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Written by Grove Collaborative

14 reusable & eco-friendly versions of common household products.

Last Updated: June 3, 2021

Single-use products are convenient for us but awful for the planet because they can only be used one time. With these reusable equivalents, you can kiss those single-use trash monsters goodbye.

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Sometimes it can feel like we live in a world of disposables. Pick up your takeout food and suddenly you're bombarded with paper napkins, plastic silverware, plastic straws, plastic wraps, plastic containers, and other throw-away bits and bobs. While convenient, it certainly feels bad throwing all that junk away. And that’s just takeout food! In your home, there are tons of items designed to be bought, used once or twice, and then thrown away.


It doesn’t have to be this way! With new products and materials, there are modern swaps you can make to help reduce “single-use” waste in your life. And most of these reusable versions of products are hidden gems — that is, most people don’t know there are options they don’t have to throw away for some of their favorite products. We’ve rounded up those options for you so take a look!

What is Grove Collaborative?


At Grove, we take the guesswork out of which products are good for you and your home. Every product meets strict standards for being nontoxic, effective, sustainable, and cruelty-free. Once you find products you love, we ship to your home on a flexible, monthly schedule.


Looking for more cleaning how-tos and other sustainable swaps you can make at home? Grove has you covered with our buying and cleaning guides. And let us know how if you have any cleaning questions (or share your own tips using #grovehome) by following Grove Collaborative on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

If you're ready to make the transition to natural cleaning products, shop Grove Collaborative's cleaning essentials or natural beauty products to start shopping healthier products for you and the environment.

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But first, what are single-use products?

Single-use products are items (often plastics) designed to be used once, then immediately disposed of and usually taken to a landfill. Things like the plastic wrapping around takeout silverware, styrofoam containers, paper wrapping around straws, or even plastic straws themselves are all single-use products.

What are single-use plastics?

How can I reduce my single-use waste?

Reducing single-use waste can seem daunting, but this is one instance where striving for improvement is better than trying to achieve perfection. A simple step everyone can take to reduce single-use waste is to start phasing out household use of single-use products.


It turns out, when you really look into it, a ton of single-use products have reusable equivalents that make for easy daily swaps to help your home produce less waste and to help the environment stay cleaner.

4 reusable equivalents you’ve probably heard of

Reusable water bottles

While single-use plastic bottles are recyclable, only about 21% of recycled bottles end up actually being recycled.


Carrying a reusable water bottle is a great way to reduce plastic bottle and cardboard cup consumption, while expressing your personality and looking healthy and stylish.

Reusable glass spray bottles

We all buy countless plastic bottles that sit in our cleaning cabinet or caddy. But, vendors like Grove, who are working toward being plastic free by 2025 for all of their products, have started marketing glass reusable bottles in pretty colors and functionality as the new cleaning go-to.


With a small glass cleaner concentrate bottle, some water from your faucet, and your handy color-coded glass bottle, you can clean weekly without filling up your recycling bin with huge plastic bottle packaging.

Reusable shopping bags

This one’s a pretty easy swap, especially since most of your favorite brands, stores, and workplaces make their own tote bags for all occasions.


With all these options, bringing a couple of your own reusable tote, grocery, or day bags to the store to cut down on single-use plastic and paper bag consumption should be a breeze.

Shop these reusable alternatives at Grove

10 reusable equivalents you haven’t heard of

Swap plastic snack bags for reusable storage bags

We get it. When it comes to school lunches, the plastic bag is hard to beat. That’s why instead of reinventing the wheel, we offer reusable plastic storage bags.


Often made with strong, flexible, food grade silicone, reusable bags are the perfect substitute for all those lunchtime goodies. Check out this review for a full breakdown of the different reusable bags available on Grove.

Swap plastic saran wrap for bee’s wax wraps

Another kitchen staple that’s the epitome of single-use plastic is saran wrap. Try swapping this garbage stuffer for one of the many reusable wraps available nowadays. Some of the most common reusable food wraps are beeswax wraps, made with beeswax, cotton, and tree oil.

Swap plastic lotion bottles for reusable lotion holders with plastic-free refills

The first of its kind, this lotion has a reusable aluminum case that can be refilled again and again with lotion refill sticks in different scents and textures. Saying goodbye to huge plastic lotion bottles with big plastic pumps is fantastic for the planet and saves some serious space in your home as well. This convenient travel-size lotion case is cute and compact. Win-win.

Swap dryer sheets for wool dryer balls

In the laundry room, there are many opportunities for reusable and eco-friendly swaps. One of the easiest is trading out single-use dryer sheets for reusable wool dryer balls. Just like dryer sheets, these wool balls reduce wrinkles, but they can also reduce drying time by creating more air pockets in your laundry load!

Swap lint rollers for a reusable lint brush

When you notice pet hair all over your jacket, that plastic lint roller can be your best friend. But it is also a single-use fiend with all those little sticky squares that go straight in the garbage. Try trading it out for a reusable lint brush.


Lint brushes can be reused thousands of times and are often much better at freshening up outfits. Plus it looks a lot more stylish than those plastic sheet rolls when you pull it out of your bag.

Swap makeup remover wipes with a makeup remover towel

When it comes to makeup, most of us immediately grab our cleansing oils or disposable wipes. But with new specialty cloths and towels, you can remove all your makeup with just water. Don’t believe us? We tried it out, and here’s how it went.

Swap plastic product bags for reusable produce bags

When it comes to reducing single-use waste, the grocery store bulk aisle is your best friend. But bulk items are often purchased using a single-use plastic bag.


You can easily avoid this added waste by bringing your own reusable produce bags. Cotton and mesh produce bags are great for shopping for bulk items, fruits, vegetables, and more.

Swap a conventional toilet brush for a reusable toilet brush & handle

Even if you’ve switched to a reusable toilet brush (instead of the plastic ones with the throwaway pads), you still probably replace it fairly often because, let’s face it, the brush touches some unsanitary stuff.


But, you can actually purchase a brush that has a reusable handle with this Grove Co. Toilet Brush. Although you can’t preserve the brush from going into the trash eventually, you can at least reduce how often you’re disposing of it with this different take on the old toilet brush. The brush also comes with a stand filled with diatomaceous earth, a natural rock that, when ground, absorbs excess water while resisting mold and bacteria.

Swap a plastic deodorant holder for reusable deodorant holders with plastic-free refills

Refillable deodorant cases are becoming more and more abundant but finding a natural deodorant that works in one of the cases is a different story. Peach put out this refillable deodorant and aluminum-free deodorant refill stick in May 2021 with the verified claim that it lasts up to 48 hours for odor protection. If that doesn’t intrigue you, the colorful case and different refill stick scents may just draw you in.

Swapping to reusables is easy

With so many reusable equivalents out there, single-use products are becoming easier and easier to avoid. Check out our shop to see what other single-use products you can phase out!

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