The Environmental Impact of Your Household Products

Quarantine has been a challenging time for all of us. It's been an unprecedented time where we had no choice but to spend a lot more time at home, something that many of us are still trying to adjust to and navigate. While it might’ve seemed a bit scary at first, I ended up taking this as an opportunity to reflect and work on my personal growth, take care of myself, and learn more about the things I truly care about. By spending a lot more time at home, I started to notice a lot of things that might’ve slipped my mind in different times. I became very aware that now more than ever, it is vital that humans take care of themselves and the planet through whatever means possible.

This might sound daunting, but it’s not! We can all do our part in more ways than you can imagine. Taking care of yourself can look like going to therapy to heal and become a better person, being committed to growth and understanding people, as well as eating healthy foods and caring for your health. As a certified holistic nutritionist, I know the importance of a healthy lifestyle, but I am also learning more and more each day about how to incorporate good practices on a full circle level beyond nutrition.

I always try my best to be a mindful consumer, and encourage others to do the same. It all comes down to taking care of our home, which means taking care of the planet—recycling, buying less, and being conscious of what you buy. And this last part has never been easier!

People are waking up to the reality that we cannot turn a blind eye to the truth: that we need to take care of the planet every single day. This was one of the biggest realizations I had during quarantine, as I was spending more time at home thinking about what I could be doing differently as a consumer. I found that some brands and companies are now dedicating themselves, and their power, to pushing towards more sustainable practices, which is great! Companies like Cleancult are doing just this.

I first heard of Cleancult during quarantine. Like many of us, I became obsessed with cleaning my home to make it feel safe, healthy, and cozy. I spent months inside my apartment when NYC was in strict lockdown. Since I live in a tiny (actually minuscule!) New York apartment, I was on the lookout for natural cleaning products to use in my home, especially because I live on a third floor walk-up and have really poor air circulation. All this time, I became very aware that with the size of my space, conditions could quickly become unhealthy if not kept well. With the frequent cleaning of surfaces like my counters, doors and door knobs, I felt like constantly cleaning my apartment with chemicals was only harming me—when I would spray surfaces with cleaning products the particles stayed in the air for a while, and I could feel myself breathing them in!

This is why I turned to, and now love, Cleancult. They use non-toxic, plant-based ingredients that don’t harm humans. This was key to me because I’m constantly cooking and love to eat at home (even when we’re not in a forced lockdown!) so realizing that my food was coming in contact with cleaning agents made me aware that there's a big chance that those chemicals can enter my body and affect my health. This is also the case for products where your skin comes in direct contact with, like hand soap!

The more I looked into it the more I realized that natural, clean products were the only way to go. Cleancult’s hand soap, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, and other household cleaning products are gentle on you and the planet. Because of their naturally derived cleaning agents, I no longer even think about the harm I could be causing myself and the planet when I clean.

Besides using natural ingredients that smell so good, Cleancult is sustainable. If you know me you know I’m always reusing jars and almost all containers for storing nuts, seeds, quinoa, and whatnot! So being able to do this for my cleaning products as well was a huge game changer! Their spray bottles and soap dispensers come in durable, recyclable containers so there's no need to replace them for a long, long time. Even then, all their bottles are 100% recyclable, made of glass with the base protected by colorful silicone sleeves. Nowadays some plastic can’t even be recycled! I also love the fact that I simply order refills and only need one bottle, rather than buying a new bottle every time and throwing the old one away. That is very wasteful! The Product refills are easy and convenient to order.

The Refills also come in recyclable paper containers in the shape of milk cartons so there's zero waste packaging! FYI, they do contain a thin layer of HDPE, an easily recycled plastic to prevent leaks and keep the cartons fresh. If milk cartons aren't recyclable in your area, Cleancult even has a free recycle back program for members. Cleancult also partnered with carbonfund.org to make shipping their products carbon neutral. Even the cap is eco-friendly, made from renewable resources like soy, corn and sugarcane.

One of my favorite Cleancult products is the Orange Zest All Purpose cleaner. It works on everything from the kitchen, to glass, wood, furniture, and even the bathroom. I love that I don't need four types of cleaners, especially because I just don't have the space to store so many different products or even want to create waste with owning that many bottles.

The Cleancult line of products has everything you need to keep your home clean, healthy and safe. Now that we've turned to delivery options to get everything we need, from food to medicine, add a Cleancult starter kit and become part of a more sustainable lifestyle. You'll be doing something to help improve your health, and helping the planet, too.