- Add lemon juice, essential oil and mix
- Transfer the scrub to a clean airtight container
Your diy sugar scrub is ready. Use it the same way as you use your regular scrub.
Homemade Eco Friendly Shampoo Bar : ( Replace with bottled shampoo )
You may be using shampoo bottles all the time but have you tried using a shampoo bar ? Well shampoo bar is more sustainable because of no plastic bottle and harmful chemicals.
You can add natural oils like coconut, almond, jojoba etc. Also you can add butters like cocoa, mango, shea butter or essential oils of your choice.
For the convenience I am sharing a melt and pour shampoo bar recipe. Because it is much easier to make. Let’s see how you can make diy sustainable shampoo bar at home.
Ingredients :
- Sulphate free soap base – 250 gram ( I use Shea butter soap base )
- Castor oil – 2 tsp
- Cocoa butter – 1 tbsp
- Rosemary essential oil – 8 drops
Directions :
- Use double boiling method to melt the soap base
- Add castor oil, cocoa butter and essential oil
- Mix everything and remove it after melting
- Pour the mixture in mold and let it set
Take them out and your homemade sustainable shampoo bar is ready.
Check out this amazing diy rice shampoo bar recipe for strong and healthy hair.
HOMEMADE SUSTAINABLE KITCHEN SWAPS :
Kitchen is a place where so many packaged items comes everyday. Our kitchen contributes to many waste we may never think in form of plastic bags.
Making few simple changes to the kitchen can help you to be more sustainable. Also these changes are really affordable, saves your money and lasts longer. Check out these simple kitchen swaps.
Homemade Zero Waste Kitchen Towels : ( Replace with paper towel )
Using homemade kitchen towel instead of using paper towel will help to reduce waste and save your money. You can buy them from any mart as these are very easily available.
But if you want to reuse some old clothes then it’s a good option to make kitchen towels using old clothes.
Check out how you can make these zero waste kitchen towels
Things You Need :
- Old clothes like t-shirt or shirt
- Measuring tape
Directions :
- Spread the cloth on a flat surface
- Trim the edges to get a square piece of cloth
- You can now cut square kitchen towels according to the size you need using measuring tape
- Then fold all the 4 sides of the towel around half inches with sewing machine and done
Your diy zero waste kitchen towels are ready. I usually keep a box in my kitchen and place all the kitchen towels in the box.
Diy Reusable Grocery Bag : ( Replace with plastic bags )
Groceries comes to our kitchen every other day. Along with groceries and other food stuff plastic bags comes too. Using a reusable grocery bag can help you to reduce waste by avoiding plastic bags.
Making this grocery bag at home takes very less time and effort. Also these bags last longer and can be washed very easily. See how you can make them at home.
Well you can make this bag using any piece of cloth but the most easy way to make this is by reusing the old t-shirt.
Things You Need :
- Any piece of cloth or old t-shirt
Directions : ( 2 ways to make it )
- If you are using a piece of cloth, then cut it in a rectangle piece
- Flip it on the back side and fold it in half and stich both open sides around half inches
- It will look like a bag
- Now make 2 long and 2.5 inches broad stripes using the same cloth
- Attach the strips to the both sides of the bag, your homemade grocery bag is ready.
- If you are using an old t-shirt, then cut the above part around sleeves
- Now flip it on the back side
- Stich it half inches from any one open side
- It will now look like a bag
- Then again make the stripes and attach them to the bag
- Your homemade reused t-shirt bag is ready.
Diy Sustainable Beeswax Wrap : ( Replace with plastic wrap )
We all need something to cover our leftover food or any other food stuff all the time. Then most of the time cling wrap is used. Again you need to buy rolls of plastic wraps every month.
You can now swap the plastic wrap with beeswax wraps. These wraps are biodegradable, last longer and affordable too. These beeswax wraps can be used to wrap a bowl or jar of food, wrap burrito, leftover snacks or any other food stuff.
You can buy ready made ones from any mart but also you can make these at home using your old clothes very easily.
Check this easy recipe to make zero waste beeswax wraps at home.
