5 Approachable Swaps for a More Mindful Kitchen
When it comes to building a more sustainable home, the kitchen is a great place to start. It’s where we cook, clean, store, and consume - often surrounded by a lot of single-use items.
The good news? Small changes can make a big difference! The absolute best thing we can do is reduce single-use items and reuse where possible. I have so many ideas in this space (don’t worry, more to come), but let’s kick things off with five easy, low-effort swaps you can make today:
1. 🛍 Bring Your Own Produce Bags
You already know to bring your tote bags to the store (hack: keep them in your trunk so you don’t forget; once you’ve unloaded set them by the door and bring them back to your car next time you leave the house) - but what about produce bags? Swapping out those thin plastic ones for reusable mesh versions is an easy and impactful upgrade. Or easier yet - skip them all together, especially for goods whose outsides don’t touch your mouth! I see you bananas, avocados, limes, etc.
👉 I love these Cotton Mesh Bags from Bamboo Switch — get 10% off with code LIVEMINDFULLY
💡 Why it matters: Americans use over 100 billion plastic bags a year, and less than 10% are recycled. Most end up in landfills or as litter in our communities and oceans (heartbreak), taking up to 1,000 years to decompose. All for maybe 30 minutes of use, max.
2. 🧻 Skip the Paper Towels
Paper towels are technically compostable if you compost — but the most mindful move? Grab a reusable cloth rag or washcloth. They work great with your favorite cleaning spray to wipe down counters and tables post-meals. You’re already doing laundry, right?
If you need a paper towel backup for real dirty messes (hi, cat barf), I recommend Who Gives a Crap’s Recycled Paper Towels — and yes, they’re compostable when you’re done.
3. 🍯 Swap the Saran Wrap for Beeswax Wrap
Plastic wrap is one of those things we use out of habit — but there’s a prettier (and more planet-friendly) option: beeswax food wraps! I’m currently loving these from Ames Farm in Minnesota — handmade, low-waste, and a sweet way to support a local biz. We used these at The Vine Room and if they can stand up in a restaurant environment, they will shine in your kitchen! AND they are compostable and biodegradable once they reach end of life.
You can also find a bunch of options on Amazon, but I’m partial to supporting small when I can.
4. 🥪 Rethink Your Plastic Baggies
Ziplocs have been a kitchen staple forever, but glass containers or even mason jars are great alternatives for most things. I want to love reusable baggies, but I haven’t found one I totally vibe with yet.
That said, if you already have Ziplocs at home, don’t toss them after one use! Unless they’ve touched raw meat or something particularly gnarly, rinse them out and reuse a few times. Then recycle them through a soft plastic film program (like Ridwell, if you’re lucky enough to have access) otherwise many grocery stores and places like Target collect them to be recycled.
5. ✨ Clean Up Your Cleaning Routine
Many conventional cleaners are full of questionable ingredients and packaged in single-use plastic. Not great. Enter: Blueland - my go-to for refillable cleaning sprays (+ hand soaps, dishwasher tablets, toilet cleaner, laundry detergent) made with clean ingredients and compostable packaging. The packaging is cute, the products work, and you skip the plastic guilt. Win-win-win.
In Summary:
These swaps are meant to be approachable, not overwhelming. You don’t have to toss everything overnight, just start where you can, use what you already have, and keep moving in the right direction.
Have any favorite mindful kitchen swaps I should try next? Let me know on social @mindfuledit.co - I’m always testing new things and love a good recommendation.
With less waste and lots of love,
Ali
Curating sustainable living inspiration, one swap at a time