Ever thought about cutting down on clothing clutter? Knowing how to minimize your wardrobe for the better can take time, but there are plenty of amazing benefits.

We likely all use wardrobes every day – we alter them frequently – and it’s safe to say that many of us can’t be without them. And yet, very few of us actually take the time to take care of our wardrobes. 

By this, we mean taking the time to consider what we actually need and want from our clothing collections. The sad reality is that a lot of us feel underwhelmed and disappointed when we open our wardrobes in the morning. 

We can spend ages rifling through clothes trying to find an outfit that will suit the day. Why does finding the ideal set of clothes have to cause us so much stress – and take up so much time?

In this guide, I’ll take you through what you need to know about sorting out your wardrobe for the better. Don’t worry – it can actually be a lot of fun – providing you’re willing to be a little ruthless along the way!

Why should I minimize my wardrobe?

You know you need to minimize wardrobe clutter when you simply have too many clothes spilling out all over the place – and when it feels as though you barely wear any of them.

Sadly, many of us have poor relationships with our wardrobes for multiple reasons, and none of them are the wardrobe’s fault! 

Most of us tend to buy things in bulk, too. Some of us shop for clothes to feel good about ourselves, when things are on sale, convincing ourselves we have found a bargain – the list goes on.

Then, when all of these clothes enter our wardrobes, some stay there forever because they never fit, they’re uncomfortable, they fall out of style… and ultimately, many of us find that we can’t bear to part with these items.  

Let’s be clear – this can be a very unhealthy habit. It’s not only doing your self-esteem any good, it’s squeezing every last inch of that wardrobe when it’s completely unnecessary.

What’s more, you’re contributing to increasing waste levels by buying up fashion and leaving it to clog up your home.

So, what do you do? The only thing that can be done. Minimize your wardrobe. 

This means taking a harsh look at the clothes that you own, deciding what to do with each and every piece, and breaking free from bad habits.

What’s more, if you find an item or two you don’t want to wear any more, you could upcycle them into a fancy cushion or even sell them on to someone who really wants it.

First things first: capsule closets

When looking at how to minimize your wardrobe, you may have come across the term ‘capsule closet’. It’s an increasingly popular way to cut down on clothing excess – it’s a system that’s eco-friendly, hyper-functional, and easily achievable. 

A capsule closet or wardrobe is a term that refers to a small collection of clothes that should be functional, comfortable, the perfect size for you, and similar in style. They are deemed to be essential items of clothing that you can keep for years without them going out of vogue, too. Items such as simple white shirts, jeans, black dresses, sneakers, and boots – the list goes on.

The idea behind capsuling is to keep as few items as possible – and to only keep the ones that are essential. It goes a little bit beyond the popular Marie Kondo idea of keeping everything that ‘sparks joy’! 

‘Essential’ means just that – the clothes you keep need to meet requirements relating to their size, wearability, style, and condition. 

As more and more people are becoming interested in being more eco-friendly with their clothing choices, capsule wardrobes have exploded in popularity online.

However, when you are new to the concept (or organizing at all), this type of idea can seem daunting! This is usually the case for those of us who tend to be very attached to our clothes (and adept at finding new ones).

The idea with the capsule wardrobe is only to buy what you need, when you need it. What’s more, you’d only ever donate or remove an ‘essential’ item of clothing that can no longer be used, usually because it is ruined beyond repair (hopefully due to use!).

Capsule wardrobes have proven to be super-efficient and organizing clothing across the board – this idea can also make things more functional, and budget-friendly. By teaching yourself to only buy what you need when you need it, you reduce frivolous behavior. It’s a great exercise in mindset, too!

Of course, stripping your wardrobe to its bare bones can seem scary. If you have a few favorite dresses, shirts, tops, pairs of shoes, etc – give yourself a little slack if you are just getting started. However, to really minimize your wardrobe, you’ll need to be harsh. 

Let’s put this all into practice.

How to minimize your wardrobe

Step 1: Start by taking everything out 

No, seriously – clear out your wardrobe completely. Remove all your clothes and accessories, and place them temporarily on the bed. The first step to learning how to minimize your wardrobe is just to get everything out and in the open. It can be a great stress relief!

It can be difficult to work through our wardrobes when everything is piled on top of each other. It can feel overwhelming, which usually leads us to stop and move onto something else – or, we get distracted along the way!

That is why starting by taking everything out of your wardrobe is usually the best idea. As long as your collection is piled somewhere you have space to maneuver around and access, you’re doing great.

Once you have removed everything, it is a good idea to take a look at the space that you actually have remaining. That’s an empty wardrobe, drawers, etc – they will look bare, but this is space you’ll need to maximize.

Think carefully about how you want to use this space. Do you need boxes to store items in? Do you prefer hanging everything up? It’s worth considering what’s in here already, and whether or not you have the space to bring in more useful solutions.

When it comes to coat hangers, be ruthless. If you have any that are old, broken, or unsuitable for your clothes, then get rid of them. These can easily accrue over time, and they are huge wastes of plastic. In future, avoid asking to keep the hangers on any clothes you buy – most clothing retailers give you the option.

It is wise to keep about four extra coat hangers, just in case any new clothes make it into your wardrobe. Otherwise, keep the rest in storage, ask your friends and family if they need any extra, or find a local recycling solution to get rid of any metal or plastic.

You can also donate them if they are in good condition, and if your local charity shop or second-hand shop is willing to accept them. Always check beforehand – as charity shops can get easily overwhelmed.

You could also consider getting baskets for storage in your closet to hold separate items and accessories such as belts, scarves, handbags, hats, gloves, etc. This way, you will have a dedicated space to put all of the items you might just leave about or in the back of a drawer. 

Now – before we start putting anything back in the wardrobe, give it a good clean and air it out. Most of our closets gather a lot of dust over time, so ensure that your new space is somewhere you are happy to put your clothes. Grab a duster or a handheld vacuum and get it looking great again.

Now, here’s the fun part – let’s take a look at the contents of your wardrobe. 

Step 2: Get rid of the clothes that have never fit 

All of us buy clothes that don’t fit us. Either it is due to the fact that we went for something in a size we are aiming for, they happened to be on sale but only in that size, or because we ordered them online or bought them without checking the sizing properly. There’s also the famous line, ‘I’ll slim into it’! 

If you’re embarking on a new regime to better fit into your clothes, then great – but you’ll need to think seriously about your commitment. Getting rid of clothes that don’t fit you isn’t the end of the world – and once you are in a shape you are confident with, you can revisit your wardrobe and consider getting some better-fitting outfits.

But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves!

Holding onto clothes simply because we are familiar with them can be destructive. So can buying and keeping clothes that never feel or look good on us. We’re focusing mainly on clothes you may have had for years – but you’ve done nothing with. When you open your wardrobe and see an outfit you’re desperate to get into – it’s easy to get a bit depressed. Why put yourself through such stress?

So, no matter how much you paid for it, how much you like the style, or even how much you want to be able to fit into it, it’s time to get rid of that item of clothing that simply doesn’t fit you. If it’s been three years or more, consider buying more suitable clothes later on in time.

This is a great way to start clearing out your wardrobe – and it’s worth piling up non-fitting clothes to take to your local thrift shop, or selling online.

Step 3: Get rid of – or upcycle – damaged or very old clothes

Many of us keep clothes well past their wearability. This can be because we simply like the way that they look, feel, or maybe they are pieces that happen to mean a lot to us. However, clinging to items that can no longer even be defined as being clothing is never a good idea! 

Whether they have holes, stains, threads loose, or anything irreparable, it is time to get rid of them – or, if you’re particularly creative, you could rework an old shirt, dress, or pair of jeans into something brand new. Consider making it into a cushion, a blanket, a bag – this way, you will still get to keep the item and all of the memories that it carries, without having to keep it in your wardrobe. 

Of course, for those clothes that hold less sentimental value, you might want to recycle as rags or dusters. These are going to come in very handy!

If your worn items aren’t particularly old, you might be able to replace them. If you search online and describe the item perfectly, then the chances are that there is a similar piece out there that you can buy that will be of much better quality! Try online marketplaces – eBay, Facebook, Craigslist, etc. – as buying second-hand clothing (providing you are comfortable) will help to cut down on your carbon footprint.

Step 4: Pack away any seasonal clothes

A great way of creating more room in your wardrobe is by packing away your seasonal clothes. Are you really going to need that scarf or cagoule in the middle of July? Probably not.

You may be able to easily store seasonal clothing in old suitcases, backpacks, boxes, and even vacuum bags to save on space. Keep them in your garage, in a cool, dry area, a separate wardrobe in the house – just somewhere they will be safe from the moisture, easy to access, but out of the way. 

It is best to keep a coat, a scarf, a pair of gloves, and some boots in your closet at all times, just for those oddly cold days in the spring, and the same goes for the winter and lighter clothes. 

Step 5: Go through your underwear and socks 

One of the biggest problems that many of us have is never sorting through our socks and underwear! Underwear and socks are, for many people, two priority items of clothing that get changed every single day. So, naturally, we go through a lot of them! 

It can be easy to think that we will keep them with us as emergency items – however, more often than not, they just clog up our drawers and wardrobes and never really bring much excitement (or, to quote Marie Kondo again, ‘spark joy’).

So – once again, it’s time to be ruthless. Make some room in your underwear drawer, get rid of the items that are long past usable, and take the time to buy replacements that you can rely on for a while. When they start to rub or wear down, repeat the cycle.

The tricky part with underwear and staying sustainable is recycling. Even if you clean your underwear and socks thoroughly, there’s no way you’ll be able to take them to a local charity shop – they will be refused on grounds of health and safety. What’s more, would you happily buy second-hand underwear? Probably not!

Therefore, try and find local resources where you can send fabric to be fully recycled – otherwise, these are items that may just need throwing away – for the sake of not being completely gross.

When considering bras in this conundrum, however, there are some resources that will happily accept donations – some bra retailers and even women’s refuges may be interested in receiving such items.

Step 6: Start making piles

Now, it’s time to get to the real organizing. Now that all of your clothes have been taken out of the wardrobe and you have filtered through most of the junk, it is time to make separate piles based on where your clothes will now go. Here are the key piles that you will need to make (and some of them may sound familiar if you’ve ever been through this before)…

Things to keep

Naturally, the first pile that you should make is one for clothes that you plan to keep. The tricky part about this pile is forcing yourself to take a hard look at your clothes so that the pile does not just become a pile of all of your existing outfits! 

The clothes that you keep should be in good condition, comfortable, and make you feel good when you wear them. That goes for your day clothes, evening clothes, and even your pajamas. 

Many of us tend to keep older clothes in the hope that we can indeed wear them as pajamas – however, more often than not, they simply end up on a different shelf, still not to be worn.

A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself whether or not you will miss this piece of clothing if it is gone. If not, then it is definitely time to put it elsewhere. This part of organizing can be very difficult if you have a sentimental attachment to some items.

If that’s the case, simply ask yourself “Will I ever wear this again?” – if the answer is a no, even a reluctant one, consider reusing it for a cushion cover or a craft project. This way, you won’t have to say goodbye, and you’re not cluttering up.

