Whether you’re someone who likes to completely redecorate your home for the winter holidays or not, now is a great time to at least refresh some of your home goods. There are so many ways to make your home a little more sustainable with easy, luxurious choices now, from the soap you use to the linens on your bed to the kind of candles you use to add scent to your house.
We tested many, many sustainable brands’ offerings in the home accessories category, and here are the big winners we loved!
Soaps and Lotions
Refill options are one of the first things I look for when it comes to buying soap to stock my home and office, along with clean, safe formulas, sustainable packaging and amazing scents. It may technically be called a “body wash,” but by/rosie jane’s line of body washes and its corresponding refills are my handwash of choice because they check all of those boxes. Housed in glass bottles with reusable pumps, these liquid soaps look as good on your countertop as the soap inside smells! The soap is available in so many delicious scents—by/rosie jane makes several incredible, sustainably sourced, ingredient-transparent, clean-formulated perfume oils and eau de parfum sprays—and there are also body milks in most of the same scents, so you can have a matching set on your vanity or countertop and layer the gorgeous fragrances.
Like the 8-ounce washes, the 16-ounce refills also come in glass bottles, and they save you money to boot. I really enjoy washing my hands more, knowing I’m going to get a multi-sensory experience with the silky, gently foaming wash and fragrant bubbles, and that I’ll come away smelling amazing. Especially as the weather gets colder and dryer in many parts of the world, the by/rosie jane body milk is extra crucial and appreciated. It’s moisturizing enough to keep my hands from getting cracked and dry, but not so greasy that I can’t go right back to my computer or whatever I need to do—basically the perfect consistency.
Cleaning Supplies
I realize this sounds hyperbolic, like an Instagram influencer trying to upsell something, but I swear, home care brand Homecourt’s products’ nontoxic formulas infused with skincare-grade ingredients have TRULY made me look forward to cleaning. Like, I actually choose to wipe down the dinner table or clean the bathroom over other household tasks I used to opt for when dividing up the chores! Basically, anything I can do using Homecourt’s amazing Surface Cleanerspray is now my task of choice, because the scents are that good.
My favorite scent is Steeped Rose, and this is a case where the sustainable nature of the fragrance is also what makes it so good. The expert perfumer-made scent utilizes upcycled rosewater, the byproduct of the primary distillation process that usually becomes waste. Thanks to an extra filtration process, the perfumers collect additional aspects of the scent beyond just the blooms, meaning you can really smell the stems, thorns and greens. I usually find rose scents too cloying or headache-inducing, but thanks to the way Homecourt uses the whole plant, it makes for a much more nuanced scent. Plus, less is wasted!
The company has made a lot of sustainable choices—100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) containers; biodegradable, recycled cardboard boxes and shipping materials, reusable clay vessels for the brand’s candles, and reusable pumps and sprayers.
And, yes, the products really work! The Surface Spray cleans grease, dirt, smudges and pretty much everything, without leaving any residue behind. We also love the brand’s entire range of products, including Dish Soap, Hand Wash, Hand Cream, Room Deodorant and Candles.
Sheets and Towels
Cozy Earth is my new favorite company for basically everything! The Oprah’s Favorite Things-winning brand is known for its amazing, sustainably made sheets and towels, but it also makes comfy clothing, pajamas and loungewear. We love it all, especially the brand’s Bamboo Sheet Set and Duvet Cover, which are silky-smooth and made from 100% viscose from bamboo.
Cozy Earth also utilizes bamboo, combined with cotton, to make its ultra-soft bath towels, which come in three varieties: Premium Plush, Ribbed Terry and Waffle. The company’s direct supply chain allows for ethically produced products from responsibly sourced materials.
The brand has amazing Black Friday sales, which have already started, so this is a great time to try some of its best-selling products and cult favorites at 30-35% off! Plus it recently launched a skincare line called Fount Society, and we are loving it!
Pillows and Blankets
We have a family member who is allergic to down, so I recently began searching for sustainable alternatives for comforters and pillows. I found Buffy, and have fallen in love with its Breeze Comforter. The outer shell is made from 300 thread count TENCEL eucalyptus lyocell, and it also has a TENCEL eucalyptus lyocell fiber fill. The whole product is fully biodegradable and compostable, which is amazing, even though we don’t plan to part with it anytime soon! In addition to being naturally weighted and temperature-regulating, the Breeze Comforter is constructed without polyester or animal byproducts, making it a great choice all-around.
We also got (and love!) the brand’s Cloud Pillow, filled with 100% GRS-certified, BPA-free, recycled PET fill, and covered in super-soft, 300 single-ply thread count sateen weave TENCEL lyocell shell, which absorbs moisture more efficiently than cotton. The TENCEL lyocell fibers are derived from sustainable wood sources like eucalyptus and harvested from sustainably managed forests, and contain no essential oils and are safe for pets and kids.
Plates and Cups
A few years ago, when I knew that I didn’t want to buy more plastic things, and my kids had outgrown the silicone plates and cups they used as babies, I embarked on a journey to find dishes and drinkware that our whole family could use and enjoy, both indoors and outside. We didn’t want anything made of glass that might break on our patio and leave dangerous shards where bare feet often like to play, and we didn’t want to rely on paper products all the time, so what was left?
Stainless steel! When I discovered Ahimsa Home, I knew it was the answer to my prayers. With gorgeous, conversation-starting color options in absolutely unbreakable Grade 304 18/8 stainless steel, this pediatrician-founded brand works for our whole family. The 9” round “Purposeful Plates” come in original silver color, iridescent blue and rainbow, and are beloved by adults and kids alike. The brand also makes cups, snacking bowls, storage containersand sets for little kids that include a divided compartment plate, matching silverware, a one-cup bowl and an 8-ounce drinking cup.
Stainless steel is dishwasher safe, stackable, won’t hold onto soap or other past-meal tastes, and protects from bacterial growth. They’re free of BPA (and all bisphenols), PVC, phthalates, and all the things we want to avoid leaching onto our food.
Candles
Several of the above brands make the most incredible, sustainable candles, and they are my favorite way to add scent to our home. by/rosie jane’s candles come in several of the brand’s cult-favorite scents, and last for 60 hours. Homecourt’s candles come in reusable clay vessels, so when you burn through the incredible fragrance, you can reuse the vessel as a teacup, vase or pencil holder. We’re also really into Tata Harper’s collab with candle company Nette’s Limited Edition Into The Garden Candle. Inspired by Tata’s organic skincare garden, this floral-scented candle will remind you of the height of summer even as the days in the Northern Hemisphere get darker and shorter.
We hope you feel inspired to shop for more sustainable home products next time you’re choosing something new. With eco-friendly selections, you can literally breathe a little easier, knowing your purchases are having a positive impact on the earth and in your house.
We hope you feel inspired to shop for more sustainable home products next time you’re choosing something new. With eco-friendly selections, you can literally breathe a little easier, knowing your purchases are having a positive impact on the earth and in your house.