Voting for the Planet (at the Ballot Box and at the Check Out Line)
While using my ever-present mason jar with its sippy lid is better than using plastic bottles, these sorts of daily lifestyle habit shifts and swaps are just smaller components of our greater responsibility, which is to get active. Voting (both at the ballot box in all levels of government AND with/without our dollars as consumers,) is one of the most meaningful actions we can possibly take.
I refuse to believe that we are helpless in this climate crisis— it is reckless. And it is wrong.
As my 3 year-old likes to say, we need: “ALL HANDS ON DECK!” As voters. As investors. As members of our communities. As learners. As civilians. As allies. And as neighbors— because our independent decisions (such as what we buy, which candidates we support, and whether or not we engage in acts of civil disobedience) have collective consequences that impact us all.
But while our responsibilities go well beyond sustainable swaps, the swaps are indeed important. Here’s an example of why:
Package Free Shop has kept over 4 million plastic straws, 3 million plastic bags, and more than 1.5 million non-recyclable bottles and cups out of landfills. They ship everything 100% plastic free in an upcycled or 100% post-consumer box with paper wrapping and paper tape, and all of their shipping materials are 100% recyclable and compostable. And they’re setting new standards for businesses and consumers across multiple industries— a ripple effect with far-reaching implications.
“We believe that it should be easy to make choices that positively benefit the environment and that no matter who you are, where you come from, what you believe in, how many zeros you have (or don’t have) in your bank account, what president you voted for, what gender you identify with, or what part of town you live in, we can all take simple steps to reduce our waste.” - Package Free Shop
I’ve rounded up a small sampling of some of my favorite items from their site that we’ve found to be of great use here in our (tiny) home.
Note: This post was not sponsored. Some items were gifted, but most were purchased. I’m sharing this strictly because of our positive experiences with the products and their impact within our household.
Washable Duster
This duster is made from multiple layers of organic cotton and viscose bamboo. Duster tendrils will curl after washing to make the collection of dust more effective. To wash, simply remove the duster from the custom made wood handle and slide back on once dry. Includes cotton strap for hanging. To clean, machine wash warm with like colors, dry in dryer or air dry.
Organic Pad
Good for your body and the earth, this reusable day pad is free of plastics, artificial fragrances, adhesives, and chemical gels, and keeps disposable pads out of landfills. Not to mention, overtime, reusable feminine products will save you loads of cash.
Reusable Beauty & Ear Swabs
Nearly 25.5 billion single use swabs are produced and discarded every year in the U.S. But not this swab. It lasts up to 1,000 uses as it's able to be cleaned with soap and water. It also comes in a biodegradable, corn based case so you can use it on the go.
Organic Hair Ties
Organic cotton and natural rubber hair tie set on compostable paper backing.
Kid’s Brush
This soft bristled brush is 100% compostable.
Comb & Brush Rake
Helps your brushes last longer by keeping them clean between the bristles.
Wire: 100% recyclable with metal recycling / Wood: 100% compostable
Razor Cleaning Brush
100% compostable razor cleaner, which works great for the pivot-head LEAF shave razor.
Tea Tree & Charcoal Face Soap
A balanced and gentle facial soap, this bar detoxifies skin with absorbent activated charcoal. Cocoa butter promotes a healthy complexion, while ground oats soothe and mildly exfoliate. Fresh and herbaceous tea tree and eucalyptus oils act as a natural astringent to combat skin blemishes. Also great for the whole body.
Travel Soap Box
Slice off a bit of the face soap, body soap, shampoo + conditioner bars, and/or body stones to use on-the-go with this soap box.
Washing Bag
This washing bag is a scientifically-approved filter solution to stop micro plastic pollution caused by washing synthetic textiles. It reduces fiber from breaking significantly and thus extends the lifetime of your textiles. Using the washing bag reduces the breaking of synthetic textiles by 86% on average. The fibers that do break during washing are captured inside the bag and can easily be removed.
Natural Dog Brush
100% natural and compostable two-sided dog brush for both long and short haired best friends.
Water Filter Pod
One of these little guys filters 99% of lead and arsenic and 97% of chlorine and flouride right out of your regular tap water. Just drop this wine cork-sized pod into any water vessel, pitcher, bottle, glass, camelback, coffee maker and more for clean, healthy and great-tasting water everywhere you go.
Greener Solutions for Household Unmentionables
This blog post was sponsored by Grove Collaborative. As always, the opinions and imagery from the Cottage are my own.
I didn’t watch much television when I was growing up, but I do remember seeing ads for toilet paper and feminine products wondering every time: Was the Talent being compensated more for being the faces of such delicate topics on camera? Were they embarrassed? Did the crew feel awkward?