Things to donate/sell

For any items that you really don’t want and that are still in relatively good condition, create a pile to sell or donate. Never throw away items of clothing unless – as mentioned – they are pieces of underwear or socks that no one will want to pick up!

Nowadays, selling second-hand clothing is very easy, with various online stores and apps helping you to do so. It is a great way of getting some extra money for your new clothes and ensuring that the items that you no longer want will go to someone who actually does. 

For those you can’t sell, then donating them to your local thrift / Goodwill or second-hand clothes shop is ideal. You could also check with your friends and family whether or not they would like to take a look at some of your clothes to donate, as they may like to take on a few hand-me-downs!

Things to recycle

Not all of your clothes may be in a good enough condition to be donated or sold. However, that does not mean that you should simply throw them away. Many clothes can be reused, more often than not as rags – as mentioned – and you never really know when you’ll need a duster in a pinch.

Simply tear up unsellable clothes into big enough pieces for dish towels, cleaning rags, dusters, etc. You could also re-use them by making them into pet beds, bags, quilts, art pieces and more.

The important thing is to not put them in a box – indefinitely waiting to be reused. Try to keep them out and do take the time to turn them into something else. By doing so, you could save yourself quite a bit of money on buying new things, and you will significantly reduce your carbon footprint! 

Get rid of doubles

Look at the clothes that you plan on keeping, and consider those that are very similar – do you really need multiples of the same thing? Maybe not! 

Many of us end up with jumpers, leggings, trousers, t-shirts, jeans, and more that are practically identical. While having two of one item can often be helpful, having more is just a burden. 

Therefore, choose the better one of the two, or two of the best of something, and get rid of the other(s). Again, it’s worth being ruthless.

In order to choose the best item in the selection, consider the size, the material, the quality, the feel, etc. It can be difficult to get rid of items that you like (and that are perfectly wearable) – however, filling your wardrobe with multiple versions of the same item just limits your tastes – and it seriously reduces space and functionality. 

Instead, try to minimize the number of clothes that you have simply by keeping one or two versions of the same thing. 

The maybe pile

Then, of course, there is the dreaded maybe pile. Now, some would suggest not creating this pile at all, as it can lead us to not throwing anything away – however, it might still have a purpose. 

The truth is that many of us buy things on a whim, whether they just happen to be in the style of the moment, at a good price, or something that we wish we could wear at some point in future. 

Sadly, more often than not, either we never wear them, or they only get worn once. The great thing about the maybe pile is that you do not necessarily have to part ways with them immediately – however, this pile is not for everything. What’s more, it’s a pile that’s easy to abuse and to fall into bad habits with.

So, in order to control your urges to put everything on the maybe pile, give yourself this rule – if you vow to wear an item more than once for the year ahead, then you can keep it. It’s worth giving yourself some tough love – and both your wardrobe and your future self will thank you for it!

This forces you to wear certain clothes more often and even take you out of your comfort zone – and if the year, season, or however long you wish to try the piece passes, it is time to donate or sell that item of clothing. 

Step 7: Organize the wardrobe itself

Now comes the fun part, putting all of your clothes back in your wardrobe. You should have a lot more room to deal with now that your extra clothes have been taken care of. This means plenty of space for your best clothes to breathe and for you to access easily – it’ll also feel nicer to see your favorite items from day to day, too! 

Remember to organize your wardrobe to make getting dressed easier. Keep smaller items such as gloves, belts, tights, handbags, etc, in their own special baskets or boxes. You can easily use simple storage boxes – you can buy them online or in most home stores if all else fails. 

The best boxes and crates to use are uniform, as they will give your wardrobe that extra-organized look. You can label them to make it easier for you to get the right one down when you need it. This is especially helpful for those of us who are shorter and have to spend a long time getting a stool and climbing our way up to the high shelves! 

Then, dedicate drawers and shelves to specific clothing items. It is a wise idea to look at folding hacks and tutorials online, especially if your clothes are in drawers. That way, when you open them to get your clothes out, you do not have to destroy the pile every time! 

Some like to go the extra mile and color-code their clothes – however, this is completely optional and can be difficult to keep up with. If it works for you, then give it a try.

When it comes to your hanging clothes, try to separate them between shirts, dresses, skirts, trousers, coats, and jackets, etc (naturally, not all of us wear skirts!). Again, this will give your wardrobe a more uniform look and will make it much easier for you to get to the things that you need quickly. 

When everything is done, it should look organized and leave you with some room to grow if you need to. You’re pretty much done!

Step 8: How to buy the right clothes 

…or, are you? Now that your wardrobe is a little emptier, you may feel tempted to buy some new clothes to fill it. However, you should only buy those clothes that you need.

This comes back to the concept of capsule closets – and yes, it might mean being a little ruthless with yourself for a bit longer, but it’s for your own peace of mind and self-care in the long run.

Above all, opt for quality items. In this fast-fashion world, it can be easy to choose clothes that are cheaper and appear to be budget-friendly. However, more often than not, they are of poor quality, and you end up having to buy a new pair of boots to replace the old ones.

What’s more, buying and disposing of extra items is only going to crank up your carbon footprint. You will find yourself buying clothes more frequently and spending more. 

Therefore, opt for designers or lines that you know and trust. Even if it means putting in more of an investment at the time, it will be worth it if they last you for longer and feel better. 

You should also opt for items that will fit you comfortably. If an item is not in your size, then leave it alone. 

What’s more, only choose clothes that you actually need and like! It can be easy to fall into trends – but they never last. If you are interested in an item, take a moment to ask yourself if you will still like it in a few years’ time. 

Finally, consider buying second-hand clothes. Thrift shopping is a savvy business, as is shopping for second-hand goods online. You can find some great vintage pieces, and you may even find that some of them are even from quality, well-known brands.

Buying second-hand means that you will reduce your carbon footprint and save yourself some money, too.

Step 9: Try and enjoy the process!

Now you know how to minimize your wardrobe, it’s important to keep an open mind, and to remember that you are doing yourself some long-term good. 

What’s more, when you sort through your old clothes, you get to take a stroll down memory lane. We all attach certain items of clothing to experiences and events, and it can be really nice getting to go through them and remember the good times. 

However, most importantly, you are making a good change for yourself and for the planet. Therefore, it’s a chance for you to feel great about doing your bit for carbon reduction.

What’s more, looking after your clothes can mean looking after your mental health. Many of us do not realize how badly the clutter in our homes affects the way we feel. Clutter is a prime enemy of happiness – it’s time to cut it out, responsibly and sustainably.

Having an organized wardrobe will save you time, energy, money, and effort every day. It can significantly improve your mood, not to mention the fact that it will have a significant impact on our planet. 

So, before thinking of burdening yourself with going through your wardrobe, try and see the lighter side of having a clear-out – and you might just have fun along the way, too!

Originally posted 2022-07-21 08:39:41.

The post How to Minimize Your Wardrobe (9 Easy Steps) first appeared on Becoming Homegrown.

When it comes to your bedroom furniture, can you be sure that you’re doing your bit for the environment? While it may not be something you really think about immediately when shopping for beds, tables, and wardrobes, furniture manufacture will always generate carbon (and often use natural wood).

Therefore, have you ever considered investing in an eco-friendly nightstand?

An eco-friendly nightstand is either built with sustainable resources (and energy supplies, etc.), or one made from completely recyclable material. While this might sound a little ‘niche’ to some people, plenty of great homeware brands are giving eco-conscious people more sustainable choices than ever before.

I’ve done a bit of hunting around for you and have found three eco-friendly nightstands that are stylish, practical, and will save that little bit of carbon – and forest.

3 of the Best Eco-Friendly Nightstands

Small Wood Nightstand with Drawer – Raw Pine

Price: $150+

Buy on Etsy

This delightful nightstand is – as the name suggests – small, but mighty. Built in highly adaptable pine, this gorgeous furniture piece is made from completely reclaimed wood, meaning you’re never at risk of wasting unnecessary material. OwlDesigned, the manufacturer responsible for the nightstand, is one of Etsy’s best-reviewed and highlighted brands.

It doesn’t arrive with any staining or finishes, though you will find the stand fitted with felt padding beneath the feet to prevent marking on your floors. I especially like the fact that this nightstand is super-easy to put together, as well as the fact it won’t break the bank.

While it only has one drawer available, this nightstand offers plenty of room for bedroom knick-knacks and items you may need at short notice. Providing you have a Phillips screwdriver to hand, setting up this piece really shouldn’t take you long at all.

Pros: Very easy to put together, affordable price, reclaimed wood

Cons: Not as deep as some nightstands out there

Reclaimed Wood Rustic Bedside Table

Price: $83+

Buy on Etsy

Available from a growing enterprise, IntrinsicHaven, over at Etsy, this super-cute bedside table works well as both a bedroom piece and even as a lounge stand, offering an aesthetic that’s half farmhouse, half boathouse! It’s bursting with charm, and at less than $90 before shipping, it’s one of the best-priced reclaimed / recycled nightstands you’ll find through the retailer right now.

This is a barn wood piece that’s made from 100% recycled wood, and it offers stacks of characters thanks to retaining all kinds of knots and grooves. If you’re looking for a table or nightstand that retains natural aesthetics – with none of the unnecessary gloss or polish – this rustic piece might just appeal to you.

I love this table thanks to its sheer authenticity. It’s reportedly made from fence wood, and while that’s obvious when you take a closer look, it only adds more to the character! You can choose from several colors, and a second shelf to the bottom of the unit makes for additional space and storage should you need it.

Pros: Very well priced, completely reclaimed wood, fantastic aesthetic

Cons: None to speak of!

Recycled Bedside Table (Waste Coffee Husk)

Price: $298+

Buy on Etsy

For a little more of a premium price tag, this spectacular, rounded designer side table will bring a deep, mellow look to your bedroom with the added bonus of recycled material. Built from OSB, you’ll also find that this nightstand’s feet actually come from pallet bearers!

The name ‘coffee husk’ in the description isn’t a fancy tag – this nightstand from TomasAndJani is actually part-finished with coffee bean husk that would otherwise be thrown away into landfill! The door is stained in this coffee husk, providing a deep, resonating color – great for adding an extra dimension of atmosphere!

This is a handmade option that stands out from the pack thanks to its exceptional finishing and care – who says you can’t enjoy a rustic or recycled table without a few of the fancier touches you’d expect from leading homeware providers?

Pros: Wonderful color and aesthetic, coffee husk finishing, made from recycled wood

Cons: May be a little expensive compared to other recycled wood options out there

Where can I find eco-friendly bedroom furniture online?

Finding eco-friendly furniture such as nightstands is, thankfully, getting easier. With more and more of us moving towards sustainability in all that we do, eco-friendly manufacture is no longer a small niche – it’s a standard that millions are holding their homeware brands to. That said, it really does pay to look closely at the details for each and every piece of furniture you invest in.

Big homeware brands and stores across the US may host some sustainable furniture online if you take a cursory glance. What’s more, you may be able to find a few options available through Amazon. However, as you can see from my list above, the number one resource for eco-friendly creations is Etsy.

