Stuff I bought for zero waste

The below is a running list of products I've bought for zero waste including source and costs.

These are not all required to go zero waste and there are certainly some homemade alternatives but I am experimenting for now (in some cases out of convenience instead of learning to make my own) and will hopefully find more sustainable or homemade alternatives along the way.

Consumables

Comments/Reviews

Scrubber brush

The scrubber brush is working ok in combination with the steel wool scrubber I already had, though I feel the sponge did a better job on some things, I am using a dish cloth as well as it's closer to what I'm used to (the scrubber is too big to get to the bottom of some glasses). Colm prefers the scrubber as it's what he's used to - our dishes are clean so it must be working ok. The disposable nature of the sponges was handy for tough jobs like cleaning the grease out of the stove but I will just have to get used to cloths which I will have to clean with boiling water and soap.

Essential oils

I have only used 1 for a mouthwash recipe and they are extremely concentrated so only 1 or 2 drops should be used (even if a recipe is calling for more). The mouthwash I made called for 10 (I put 7) and my whole fridge smelled on mint (there could be worse things but the smell of mint actually curbed my appetite every time I opened the fridge - maybe a trick if you are on a diet)- I haven't tried any of the others yet but will report back when I do.

Unpackaged soap

It smells nice (I got orange, lavender and grapefruit) but is a weird kind of rubbery consistency when using it compared to what I'm used to.

Truthpaste (clay based toothpaste)

It takes some getting used to, it's a new consistency and flavour but leaves my teeth feeling cleaner than normal toothpaste. It doesn't have fluoride so I will see how I get on at my next dentist visit. I may just use baking soda/bi-carbonate soda in future but haven't been able to find it in bulk yet.

Silk floss

The reason I got this is because normal floss is not biodegradable where silk is. I just ordered today so will let you know more once I get it. It's quite a bit more expensive than the satin floss I'm used to getting (0.18€ more per meter) but thought I'd try it until I can find some other alternatives - I might go to a fabric store and buy silk which I can unravel and use the threads.

Re-useables

Glass jars

I'm really enjoying the glass jars. It makes the cupboard and fridge much cleaner and easier to see what we have or are running low on. I need to get some more for leftovers etc as the plastic take out containers we are still using are opaque and we forget what's in them and the food ends up going off.

Linen bread bag

Wish I'd known about this earlier, no need to buy one, you can use an old pillow case if you have spare lying around (as I had already adopted a minimalist lifestyle to some extent before going zero waste I did not have any spare so had to buy one). The linen keeps the bread fresher longer, stops it from getting hard and mouldy! Bakery bread is more expensive so I will start trying to make my own at some stage.

Cloth produce bag

Not much to say about these, they are super handy

Tea strainer

Loving the loose tea, the strainer is a bit tricky to fully close as tea leaves get caught in the opening and on the outside if it's any way wet, also we only have 1 so making more than 1 cup at a time is not ideal. Thinking I might get a glass teapot with infuser in the middle - I had one in Canada and it's very handy. - update: just saw that Ikea has one of these for 0.90€ :(

Pasta maker

This hasn't arrived yet but I picked it as it was not electric and small yet versatile.

Soda stream (crystal)

It was tricky enough trying to figure out the different soda stream models but I landed on this one as it's one of the only ones that doesn't have plastic bottles that expire. It's a bit pricier but if we drink 1-2 litres a week we will get a return on investment in 3-6 years and save 312 plastic bottles from getting down-cycled (apparently plastic cannot be re-cycled but rather down-cycled into something more something that will not be recycled and eventually end up in the landfill). I am loving the quality of the sparkling water, it is better than the cheap stuff we were buying and the CO2 tank should last us for a year - and is refillable after that for 10€ (or cheaper if we find a local home brewer or someone with a bigger tank)

Kitchen scales

I've never had kitchen scales but needed them to weigh out Ezio's food (as we are trying him on a raw meat diet and he needs certain quantities of different meats), but now that I have it, it's actually really handy for baking - I used it this morning for weighing my flour for the gluten free bread. I picked this one as it's mechanical rather than digital so it uses less resources to work.

Handkerchiefs

Just ordered these today as I only have 3 at the moment and while that is enough to get me through a normal week it's not enough if I'm sick. I'm hand washing in hot water and throwing in with the rest of our cold wash whites.

Moon cup

Just ordered so will report back later - for those unaware it's a reusable menstrual cup

Cotton panty liner

Just ordered

Glass water bottle

Just ordered - I have an existing plastic water bottle but trying to phase out plastic all together. I will keep the plastic for flights due to weight but will try not to use it regularly.