In the subsequent years, I grew up and became comfortable with such household realities— nothing will sober you up to the unmentionables in life like cleaning up after pets, changing diapers, dealing physically with childbirth + recovery, and assisting unwell loved ones.
I began searching for greener alternatives to widely marketed, everyday household products— both for my family, and for the readers of this blog. (I receive numerous direct messages via Instagram inquiring about what sort of pet waste bags and trash bags we use here, along with questions about everything from eco-friendly feminine products to composting options in the city.) I discovered several helpful products via Grove Collaborative, so I reached out to them to inquire if I could do a blog post sharing some details about their compost bins, toilet paper, pet waste bags, bin bags, menstrual cups, and unique sponges.
If you had told me 20 years ago that I’d be volunteering myself up as the “Talent” for a reusable feminine product I would’ve balked. These days, it brings me joy. This planet needs for us to mind our waste, and switch to sustainable products within our homes and beyond.
COMPOST
For a while, we were placing kitchen scraps into LA’s green bins, not knowing that this actually wasn’t permitted. Only yard trimmings such as grass clippings, leaves, branches, and fruits or vegetables that have NOT been prepared for consumption and have NOT been partially consumed are allowed in the green bin. Eggs, partially eaten fruit, and scraps are not contenders.
It’s frustrating how hard it can be to compost in a city. Especially since 52% of all produce in the US goes uneaten*, and that when food is disposed in a landfill it rots and becomes a significant source of methane. Plus, growing and transporting wasted food emits as much carbon pollution as 39 million passenger vehicles.** We have a small garden, so we’re got a compact compost tumbler into which we can toss the scraps from our Kitchen Compost Bin from Grove. But, depending on where you live, there might be local options for community and municipal drop-offs and pick-ups for compost collection.
The Kitchen Compost Bins & Lid Starter Set from Grove is completely biodegradable kitchen food waste bin made from end-of-life recycled cardboard. The cardboard bin is breathable and allows for airflow, helping to avoid smelly, moist contents. Safe for both home and municipal composting. The same bin can be used multiple times. Fill with kitchen food waste, and once full, cover with paper seal provided (or the optional add-on lid) and put out for municipal pick-up (depending on your town) or empty into your home compost pile or tumbler and reuse the bin until it starts to biodegrade.
They’re also fragrance-free, not tested on animals, and packaged responsibly.
ALTERNATIVES TO SYNTHETIC SPONGES & PAPER TOWEL
I have to admit— I purchased a handmade, non-disposable sponge for our kitchen with the best of intentions, but it didn’t work well and thus didn’t last long. It was a bummer and a waste. In searching for responsible alternatives to synthetic sponges, I found my favorites via Grove. The Walnut & Cellulose Scrubber is sustainably made, and is both resilient and subtle in appearance.
Meanwhile, the European Dishcloths are fantastic alternatives to paper towels, as they can be washed in the dishwasher and then reused— plus they are biodegradable. (These have been particularly great for cleaning up my son’s crayon marks and toy scuffs.)
TREE-FREE TOILET PAPER
The Seedling by Grove Tree-Free Bath Tissue is 100% tree-free, and composed from a proprietary blend of bamboo and sugarcane. Bamboo absorbs 5x the amount of CO2 as trees, and takes as little as 3 months to harvest (whereas trees take 20+ years). Also worth noting is that Seedling by Grove has partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation, and a portion of every roll sold goes to plant trees across the United States.
MENSTRUAL CUPS
I liked the idea of a healthy and sustainable alternative to tampons, but it took me a while to get used to the practice of using a menstrual cup. Now I’m fully on-board and can’t imagine ever going back to anything disposable. Not only does using a cup like the Lena prevent an astounding amount of waste, but it saves money and eliminates the need for those urgent and ever-inconvenient dashes to the store for tampons or pads. If you feel like you need a little extra protection while getting used to using a cup, washable cotton liners are effective and easy to use. When not in use, I hide my Lena in plain sight by simply placing the cup + provided pouch in a drawstring sac that matches our decor, and I suspend that from our towel rack.
(It’s also easy to hang the little pouch on the inside of a cabinet door, if you’re pressed for drawer space in a small bathroom.) The Lena is BPA free, fragrance free, gluten free, hypoallergenic, made in the USA, not tested on animals, responsibly packaged, reusable, suitable for sensitive skin, vegan, and is the product of a women owned business.