With Etsy, you can be more confident in your choice – as you are generally trading with individual sellers and small businesses. These are people who often hand-make their creations from scratch, and don’t rely on machines or carbon-heavy processes. It’s also easier, on the whole, to find out where wood and other material have come from.

Why should I buy an eco-friendly nightstand?

Every piece of furniture in your home requires material of some kind – natural or synthetic – and in many cases, beds, sofas and more are built using large-scale assembly and machinery. This, as you can imagine, might be efficient – but it means you’re buying into a lot of carbon processing.

What’s more, synthetic material is not always the best way to go. Avoiding wooden nightstands and other pieces isn’t necessarily the answer – you need to look for brands and manufacturers who use reclaimed or recycled wood.

Millions of trees worldwide are still being felled unnecessarily – and with this, there is still incredible wastage. Deforestation leads to habitat destruction – and it’s also preventing us from making larger strides against a carbon-neutral future.

Therefore, if you are in the market for a nightstand or bedside table, look for a sustainable, recycled or reclaimed option first.

Originally posted 2022-07-20 21:02:03.

The post 3 Eco-Friendly Nightstands Worth A Second Look first appeared on Becoming Homegrown.

Got a few bits of clothing you simply don’t wear anymore? Looking for somewhere through which you can easily sell second hand clothes? Your luck’s in – as there’s never been more choice available online.

With charity and second-hand shops becoming overwhelmed with the amount of clothing that arrives at their doorsteps nearly every day, it is important for us to find new and eco-friendly ways to deal with our old clothes. 

Nowadays, more and more people are interested in getting second-hand clothing due to the fact that you can find real vintage treasures at bargain prices. That is why so many people look for second-hand clothing – the vintage boom is by no means over. 

It’s also a result of more and more of us choosing second-hand clothes over newly-produced items – which create more carbon, and sometimes arrive without the assurance of fair labor. It’s a conscientious choice, on the whole!

Now, not all of us have the ability to make it to yard sales with our old clothes, and there’s a good chance you will go home with most of them even if you do! That is why so many of us are now looking at selling our clothes online via trusted websites that can help us to deliver our unwanted items to eager buyers – and at a decent price.

In this article, I’ll guide you through the environmental impact that donating clothes and fast-fashion shopping are having on our world, and where to sell second-hand clothes with conscience.

Is it bad for me to donate clothes? 

This happens to be a particularly difficult question because the answer is yes and no. 

On the whole, no, donating is never a ‘bad thing’. It is a great way of recycling your stuff, letting it go to someone who really wants it, and helping out a charity in the process (for example, if you take a bag of clothes into your local thrift or Goodwill store).

However, charitable donations aren’t always eco-conscious. That’s because these shops and retailers are struggling to fight against a rising tide of poorly-made clothing that just doesn’t stand the test of time. As you can imagine, the clothes that just don’t sell have to go somewhere.

Eventually, even the thrift shops have to send the clothes away to a landfill, or overseas to be dealt with. So, you can imagine the kind of impact that this is having on the environment – by donating a seriously poor garment to a thrift shop, you may actually be doing more harm than good. 

That being said, second-hand stores still need clothes to sell, and they are still popular. So, if you have good quality clothes, even older or outdated items that you happen to not want anymore, then donate them when you can – you can’t control what happens to them.

The real problem at stake is too many of us filling up charitable stores with poor quality clothes. So, what can we do to help?

Well, one of the best things that you can do right now is learn how to sell your clothes online. Here, you’re more likely to come across buyers who are genuinely interested in keeping the clothes you’re selling – and what’s more, you can also help to make yourself some extra money and keep clothes away from landfill.

But where is best to start? I’ve got a few ideas. 

Where to sell used clothes online – the rundown

Selling anything online nowadays is amazingly easy. It’s likely you may have heard of a few of the following apps and websites before – but have you ever sold unwanted clothes through them? Let’s guide you through the top picks.

eBay

Were we really going to start this list with anything else? eBay has been around for decades and remains one of the best platforms for selling second-hand items. That is due to the fact that it reaches a global market, therefore opening you up to more potential buyers. 

As a seller, you also have a huge array of selling tools and options, including selling your items at a set price and allowing interested buyers to negotiate with you. You can also auction your items off in the classic eBay style, where buyers will compete for the best price proposal. 

All you will need to get started is the eBay app or log onto an account online to set your item up for sale. Be sure to take a few good photos and be honest with your description – and eBay will also help you set postage rates.

What can be a real let-down with eBay is the fact that it’s fairly expensive if you sell lots of items, or high-value clothes on a regular basis. That’s because the service takes seller fees from your checking account – and these rates can really vary.

On the whole, however, eBay remains perhaps the most user-friendly marketplace for used clothes. Whether selling or buying clothes online, you also have a lot of protection.

Facebook Marketplace

Again, this one may be obvious, but if you only ever use Facebook to share the odd meme or to keep in touch with your loved ones, their Marketplace is easy to overlook. Highly competitive with eBay, you can easily set up buy-now ads for unwanted clothes and encourage people to contact you for details.

Facebook Marketplace does rather compete with the likes of traditional ads that you’d otherwise see in the local papers or on public notice boards from years ago. The benefit to this service is, of course, that it has a much broader audience.

What’s more, there’s a laid-back appeal to Facebook Marketplace. Yes, there are rules to follow, but many people choose to buy clothes through the app simply because they are using it already for entertainment!

However, you may prefer to sell second-hand clothes online through eBay for the simple fact you get more protection when doing so. The choice is yours, of course!

The best part about selling on Facebook Marketplace is that there’s no fees to get started. That said, you’re less likely to meet a niche audience for specific clothes – if that’s important to you!

Craigslist

Much like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist has taken over the classified ads of old. In fact, the amount of different categories available for you to buy and sell through on Craigslist is quite staggering!

However, there are, of course, rules to follow – as always – meaning it’s worth looking closely into how it all works before going in too deep.

Craigslist tends to attract a little more of a discerning shopper than most, as many people choose Facebook Marketplace – however, if you do have some great quality clothing to sell and you are willing to hold out for the right buyer, it’s absolutely worth being patient with.

Many people choose Craigslist to sell on as the process can seem a little less stringent than eBay.

Vinted

If you’re into online clothes shopping, you will most likely have heard of Vinted as it has increased in popularity tremendously over the past few years. Sell through Vinted, and you’re more likely to meet a specialist buyer – as the site only ever handles clothes and accessories.

Another great thing to remember about Vinted is that there are no selling or postage costs. Instead, you get the total of what the item sells for, and have to deal with the postage yourself. 

Vinted also plays to an audience of people who are looking for vintage clothes and outdated items – hence the name. Therefore, if the clothes you want to sell are considered time capsule-ready, it’s absolutely worth checking out Vinted in your spare time.

Depop

Depop is another specialist selling platform mainly for clothes, shoes and accessories. In this regard, it competes well against the likes of Vinted. They lean heavily into the ‘preloved’ label for unwanted clothes, and the site’s well-known for its focus on community as well as clothing sales.

Depop works similarly to eBay in that you list your items for sale, and the retailer takes a fraction of the selling price. However, they include the postage fees in that percentage.

Depop is worth selling through if you’re simply not getting the hits or interest you’d like through Vinted, or if you simply want to see if you can get your old clothes up and moving at a higher price.

Etsy

If you’ve heard of Etsy before, it may be that you know it as an online custom-creations marketplace. It’s rather like eBay but with an emphasis on the bespoke. You can even sell second-hand clothes through Etsy, perhaps by adding your own custom designs and twists on old garments you simply don’t want anymore.

Etsy can be quite stern when it comes to pricing and item viability, so it makes sense to take a careful look at their terms and conditions before you decide to set up shop.

Otherwise, if you have enough in the way of old clothes that you’d like to get rid of, Etsy can make you a pretty penny or two if you are willing to keep up to the marketplace.

Thrift+

Thrift+ occupies a similar space in second hand clothes sales to Depop and Vinted, however, this app service focuses more on the convenience side of things – which might just tip the balance for you if you’re thinking twice about selling clothes online.

Thrift+ is a great option for those of us who do not want to take the time to have to list the clothes and go to the post office. Instead, Thrift+ will send you a pre-paid bag for your sale items to send back at your leisure. 

However, be careful, as Thrift+ will only accept high street brands, premium lines, and designer labels. Due to the fact that Thrift+ does so much of the work for you, they also take a cut of each item sold.

It’s clear to see why people love selling old clothes through Thrift+, however, it can be quite a costly choice.

Rebelle

We’ve saved Rebelle for last for a reason – when it comes to selling and buying old clothes online, this is a true luxury marketplace. That’s because Rebelle specializes in the resale of old designer clothing, handbags and more.

The pricing at Rebelle is also leveled at a premium – with a large commission charged on sales. That said, you can also let the website sell your items for you at an extra fee per item (providing they sell successfully). This might be worth the money and effort if you know your old clothes are likely to pick up a lot of money.

While Rebelle may not appeal to the everyday clothes seller, it fills a useful niche for finding interested buyers for high-end clothing labels. It’s certainly worth considering before you risk sending any Louis Vuittons to the charity shops…

What else can I do with my old clothes? 

If you’ve had a go at trying to sell second-hand clothes online and just aren’t seeing the interest you’d like, there are still some great ways you can make your old fashion go that little bit further, and not head to landfill any time soon.

Consider cutting up for rags

If you really want your clothes to live on and you can’t bear to part with them, can you take a pair of scissors to them instead? If so, this is a great way of reusing your garments, giving you lots of free dusters and cleaning cloths.

Now, obviously, not all materials make great cleaning rags, but rags can be used for anything! Get a few empty boxes and separate the materials into what they can be used for. You could use denim to mop up oil spills or dust down surfaces. More absorbent material such as cotton can be used to create tea towels – the list goes on. 

It may seem a little counterintuitive to have entire boxes full of rags, but consider how many dusters and cloths you normally go through on a regular basis. It’s likely to be more than you’d think, and let’s face it, it’s all money saved.

Exchange clothes with your friends and family

Ever swapped an item or two with your loved ones? Chances are, if you have a few items of clothing going wanting, there may be someone waiting in the wings to offer you something you’d like in return.

If your friends have always admired your taste in clothing, then this is all for the better – why not offer a few hand-me-downs?

Of course, it still makes sense to ensure that the clothes you share are in good order – no one is likely to want to take your old clothes if there are holes or ladders galore in them.

Reach out to those closest to you and see if there’s any interest in seeing what’s in your wardrobe – this could help your clothes to travel a little bit further, and what’s more, you’re giving someone you care about first refusal.

Use old clothes to create new items

Of course, not all of us are creatively inclined, but we can all learn how to make cool things from our old stuff, giving them a new lease of life. You can easily use your old clothes to make quilts, cushions, pet beds, bags, or use them for arts and crafts. 

This is a great idea if you yourself are an artist, but if you have kids, nieces or nephews, things get that little bit more exciting.

