This month, June, for our 2×12 Reduction Challenge, we eliminated plastic in our dishwashing scrub brushes and in our face wash. In both cases, the plastic products we had been using reached the end of their lives, and rather than replace them with the same old, we found plastic-free alternatives.

Face Wash Bar

In the case of the face wash, the plastic bottle of Trader Joe’s face wash we had been sharing in the shower pumped it’s last dollop of liquid soap. Anticipating an end to the bottle, we picked up a Meow Meow Tweet face wash bar from the Sonora Refillery. However, Meow Meow Tweet is actually a relatively mainstream brand now – it’s available at Target!

These face wash bars come in a simple cardboard box (recyclable). The benefit of the bar is that you do not end up paying for water to be shipped around the country, and a plastic bottle isn’t necessary to package it. We chose the Pink Rose Clay bar, and it works great (plus, it’s free of palm oil). Of course, if that type isn’t right for you, there are plenty of other face wash bar options out there that allow you to ditch the plastic bottle!

Scrub Brushes

Also during the month, not one, but two of our dishwashing scrub brushes died. One was a bristled brush with a wooden handle. The wooden connection between the bamboo handle and the plastic head finally rotted-through and broke apart (we had already extended its life with glue once before). The other was a bamboo handle with a replaceable sponge head for cleaning bottles. Both were Full Circle products from Target. Full Circle is itself a relatively eco-friendly brand because they use a lot of recycled materials and compostable materials, but there is still a lot of plastic in the products and in the packaging. We knew we could do better!

We replaced the bristled brush with a Redecker Soft Bristle Dish Brush, made entirely from wood, metal, and compostable bristles. The great part about the brush is that the head is replaceable for when the bristles get too gross to continue using. It is available sans packaging from our local refillery. The bottle brush we replaced with a Eco Coconut Bottle Brush. This brush is also made from metal with a biodegradable handle and bristles. It comes in cardboard packaging.

Check back in with us next month for more plastic reductions!

Good, Better, Best,

Mike