REPURPOSING PACKAGING
As for the Grove packaging itself in which everything is delivered: we reuse almost every part of it. Any brown paper or small cardboard pieces end up covering West’s drawing table surface and become fresh canvases (and are ultimately recycled). The main cardboard box is always refilled with donations from drop-off, or other outgoing items that we ship from our home. Even the extra compost bins are put to use as toy storage before they step up to their intended role in the kitchen when their time comes.
Everything available via Grove is healthy, effective, sustainably produced, and cruelty-free. You can customize the timing and contents of your refill shipments, which themselves are eco-minded. Additionally, Grove curates a gift set of some of their favorite household essentials, included in the first order (of $20 or more) by new customers. View a sampling of their gift sent contents, below:
Source: *Give A Sh*t by Ashlee Piper, 2018 |** Forbes, 2018
Tiny Tub
This post was sponsored by The Honest Co. (All opinions are 100% my own.)
When Adam and I decided to have a baby, we did so with the plan of staying in our tiny house as-is for years to come. We had no desire to move or expand any time soon. But, at 14 months old, our son suddenly has a little room and full bath of his own. (View my blog post on this unexpected tiny house expansion here.)
Since we’re renting the “new” front cottage, we didn’t want to invest too much money into redesigning it. The bathroom is the perfect example— there are so many things that I would do differently if I could start this room over from scratch, but I decided instead to save that chunk of money for West’s future. Rather than reworking the room, I diverted my energy to carefully choosing the products we will use while in it.
When the previous tenant moved out, he left dozens of bottles behind. As I cleaned out the cabinets in the kitchen and bath, I took time to inspect every item, in case there was something we could use, rather than wastefully tossing it out. But, in the end, I couldn’t keep a single item. I threw out THREE trash bags of partially-used cleaning and personal care products. Some of them came from brands that I know test on animals. Some had ingredients containing potentially questionable chemicals. And frankly, others simply smelled and/or looked completely awful.
As much of a downer as it was to toss/recycle so many products, it was refreshing to stock the space 100% for our son. Now that he’s a toddler, we know what he likes and needs (versus when he was a newborn and we had to figure it out by trial-and-error).
For months, we’ve been using The Honest Co. products exclusively to care for our little one. They’re easy to find (we bike over to our local market to pick up some of our favorites,) and they actually work. Plus their line of products is simple yet extensive. We use everything from their baby multi-surface cleaner, to their “cheek to cheek” wipes, to their shampoo + body wash combo for West, because it’s ACTUALLY tear-free.
One of the biggest joys of expanding in to the neighboring tiny house was that we now have a tub! (The timing couldn’t have been better— Sophee punctured a hole in West’s duck bath the same week we got the keys.) West is super into bubbles, so we’ve been using the lavender-scented hypoallergenic bubble bath. He loves the super-foaming bubbles, and is now even excited by the bottle, because he knows what’s inside.
On a bubble-related side note: we also started making our own non-toxic bubble solution for West’s enjoyment. (I keep it in a travel-size tube so we have it on-hand nearly everywhere.) Directions: Mix 1 cup of warm water with 1 teaspoon of white sugar. Stir in the sugar until dissolved. Mix in 1 teaspoon of glycerin. Gently stir in 2 tablespoons of Honest Liquid Dish Soap. Voila!
For me, small space living is all about being practical, mindful, and keeping things simple. This allows me to maintain focus on my family, rather than on my stuff. At the end of the day, there’s nothing more important than keeping Adam, West, the pups, and myself healthy and happy. Using easily-accessible, safe, and beautiful products helps me effortlessly achieve that goal on a daily basis.
The Dog Dirt Dilemma
The following post was sponsored by Bissell.
I receive numerous questions on Instagram about how we manage the dirt and hair left behind by our pups, Stanlee and Sophee. How do we deal with it all in our white home? How do we keep the place so clean? Has our patience for it changed since having baby West?
My first answer is always that there is dog hair and dirt everywhere. (While Sophee sheds very little, Stanlee sheds so much that it's a wonder he has a coat left at all.) Then my follow-up reply is that we simply have to vacuum daily, keep removable cushion covers on the couch, and wash our bed quilt constantly. While we'd figured out how to clean up the daily dirt, we'd yet to prevent it from occurring so intensely in the first place.
Frankly, we should bathe Stanlee and Sophee far more often than we do-- especially since we regularly take them to the beach and the dog park. But the last time we had the pups groomed here in LA it cost us around $120, and mildly traumatized them. Now that Adam and I are trying to save more of our income for West (and for some exciting plans here at the Cottage in the near future), we are searching for any way to cut back on spending. And since we're now both here at the Cottage all day long, it seems ridiculous to hire someone else to tackle a job that we could accomplish ourselves. While searching for a solution, BISSELL reached out to us with a product they suggested we try-- their BarkBath:
Overview: This is a self-contained, mess-free system, so you can use it inside if you don't have an outdoor space. Compared to bathing the pups in our stand-up shower (which always results in scratches all over my body and a killer backache) or washing them with the garden hose, this is extremely easy and FAR less messy. And it effectively reduces the dirt regularly entering our home in the first place.