Making toys, quilts and shawls is nice and easy – in fact, all you need is some thread and a needle, and you can pretty much get to work.

The best thing about this side of clothes recycling is that you can give items that mean a lot to you further purpose – why throw them away when you can get creative?

You might even choose to make gifts out of your clothes, too – within reason! This could be a great money-saving option at Christmas, and it’ll cut carbon when it comes to buying new presents outright.

Should I sell second hand clothes online?

There are plenty of reasons why you should consider giving your clothes a little more of a lifespan by selling online. The best place to sell second hand clothes for your wardrobe may well be in our list above – but don’t feel guilty if you choose to sell on rather than donate your items.

As mentioned, donating clothes doesn’t always mean that they are going to end up going to someone in need. By selling directly, you can at least ensure that you connect with someone, and that your clothes are going somewhere other than landfill, unsold and unloved.

What’s more, there are lots of creative ways for you to give your clothes second wind. Some of the apps and platforms we’ve listed above specialize in designer labels – others let you get creative with your unwanted garments.

No matter which way you look at it, you are recycling items that would otherwise go to waste – and you should never feel guilty about getting a little bit of money back in return.

Take a look at the various apps and services listed above and see how you get on – start with Facebook Marketplace, for example, and then consider niching down. You could be sitting on a fortune!

Originally posted 2022-06-30 19:01:36.

The post 9 Best Places To Sell Second Hand Clothes Online (Easily) first appeared on Becoming Homegrown.

If you’re anything like me, then there is a very good chance that you’ll have a pile of towels, flannels and more stacking up high in your linen closet. Have you ever taken a look at that towering pile and thought ‘how many towels do I need?’ Believe me – you are not alone.

The general idea when it comes to towels is to have at least one or two on standby for each person in your household. However, that’s where things can start to get a little bit tricky. How do you know if you have too many towels? Is it worth buying more?

Restricting the number of towels you own will, hypothetically, reduce the number of washes you run per month. This way, you are cutting down on water use, as well as the energy it takes to heat up your washing machine.

It’s actually a highly effective way to cut down on your carbon footprint – but, if you buy too many towels, you’re creating unnecessary waste, and are contributing to over-manufacturing. There’s a careful balance!

In this guide, I’ll take a look at how many towels you really should own – and what you should do if you want to get rid of any you really don’t need.

Here’s how many sets of towels you should have:

At least two per person for bathing, one per person for hand washing, and four for the kitchen.

However, this total is going to vary wildly depending on the size of your household, and your individual needs. What if you have pets, or go to the beach a lot? What about face flannels and emergency towels?

Let’s start by breaking down these towel totals, and categories, so you know how to adjust them for your own specific demands.

Reserve two bath towels each

If there’s only one or two of you in your household, you probably won’t need too many towels. Having more than two for bathing alone is fairly wasteful! The idea behind setting aside two bath towels each lies in the fact that you have one for ‘best’, and one as a spare.

You should only really need to wash your bath towels once every two or three uses. Experts suggest that this is hygienic – but make sure to hang them up to dry after each use.

However, there will come a time when you do need to wash your main bath towel, and when that is the case, you will need a dry, clean spare that you can use should the ‘best’ towel be in the laundry. Then, you can rotate them when your spare needs washing.

Two towels per person really isn’t going to seem like much if you are a small household. But, imagine the total when you have a family of six. This means you are going to need to have at least 12 towels for bathing alone! It’s very easy to see where things start to add up.

If you’re a single person household, account for another pair of towels for guests – at the very least. Otherwise, it’s worth asking more than one guest to make sure they bring towels with them!

Why should I buy separate bath towels for each person?

While there are plenty of us out there who feel close and comfortable enough with others in our home to share towels. However, this might not be the most hygienic move.

Believe it or not, it’s possible to spread some skin conditions and even some viruses and bacteria through a shared towel. For example, it may be easy to spread fungal infections by using the same towel – and both strep and MRSA can spread through surfaces such as towels, too.

I don’t meant to scare you – however, it’s altogether more hygienic if people use separate towels – as well as for separate needs.

Reserve a hand towel each (if appropriate) – with spares

Not everyone uses individual hand towels, and remember, this is simply a guide. However, in a household of four, five, six or more, the same hand towel in the bathroom is going to get very damp (and gross) very quickly. Therefore, it makes sense to have several available at any one time.

If you are a family of two or three, then having a hand towel each shouldn’t cause that much clutter, or take up that much space on the rail. However, families of four or more might start to see this as overkill.

Therefore, for bigger families, it’s worth considering keeping three or four in sight at all times. Then, however, you’re going to need to think about spares – again!

With the spares system applied to bath towels in mind, you’re going to need to double your total. So, for a family of four, you’re probably going to need at least six hand towels to add to the eight bath towels you have already.

All this – and there are some of us that end up buying more!

Reserve towels for pets

Yes – even Rover is going to need his own towel, mainly because there are plenty of us that find the idea of sharing dog towels a bit gross! What’s more, cats and dogs likely to need toweling after bathing may end up scratching or clawing up your linen – which means you’ll be left without any towels of your own that don’t have gaping holes in the middle.

So, again, reserve two bathing towels for your pets. You may wish to use one as a mud towel, of course, as dogs – in particular – have a habit of getting dirty and needing to be wiped off before you let them in the house.

You should also think about investing in towels for pets that are particularly hard-wearing. Softer towels or more expensive Egyptian cotton won’t do it. Your dog or cat is unlikely to be too finicky about the quality of the fibers, so save yourself a little bit of money and opt for a towel or two that are practical, yet affordable.

Reserve two hand towels for the kitchen

You’re not only going to need hand towels for the bathroom – as we should all be washing our hands when preparing food and using the kitchen, too!

Again, the same rule applies to the kitchen as it does the bathroom – have one as ‘best’, and one as a spare, just in case. However, it’s unlikely you will need separate towels per person for the kitchen, as we likely use the bathroom more – though, of course, different people have different routines!

Regardless, two hand towels are likely to give you plenty to dry hands on in the kitchen. But what about drying the dishes?

Reserve two dish towels for the kitchen

Yes – it makes hygienic sense to invest in separate dish towels for the kitchen, too. Again, some of us have been known to use the same towels to dry hands and pots together – but it’s better to separate the two wherever possible.

Invest in two dish towels, at least, for kitchen use. Whether you prefer the air-drying method of clearing your washing up or not, it’s always good to have a dish towel to one side.

Reserve more dish towels for everyday use

This is another optional idea – but dish towels do have their place in the home beyond drying dishes. Some people use dish towels to dry off surfaces, or even to use as napkins. Therefore, it makes sense to have two or three more dish towels to hand.

If you’d rather not – and feel you can get on with the two you have for the kitchen – there’s no harm in cutting back. Just make sure you don’t have to wash them frequently!

Reserve towels for holidays and trips

Beyond the home, there may be occasions where you need emergency towels. As Douglas Adams wrote, ‘always carry a towel’ – but how many is too many?

If you regularly go to the beach, it’s likely you will need to take a towel to help get coarse sand off your skin, or to sit on while you relax in the sun. You may also need towels for picnics outside, or for getting rid of dried-on dirt and other messes.

A good rule for this side of towel ownership is to invest in one per person. Again, it’s easy to see where all of these towels stack up, especially if you have a larger family.

However, this is a good opportunity to consider reusing towels for the same purposes, wherever possible. It may be worth using your spare bath towels (from above) to take to the beach or out on a walk – the choice is yours.

Consider your needs carefully

It bears repeating that if you want to fully minimize your linen closet, you don’t have to stick to this rigid template. If you feel that you can easily manage on fewer towels than what’s been discussed so far, that’s great.

However, do keep a close eye on how often you wash your towels. As mentioned, reusing the few towels you have could mean you end up wasting more water, and more energy heating up the washing machine.

Therefore, if you do decide to scale back the number of towels you own and use – and you still want to do right by the environment – it’s worth considering different ways in which you can be more eco-friendly with how you use them.

That directly cuts out the risk of you investing in too many towels for the sake of it, and again, creating unnecessary waste. So, let’s consider this line of thinking a little more closely.

Being an eco-friendly towel user

Let’s run through a few quick tips on how you can make better use of one or two towels and still care for the world around you:

• Try and lower the temperature at which you run your washing machine. While a 100+° F wash is good for killing bacteria, general washes should run at 90° F or less. Even then, there’s not that much difference in hygiene between 80° and 100° F – and a 60-80° wash will run colder, and for less time. Therefore, you’re cutting back on carbon.

• What’s more, don’t always pay attention to what the label says. If you’re not too worried about the state of your towels wash after wash (providing they’re clean), stick to an 80° F wash.

• Make your towels travel the three-use maximum. Be sure to hang your used towels out to dry fully before your next shower or wash to ensure all moisture drips away. This way, you’re not having to unnecessarily put your towels through hot washes.

• Don’t tumble-dry your towels. Tumble driers are notorious for being expensive to run with regard to the sheer amount of power they consume. Therefore, if you can, try to hang your towels outside on fine days – a rotary washing line is a fantastic investment.

• Alternatively, if it’s a cold day and your radiators are already heating up your rooms, be sure to take advantage and place towels across them to dry quickly. It’s a waste of energy and carbon to just power up your radiators to dry towels or any clothing, so make sure they’re already on full.

Reusing old towels

If, having read this guide so far, you realise that you have far too many towels for what you actually need, it’s time to think about how you can reuse or recycle them for the better. After all, throwing away towels is amazingly wasteful unless they are completely shredded and are no longer useful.

Therefore, consider taking your old towels and shredding or cutting them up for rags. These can be useful when it comes to dusting across the house, or when you want to wipe down kitchen and bathroom surfaces. You could use an eco-friendly surface cleaner or anti-bacterial solution, soak a towel rag in a little warm water, and wipe clean.

You might also want to use old rags to dry things off, too. Use a wet rag to wipe away vinegar cleaning spray for example, and a dry one to quickly buff up your surfaces. This will cut down on you having to invest in antibacterial wipes and paper towels, both of which will often head straight to landfill.

You can also reuse old towels for any of the purposes listed above earlier in our guide. Not sure how many towels you need for the kitchen? Keep a couple of old bath towels to hand and cut them up. If you don’t already have hand towels downstairs, you won’t have to invest in any more. It’s a good cost-saving tip.

Some people even use towels in art projects and to refashion as clothing pieces – it’s true! If you are a budding creative and are looking for interesting material, there’s no harm in seeing what you can do with upcycling a towel or two.

Donating old towels

You can try and sell old towels online or at yard sales, but they don’t tend to get many ‘bites’. This is because towels are seen as fairly intimate items. No matter how many times you wash your towels, most people are probably going to prefer buying new sets outright. The reason for this is likely to do with hygiene – but it’s a crying shame that towels don’t have the same place in goodwill stores as clothing does!

However, there are some worthwhile causes and sources that are always happy to receive towel donations – for example, animal shelters.

For cats, dogs and other animals brought off the streets, bedding and warmth are essential. Therefore, animal shelters and rehoming centres are always crying out for towels to help make beds and to give scared animals a little more comfort. Your old towel, providing it is in reasonable condition, could help a cold animal feel that little bit safer at night – at least, before they get adopted by a warm and loving home.

