Reusable products for Travel and Home

In honor of Earth Day, I would like to share some reusable products that are great for home use. Some of these items are excellent for travel as well! I own many of these products or a version very similar to them. I hope that you join the cause in reducing waste and saving the planet!

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Reusable Insulated Flip-top Water Bottles

I love, love, LOVE thermal reusable water bottles! I’m not kidding when I say that everyone in my family has one and takes them everywhere they go. Check out my posts about My Top 10 Must-Have Beach Items and Tips for Visiting San Diego Zoo Safari Park!

I love that these bottles keep my water cold throughout the day. I also find that I drink a lot more water when I have a bottle to refill.

Be sure to get the flip top version though. It’s much less of a pain to just push a button for the water to come out. This also makes these bottles great for use around the house- less spills!

Reusable insulated food containers

Do you or your family members NOT want to eat sandwiches every day for lunch? You can always reheat last night’s left overs, place them in one of these containers, and enjoy them nice and warm for lunch time! I love that you can take heated food with you to work, school, etc.

Thermal Reusable Bags and food carriers

As you can see, I am partial to Rachael Ray thermal bags. They do an excellent job of keeping food cold or hot. I use these at the grocery store, for picnics, the beach, travel, etc.

Non-thermal reusable/foldable bags

Although these bags are not insulated, they are great for other shopping or travel needs! I keep folded reusable bags in my purse. As you may know, California requires you to use your own bag or pay 10 cents for each bag the store provides. These are compact and therefore easily fit in smaller cross body purses too.

Reusable Straws

My family currently uses metal and bamboo reusable straws. All are dishwasher safe and come with a bag so that you can take them with you.

I just found that there are silicone straws. And how about those straws that fold and fit into a compact box that can be attached to a key chain? Pretty cool.

Microfiber cloths

I have used so many different microfiber cloths over the years! Grove Collaborative makes excellent microfiber cloths, however they don’t appear to be available via Amazon. See below for 4 highly (user) rated microfiber cloths.

I use microfiber cloths for all cleaning around the house.

Mason jars and plastic lids

I use mason jars quite a lot for meal prep. I love to use the jars for freezing large batches of soup or liquid based meals for later. I’ve also used them to store cut up fruit and found that they keep well. Mason jars are also great for making salads in advance, but I generally use reusable meal prep containers for these (see next section).

Reusable Lunch and snack containers

I tend to use reusable single compartment containers to prepare non-liquid lunches for the week. I love these for salads. Pour your dressing on the salad, close the lid, and shake the container to evenly distribute the dressing! Also, be sure to get dishwasher friendly and BPA free containers.

I send my kids off to school with sandwiches in reusable sandwich containers. Not only are they dishwasher safe, I don’t have to worry about running out of sandwich bags and running out to the store to buy more.

I have not yet used snack container bags, but I’ve been looking and am thinking of purchasing the printed ones shown below once my snack bags run out 😉

Reusable spray bottles

Take a concentrated glass cleaner and throw it in one of these reusable trigger bottles, add water, and your all set! Vinegar and water works well too, but make sure to google whether you can use vinegar on the surface you plan on cleaning. Some surfaces, like granite, should not be cleaned with vinegar.

You can also create your own room sprays with essential oils and these little spray bottles.

Reusable Hand Soap Bottles

I “make” my own soap on occasion to cut down on trips to the store and the use of products with ingredients that I don’t know.

I love using foam soap in my home. Read all about it on my post describing Lazy Ways To Keep Your Home Tidy!

I tend to use Bronner’s Castile soap, water, and essential oil to make my own scented soap. Google it- you’ll find many recipes for making your own soap!

Soap and essential oils

These are the items I like to use to “make” my own soap. I’m not really making something…I’m more of a mixologist 😉

That’s it my friends! These are things that you can use to easily help save and protect the planet’s precious resources. I love that most can be placed in the dishwasher and or will save you from having to run to the store often.

Happy Earth Day!