OK, so somehow I did like four hours of research on this and can’t find the doc I saved it in. Typical. Luckily, this link pretty much sums it up and doesn’t get into all the studies and rabbit holes I went down. https://thegoodlifedesigns.com/safest-dishes-to-use/
Primarily, I wanted something safe. Something that wasn’t going to leach chemicals and that I could put in the microwave or oven. (I always tell myself that I wouldn’t microwave plastic and then find myself doing it late at night when I’m too tired to care.) I also have a clumsy streak and needed stuff that wasn’t going to break easily. If you have kids, this is doubly true for you. Corelle ticks all those boxes.
I didn’t look into the sustainability of this option. Mostly because I have a set of corelle dishes I bought 15 years ago and they’re still going strong. So I figure this purchase of bowls will last me a long, long time.
Why you should care: Y’all, I read the studies, and there are SO many ways that bleach gets into our household environment and causes problems. It’s mind-blogging!
Y’all, I have been using bleach in my white loads for AGES. I guess I knew it was bad but didn’t really think about it practically.
Bleach does lots of stuff. It means you can save energy because you don’t have to wash your clothes with hot water to kill microbes. It gets rid of stains and makes your clothes look whiter/brighter.
Fun fact, bleach makes stuff look white because it stays on your fabric and gives off light. So when you look at the fabric, it gives you the impression that it’s whiter or brighter. OMG! https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/20/9084 However, a key part of this is that it STAYS on your fabric and can get trapped there for more than a year. That’s not a good thing to have rubbing against your skin.
So do we really need bleach? Not really. Only for killing certain bacteria.
Using bleach is like hiring a giant bar bouncer. It’s great if you actually need muscle. But most bacteria aren’t in the big leagues. And you don’t need a bouncer to break up a scuffle on the kindergarten playground.
Most bacteria gets killed by your washing machine’s regular detergent and a spin in the dryer. However, there are some cases like rotavirus (diarrhea and vomiting), which needs hot water over 60 °C, detergent AND you can use bleach sanitizer.
NOTE: Wash your hands immediately after doing laundry and don’t touch your face. Store dirty clothes in a dry place, which will discourage bacterial growth. Remember that bleach only lasts for three months.
Bleach tends to cause a lot more problems for the average homeowner than it solves. It gets into rivers and hurts aquatic life. It messes with our public water system. It reacts with a whole bunch of different chemicals we have in our air and furniture to create nasty stuff that gets into our body through skin or breathing or eating.
*One of those very specific bacteria is norovirus. That’s a time where you actually do need to go to the store and get some bleach. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAkH4jakLYA
“Single-use Q tips contribute to the global plastic waste crisis. An estimated 1.5 billion cotton swabs are produced every day in the world and the average person throws away approximately 415 of them each year, according to a report by market intelligence company Acute Market Reports. These products are frequently found in landfills and oceans, polluting the environment and posing a threat to marine life. By opting for reusable Q tips, individuals can play a part in minimizing their ecological footprint.” https://ecofriendlyhacks.com/reusable-q-tips/index.html
It sucks that my pick is a Walmart buy. But I honestly couldn’t find what I wanted elsewhere except Amazon, and I tried!
This is another option: https://lastobject.com/products/lastswab?Color=Turquoise I don’t like that it’s made of “durable materials,” which tells me absolutely nothing about what it’s actually made of. I also think the plastic carrying case is completely unnecessary.
Some Q-tips say they’re compostable/biodegradable. I’m extremely skeptical of this. I’ve tried composting those Q-tips and three years later they haven’t decomposed one bit!
TLDR: Regular laundry detergent has components that are harmful to the environment and to your skin. Plus, there’s a ton of waste and you’re mostly paying for water, which is a waste of money.
Why you should care: These are getting harder to write. I feel like you should just care because your body and the environment are important! But check out the reasons below…
“Non-concentrated liquid laundry detergents contain 60 to 90 percent water, and a concentrated one could have 15 to 50 percent water, according to He.”
I’ve also used laundry detergent sheets from different brands, which come in compostable bags. I think that’s great, but I tried composting the bags for two years and they didn’t break down even a little. Most packaging that says it’s biodegradable is actually only biodegradable in professional facilities. But this is the packaging that Etee uses, and I’m impressed because it looks like a solid choice: https://tekpaksolutions.com/
TLDR: It’s better to invest in sustainable bath towels for your own health and the health of the planet.
Why you should care: “Towels marketed as ‘ultra absorbent’ often shed microfiber plastics when washed and dried.” https://www.leafscore.com/eco-friendly-bath-products/best-eco-friendly-towels/ Microfiber plastics pollute our soil and water. Plus, we rub these towels all over our bodies so they should be made of stuff that’s safe for our skin.
These towels are effing expensive! I got them on sale at Christmas.
The following link is actually a great primer on towel materials and it’s consistent with all my reading but in a much more concise form. The only info that’s not exactly accurate is the part about some fabrics being antimicrobial. Studies don’t support that so ignore that paragraph! https://fiveadrift.com/blogs/news/7-reasons-why-you-should-be-using-eco-friendly-towels
I liked these towels because they last a long time. They have the GOTS and Oeko-Tex certifications, which means they were made with safe and environmentally friendly practices.
Plus, you can throw cotton towels in the washer, whereas other materials don’t fare as well in a machine.
One of the big downsides of this product is that it’s made from Turkish cotton, which means a larger carbon footprint for shipping. But since I’m only buying it once and then keeping it for many years, I’m less concerned about this issue.