Make sure to get in touch with animal charities – the ASPCA, for example, will likely help you find somewhere that old towels can be put to great use.

Do also consider approaching homeless charities, shelters and churches. People who are cold and living on the streets will need all the help they can get to keep their blood flowing. Therefore, a towel that might seem cumbersome or useless to you could make a world of difference to someone in need.

Therefore, providing your old towels are in good condition, you’ll be doing some genuine good for the environment as well as for needy people and animals if you donate them. If you don’t cut them into rags, this is a great first option to take, and it’ll make you feel great inside.

Conclusion

So – ‘how many towels do I need?’ – the answer is, it depends. However, if your aim is to cut back on as much carbon and energy use as possible, it makes sense to scale back your collection.

Whether you have been given a set of towels for a special occasion, or have accrued masses of linen over the years, it is certainly time to take stock of what you have available. Be sure to account for what you need – not what you necessarily want – if you are serious about increasing your sustainability.

You could make someone – or a cold cat or dog – a little warmer with an old towel or two. Be sure to look into donation options if you’re swimming in towels!

Originally posted 2022-05-11 16:32:45.

The post How Many Towels Do I Need? (Fewer Than You Might Think!) first appeared on Becoming Homegrown.

Struggling with a couple of musty-smelling fabrics but don’t have access to a washing machine? Want to know how to take the smell out of clothes without washing? I’m right there with you.

Doing laundry can be a hassle for all of us – it takes time, effort, and a lot of energy! It also costs a lot of money – between the detergents, fabric softeners, stain removers, not to mention how much money we end up spending actually doing a wash load in the first place!

However, the biggest problem that comes with doing laundry is the impact that it has on the environment. Although we may not always think about it, doing laundry in the way that most of us do each day actually has a terrible impact on the world around us.

Thankfully, there are ways in which we can reduce the amount that we do laundry, both helping the environment and ourselves! One of the best ways of doing that is by using our clothes more between washes – but, that’s not always sanitary – and yes, it’s going to cause a stink.

Keep reading, and I’ll take you through how to freshen up clothes without washing them constantly.

How damaging is it to the environment when we wash our clothes?

Many of us do not tend to think about how damaging simply doing our laundry can be to the environment – however, sadly, it does have a huge, measurable impact. The detergents that we use may smell great, but they contain harsh chemicals that pollute the ground and waterways during every cycle.

Synthetic clothing, too, can also release plastic particles into the water as it is being washed, further contaminating the waterways. 

Then, of course, there is the amount of power that we use. Simply using the washing machine, then the dryer, then an iron, a press, a radiator – the list goes on – they all leave a huge carbon footprint that you can feasibly reduce.

That is why it is so essential for us to reduce the amount that we use our washing machines, or at least learn how to use them in a more environmentally friendly way. 

How to take the smell out of clothes without washing them 

The great news is, it’s easy to remove a musty smell from clothes without washing. Save yourself some water, energy and even money – as well as the environment – and try these top tips.

Hang up your clothes

The first and easiest thing that you can do is hang your clothes up, mainly so that they do not affect the smell of your other garments. What’s more, some fresh air will likely do clinging odors some good.

If you have a garden or a balcony, then hanging them outside is a great idea, as a fresh breeze can work wonders with milder scents and smells. Within about a day, softer smells will disappear, although stronger stenches make take longer to deal with. If you can leave them out for a few days, do so.

Spray your clothes with white vinegar

White vinegar is an amazing, natural go-to cleaning product for most of us because it is so widely available – and trust me, it really is a miracle cure when it comes to all kinds of nuisance cleaning jobs.

All you need to start with is a spray bottle, and to fill it about halfway with white vinegar, then the other half with water. It is best to test the solution on a patch first to ensure that it will not change the color of your clothes – although it shouldn’t have any lasting impact (apart from getting rid of musty smells, of course).

Not keen on vinegary scents? You could also add some essential oil to the spray bottle to help make your clothes smell extra fresh. The vinegar stink will disappear after time, especially if you leave your clothes out to hang.

Use white vinegar more often in your cleaning routines, and you’ll soon find that that sharp scent doesn’t stick around. Trust me on this!

Freeze your clothes

Yes – if you’ve got space in your freezer amongst your frozen vegetables and ice cream, freezing your clothes can actually help to get rid of some nasty smells. In fact, putting your clothes through any extreme temperature will help a lot!

Now, freezing your clothes does take some time. In fact, it is best if you leave them overnight in a reusable, zip-lock bag to avoid having to dry them out when you get them out of the freezer the next day.

Then, leave them out to hang for a while so they aren’t too stiff when you put them on, and you should be good to go! The great thing about this is that if you’re already running a freezer, you’re not using any additional energy than usual.

Spray your white clothes with lemon water

Lemon water is yet another natural cleaning product with many fans – as it disinfects, cleans deeply, and leaves a fresh fragrance. It can also be used on clothes to remove some lingering odors.

However, it is best to use it on white, or very light colored clothes, as lemon can actually bleach them, especially when left out in the sun.

To mix appropriately, use one tablespoon of lemon juice in one cup of water, add to a spray bottle, then spray onto your clothes. Lemon water works particularly well on gross underarms and trousers, as it neutralizes bad odors that hang around for long periods.

Steam your clothes

Clothes steamers tend to be great at getting creases out of our garments – but believe it or not, they can also help to remove nasty or pungent odors, too. As mentioned above, extreme temperatures are always likely to neutralize smells on sight.

Clothes steamers are perhaps the last ports of call you should consider in this list as they will use some power and water. However, compared to the water and electricity you’d normally expect from a washing machine, it’s altogether the kinder, more sustainable smell removal option.

How can I wash my clothes in a more sustainable manner? 

Of course, there will always come times when we need to wash our clothes! You shouldn’t have to wear dirty clothes or clothes that may have lost their shape – or may not even be comfortable any more. Yes, we can all do with washing our clothes a little less, but there are ways of making sure that we clean them in the most sustainable way possible. 

Don’t be afraid to lower your washing temperatures

The first thing that you can do is wash your clothes on a cooler setting. Washing them between 86 and 100 degrees F will do perfectly well, regardless of what the label tells you! They will come out just as clean and fresh as they would from a hot wash, and you will have used far less energy in the process.

Wash more clothes at once

The second thing that you can try is stick to bigger wash loads. Avoid washing just one or two things at a time. This can be tricky if you live alone, but if you find that you only need to wash some underwear or a few shirts, then try hand washing them instead.

If you live near a friend or have a neighbor who lives alone, then you can always try doing your washing together, too. This will help to ensure that only one washing machine is in use – and that you’re maximizing the energy you use, rather than letting it go to waste.

Try washing by hand

Hand washing is a great option if you have a sink or tub to hand, and will use a lot less water and energy than washing machines.

Of course, washing by hand is by no means foolproof when it comes to getting rid of nasty smells and stains, so take this option with a pinch of salt.

Swap out your detergents

Choosing the right detergent will also have a huge impact on your washing. Eco-friendly detergent can be expensive, but choosing a natural, low waste option It will not contain anything near the same amount of harsh chemicals as normal laundry detergent, and it will smell just as nice. Many eco-friendly detergents even work harder than their chemical counterparts at getting clothes clean – give them a go!

Make use of mother nature

Finally, the best way to clean your clothes sustainably actually has nothing to do with the washing. The best thing you can do is dry your wet laundry naturally. If you live in a rural area and have a garden, it’s worth investing in a washing line or even setting up a line of your own with string. You can attach them to trees, posts, or free-standing clothes dryers. 

This is a much friendlier option compared to running clothes through tumble dryers, or even leaving wet garments to hang in front of radiators (if you have them). If there’s any way you can save electricity or gas, you’ll be doing your bit for the planet.

Clothes will naturally dry without you having to do anything, depending on where you hang them. Depending on how hot or windy it is outside, your clothes could dry within hours, possibly even fewer than they would in a dryer!

Even in the winter, relying on the heat inside your home is more than enough to dry your clothes, and it is a great way of ensuring that you can dry clothes in the most eco-friendly way possible. If you’re already powering up the central heating, piggyback on that energy and use your radiators to dry clothes. It’s powering up during the warmer months that makes little sense.

Summary

Getting nasty smells out of clothes really doesn’t have to be a chore, and you shouldn’t ever have to waste energy in the process. Knowing how to remove underarm odor from clothes without washing, for example, might be as simple as letting them air out – or, if all else fails, freezing them overnight.

Got any tips you’d like to share? What’s a kind way of removing clothing smells that’s worked well for you in the past? Let me know!

Originally posted 2022-05-11 16:32:10.

The post How to Take the Smell Out of Clothes first appeared on Becoming Homegrown.

More and more of us are becoming interested in using more eco-friendly options for cleaning our homes. Obviously, the more natural, the better, but we also need products that we actually know will do the job, and clean, disinfect, and deodorize – and white vinegar always seems to make waves online. Once you know how to use white vinegar for cleaning, however, you’ll soon realize why it’s such a big deal!

The great thing about white vinegar is that it is cheap, easy to come by, and very efficient at cleaning. But how does it compare to chemical solutions? Can you easily say goodbye to the same old antibacterial sprays and start using white vinegar for cleaning for good?

Let’s take a look at why this natural resource has taken the world by storm, and how to use distilled vinegar for cleaning across the home – without any of the eco-guilt!

Is white vinegar eco-friendly? 

Despite its strong smell and questionable color (due to the fact that it is as clear as water but smells nothing like it), white vinegar is absolutely eco-friendly. It is a completely natural substance and is therefore never likely to harm the wider environment.

White vinegar is made during fermentation processes – i.e., from when a complex carbohydrate (such as those found in corn, rice, sugar, etc.) transforms into alcohol. This is then fermented again to become an acetic acid. Therefore, all that you will ever find in a bottle of white vinegar is water, acetic acid, and the occasional amounts of minerals and vitamins. 

This means that it is also biodegradable and completely vegan friendly. It also happens to be hypoallergenic, which is great news if you are cleaning across the home and even applying a dab or two to clothing!

Beyond this, white vinegar is not toxic, despite being acidic. Many cleaning products can release toxic fumes into the air and become very dangerous to breathe in. Even if they do an impeccable job cleaning our homes, they can actually be more damaging to our health than good – and the same goes for the environment, too.

With white vinegar, you can have your home looking sparkling clean without having to worry about the secondary effects that it can have on you and everyone else in your household, even your animals. 

But what about the smell? Granted, no one wants their homes to smell like vinegar. However, white vinegar does not actually leave a stench after cleaning – it really is a miracle solution.

Of course, when you first open a bottle, you might think that that simply isn’t possible  – but in fact, as soon as you make your white vinegar solution (which you can also help to make smell better using lemons or essential oils), and start using it, you’ll forget about that strong, vinegary stink.

