Which eco swaps have you made?

[BlowDryRat]

Just idly wondering as DH finally convinced me to try shampoo and conditioner bars instead of my usual OGX (I like them. They're the gruum ones). Other stuff we've done:

• compostable paper washing up sponges. Sounds crap but they're actually really good. They're these ones.

• DH uses Smyle brush mints and a bamboo toothbrush. I've tried them but prefer Colgate and my electric toothbrush.

• I use a mooncup and reusable sanitary pads Baba + Boo. Love them and wouldn't go back to disposables.

I also swapped from a diesel car to a hybrid a few years ago. I miss the range of the diesel (400 miles from one tank vs. about 280) but I wouldn't go back to a full petrol/diesel car.

not brilliant but have switched to bar soap in the bathroom
have just bought the gruum shampoo bars so will see
cleaning bottles i buy the big bottles and decant into smaller spray bottles watered down
recycle all cardboard , glass, plastic and tins
reuse tin foil containers that ready meals come in for cooking small things like chops, sausages etc and wash them out again after use
butter tubs reuse for batch cooked meals in the freezer
use a cotton mop and bucket to clean the kitchen and bathroom floor
im no where near where i should be but to me every little helps

Silicone zip bags instead of single use nags or clingfilm.
Use a local refill shop when I can
Bar soap
Loose leaf tea instead of bags
Hybrid car instead of full petrol
Washing powder instead of tablets (less packaging)

What are the Gruum bars like, I've had them popping up as adverts.

I'm I the process of switching to a moon cup and reusable pads. Atm i only use my moon cup for 4hrs a day as I'm still getting used to it and wear a disposable pad underneath. I wear reusable night time pads and once I've a little spare cash will buy some for day use

A couple of years ago I stopped using cotton wool pads and switched to washable cotton rounds for my make up removal. I also switched to Splosh for all my cleaning products.

I’ve always used reusable/washable cleaning cloths (old clothes cut up for dusters) and washable mop heads, and never used single use wipes so nothing to swap there.

I take Tupperware tubs to the butchers for them to put my meat into to avoid all those little plastic bags - it confused them at first but they know me now and it’s no longer an issue.

I looked into switching to a milkman with glass bottles but he only comes to my road twice a week, after I’ve gone to work, and if you order four pints (which I would as we use a LOT of milk) it comes in plastic anyway.

I tried reusable sanitary protection but they didn’t work for me... hopefully not much longer left for me now though....

Menstrual cup
Cloth nappies
Cloth wipes (I use them too sometimes)
Loads of second hand stuff
Washing powder in recycleable boxes
Baking bread when I can (no wrapping)

Planning a cargo bike not a car

Toothpaste tubes for toothpaste tablets
Bamboo toothbrushes
Shampoo and conditioner bars
Tumble dryer for line drying
Glass milk bottles
Glass bottles of fabric conditioner and laundry detergent
Who gives a crap toilet paper
Minimal car use (so easy right now!)
No chemicals used in the garden
Eco friendly household cleaners in glass bottles

Moon cup
Milk in glass bottles from the milkman
We purchase as much as we can from the local bulk buy shop - washing liquid, all shampoo/conditioner/shower gel, oil, flour, pasta, rice - most stuff that comes in a packet basically
Veg box weekly, all unpackaged
Fully electric car - this definitely has it's pros and cons in terms of range and need to charge, but for our primarily local journeys it's perfect
Washable beauty products, eg. make up removal sponges/wipes
Good quality tupperwares for storing leftover food/taking stuff out with you
Beeswax wraps instead of cling film or foil

Still on the old style scrubbers for washing up @BlowDryRat but will give the paper ones a go, do they not disintegrate in the water??

@EventuallyDeleted

Silicone zip bags instead of single use nags or clingfilm. Use a local refill shop when I can Bar soap Loose leaf tea instead of bags Hybrid car instead of full petrol Washing powder instead of tablets (less packaging)

What are the Gruum bars like, I've had them popping up as adverts.

He's tried a few different shampoo bars (I'm not sure which ones) but gruum is the one I've started using. It just needs a few swipes through my hair to make a really good lather and once that's happened it feels just like my normal shampoo. I haven't used it for long enough to say about the long-term effects but my hair looks in good condition. He says the conditioner is this Bubble and Beyond one from eBay. I like that one too - nice, swishy hair and detangles in the shower.

I'm still on a journey towards being totally green but so far I have
Used a menstrual cup and cloth pads for years
Use bar soap and shampoo bars
Bamboo toothbrush
Have a compost heap and a 'wildlife garden'
Don't have a tumble dryer
Buy as much as possible plastic free
Just bought dish soap and coconut husk scourers to reduce plastic
Use biodegradable dog poo bags
Buy second hand where feasible

@Newyearsameoldshite I thought they would disintegrate too but they last really well. I've even put them through the dishwasher when they've looked a bit manky and they come out fine.

DH has reminded me that we have a smol for laundry tabs (really good) and use Iron & Velvet plastic-free concentrated sachets for cleaning spray refills (also really good but you do need spray bottles from somewhere else first). They work out cheaper than buying laundry detergent and cleaning products in the weekly shop.

DJ went veggie, I went vegan.
We’ve got a refillable milk bottle, I use a reusable coffee cup for my coffee habit and shop in zero waste shops as much as possible.

No car
No tumble dryer
Period underwear, using nothing disposable
Using dishwasher instead of washing up by hand
Bar shampoo and conditioner
As much in season/locally sourced fruit and veg as possible
Growing own herbs/fruit/veg
Cut back on meat consumption
Compost heap and wildflower garden

Most of the basics have been normal in our house for a long time.

