Hubby and I have been trying to “go green” for the past 15 years. In that time, we’ve made our home as natural and eco-friendly as possible. I won’t say that you won’t find the occasional bottle of bleach in our house (in dilute form it does wonders for cleaning the pool liner at the end of the season without leaving much of a residue!), but for the most part, 95% of the items we use are natural or eco-friendly or help us down that path. As a result, I frequently receive questions about the products that I use in my home. Here is a list of some of those items. (Most of them can be found on Amazon, which may be the reason why my FedEx driver perpetually calls me the Amazon Queen!)
This list is by no means complete—I will be adding more items as I go along. Check back later for more!
Kitchen Gear
Royal Berkey Water Filtration System: We bought this when we decided to adopt a second child. I was sick and tired of filtering water with a pitcher to remove the chlorine, then boiling it and waiting for it to cool before mixing it with formula. This filter removes bacteria and viruses that normal filters just can’t. It is a workhorse! We liked it so much that we even bought a smaller travel version to take with us on vacations. Although it’s a bit pricey ($300+), the filters last 5+ years. So in the end, it costs way less than buying bottled water or using a pitcher filter.
Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Bottles: Speaking of water bottles, we have used these stainless steel water bottles for over a decade, and they are still going strong. I have them in just about every shape and size. I have an entire cabinet full of them. We’ve used them for everything from sippy cups to kid’s water bottles to the huge water bottles that hubby and I take to bed each night or the insulated ones I take on car trips and coffee mugs for the daily commute. We have found them to be virtually indestructible. (Just don’t let anyone drop a full one on your toe—it HURTS and may or may not break pinky toes. Never did get an x-ray for that one.)
Lifefactory Glass Water Bottle with Silicone Sleeve: These water bottles are NOT indestructible. But nothing beats glass as far as taste goes. We used Lifefactory baby bottles for both our girls and we each have one of their water bottles for drinking water or smoothies around the house (the lids are great to keep our cat Lilah from sticking her head in and drinking our water). They also cut down on spills on the rugs (and on the electronics).
Instant Pot: The Instant Pot is basically an extremely versatile electric pressure cooker. I use mine almost daily, and have gotten them as gifts for numerous friends and family. It changed my life.
Vitamix 5200 Blender: I love my blender. I mean LOVE my blender. In the event of a house-fire, I am grabbing my blender after all the living creatures are out of the house. This blender is incredibly powerful, I can grind grains in it (using the dry blade) or make nice-cream or smoothies or vegetable broth using the regular blade. And with the 64 oz. Low-Profile container, it even fits on top of my counters but under my cabinets!
Cuisinart ICE-30BC Ice Cream Maker: Speaking of ice-cream and nice-cream, this Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker was this year’s birthday gift from Hubby, and makes ice cream in less than half an hour. We had lots of healthy coconut milk ice cream this summer. By the end of the season, it had paid for itself!
Cuisinart Immersion Blender: This immersion blender is fantastic, I use it all the time for making soups and sweet potatoes. It makes clean-up so much easier since I can prepare everything from start to finish in one pot.
Cuisinart 14-Cup Custom Food Processor: For several years I had been wrestling with my previous food processor, slowly losing my religion with each attempt to use it. So, this past Christmas, Hubby took pity on me and purchased me this Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor. It is incredible. It’s easy to assemble, easy to use and is virtually the Cadillac of food processors. It’s the kind you see on cooking shows the world over. (In fact, I feel unbelievably privileged every time I use it, like I’m a real chef or something!) This has earned a permanent spot on my kitchen counter.
SodaStream Sparkling Water Maker: This was another Christmas gift from Hubby this past year. I have a sparkling water addiction, and I have wanted one of these for years. And after reading in Consumer Reports that bottled sparkling water doesn’t have the same federal regulations as regular drinking water (ick!!), Hubby decided that it was time to indulge me. I love that I can now use my filtered water from the Royal Berkey to make my own sparkling water. The kids love it because I make them their own “soda” by adding a couple ounces of pineapple, orange or grape juice to a glass of sparkling water!
Cleaning Supplies
Skoy Cloths: I’ve been using these Swedish dish cloths for well over a decade. They are incredible. The best way I can describe them is to say they are the child of a sponge and a paper towel—they’re super absorbent like a sponge, but flexible like a paper towel. And they are super easy to disinfect, just rinse them out and pop them in the microwave for a minute. It steam cleans them. They come in a 4-pack, and each one is the equivalent of 15 rolls of paper towels. They last for months and months and when they finally do get a bit ratty, you can compost them.
E-Cloth Window Cleaning Pack: I’ll be the first to admit that before I discovered these bad boys, my windows and mirrors didn’t get cleaned very often. And when they did, I used A LOT of paper towels. But these are pure unadulterated magic. I truly don’t understand the science behind how they work, I just know that I can clean all my downstairs windows (that is 8 large expanses of glass, both inside and outside) with just this one set of cloths. Then, I need to rinse it out or wash it and let it dry. Afterwards, I can do all my upstairs windows, inside and out. I’ve also used this to clean all my car windows inside and out. As I said, it’s pure magic. Last year, I bought a set of these for each family member for Christmas. And I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews!
Moso Natural Home Air Purifying Bag: This air purifying bag uses activated bamboo charcoal to filter allergens, chemicals and impurities out of the air. It is reusable for up to 2 years and just needs to be re-activated (by setting it out in the sun for 1 hour) every 30 days or so. When I first read this, it sounded like a hoax. But, I have been battling my daughter’s eczema for the past year, and I was desperate to provide her some relief.
Every morning when she got up, her eyes were swollen and itchy and she had eczema all over her face. I tried EVERYTHING I could think of. I put a dust-mite cover on the mattress. I bought her a new pillow. I cleared everything out from under her bed and bought a robo-vacuum (that I totally LOVE and named Martha) to vacuum under the bed daily. I washed all her bedding 1-2 times per week on hot. I put all her stuffed animals in the freezer for 5 hours per week to kill dust-mites. I switched from a down comforter to a tencel comforter (that actually made a huge difference). But nothing completely cleared it up until I decided to hang this Moso Natural Air Purifying Bag in her room. Virtually overnight her eczema disappeared and it hasn’t returned. Consequently, I’m a believer. With allergy season upon us, I purchased one of these for every room in my house. With any luck, maybe this year my eye won’t swell to the point that my iphone doesn’t recognize me. (That happened last year!) Fingers crossed!