How to use white vinegar for cleaning  

Now, the fun part – white vinegar can be used to clean pretty much anything in your home! It is fantastic at cleaning a variety of surfaces and lifting up all kinds of nastiness, including grease spots, ground-on dirt, burnt food, and most kinds of general grime and debris.

It’s great for ovens

Most people commonly use white vinegar to clean their kitchens, especially their ovens, stoves, and sinks. Simply mixing some white vinegar with baking soda will create the perfect paste for getting all of the built-up grease, grime, and burnt food out of your oven cavity, for example.

You will need to mix up roughly a quarter cup of water with about one cup of baking soda and a teaspoon of vinegar. Stir well until it forms a paste, then wipe it all over the inside your oven. It is then best to leave it for a little while, before mopping it out completely with soapy water. By leaving the solution for longer, you will notice that the grease and burnt food comes off a lot easier. Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself!

Weirdly enough, there does seem to be a little bit of disagreement amongst kitchen owners as to how worthwhile cleaning with baking soda and vinegar paste can be. The process does need careful measurement and application – meaning it may well be trial and error. However, I’ve certainly never noticed any problems – personally!

It’s even better for cleaning microwaves

An even simpler way of using vinegar for cleaning is by using it to mop out your microwave. These awkward cavities can get clogged up with all kinds of dirt and grime – and we often forget to clean up spills until it’s too late – time to get into better habits!

Fill a microwave-safe bowl with around 500ml of water, then add two tablespoons of white vinegar, mixing up briefly. Then, place the bowl in the microwave and turn it on for up to five minutes.

Once the microwave has finished its power cycle, leave alone for a few minutes so that it is cool enough to touch when you are ready to wipe it out. It is best to wear oven gloves when removing the bowl, of course, as it will likely still be hot.

Then, simply wipe out the oven with a clean, dry cloth, or with kitchen roll you may have to hand. Your microwave will be left smelling great and looking as good as new. There’s a similar trick you can try with lemons, too – but we’re all about the vinegar!

Ever cleaned your floors with vinegar?

Yes – as truly weird as it may seem, you can absolutely use white vinegar to clean your flooring. You can clean up wood, laminate or tile floors with a basic white vinegar mix – and here’s what you’ll need to keep in mind.

Simply mix half a cup of white vinegar with a bucket of warm water – four to five litres should be enough. Then, using a mop, swab your floors with the mix, then let it dry naturally.

The results might just astound you – you’ll be left with sparkling clean surfaces without lingering smells or clinging dirt and debris. It’s much more friendly to use white vinegar than to waste energy with a steam mop, or to spray harmful chemicals everywhere.

However, we do understand that part of the fun of cleaning is having that great, fresh smell around the house when you are done. Therefore, when it comes to cleaning the floors, your carpet, or even your couch and chairs, you can always add a few drops of essential oil to make the place smell nicer.

Do not put in more than a few drops, however, as it is an extremely concentrated substance – you’ll overpower the smell, for one, and for another, too much essential oil is never good for pets or kids.

But… it’s not an all-over miracle cleaner

Now, as great as white vinegar is for cleaning, it doesn’t necessarily work all over the home. There are indeed certain surfaces that would be best left out of the white vinegar equation altogether!

As you know, vinegar is acidic, which means that it is unsuitable for cleaning any kind of natural stone. Surfaces such as those made from marble, quartz, or even granite would not do well washed down with vinegar blends.

As strong as these types of stone may be, the acid from the vinegar can cause corrosion, potentially damaging the look of your worktops and counters for good.

White vinegar does not tend to mix too well with paint, either. So, if you have painted furniture in your home that you would like to clean, it’s best to stick to an alternative cleaning solution, as white vinegar will strip paint clean off.

The same goes for the paint on your car! Believe it or not, white vinegar can absolutely destroy your car’s paintwork, so avoid using it anywhere near your vehicle! Keep your vinegar sprays in the kitchen if you’re really unsure.

White vinegar as a disinfectant – the bottom line

The truth is, white vinegar can potentially disinfect surfaces and floors – but it might not work as hard as you need it to. White vinegar has proven to kill and reduce the numbers of certain bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella, and listeria. These bacteria, in particular, are commonly known for being the cause of illnesses you’ll get from food poisoning or poor hygiene – and they can be very nasty indeed!

However, we are living in a day and age where we expect more from our disinfectants. After all, with viruses such as COVID-19 having run rampant in recent years, it makes sense that you’re going to want an efficient, all-around cleaning solution.

However, white vinegar is not necessarily much use when it comes to disinfecting certain other viruses and germs, including COVID-19. It’s great for killing off some common microbes, but when it comes to enveloped viruses and bugs, it simply won’t work.

So, if you are looking to disinfect your home, then white vinegar will not necessarily be the best option. That being said, there are more eco-friendly disinfectants out there that are definitely worth looking into. 

White vinegar does still have its place, though – and can play a huge role in your home cleaning. Disinfecting is merely one aspect of keeping your home clean – and when it comes to getting rid of nasty stains, marks, spillages, and more, white vinegar is likely to come in much more useful.

How to create a white vinegar cleaning solution 

If you plan to make your own white vinegar cleaning solution, you will be happy to know that the process is actually fairly simple. There is no need for a lab coat and test tubes – all you need for most of your cleaning is water and white vinegar.

Ideally, you should look to use 250ml of distilled white vinegar, then mix it with 250ml of boiled water that has already cooled down.

When it is ready, pour the mix into a spray bottle, ready to use. You can use it as you would any other type of cleaning spray. Just spray and wipe away! Again, for a nicer-smelling solution, you can always add a few drops of essential oil. 

Your white vinegar solution, at least blended like this, should last for roughly two months – so make sure that you use it sparingly.

Making your own white vinegar cleaning wipes

Making your own white vinegar cleaning wipes will prove cost-effective (if you’re used to buying packs of antibacterial wipes each week), it’s also going to do the world around us some good, too.

The problem with everyday antibacterial wipes is that they largely arrive in non-biodegradable plastic packages. The wipes themselves are usually not biodegradable, either – and they can easily make their way into our waterways, usually with people flushing them.

Wipe flushing is a major cause of waterway blockage – and even when they haven’t flushed away, they are just thrown in the trash, waiting in a bag in a landfill, slowly left there to persist for decades.

There’s also the fact that antibacterial wipes can contain a variety of chemicals and eco-unfriendly ingredients. While you can invest in eco-friendly wipes, doing so may end up being quite expensive.

Despite these issues, there is no denying that cleaning wipes are incredibly useful and come in handy all of the time. So, you will be happy to know that there is an easy, reusable way for you to make your own – without costing the Earth, and without doing it as much damage! The answer, of course, lies with white vinegar. 

To start, mix around 125ml of boiled water that has cooled down, 125ml of white vinegar, a few drops of essential oils (I recommend using about 11-15 drops of the essential oils of your choice – and most cleaning wipes smell of lemon or flowers, so it might be worth trying to emulate this fragrance) – and one teaspoon of washing-up liquid. 

Then, get a clean, dry, sealable container, and prepare cloths that you don’t mind reusing as white vinegar wipes. You could use small microfiber towels, old cloths cut into pieces, even dusters or fabric offcuts – the choice is yours. Place your cloths of choice in your container.

Then, pour the mixture over the cloths, seal the container, and swirl the solution around gently, getting your wipes completely covered. The cloths should soon be damp enough to use – but not soaking, so if there is too much solution, then add in a few more cloths or dusters to soak up. On the other hand, if they happen to be too dry, then add in some more of your mixture. 

What’s great about these homemade wipes is that you can keep reusing them as much as you need to! If you happen to run through cleaning wipes relatively quickly, then make a few containers’ worth at a time. You can put your new cloths through a washing cycle, too. To really save on money and your carbon footprint, make sure to buy your white vinegar in bulk – especially if you know you’re going to need lots of wipes.

What ingredients should I never mix with white vinegar? 

As easy as it is to make a white vinegar solution, there are a few ingredients that you should simply never keep near the vinegar – or even mix with it. This is because combining the two can create harmful gases, acids, or simply just a useless mess! 

So, if you really want to get into white vinegar cleaning across the home, you’re going to want to avoid mixing it with bleach. Bleach alone may be a useful cleaning product, but it is also a dangerous solution when used inappropriately.

It can release gases in the air that can be very harmful to our health – it’s never a good idea to mix bleach with cleaning products due to the risk of ammonia, for example. However, if you mix it with white vinegar, then it will also create toxic chlorine gas. Trust me on this one – just don’t try it! 

Hydrogen peroxide is, again, another useful but dangerous chemical. Mixed with white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide will create a peracetic acid – and again, this is something you are going to want to avoid.

Therefore, when it comes to your white vinegar, stick to mixing it with water, dish detergent, and some essential oils! Even then, it’s worth going sparing with the oils, too – keep it simple, keep it safe!

Is it worth cleaning with white vinegar?

Yes – as you can see, white vinegar boasts a long list of qualities, especially when it comes to cleaning our homes. It may sound like a hassle having to create different cleaning solutions from scratch, but trust me – doing so is low-cost and brings about great results.

Cleaning with white vinegar also means that you’re staying away from investing in harsh chemicals. These can not only impact your health, but can also pose environmental risks. What’s more, by making your own mix at home, you’re reducing the amount of plastic you buy with each purchase of antibacterial or cleaning spray. White vinegar generally arrives in glass bottles – which are easy to recycle.

This problem decreases even further when you choose to buy white vinegar in bulk – as there’s less need for you to have further bottles delivered, and effectively, you’re taking a car or delivery truck off the highway.

Give white vinegar cleaning a go – who knows – you might just see sparkling results in a matter of hours.

Originally posted 2022-05-11 16:31:39.

The post How to Use White Vinegar for Cleaning: Complete Guide first appeared on Becoming Homegrown.

Are you doing enough to reduce plastic at home?

Reducing the use of plastic in the home is becoming more and more important. There is now indisputable evidence of the negative effects both plastic production and disposal can cause to our environment. Therefore, as individuals, we are starting to wake up and understand how we can control our regular plastic waste!

Unfortunately, plastic production has been on the rise for many years, and many are hopeful that governments and commercial bodies can impose clearer controls on the products that we buy. Unfortunately, many commercial enterprises are likely to prioritize profit ahead of going fully eco-friendly. Therefore, a lot of the pressure actually falls to us, as consumers.

Disdain for ‘bad practice’ surrounding plastic waste is growing. More and more corporate bodies and even smaller companies are waking up and going greener by packaging with less plastic. However, billions of tons of plastic waste, much of it from our homes, still ends up in the ocean.

There’s plastic in all kinds of things we consume and use. Famously, it has a very long shelf life – and that’s a bad thing. The wrappers and containers we buy are largely made from plastic, as well as drinks bottles and shopping bags we all bring into the home from time to time. There’s also plastic bin liners, furniture, and toys. All of these products have required chemical processing, too, which release damaging gases into our atmosphere.

We know now, more so than ever, that plastic is effectively killing the world around us. The length of time it takes for plastic to break down is truly staggering.

Therefore, it’s unsurprising so many of us are taking steps to cut down on plastic use at home and trying to live more sustainably in general. But, what are some of the far-reaching benefits? In this guide, I’ll be taking a look at some fantastic ways to reduce plastic use at home.

