20 Ways to Reduce Waste in Your Cleaning Routine

Wool dryer balls are a one-two punch of sustainable materials and energy efficiency. Deployed in lieu of single-use dryer sheets (which are often loaded with toxic chemicals linked to respiratory and nervous-system distress and made of polyester that’ll stick around forever), they combat static and wrinkles just as effectively and can reduce your drying time by an estimated 10-25 percent per load. Another bonus: These triple-felted balls are upcycled from old wool sweaters. (You can also make your own using a wool sweater or wool yarn.)

Air drying your clothes instead of loading them into a machine can reduce your home’s carbon footprint by an estimated 2,400 pounds per year. Plus, sunshine is particularly good at disinfecting fabrics (thanks to UV rays) and making them smell fantastic. That said, if you don’t have the space or the inclination to string clotheslines as far as the eye can see, a compact rack like this one will still chip away at your energy use — and it comes in awfully handy when you have just a few items to dry.

If you’re a fan of one-stop shopping, allow us to introduce you to your new bestie: Branch Basics’ plant- and mineral-based Concentrate is fragrance-, VOC- and GMO-free, and it dilutes to create a kid- and pet-friendly "clean" cleaner that can be used for everything from pacifiers and yoga mats to laundry and hardwood floors. One 33-ounce concentrated bottle translates to 12 bottles of cleaner and 64 loads of laundry. (The BPA-free bottle is reusable, too.)

The gravity-weighted gold pour spout on this recycled-glass dispenser opens on its own and is ideal for everything from fancy olive oils to that concentrated household soap you just purchased (ahem) and need to dilute and decant. Note that natural soaps are most suitable for a vessel and mechanism like these; if you prefer to use commercial dish or hand soap, you might need to thin it down with an equal amount of water.