Welcome to the Kimberly-Carr Home Designs' eco-friendly products and green living resources page, a curated list of the products, brands, nonprofits and role models we highly recommend to anyone setting out to live an eco-conscious life.
We have researched, used or personally tested every recommendation on this page. Almost all of the recommendations listed here have made it so much easier for us to switch from toxic, wasteful or harmful products to healthier, sustainable and more responsible products and habits we maintain today. Before perusing our list of our favorite green living goodies, an important disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, we (Kimberly-Carr Home Designs) will earn a commission.
This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with all of these companies/products/services and we only work as an affiliate with companies or products that we use and would recommend to our grandmothers because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals, whatever they may be.
Low Waste, Zero Waste and Single-Use Plastic-Free Living
Our daughter brought a lunch to school every day from K-12. We cringe to think about all of the “one and done” plastic sandwich baggies we used over the years before finding reusable silicone sandwich bags. Stasher silicone sandwich bags are made with durable FDA approved platinum-grade, dishwasher safe, microwave safe silicone, come in a two color pack and have an awesome closure. Easy to use, easy to clean and re-use again and again. Oh, and for you foodies out there, they are great for sous vide! They are also BPA, BPS, phthalate, PVC, and lead free.
Poop happens, and you know what’s grosser than dog poop? Using a plastic grocery bag that will take hundreds of years to degrade, if ever! (We know you want Fluffy to be with you forever, but we don’t think that’s quite how you meant it.)
Doggy Do Good to the rescue. We’re long-time users of these super-durable cornstarch-based bags for cleaning up after our sweet golden-beagle, Pumpkin, and we use them for Digit’s litter box, too. Plus a portion of every purchase goes to helping animal rescues & no-kill shelters.
After hemming and hawing and talking to green-minded friends, we decided to give these bags a try.
Per the manufacturer, they are made with 80% post-consumer recycled plastic (which removes some of the plastic pollution from the environment and/or gives a new purpose to a no longer usable plastic item) AND they are made with an additive which allows the bag to decompose in anaerobic environments (landfills) in 1-5 years.
To understand the science behind how that works, check out lab test ISO 15985:2014 and ask a friend with a masters in biology to help translate.
Toxin-Free Products
In the splitting up of the household cleaning duties Mr. O drew the short straw years ago, so he’s the bathroom guy. A few too many sessions with bleach or ammonia fumes put him on a search for a strong natural cleaner that didn’t mess with the schnozzola. He tried a few, and Biokleen is the clear winner: a great cleaner without the nose and brain burn. For the tub, spray it on, wait a few, then hit it with the scrubbie. For the toilet seat and sink – spray and then wipe with a cloth. It’s got a pleasant scent as well, but not over the top like other “natural” cleaners.
Dryer sheets leave residue on your clothing, on your dryer, and on your dryer’s lint catcher. It’s not necessary! In fact, it’s extra work!
Woolzies help your laundry dry quicker, lower static cling, and definitely do not leave a residue. Plus – you just keep reusing them, lowering environmental waste.
Litter Pick Up Products
Feel like you wanna pick up that litter but you’re feeling…a bit icky about it? Try these Ettore Grip ‘n Grabs (we use the 34 inch model). These are lightweight but very durable and, importantly, easy on the wrist and fingers.
We use these on organized litter pick-ups, beach cleans, and casual walks. Great product.
We prefer to use a washable, reusable paint bucket for our litter clean ups, but for those who use trash bags on their trips, this bag opener is a very clever and helpful tool. *We have not personally tested this product but have heard from others that have used it.
This size and style of paint bucket is our choice for litter pick-ups. The size is great and you can easily wash it out after each use.
We keep a bucket and a set of Ettore grabbers in our car at all times so whenever we visit the beach, a park or go on a trail, we can spend some time cleaning up.
Good Green Non-Profit Organizations
Located in beautiful Juno Beach, Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) is one of Florida’s most unique nonprofit cultural destinations focused on ocean and sea turtle conservation. Each year the LMC hospital team and volunteers treat nearly 100 sea turtles and 1,000 hatchlings at our ocean-side facility.
We believe that plastic pollution is a global issue. We fully support all of the great work that LMC does to protect and treat sick and injured marine life as well as doing a great job of raising global awareness of the ill effects of plastic pollution.
WANT US TO TEST YOUR ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCT?
If you are an business owner or brand and would like us to test out your eco-friendly product here at the KCHD Headquarters, send us a message using our CONTACT US page.
***Please DO NOT ship us your product without confirmation that we would like to try it. We are not professional product testers and are highly selective in the types of products that we test.***
Please note: We reserve the right to accept or decline all requests for product testing. We also reserve the right to decline recommending any product on our website or on our social media feeds if we find that it does not meet our standards after testing.