The Benefits of Reducing Plastic Waste

Some of the biggest benefits of reducing plastic waste are pretty obvious. We know that much irreparable damage has already been done to our planet – but that doesn’t mean that it’s too late for each of us to make a genuine change. We can all become part of a wider solution by turning this global problem around.

Reducing plastic waste means, of course, there is less non-degradable product going straight to landfill. The fact that plastic doesn’t degrade for such as long time means that it’s actively killing fish in the ocean, and stunting habitats the world over.

Sir David Attenborough, in particular, has spoken widely about the damage that plastic is doing to our oceans, and as such, the benefits to reducing waste at home are more obvious than ever – we’re helping to protect defenseless creatures all around us.

Reducing plastic waste means there will be less collected for disposal, and less chemical treatment of waste will be needed. Plastic is set to outweigh fish in the sea by 2050. This is a truly scary thought.

There may even be benefits to us financially by reducing plastic waste, too. If we do have to buy plastic containers, we may be able to reuse them at home for storage, for example. It is all about getting creative in the way that we deal with single-use plastics that are so widely saturating the market.

Less plastic in the landfill means less chance of us choking the environment and causing mass extinction. That’s why it’s so important that plastic waste reduction should begin at home!

10 Ways to Reduce Plastic at Home

Without further ado, let’s take a look at 10 simple ways you can cut down on home plastic waste right now.

Reuse Your Carrier Bags

Obvious, but worth repeating. Many stores and brands have committed to reducing plastic bagging or have even increased the price to prevent people from buying more. Invest in ‘bags for life’ or start shopping at stores that offer paper carrier bags instead!

You might even prefer wicker or fabric shopping bags instead, which are making a bit of a comeback!

Recycle Food Containers

While there are plenty of great recycling schemes at store collection boxes, we can actually start reducing waste at home by reusing the containers we buy. For example, large plastic containers could be refilled with flour or dried fruit, or you could even use them for stationery. In any case, if plastic food containers are serving new purposes at home, they will be a million miles away from the sea!

Buy Goods Loose

You can seriously reduce the amount of plastic you bring into the home by buying food items loose wherever possible. For example, if we buy fruit and vegetables loose without bagging, we are avoiding the need for bringing plastic into the home at all. This also means we’re getting fresher produce, too, on the whole! This is one of the best ways to reduce plastic at home while improving our diets, too.

Upgrade to Bamboo Toothbrushes

Bamboo toothbrushes are fast becoming popular eco-friendly alternatives to the usual plastic handles we’re otherwise used to. I use one myself – and I’m not going back!

They are just as appealing and easy to use as traditional brushes, and what’s more, they carry that genuine ‘feel good factor’ with every brush – as you’re not sending more plastic into the ocean once it’s time to switch out!

Go Back to the Classic Milk Delivery Service

Plastic milk bottles create a terrible amount of waste, and as such, it’s going to be more cost-effective and kinder to the planet to switch to glass. Take a look at a few local delivery services offering glass bottled milk – especially if you like adding a bit of dairy to your coffee on a morning.

Drop the Lighter

If you’re a smoker, it may well be the case that you’ve built up a fair collection of plastic lighters over the years. What happens to them once you throw them away? They go straight to landfill. Matches can easily replace them. Matches are cheaper and kinder to the environment, are easier to store, and simple to dispose of. As they biodegrade, you’re immediately doing the planet a favor.

Rethink Your Razors

Do you use disposable razors? Yet again, they are contributing towards our concerning plastic problem. Disposable razors are often sold in large packets of six or seven, and it’s an immense waste of plastic – the handles are rarely even damaged, it’s the blades that get the most use! Therefore, while plastic razors might be seen as convenient, why not switch to a blade replacement model instead? You only ever have to switch out the metal, and you may even get a better grade of shave!

Banish Plastic Water Bottles

This is a big one. Bottled water is very much the enemy of the plastic waste conserver, as they really serve no purpose whatsoever once they’re done with. You can’t even reuse them, as they will end up biodegrading into your drink!

Therefore, stop buying plastic bottles of water altogether. Choose a metal bottle that you can refill again and again if you need to hydrate at the gym, for example.

Switch Up the Way You Buy Detergent

Is it really worth paying out for a plastic boxes full of detergent capsules, when a family box of powder can do just the same job? Think of the plastic you could save by switching to powder from a plastic shut-box full of tablets or liquid capsules. It all adds up, and ultimately, detergent cleans well no matter the form you buy it in.

Forget About Straws

Are straws even relevant anymore? Plastic straws are getting harder and harder to find, which is a good thing, but they are still in circulation. If you’re still buying into the older plastic standard, consider switching to paper straws instead, or even investing in a washable, metal alternative. It’s an instant reduction on the amount of plastic we’re using at home.

Start Making a Change

Reducing plastic waste at home is easier than you might think. If we adopt all, or even some of the changes listed above, we won’t just make an immediate impact on the world around us, we’ll also likely be setting a great example for our kids. This means that, in time, they might continue to follow the same habits in their everyday life.

We need to consider that while small changes at home might not seem like they make that big a difference, they can all add up – and what’s more, there is a huge impact on the life skills we teach children at home. If we start teaching younger generations the importance of reducing plastic at home now, we can hopefully encourage them to carry these behaviors far into the future.

The situation in the world at large is frightening as far as plastic waste is concerned. However, it doesn’t have to stay that way. Making small, positive differences at home can feel amazing – and the more of us make these small changes, the bigger the wave of impact will be in the long run. Start taking a look around now and think about how you can reduce plastic at home!

Originally posted 2022-05-11 16:31:06.

The post How to Reduce Plastic Use at Home (10 Easy Ways!) first appeared on Becoming Homegrown.

Looking to find environmentally responsible present ideas for your Mom, your wife, your girlfriend or your daughter? Luckily, there are more and more ways you can show the special ladies in your life how much they mean to you without you causing detriment to the environment!

Our 10 Favorite Sustainable Gifts for Her

Whether for birthdays, anniversaries or Christmas, here are ten great product ideas well worth considering when looking for sustainable gifts for her.

Himalayan Salt Gifts

From lamps to jewellery sets, Himalayan salt really does make for a stunning gift idea. Completely natural, these stunning salt formations are entirely unique from crystal to crystal. What’s more, you’ll always be able to find sources for ideas for sustainable birthday gifts – which don’t push out unnecessary carbon during design and manufacture.

Above all, you can get really creative with sustainable Himalayan salt gifts. Look for necklaces, brooches and more – you’d be surprised as to just how huge salt is online right now!

Wooden Cutlery

Ok – so not everyone is going to ask for a wooden spoon as a birthday or Christmas gift, but there are more than a few interesting twists on wooden cutlery which look seriously stylish in the best possible way. If you’re considering purchasing a fancy cutlery or dining set for her birthday or as an anniversary gift, you probably don’t get quite much more sustainable than wood! 

There are plenty of wooden dinnerware gift sets out there – meaning that if you’d like to invest in sustainable plates and crockery, too, you can! Save a bit of carbon and invest in dinnerware that’s stylish and responsible.

Waste Free Water Bottles

If your partner or loved one is the active type, investing in a waste free water bottle is likely to be a great option as a birthday, anniversary or Christmas gift. One of the most environmentally friendly things you can do right now is cut down on single use plastic, and if you’re likely to use a lot of plastic water bottles, then you’re likely going to want to invest in a single bottle system that can be reused again and again.

There are some brilliant stainless steel bottles which you can order with your girlfriend or wife’s name engraved on the side. You should also take the time to look into a thoughtful gift that she can easily use at the gym if she’s likely to hit the treadmill regularly!

Zero Waste Makeup Kit

Yes, there’s even a chance that you are wasting plastic through makeup. For ideal sustainable gifts makeup and beauty enthusiasts are likely to adore, you can do far worse than invest in a plastic free solution.

There are gift sets for her which make use of zero waste makeup pads, for example. Waste seeps into the manufacture of all kinds of beauty products. Therefore, it makes sense you should look out for pads and items which cut down on the unnecessary manufacture. There are makeup brushes made from bamboo, for example, as opposed to harmful plastics and otherwise.

Zero Waste Candle Kits

Who doesn’t love a good candle or two? Matched with her favorite scent, why not invest in fragrant candles made with sustainable living in mind? This eco-friendly gift is a great idea for anyone who loves to unwind after a long day within a fragrant and colorful melty candle.

Zero waste candles are 100% wax, sourced from nature. One of the biggest issues candle lovers are likely to find when investing in their favorite fragrances is the fact that there is often a lot of plastic wrapping and packaging! Therefore, it makes sense to invest in candles which are free from anything likely to choke up the environment. Choose candle kits for your Mom or daughter which are wrapped in paper, for example.

Art Prints

What’s more sustainable than an art print? You might be surprised. Printing of some artwork can still make use of harmful plastics. If you just buy a print outright, for example, you may find that it comes shrink-wrapped, which means it’s probably going to get thrown in landfill.

Try and look for art prints which come ready framed, for example. These pieces shouldn’t need any plastic, and what’s more, you’ll be doing right by the environment.

It shouldn’t be too difficult for you to find an art dealer or service willing to print pieces for you ready in frames. After all, with the world going ever more sustainable, it makes sense that more and more galleries and outlets will be willing to meet this demand.

Canvas Bags

Rather than investing in expensive, wasteful bags and accessories, why not opt for a stylish, sustainable canvas bag? Canvas bags have come a long way since they debuted – meaning that these lightweight bags are now considered fashion items by many! What’s more, they are also likely to withstand more than you might expect.

By investing in a strong, great-looking canvas bag, you’ll be offering a wonderful, long-lasting gift that’s likely to weather the years to come. You could even combine the two ideas from above – why not find a canvas bag printed with art?

Vegan Recipe Boxes

If your loved one is into their recipes and cooking up a storm, why not think about buying them a recipe kit? You can find vegan recipe boxes which will not only offer you a stack of delicious recipes to start trying for yourself, but also plenty of ingredients thrown in. She may even be able to grow some, too – making it a fantastic sustainable gift option!

Growing your own veg is a real thrill – and being able to make your own vegan dishes will help embrace a more sustainable lifestyle. A vegan recipe box is likely to be a good starting point for embracing less waste over time.

Plants

Yes – really! Nothing beats a bunch of flowers when you’re trying to be super romantic, but one of the best sustainable gifts you can buy for her is going to weather the weeks and months to come. What’s more, plants are easily amongst some of the best sustainable gifts you can invest in. You’re literally giving the gift of life.

Of course, there are many different plants out there – so think carefully about what’s likely to appeal to your loved one the most. Will she appreciate a curious cactus, or something a little more flowery or colourful? Be sure to ask a few leading questions and find out!

Make Your Own Gift

Ultimately, the most sustainable gifts for her are going to be those you make yourself. It’s true! Have you thought about making something as simple as a scarf or a pair of socks? Really personal gifts always go down best, and you really can’t get more personal than those you make yourself. 