Usage: At first, Sophee was skeptical of the nozzle attached to the bath. So I put a treat on the head and presented it to her, and she quickly got over her fear. Stanlee, on the other hand, didn't mind the nozzle, but he jumped at the hum of the machine itself. Luckily there's a long hose attached to the bath, and once I put some distance between him and the device, he was fine with it all and loved the feeling of the nozzle on his coat. The bath and the de-shedding brush worked perfectly, and they cost nearly same price as one trip for two dogs to the groomer. Over time, this will save us money, along with the hassle of transporting the pups, and time spent cleaning more dirt from the cottage.
Storage: As always, we are cautious about bring any product we don't absolutely need into our tiny Cottage. But this bath fits easily alongside our suitcases and slippers under our bed. Given the hassle and money this will save us in the future, we're so glad we tried it, and that we now have it at the ready.
Double-Duty Drawers
In the past 4 months, Adam and I have given away about 1/3 of our belongings. It feels so wonderful to create more room for our new lifestyle with baby West! Here are a few little modifications that we made that really helped us free up floor space, and eliminate clutter:
1. Built-in Pet Toy Storage
For the past 5+ years, these four drawers on my side of the bed were filled with my socks, underwear and swimsuits. I'd placed an open basket at the foot of the drawers, and that's where we stored the dogs' toys. But the basket got in the way a lot-- mainly when I was trying to access the storage under our bed, or when I'd groggily wake up in the middle of the night to pump. I realized that I could easily get rid of one drawer of accessories, and then keep the puppies' goodies in the bottom bin. Now I can easily tuck the toys and container away:
2. Extendable Nightstand
We have wonderful little built-in nightstands on the sides of our bed. But lately I've been wanting a bit more surface space at night so I can keep West's books and toys at the ready (we're currently co-sleeping). Rather than buying a new piece of mobile furniture to wheel in during the evenings, I opted to make a cover that I can slide over one of the open drawers at night:
Luckily the removable lid to the basket located one cubby up worked PERFECTLY for this project. But had it not, I would've simply had a lightweight piece of plywood custom-cut at the hardware store that I could use in the same manner. During the day, I would've stored it on the shelf alongside the books. In this case, I just replace the basket top during the day. This little extra table-top space is so helpful!
3. Trundle Storage for West's Toys
As West's toy collection grows and evolves, we'll need a big, easy bin in which to put everything. However, there is no room for an additional large catch-all basket or box in our house. So I decided to donate all of the clothes I kept stashed in the trundle-drawer on my side of the bed. (The neighboring bin is for laundry.) Now every bit of clothing I own is stored in our garden wardrobe.
My hope is that this easily accessible, oversized drawer will be a handy tool in the future, when West is able to pick out and play with his toys on his own.
Compact Drying Solutions
To anyone in a standard size home, the topic of compact drying solutions might seem absurd. But small-space dwellers will know what I mean when I say that finding room to dry dishes, plastic bags, linens, etc. in tight quarters can be a struggle. How do you do it without making your home look like it's in a constant state of soggy chaos?
Between the baby bottles, reusable diapers, reusable cleaning rags, etc., the gross wet stuff piles up quickly here at the Cottage. For a while, Adam and I tried hanging loose items around the house. But since our space is so small, this meant that basically everywhere I looked I was reminded of housework-- plus it was an ugly sight. So I decided to find some quick and simple solutions to the problem.
IN THE KITCHEN
Drying Bottles, Plastic Bags, etc.
After having baby West, we realized why so many people use those Boon Grass drying racks. We don't have enough counter space for a traditional square version, but there are narrow options on the market as well. However, since there's so little spare space by the sink, we were always knocking into items and sending them tumbling over, where they'd get dirty once more. It took a month or so, but we finally found a mix of solutions that work well for us, and help us dry West's bottles and accessories, my pumping supplies, reusable plastic bags, glassware, towels, etc. We have a combination of the following:
Retractable Wooden Drying Rack (for clean bottles, etc.)
Narrow Glass Drainer / Tray (for the dirty bottles, etc.)
Paper Towel Holder Magnet (for the dish towels we use specifically on baby stuff)
Retractable Over-the-Sink Drying Rack (for food processor parts & larger clean items)
Wall Mounted Baskets (for the miscellaneous little, clean items, such as bottle caps)
Driftwood Accessories Hanger (to help keep baby / vase / cookware (etc) brushes organized and clean)
(I cannot wait to replace those countertops.)
