How to make your home and lifestyle more ocean friendly

As many of us spend our days at home these days we might as well make the best of it. The focus at the moment is on the health of the world, but we also have to remember the health of our planet and the health of our oceans. We found it relevant to create a guide for you on how to make your home or your office more ocean friendly. We are trying to create a 100% ocean friendly business with VANDAYA and would love to share our tips and tricks for you to bring it to your office and home too to make your lifestyle more ocean friendly.  

One of the big impacts on our ocean is plastics. To make your home ocean friendly you can limit the amount of single-use plastics in your home. Soap bottles, dishwashing dispensers, and dissolvable dishwashing tabs, that turn dissolvable plastics into microplastics is one place to start. Remember this plastic can possible be around for hundreds of years if not burned, releasing toxic chemicals into the environment and atmosphere.

Is it overwhelming and don't you know where to start? Most of our use of single-use plastic is just bad habits. If following the guide you might find that some of these changes will make you more satisfied than sticking to your original habits and some will maybe even give you a feel of self-care-luxury in your everyday life. We will guide you through each room and give tips on how to limit plastics and go for more CO2 friendly options. We recommend focusing on one room at a time as it will make it more manageable. If you have kids, this can be a fun way to spend a weekend learning about environmentally friendly options for your home. 

 

Make your bathroom ocean friendly

1. One of the big sinners in the bathroom is disposable soap dispensers. We use them for hand soap, shampoo, bath soap, conditioner, and more, and we use them fast. One way to limit your use of soap dispensers is by going to your local zero waste shop/ refill shop. You can bring your own glass jar/bottle to refill. You can buy a glass bottle with a pump dispenser locally or at your online zero waste store like this. Another option for a zero-waste, ocean friendly option is soap bars and shampoo bars. We are here linking to our favorite soap and shampoo bars: 1Purely shampoo bar and 2 purely shamppo bar sensitive. Lastly, if you do not find any refill or bar options that work for you, buy bigger/bulk so that you limit the amount of plastics used compared to the amount of soap that you are getting.

2. Swab your cotton swab with a reusable one. Lastswab has made a great alternative that you can use again and again and again, find it here. It also comes in a beauty version that can be used for make-up. 

3. Another disposable thing in the bathroom that especially women can use a lot of is cotton pads. Igen has made a perfect reusable Cotton pad that you can find here. If you live outside of Europe you can google reusable cotton pads.

4. Switch from regular toothpaste to a more ocean friendly toothpaste. One option is toothpaste tablets you can find one of the options here.  And while we are working on making dental care more ocean friendly you might as well swab your plastic toothbrush for a better option for the planet. 

5. DIY toilet cleaning bombs. Instead of using toilet cleaner, you can make your own toilet cleaner bombs without any use of plastics. The internet is packed with guides to make toilet bombs. We especially like this since it smells like coconut and we are all about everything tropical, smelling and looking. Check it out here. 

6. Another huge plastic waister when it comes to personal hygiene is deodorants. There are so many really nice smelling and refreshing deodorants out there that are plastic-free and more ocean friendly. For a Danish option, this deodorant does the job and looks good on your bathroom shelf. Another options is Relevants deodorant made from ocean waste plastics meaning that it helps remove plastics from the ocean, find it here. 

 

Make your kitchen ocean friendly

 1. Dishwasher, if you have a dishwasher you will know how many times you reach for that box with dishwashing tabs coated I dissolving plastic wrap. This plastic wrap will turn into microplastics that will go straight to our oceans. Chose options that are in cardboard boxes and have taps wrapped in 100% compostable (not biodegradable as they may contain plastics) wrapping made of starch for a plastic-free option or go for a plastic-free dishwashing block like this. 

2. Another way to eliminate plastics in your kitchen is to swab your plastic bags for compostable (not biodegradable) ones. Here are two options for food and for garbage (Danish website, google compostable garbage bags for a local webshop/ store ). 

3. Find a wooden brush instead of a plastic one. Our experience is that it lasts longer and a good thing too is that they are quite decorative. 

4. At the office and at home we often drink/ serve coffee. If you like filter coffee you can find reusable coffee filters that you just wash after use. For a Danish option click here. 

5. Straws are not that ocean friendly and they are another single-use plastic that we should eliminate. Luckily reusable straws are popping up everywhere and you can find them online or sometimes on the counter at your local coffee shop. Reusable straws can be found in glass, wood, metal and often come with a straw cleaning brush and sometimes a bag or case to store it in so that you can have it with you on the go. We have found some options here (metal) and here (bamboo).

6. Cloths. Most cleaning cloths shred a lot of microplastics/fibers when washed. Find decorative and cute knitted cloths at your local zero waste store, ask your grandmother, to knit one for you, or watch a youtube tutorial on how to knit. If you don't have the time to knit try to find the super cute knitted cloths from Solwang design, they come in the prettiest colors. 

Make your house ocean friendly

1. If you use a drying machine we have found a great option for you to make it more efficient and eco-friendly. Wool drying balls, get them here. They will help dry your clothes up to 30% faster which will save you time, money, and CO2 and you don't have to use softener which is often filled with perfume. If you like to add a scent you can add essential oils of your choice. 

2. Think about your energy consumption in your home and at your office. See if you can update to more green energy like solar panels. We just changed our electricity company and found out that they have an app that shows the hours of the day where electricity is cheapest = fewest people use electricity at that time. As we live and have our office in Denmark, most energy comes from wind-power, this means that the power is generated and is available even though it is not used by people within that time. If you are smart you can track and time your electricity to be at the hours during the day where electricity is cheapest (and sometimes free), this way you can save money and stop using as much power at the hot spot times.

 

Make your garden ocean friendly

1. Start your own compost bin. And no you don't necessarily need a garden, you can store it indoors as well. This is a good way to eliminate some of your waste and you can turn food scraps and more into fresh and healthy soil for your plants and garden.

2. Get more plants. By getting more plants you help have something to take the rainfall and they are so decorative. 

 

Make your pet ocean friendly

1. As for humans, you can get pet shampoo bars that can make your pet fresh and clean without the use of single-use plastics. 

 

Hope this was useful 

Lots of love

Team VANDAYA