This guest post is written by Sahana Sundar, a Soapbox Project community member based in Seattle, WA.
Saying no to single use plastic in your cleaning routine can be overwhelming, from knowing which sustainable products are good, to where you are going to buy them. Some companies also practice greenwashing, in which they sell allegedly eco-friendly products at a higher price because they know consumers will pay for them. Seeing the high price tag on some products can be daunting. Fortunately, there are many great tips to save on cleaning products that are truly better for your wallet and the planet.
Did you know that the average spray cleaning products are 98% water? That’s right, with every solution you buy, you are paying upwards of $7.00 for plastic and water. Here’s where refills come in. Instead of buying a fresh bottle of cleaner every time you run out, you purchase a refill, which is a concentrated formula, either in a liquid or tablet form you can dissolve with water. Refills are often much cheaper than buying an entire bottle.
Three brands that are changing the refill game are Blueland, Grove Collective, and Cleancult:
When you buy refills, you can reuse any plastic bottle you are currently using, or invest in a glass bottle that you can reuse indefinitely. Blueland, Grove and Cleancult have starter sets that include a pretty glass bottle and refills. If you’re having trouble deciding what to buy, we’ll talk more about starter sets later in this article!
Sustainable cleaning and personal care products have yet to be mass adopted by consumers, so most big box retailers don’t sell many plastic-free products and refills. If you are buying from the brand’s website, it might take several days to get your order, making it difficult if you are in a pinch. To solve this, many sustainability-focused companies have “subscribe and save” programs where you get products at a discounted price. This works great for refills and you can choose the frequency at which you receive the products.
Here are two leading subscribe and save options that let you choose your refill cadence:
If subscriptions aren’t your jam, you can buy in bulk instead, and reduce the cost for each individual item. It’s important to note that buying everything in bulk doesn’t reduce your plastic consumption. A bulk set of individually wrapped paper towels uses more packaging than a smaller set. The goal is to buy items in bulk that are packaged closely together so that you can ship more product with less packaging. Products that you use multiple times a week, like laundry detergent or dishwashing tablets, fit this criterion well. If you want to buy refills in bulk, it’s best to opt for those that come in tablet form as they are usually smaller and take up less space than liquid refills. To avoid wasting money, only buy items that you truly love in bulk.
You can further decrease your environmental impact by buying plastic-free products in bulk locally. Search “plastic free shopping near me," to see what’s available to you. Not only will you reduce the carbon emissions of shipping the products directly to you, you will also support a small business!
Splitting bulk orders with family, friends and neighbors is a great money saving tip, and might encourage others to reduce plastic as well. Win-win!
If you’re still overwhelmed/confused, starter sets can help you! Starter sets are fantastic because they allow you to test out a bunch of products at the same time. While the price tag is steep, it’s often cheaper than buying each product on its own. However, it’s important to remember that the most sustainable thing you can do is to only buy what you need. Before buying a starter set, make sure that you have a use for every single product in it.
Sometimes it might feel as if you are battling between your wallet and values. With these money saving hacks, you’ll be able to divert many plastic bottles from the ocean affordably. There are already several innovative companies dedicated to sustainability and producing high-quality plastic free products. As more people prioritize sustainability in their homes, we’ll continue to see more opportunities to reduce plastic while saving money.
Get our free bite-sized climate action plans before you go!