
We’re always on the lookout for cleaner, healthier alternatives in our lives: from the things we use, to the things we make, and the things we eat. For this edition of Clean Swaps, we took a look at everything that helps keep the heart of the home clean: the kitchen! From eco-friendly ways to scrub and dry, to cookware alternatives, we’re making sustainable swaps. As always we challenged ourselves to not only find a Busy Bee Clean Swap that could replace beloved items, but were so good we preferred the alternative. We’re really excited to share what we’ve found with you!
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Making Clean Swaps for a More Sustainable Home
The kitchen is the place our families gather the most and it’s certainly the busiest room of our homes, but it can also come with a lot of waste and environmental impact. Typically, our kitchens are filled with most of our disposable items–think paper goods, sponges, pods… However, with just a few simple swaps, you can make your home more sustainable and eco-friendly, without sacrificing comfort or style.
Clean Swap 1: Brushes for Disposable Sponges
Traditional kitchen sponges require frequent replacement and are known to shed microplastics. Instead of tossing your sponge every week, we like the longevity and versatility of dish brushes. These brushes from APIARY are the perfect tools for glassware, serveware, utensils, and dishes–they’re made from untreated beechwood and unbleached bristles so you can feel better about using all-natural products.
Clean Swap 2: Cloth Towels for Paper Towels


Beautiful cloth towels are a thoughtful, soft touch to the decor of any kitchen. And just as functional as beautiful! Washable towels are a great clean swap for paper towels in your kitchen and are an unsung hero when it comes to helping around the kitchen. We’ve been known to use our towels for providing a non-slip cushion below cutting boards, extra protection for our hands when we take the hot lid off a pot, and, of course, an all-purpose cleaning tool to wipe and dry.
Our favorite towels come in neutral tones and natural fibers like cotton. Cotton is wonderful at absorbing spills and washes up beautifully for use time and time again.
Clean Swap 3: Natural Dish Soap for the Blue Stuff
What we choose to clean our dishes and kitchens with is important when looking for clean swap alternatives. Instead of synthetic dye and fragrance, you may want to swap for something more natural and environmentally friendly. We’re obsessed with this Amber Bergamot Dish Soap scent and are even happier with its ingredients. This dish soap doesn’t compromise on performance and is produced with 100% natural fragrances and pure essential oils, it is also free of parabens, glycol solvents, formaldehyde, ammonia, phosphates, artificial colors, triclosan, MEA, and DEA.
Clean Swap 4: Reusable Coffee Pods for Single Use Pods
We love to find replacements for our most-used single-use items when identifying potential swaps. In this case, we like the idea of swapping our K-Cups for reusable pods that cut back on waste. These pods on Amazon are as expensive as a box of single-use coffee pods but can be reused time and time again! Consider us (caffeinated) converts.
Clean Swap 5: Non-Toxic Cookware for Traditional Non-Stick
We’ve been fans of Caraway Cookware for a while now. Their promise of “quality cookware without chemicals” is exactly what we look for in a clean swap! Caraway’s line of quality, non-stick cookware made of naturally smooth ceramic (instead of synthetics) cooks wonderfully. There’s been no looking back for us on this swap! Use this link to save 10% at Caraway.
What are some of your favorite ways to make clean swaps in your kitchen?
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