Ep. 27: More Stuff We Bought for the Planet

In case you missed our first review of products we’ve transitioned to to be more eco-conscious, check out episode 12.

We ordered some bamboo handkerchiefs on Etsy from this shop. She’s on a break right now, but hopefully they’ll be available again soon because we love them. They’ve been so easy to use and rewash—we really don’t feel the need to ever buy tissues again.

We talked about soap nuts in episode 12 because we’d just received them, but this week we’re ready to give a full review. We really don’t notice a huge difference between these and regular laundry detergent and are happy to be able to compost them. This may definitely be one of the weirder swaps we’ve made, though, and we know it’s not for everybody.

Jordan has been using a Leaf razor on Whitney Leigh Morris’s recommendation, and while it will take a while to pay for itself, it’s a good plastic-free alternative that feels more intentional than just buying the same disposable razors over and over. Because the blades are replaceable, she also got the blade disposer to keep them all in one place until they can be sent off to be recycled.

But upgrading to a razor that doesn’t come with chemicals prepackaged in the head meant that Jordan needed to find a good organic shaving cream. After looking into Dr. Bronner’s shaving soap, she decided on Dr. Bronner’s Organic Sugar Soap in Baby Unscented (yep). And it’s awesome. Super easy to shave with, and so gentle we might also use it as face wash when our current ones run out.

This mulberry silk dental floss may be one of the weirder things we’ve tried. It’s actually awesome—way softer on the gums than traditional floss—and compostable, but it’s definitely way more expensive than Rite Aid floss, and you still have to dispose of it after every use like regular floss, so there’s no way to get a cost savings. To be fair, the refill packs are cheaper than the initial purchase, which includes the glass container for the floss. But it’s an investment, for sure.

Bamboo toilet paper may sound weird, but it’s actually exactly the same as the cheap CTown toilet paper we were using, except isn’t made from trees and doesn’t have any plastic packaging. This is our first time buying toilet paper in bulk, and it’s nice to not be running out constantly to buy another pack. It’s also more expensive than what we were previously buying, but it feels more intentional than just reaching for the nearest, cheapest option. We’d also try this brand’s recycled paper toilet paper, which is even more eco-friendly than the bamboo.

Perhaps not thrilling, but new to Apartment 26—we bought matches when our fire stick ran out. And while Jordan tries to get over her fear of fire, it’s been a fairly seemly transition. Matches are compostable, which is way better than the fire stick we have to take to a safe disposal event.