This might seem like a lot, but we use each of these items multiple times per day here in our little home/office. The great thing is, the racks fold or roll up and easily when not in use, and can be stowed out of sight.
More small space storage tools. Strong magnets help our wooden coasters air out on the side of the refrigerator.
IN THE NURSERY
Drying Burp Cloths, Used Onesies, etc.
Our entire house looked like a clothing line during the weeks after West's birth. His garments, our clothes, and all of the other linens that got wet and needed a place to dry before being thrown into the hamper for the next round of laundry were draped over every surface possible.
To tame this mess, I simply attached a mesh multi-pocket caddy to the side of the baby's combination changer/bathtub table, and the problem was solved. Now the fabrics can stay in the open air until heading to the washer, without cluttering up our house.
IN THE BATHROOM
Drying Reusable Diapers & Cleaning Rags
We were warned by numerous people that there was no way we could make reusable diapers work in such a small space. But we've had no problem with it! We have a wonderful reusable diapering system by Grovia here at the Cottage. But here was the challenge: in such a small space, where would we place the dirty diapers while we were still actively changing the baby? And then where could we put the diapers after we'd rinsed them off, but before they got properly cleaned?
According to the Grovia website, "the surest way to ruin a diaper is to leave it soiled in a closed, dark, warm pail for several days before washing it. This environment is prime breeding ground for fungi and bacteria. Treat your diapers as you would your own clothing. Soiled diapers should be washed every 2 or 3 days according to manufacturer’s instructions."
The system that we came up is certainly not glamorous, but it's effective, keeps our surfaces clear, allows the fabrics to breathe while awaiting a full cleaning, and doesn't take up any valuable space. First we use an S-hook to attach a pail to the changing table (see the above photo). That pail holds the dirty diapers while we tend to West. After the baby's diaper is changed and he is safely relocated, we take the bucket to the bathroom and wash the soaker pad off. The rinsed, wet diaper then goes in a second bucket that is suspended from our narrow shower rod (see photo below), and from there it gets fully cleaned.
So that's how we make it work. I know it's not the most pin-worthy topic, but it's these sort of day-to-day hacks that make small-space living doable with a family!
So. Much. Dog. Hair.
You know how my photos are always bright white and a tad bit over-exposed? Well that wasn't an artistic decision at the start-- it was a necessity. I had one dog at the time, Stanlee, and he sheds INSANE amounts of hair. When I first started sharing photos of the Cottage online, I spent hours photoshopping out the numerous, massive tumbleweeds of Stanlee's hair that are constantly gliding across our floor. I should've just left them in there (real life and all), but I didn't want to discourage anyone from adopting a dog. (Stanlee is a rescue, which I talk about often, as I'm big into the Adopt-Don't-Shop concept.) I quickly realized that if I just brightened up my photos a bit-- VOILA!-- the hair would almost completely disappear from the photos.
So many people write to me and ask if my dogs (#StubsandSoph) shed, and if so, how I handle it. For years I used a handheld vacuum. It was the only thing that fit easily into our home, and it's not hard to vacuum an entire tiny house with a mini-vac. That being said, it's definitely a pain to have to plug/unplug the machine in every section of the cottage, and all the hunching over kills your back. And of course I couldn't reach our vaulted ceilings with the handheld, so I would use paper towels on a long stick to reach cobwebs. CLASSY.
Adam kept saying we should get a Dyson cordless machine he'd seen somewhere, but I kept on insisting that there was no way a full-sized vacuum would fit in our house.
Then came baby West. Immediately the dog hair started getting all over West's clothes and toys (which all inevitably end up in his mouth). I finally gave into Adam's suggestion and got Dyson V8 Absolute. I have to say, I am a complete idiot for not getting it sooner. It's amazing. Here's why:
It breaks down into small components so I can stash it away in the living room. (Photos below.)
It's so quiet that West sleeps through it.
It's cordless, which makes it crazy easy to use. I vacuum several times a day now because it's such a breeze.
It can reach the vaulted ceilings, so I no longer have to use my classy Gandalf stick.
It really removes the hair, rather than just dragging it around in the nozzle, or scattering it about the floor via exhaust fans. (My handheld did both of those things, which was annoying.)
I genuinely recommend the V8 to anyone who lives in a small space and/or is battling with the drama of dog hair. (Now I just overexpose my photos so I don't have to clean my windows.😜)
Resources: Folding Leather Stool and Tabletop Lanterns by Serena and Lily. Woven Boots by Frye.
