I didn’t make New Year’s resolutions this year. Not because I don’t care, but because every January I seem to want to do everything at once: cook healthier, keep on top of work, manage the never-ending laundry piles, plan food shopping properly… and somehow also fit in a few gym sessions just for me.
All good intentions. But together, they tend to turn January into something that feels heavier than it needs to be, more pressure than progress.
What I did want was simpler.
I wanted a greener home, not perfectly, not all at once, and not in a way that added more pressure to everyday life. Just a few small changes and eco swaps that felt realistic and kind.
So instead of resolutions, I treated this year as a series of tiny experiments.
Some worked beautifully.
Some didn’t.
And that feels like a much healthier place to start. For me a greener home isn’t about perfection, it’s about small changes that make daily life feel simpler.
What “a greener home” actually means in a busy house
With kids, mess is constant.
Crumbs, sticky hands, fingerprints, mystery marks, and the mysterious marks that appear overnight and absolutely weren’t there before (according to Lucia).
So for me, in our house, at this stage, living a little more sustainably towards a greener home has to pass a very basic test:
- it has to work with children
- it has to keep things genuinely clean, not just look clean
- it can’t add extra steps
- and it has to feel doable on tired, low-energy days
If something makes life harder, it doesn’t stay, even if it sounds like the “right” eco choice.
If this approach resonates, I shared a few similar ideas in my earlier post about 5 sustainable wellness swaps for families, where I talk more broadly about low-pressure changes that fit around real family life.
Small changes really do add up when you’re working towards a greener home, and organisations like Friends of the Earth often share practical, realistic ideas for reducing plastic waste at home without aiming for perfection, they have plenty of ideas for a plastic-free home and a more sustaonable living.
Cleaning surfaces (because let’s be honest…)
With kids around, antibacterial cleaning matters. We use the anti-bac multi-surface cleaner from Neat, and it’s one of those eco swaps that just quietly makes sense.
The bottle is refillable and made from 100% recycled aluminium, which means fewer plastic spray bottles under the sink, and fewer things to replace. More importantly, it actually cleans properly.
It doesn’t feel like an “eco compromise”, just a sensible switch that reduces plastic without reducing effectiveness.
It’s the cleaner I reach for between meals, a quick wipe-down, everything back in its place, and the kitchen ready for whatever comes next.
A small but satisfying swap: plastic-free sponges
Another easy change was switching to plastic-free sponges from Wilton.
They’re made without microplastics or petrochemicals, which matters when you think about where all of that ends up, especially in our water systems. But the real reason they stayed? You can wash them in the dishwasher. That alone makes them realistic in a busy kitchen.
And in a very small, slightly bizarre way, they’ve made me genuinely happy. Every time I pop the sponge in the dishwasher, it makes me smile, no more throwing one away and replacing it with another plastic one, over and over again.
No fuss. No guilt. No constantly throwing things away.
Laundry: one tiny change that reduced mental load (mostly)
Laundry is never-ending in our house, but in a very real and slightly unexpected way, it’s not actually my department.
At home, I don’t do the laundry or the dishwasher. Phil does. There’s something about machines that he genuinely enjoys: loading everything in, pressing a button, and feeling like the job is done. And honestly, if he’s happy doing it, I’m not about to take that away or add more to my own list.
Because of that, finding laundry products that he likes matters. We were already looking for something fragrance-free, we don’t use fabric conditioners, and with Lucia’s sensitive skin, strong smells are a definite no. When we switched to the detergent sheets from Dip, he was genuinely pleased. Simple, no measuring, no spills, just put one in the drum and press start.
They’ve been working really well for us, and we actually ended up subscribing for the year, so laundry (and the dishwasher) is one of those things that’s quietly sorted in the background.
The only tiny thing we’ve noticed, and this is very specific, is with swimming clothes. I go swimming quite often, and the strong smell of chlorine can sometimes linger more than I’d like. For everyday washing it hasn’t been an issue at all, but for swimwear I occasionally need an extra rinse or a slightly different approach, and that feels okay to say.
It doesn’t cancel out the swap. It just reminds me that no product has to be perfect to still be helpful.
Plastic-Free Freezing Solutions for Families
Batch cooking is one of the ways I cope with busy weeks, but freezing food used to feel messy and frustrating.
Plastic tubs took up too much space, thin bags leaked, and the freezer felt chaotic instead of supportive. That changed when I started using reusable freezer bags from Moon Moon , and honestly, it was a bit of a love-at-first-sight situation.
I’d been looking at them for ages and finally decided to try them when there was a discount around Black Friday. I remember thinking, why not? And it turned out to be such a good decision.
They’re plastic-free, designed specifically for freezing, and incredibly sturdy. I freeze everything in them, liquids, solid meals, bread, energy bliss balls, and they hold up beautifully. They wash easily, keep their shape, and somehow make the freezer feel organised instead of overwhelming.
What surprised me most wasn’t just the sustainability, but how much calmer the freezer felt. Opening it no longer makes me sigh. And that visual calm makes cooking on low-energy days much easier.
I only ever share and affiliate with brands I genuinely use and feel good about, and that’s exactly why I’m affiliated with Moon Moon. Their products are made from sustainable materials like bamboo, silicone, and stainless steel, and they’re designed to last for years, not to be replaced every few months. Their wider aim is a plastic-free world, and that ethos really comes through in everything they do. They’re also based here in Hampshire, where I live, which makes supporting them feel even more meaningful.
You can shop Moon Moon here and use the code NourishedMumLife10 for a 10% off.
When an eco swap didn’t work for us
I think it’s important to say that not every eco swap works in every home, and that’s okay.
We tried quite a few dishwasher options before settling on what we use now. The dishwasher itself has been amazing with Dip, and as part of our subscription we use Dip for both laundry and the dishwasher, which has made things feel simple and consistent at home.
There was one brand we really wanted to love, though, and that was Ocean Saver. In theory, it felt like a great option. In practice, in our house, it just didn’t quite work, especially with glasses. Over time, we noticed a residue building up, particularly on wine glasses, which slowly made them look cloudy.
In a busy household, that extra step of rewashing or rethinking things just wasn’t sustainable for us, so we stopped using them. Not because they’re bad, just because they didn’t work for our setup.
And I think saying that matters.
What I’m learning instead of making resolutions
I haven’t changed everything.
We still live in the real world.
Some weeks are messy, loud, and full of half-finished plans.
But the small eco swaps I’ve shared here stayed, not because they perfect, but because they made daily life feel simpler, not more demanding.
That’s something I didn’t expect.
Living more sustainably doesn’t have to start in January.
It doesn’t need a plan, a check list, or sense of guilt hanging over it.
And definitely doesn’t need perfection.
What I’m learning is that a greener home can start with curiosity.
With noticing one small habit and asking, “Is there an easier way to do this”?
With trying one change, keeping what genuinely helps, and letting go of what doesn’t.
Some of these eco swaps work brilliantly for our family. Others sounded great in theory but didn’t survive real life, and that’s okay too.
This apporach feels more realistic. More forgiving. And, honestly, more sustainable in the long run.
Because we’re human.
We’re busy.
We’re doing our best with the time, energy, and resources we have.
And that counts.
Transparency matters to me: Some links in this post are affiliate links. If you choose to use them, it won’t cost you anything extra, but it helps support my work here. I only share products I genuinely believe in, things that have worked in our home. Thank you for supporting my little corner of the internet.