Things You Need :
- Any cotton cloth not too thick and not too thin
- Beeswax pellets
- Any old brush
Directions :
- Cut the piece of cloth, you can cut it in square or circle according to your need
- Then pre heat oven on 150 degrees for 5 minutes
- On the baking tray, place a parchment paper
- Then place your cloth
- Spread beeswax all over the cloth
- Place the baking tray in oven for 3-4 minutes or until the beeswax melt and get absorbed in the cloth
- Then take out the tray, using the brush spread the melted beeswax evenly on the cloth ( do this process a bit fast )
- Immediately hang the cloth to dry.
Diy zero waste beeswax are ready to use. Make sure to wash them in cold or Luke warm water. Do not wash them in hot water.
Homemade Zero Waste Dish Soap Bar : ( Replace with dish soap bottle )
You might be having a dishwasher at home but many people does not have. Even if you have a dishwasher I am sure you do not wash every dish in it. Like the expensive and precious ones, these need to be washed with care and hands.
Liquid dish soap comes in a plastic bottle and contains many toxic chemicals too. You need to buy the bottle again and again. So, a solid dish soap can save your money and reduce the waste.
Let’s see how you can make an easy and affordable solid dish at home, which lasts longer.
Ingredients :
- Coconut soap base – 300 grams
- Tea tree essential oil – 8 drops
- Orange essential oil – 8 drops
Directions :
- Cut the soap base roughly
- Melt it using a double boiling method on medium heat
- Remove it from the heat and let it cool just a bit
- Add essential oils and mix
- Pour it a soap mold and let it set for few hours and then remove it
Your diy zero waste dish soap bar is ready.
HOMEMADE SUSTAINABLE CLEANING SWAPS :
Cleaning products are may be the most toxic products that we use in our homes everyday. Also most of them comes in plastic bottles which increases the waste.
You can make natural cleaning products at home that are affordable, effective and sustainable.
Homemade Zero Waste All Purpose Cleaner : ( Replace with toxic cleaners )
You can make an all purpose cleaner at home. This diy all purpose cleaner can be used to clean kitchen cabinets, counter tops, stove top, bathroom tiles, tables etc. Simply spray it a bit and clean it with a cloth wipe.
Making an all purpose cleaner is a sustainable way to do cleaning everyday without using and buying harmful chemicals and plastic bottles every month.
Check out this easy recipe to make it
Ingredients :
- White vinegar – 1 cup
- Baking soda – 2 tbsp
- Salt – 1 tbsp
- Liquid castile soap – 1 tbsp
- Lemon juice – 1 tsp
- Hydrogen peroxide – 2 tbsp
- Lemon essential oil – 10 drops
Directions :
- In a bowl add vinegar
- Then add all the above ingredients and mix
- Pour it in a clean bottle
Easy homemade all purpose cleaner is ready.
Diy Sustainable Floor Cleaner : ( Replace with toxic floor cleaner )
Commercial floor cleaners also comes with many harmful chemicals and packed in plastic bottles. If you have babies and toddlers in your home then it becomes really important to ditch those toxic floor cleaners.
You cannot stop a baby or toddler to crawl on floor and eat whatever food stuff they throw on the floor. It’s very easy to make a natural floor cleaner at home using some simple ingredients. See the recipe
Ingredients :
- Warm water – 5 cups
- White vinegar – 1/2 cup
- Liquid castile soap – 1 tbsp
- Tea tree essential oil – 15 drops
Directions :
- In a bowl add all the above ingredients
- Using a funnel pour the cleaner in a clean bottle
- Whenever you mop the floor add 3 caps of this cleaner in water.
Homemade Sustainable Air Freshener : ( Replace with chemical filled air fresheners )
Air fresheners are filled with many harmful chemicals. When you spray them in your home they remains in the air and you swallow them through your nose and mouth.
It is best to replace them with a natural and sustainable air fresheners. This homemade air freshener is easy to make, natural and affordable too.
Ingredients :
- Distilled water – 3/4 cup
- Rubbing alcohol or vodka or witch hazel – 2tbsp
- Your favorite essential oil – 30 drops
Directions :
- Keep a funnel over the bottle
- pour water in the bottle
- Then add the remaining ingredients
- Shake the bottle
Your homemade zero waste air freshener is ready, simply spray it as you use your regular air freshener.
Also check these 3 diy bathroom air fresheners recipe. These are also sustainable and natural.
FINAL THOUGHTS :
All the above diy sustainable swaps are really easy to make. By making small changes everyday you can live a more natural, sustainable and a non-toxic life by saving the planet.