It’s a great chance to get creative, and what’s more, as you won’t be buying directly from any external manufacturers, you’ll know where everything has come from. The same goes for making greetings cards. Even if you’re not already the most creative type, why not take a look online for a few ideas, or follow a few video tutorials?

Why Buy Sustainable Gifts?

We generate all kinds of waste when it comes to giving gifts. Therefore, we all need to start thinking of new ways to cut down what we throw away. From degradable wrapping paper to gifts which do away with needless single use plastic, there are more than a few ways we can show some love without having to damage the world around us.

Originally posted 2022-05-11 16:30:32.

The post Sustainable Gift Ideas for Her (10 Great Ethical Gifts) first appeared on Becoming Homegrown.

What’s the key to learning how to live a more sustainable life? Does it mean big, sweeping changes? Or can we start looking at saving money and reducing waste bit by bit?

As people, we’re all becoming more and more aware of the impact we’re having on the world around us. For centuries, humanity has lavishly eaten into the world’s natural resources, looking for new luxuries in some of the strangest of places. However, with impacts on our environment growing starker everyday, it’s never been clearer that more of us need to start making conscious lifestyle changes.

That’s where this idea of ‘sustainable living’ comes in. It’s something that my whole family has really been getting into, especially since the pandemic changed life for us all!

However, sustainable living doesn’t just mean cutting down on plastic waste and thinking carefully about how you affect the world around you. In fact, the very heart of sustainability lies in living off the land, as much as physically possible.

New to living a more sustainable lifestyle? Consider this your complete beginner’s guide, with some great ideas to help you kick things off.

What Does It Mean to Live a More Sustainable Lifestyle?

Living a more sustainable lifestyle means thinking carefully about how the choices you make impact the health of the planet. Not only that, but it also helps to cut down your dependence on expensive, wasteful products and services.

You may have heard of a few initiatives taking place over the years to help ‘reduce your carbon footprint’. This is just one example of thinking more sustainably. Your carbon footprint measures how much emission you are putting back into the atmosphere. For example, by investing in energy-wasteful light bulbs, you are helping to add to a choking atmosphere.

Living sustainably means more than being environmentally-friendly. It means more than saying no to plastic bags, too. It’s about changing wasteful habits for the better.

Why is Sustainability Important?

Sustainability is hugely important because it’s one of the easiest lifestyle changes you can actively make. While few of us can hope to change the oil industry as individuals, what we can do is take ourselves out of the dependency chain altogether. That could mean ditching plastic straws, or refusing to drive your car during rush hour.

Sustainability is important because, despite what many people believe, Earth’s resources are running out. The sun will always be with us, however, clean water is in short supply. Not only that, but artificial, energy-inefficient processes continue to choke our oceans and our air. This is intensively unhealthy for us, for the greenery around us, and for animals, too.

Living an eco-friendly lifestyle is one thing. Thinking and living sustainably is a choice which means making impactful changes to your daily routine. They don’t have to be big changes, however!

How to Start Living More Sustainably

Speaking for my immediate family, we found it easier than we thought to start living more sustainably – it’s true! There’s definitely a lot of doom and gloom in the media and from politicians over how much we actually need to do to cut back, and to protect the environment.

Ways to start living sustainably could be as simple as turning off a light every time you leave a room. It might be as simple as even using different bulbs altogether. Do you run water while brushing your teeth? Why not turn the faucet off until you are ready to rinse?

These are tiny little changes which will make a huge difference to the world around you. It’s not just for the here and now, either. It’s to help protect the environment for generation after generation to enjoy.

If you’re stuck for ideas on how to start living sustainably, I’ve put together a few tips to help you get started.

10 Simple Sustainable Living Tips

1. Worrying about how much water you use? As mentioned, a great place to start will be to turn off your faucet while brushing your teeth. You’ll also save money and energy by using a bowl while washing dishes, and by showering instead of taking baths.
   
2. Can you wash your clothes by hand? Save on power wastage and on energy bills by avoiding the washing machine wherever possible.
   
3. Never invest in bottled water. Anyone watching the TV series Blue Planet II will tell you that unnecessary single-use plastic needs to be reduced as it is driving millions of animals in our oceans to extinction.
   
4. Avoid running air conditioning unless you absolutely have to. Hot days can be hard to get through. However, see how cool you can get with a wet flannel or towel and a simple fan. Also – open some windows, too!
   
5. Cut down on those carbon emissions by looking at public transport options. Take cars off the highway by taking buses and trains, or by car sharing. Even better, if you can walk to work and back, do so.
   
6. Look at renewable energy tariffs and providers. You don’t have to stick to the big energy providers – there are plenty of fantastic smaller companies focusing on solar and hydro energy which will give you more sustainability for your money.
   
7. Grow plants and shrubs! The greener your garden is, the more oxygen you’re pumping back into the air. Look after a garden and you’ll soon find the air quality in your garden – and in your home – improving.
   
8. Try and grow your own food wherever possible. It’s very cost-effective to buy fruit and vegetable seeds to grow all year round, and what’s more, it’s a highly rewarding process.
   
9. Try to ease up on how much electricity you actually use in your home. Do you still use a laptop plugged-in? Try running off the battery for a while. Leave your TV on standby? Time to switch it off. Little things such as switching off outlets when not in use could help to make a huge difference.
   
10. Finally, try and look at ways in which you can make sustainability fun. Sustainable living starts at home, and when the whole family gets involved, it’s easier to stick to some of the most effective, far-reaching changes. Why not take a look at a few ideas you and the kids can collaborate on together?

What Are You Waiting For?

As you can see, there are plenty of great, simple ways you can get into sustainable living! It often won’t need you to make any big, sweeping changes. That is, unless you really want to!

To begin with, take a good look at the concepts surrounding sustainability. Think about the energy you use in your home. Are you recycling enough? What do you do with food waste? If there’s room for improvement or even a slight adjustment, it’s worth making the smaller changes first.

Then – who knows what you might be able to build up to! The sky’s the limit – and the planet will surely thank you for it, too.

Originally posted 2022-05-11 16:29:40.

The post How to Live a More Sustainable Life (Easily!) first appeared on Becoming Homegrown.

Want to know all about living sustainably? Luckily, there are more than a few good books out there to help you get started. In this guide, I’ll take you through some of the best books available to help you make greener, more sustainable changes in your everyday life.

Read Your Way to a Sustainable Life

If you are completely new to the concept of greener living, it’s always worth having a handbook at your side. If you want to start living more sustainably, there are worse things you can do than a bit of relevant homework.

In fact, I’ve made some of the best eco-friendly changes to my daily life through some truly brilliant reads. The following books I’ve listed here come personally recommended – and these are just the beginning!

My Top 10 Best Books on Sustainable Living

I’ve read from a wide range of sources recently, and generally, looking for broader reading makes more sense than sticking to one or two books or authors.

You don’t have to stick to online guides and YouTube videos! Set aside some study time for the following tomes.

The Sustainable(ish) Living Guide by Jen Gale

This is the book that started everything off for me! In fact, I’m still poring through it. Jen Gale offers fun insights into what you can actually do to make a difference to your money as well as to the environment. The author’s focus is on making small changes for big differences. It’s a great starting point and a really simple ideology I think you’ll love.

Live Green: 52 steps for a more sustainable life by Jen Chillingsworth

Jen Chillingsworth’s alternative guide to breaking down your daily habits and routines is equal parts illuminating and useful. If you’re a fan of step by step guides, and prefer taking big life changes one small move at a time, this is a great little book to dip in and out of. Chillingsworth focuses on simple home life adjustments which affect the whole family – making it ideal for parents.

101 Ways To Go Zero Waste by Kathryn Kellogg

Kathryn Kellogg’s popular book is a dynamite read if you are keen to cut down on waste as well as up your home efficiency. What’s really interesting about this book is that the author strives not to focus on ‘perfection’. With sustainable living, one goal is clear, initially – to reduce how much waste you are leaking into the real world. Kellogg’s book covers everything from home and travel tips to beauty hacks. It’s full of tons of usable tips and tricks.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver’s book offers less of a how-to than the above guides, but offers a really entertaining insight into how one family made the effort to only live from local produce. As you can imagine, when it comes to rearing meat and tending to finicky eaters, this might be a bit of a struggle! However, the author sells her ideas and story in a friendly, almost electric manner. It’s really hard not to get behind her!

Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson

Bea Johnson’s guide is one of the best books on sustainable living aimed at seasoned waste-reducers – mainly because it really does go very deep! Some of the suggestions in here may not appeal to those just starting to think sustainably, but what the book does offer is fantastic insight on how to reduce your dependency on corporate consumer expectations. Make sure to read some of the above books first, but definitely invest in Johnson’s book once you’re well on your way.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

Marie Kondo has really had a moment or two in the past couple of years. Not only has her Netflix series ‘Tidying Up’ helped to transform the way people organise their homes, the ‘spark joy’ meme hung around online for longer than many would have expected. Kondo’s book on tidying up touches on sustainability, and it’s a great reference to have alongside other in-depth waste reduction guides.

The Sustainable Fashion Handbook by Sandy Black

Again, less of a how-to guide and more of an overview, Black’s book on eco-friendly fashion is likely to be hugely beneficial to those who want to look good, but feel good at the same time. This book is bursting with essays, thoughts and revelations from some leaders in the industry. Looking for inspiration on who to buy from in the age of sustainable living? This book is a great start.

Plastic Purge by Michael Sanclements

Plastic, as you will likely already know, is the ultimate scourge of the environment. It’s choking our rivers and oceans, and killing life all around us. Therefore, Michael Sanclements takes a strong view, but one which is easy to aspire to. Instead of focusing on big, sweeping ways for you to rid your whole life from plastic, Sanclements looks carefully at simple reduction. Again, this is something I always like to focus on – simple reductions, rather than aggressively changing your life!

Wellth by Jason Wachob

Jason Wachob’s interesting slant on living a healthier, more fulfilling life focuses on this idea of paying into your own wellness bank. Instead of focusing on career progression and growing revenue, Wachob challenges you to pay close attention to the little things you can do to keep your wellness account, or wellth, topped up. There are plenty of great little ideas for eco-friendly living in here.

Simple Matters by Erin Boyle

Last but not least is green living put to us by Erin Boyle, who believes strongly in the adage that less is more. In fact, Boyle outright suggests that it’s possible to live with few commodities and consumer dependencies, and to end up getting more out of life. It’s one of the best books on sustainable living simply because it’ll help you realize what you could make out of your life if you cut back even a little! That goes for beauty products, everyday items and how much fossil fuel you’re burning up and wasting from day to day.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are plenty of great books to help you get started in the world of sustainable living. Some will help you make responsible choices for your diet, while others will simply help you tidy up your home!

It’s worth taking a good look through a few books to get a good feel for the topic. No two experiences with sustainability are ever likely to be the same. Therefore, take some time out and start reading through expert guidance and stories. I did, and I’ve never looked back.

Originally posted 2022-05-11 16:28:13.

The post Best Books on Sustainable Living 2022 first appeared on Becoming Homegrown.