Shampoo bars and soap.
Dish cloths
Under the sink is a pile of cloths, mix of cotton dish cloths, microfiber, bamboo etc which get used for all cleaning including wiping up spills etc. Not sure what the point of kitchen roll is.
Cleaning stuff like bicarb, vinegar and soda crystals. I chop and change eco stuff. I kept finding that reusable spray bottles would get clogged after a while. I currently use a lot of planet detox stuff. The kitchen and bathroom cleaning bars are amazing as is the loo scrub and the floor cleaner powder. Lasts ages too.
Deodorant is a mix. I've not weaned dh off spray yet but the kids have only ever used natural stuff. Also have some nuud in the mix which is great.
Hands I have some solid bars of hand cream which work well and come in tins.
Loo roll etc is easy these days.
Cloth pads, cup and pants for periods.
When kids were smaller it was cloth nappies and wipes and a stack of flannels for hands and faces instead of throw away wipes.

Things I struggle with are washing up liquid, dishwasher and laundry and toothbrushes and paste. Washing up I've tried a few soaps and powders but they just have not been effective and then most eco liquid still comes in a plastic bottle but doesn't last as long as normal stuff. Dishwasher and laundry is the same, either ineffective or expensive. I feel with laundry in particular using a less eco but more effective detergent is probably better ecologically in the long run as clothes will last longer and will only need washing once on a more economical cycle rather than a longer or hotter one.

Toothpaste and brushes is cost really, I know eco is available but a pack of 4 brushes for a couple of quid vs bamboo brushes for a family of 5 is a big difference so I'm afraid I'm out on that one.

I forgot food storage. Stretchy silicone lids and a range of tubs and silicone bags. Not had freezer bags etc in years. I'm talking 10 years or so. Every few years we have to buy some aluminium foil.

Reusable greaseproof paper too. Bought a load of sheets and cut to fit all our cake tins. It is like magic.

Hybrid car
Shampoo bars
Green electricity & gas supplier
Washable/reusable kitchen sponges
Been vegetarian for decades
Train rather than car or plane for long journeys where possible (back in the days when you could travel, of course)

Bar soap, crochet cloths, reusable make up wipes, smol washing bobbles, lemon vinegar cleaning squirt, wooden or cocunut fibre washing up brushes . Can't get on with bar shampoo but do but faith in nature. Also reuse all plastic packaging if hygienic and don't buy things like bottled water. Try to buy loose veg where possible. Don't run an almost empty oven or washing machine. Don't use a tumble dryer or dishwasher.

Thanks Blow might give those a try.

We get refillable washing up liquid in a glass bottle from the milkman, as well as milk in glass.

Yes to cloth nappies and wipes but that was a long time ago now. I have also switched to bamboo pads for nail varnish and make-up removal (I know nail varnish isn't eco friendly though).

We still use aerosol deodorants but do recycle the cans.

Grow own fruit, veg and herbs as much as possible and compost all green waste (no food scrap collection here).

Beeswax wraps for sandwiches.

Bake most of our bread so no bags.

Riverford for fruit, veg and sometimes meat.

Reusable pads and period underwear,
About to have first child and gone for reusable nappies and wipes,
Swapped out to a coconut husk scourer and biodegradable sponge,
Who gives a crap loo roll,
Milk man with glass bottles,
Stretchy silicone lids instead of clingfilm,
Silicone sandwich bags,
Swapped all tupperwear to glass as and when the old ones were at the end of life,
Laundry and dishwasher tablets from smol (@OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea I recommend these, or my family all use a laundry egg and love it),
Deodorant from wild,
Soap in the shower instead of shower gel (still working on finding a shampoo and conditioner I like)
Electric toothbrush,
Beeswax wrap for sandwiches/wrapping fridge food
Metal water bottles for the family, and reusable coffee cups for on the go coffee.
Some only small changes there but every little helps. I'd love to live near a eco refill shop, they are all so far away from me but hoping they eventually become more common and I can start using them.

No children, no car, energy companies that use only renewable energy. Use credit union not banks. Second hand clothing. Local seasonal food.

I love the idea of bamboo toothbrushes but our family dentist told us all to use electric ones. We bought a plumbed-in fridge with a filter a couple of years and never buy bottled water now. Also started growing a lot of our own vegetables and salad. Make our own bread and recycle the crusts for breadcrumbs to freeze. Also built four large compost bins and all our grass clippings and vegetable peelings go in it.

DH is far more eco-conscious than I am. He takes the odd day off work to plant trees and our garden is full of baby saplings in pots. I do try most of his suggestions and keep the ones I like, which is most of them. I haven't found a natural deodorant I like and I do use the tumble dryer most times, unless it's the summer, but bought an A++ efficient one. We eat meat but I buy free-range or organic and eat less of it because it costs more.

I’m not the most eco conscious person, but trying to change my ways (some great suggestions here) ... but have started using Tru Earth for laundry. It works really well and comes in a simple cardboard package.

@MrsExpo I've never heard of Tru Earth but they look good. Do they do codes where you get a discount if you recommend somebody?

Mine is very much a work in progress so the easy ones, which suit me and/or make a visible difference first.

-Milk, OJ and yogurt delivered in glass by milkman. It is more expensive, but weirdly we seem to get through a lot less now I comes in small bottles.

• Smol DW and laundry tabs, no plastic and very good and convenient.

• organic veg box, no packaging

• Fish delivered from the fishmonger, comes just wrapped in paper and the quality is so much better, wish I'd done it years ago

• Ditto meat from the butcher. There are still plastic bags, but far less packaging.

• I bought a set of 5 glass bowls with lids from lidl and use them for leftovers. No more clingfilm

• A proper review of our energy use, mostly to see if we can save money, but the result is reduced energy consumption.

• The return to bars of soap is my next plan of action

@OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea. Do you mind me asking where you got your reusable greaseproof paper from?