This morning I woke up thinking about swedish dishcloths. Sigh. I am unsure what it says about me that my first thoughts in the morning have to do with a little plant based piece of cloth that cleans things. But there it is. There was a time in my life where every morning I would wake up with a song in my head. Now it's little dishcloths that are reusable and cute. It got me thinking though about what my favorite swaps are which led me to having a moment of inspiration for todays blog post.
I have definitely shared multiple times swaps that are easy and affordable. But today I am going to highlight three of my all time favorite swaps to keep it simple and to really highlight the ways in which each of these products fits the trifecta of sustainable, practical, and beautiful.
Obviously the first one is the well known swedish dishcloth one of my favorite products for beautiful sustainable living. We carry the cutest collection of these eco-friendly, hygienic and reusable swedish dishcloths designed and printed in the United States and the UK. Replace one use paper towels and stinky plastic sponges with these versatile, unique and joyfully designed dishcloths. They absorb 20x their weight in liquid which makes them great for cleaning unexpected spills and messes. When you have had enough use you can throw them in any home or industrial compost and they will return to the earth. Perfect for reducing paper towel usage or when looking for a quick drying washcloth alternative.
Since opening this little shop I have noticed there is quite an uptick in brands that sell swedish dishcloths. While there are a lot of really pretty options I have noticed that the quality of the cloth itself is not always that great. Some of the more contemporary trendy brands out there print on cloth that is quite thin and just not as substantial as the brands that we now carry one of which I would like to share a little more about today as they were the first brand I carried.
Three Bluebirds is family owned and operated since 2013 and the first to bring the infamous Scandinavian home goods product to the United States. The business started when Lynda, after discovering this product found in every Finnish home, was eager to share this innovative product to inspire more earth-friendly lifestyles in the United States. Lynda's husband Lasse, a Finnish native, grew up using only plain, solid colored Swedish dishcloths. With Lynda's excitement and urging they set out to create a decorative, beautiful version of this old standard.
Three Bluebirds is committed to working with a local husband-and-wife-led team to print their own Swedish dishcloths on the proprietary fabric that is only manufactured in Europe. The two couples have formed a fruitful partnership built on trust and kindness, and have become close, lifelong friends.
Through their partnership with 1% For The Planet, Three Bluebirds restores 20 gallons of water to the Earth for every dishcloth sold! This does not include the additional water and resources saved from avoiding disposable products. Contributions are made to Business for Water Stewardship projects, to support innovative water restoration projects and environmental action around the U.S. They aim to empower consumers to use their dollars to help the Earth.
In the words of founder Charles Viancin, creator of the silicone bowl lids, "if you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle." This attitude inspired what I consider to be one of the greatest plastic saving inventions ever, the beautiful silicone lids of Charles Viancin.
These silicone lids and bottle stoppers are the ultimate trifecta of everything Pink Moon Goods loves. It is beautiful, well made, and practical. Charles Viancin spent the last decade revitalizing the international kitchenware market. Starting in 2005 with fun and functional products that are innovatively designed and responsibly made. I mean come on, a flower shaped lid for any bowl or pot. How genius is that. His work is lifted straight from the landscapes that surround us all and through his passion, his drive, and creativity he has successfully garnered in a new generation of products that are both reflective and respectful of nature.
Based in the French Alps by Lake Annecy, the CHARLES VIANCIN GROUP patents Charles Viancin’s designs and selects only the best partners for the manufacturing and distribution of its silicone kitchen accessories all over the world. But here is one sticking point for me...the products are advertised as being responsibly manufactured in China. Unlike Baggu, who has tons of information to support this claim, the website of Charles Viancin does not. But here is the thing: this product is a replacement for plastic wrap, it's incredibly versatile, and it lasts for a very long time. The first one I met was over 10 years old and it was in perfect condition. Unlike a lot of silicone lids these do not go around the edge so they don't have to fit exactly and they don't have a lip that will crack rendering it useless. So in essence, I make an allowance for this product that I wouldn't make for another product.
Someone asked me around the time that I started my business how long I have been practicing sustainable living. I honestly had to stop and think about it because I realized that while there have been many stages of my sustainable life I will say that it never started as an intentional decision to be "more sustainable". In fact, I have been using cloth napkins for well over 20 years and I honestly started using them for two reasons: I don't like paper napkins and I love any opportunity to introduce a beautiful well made adorned piece of fabric into my everyday. The image above is just a small selection of my ever growing cloth napkin collection. In fact, to illustrate how much I love cloth napkins, the one on the top was from mine and my husband's wedding and the item that we gifted to each guest. Some friends helped me stitch the edges and we had a local crafter embroidered these words from Rumi: When I am with you, we stay up all night. When you're not here, I can't go to sleep.
Many times I have heard folks comment about maintaining their cloth napkins. People ask if I iron mine, suggest that they are only for company, or can't quite wrap their minds around the idea of using them multiple times to cut down on washing. I get it. Our minds resist change and adding new routines into our lives. Although my husband and I do reuse our napkins several times I understand that for larger families this may not always be possible. In that case I would likely say something like "anything can become a napkin...even an old t-shirt." Keep the fancy ones for company and use the less exciting ones for everyday.
Another thing that we have done to make it easier to manage the washing and keeping track of them in the ever growing laundry pile is that we set up a hook near the dining area where a bag hangs that is specific for dining and kitchen linens. No special trips to the laundry room are required and when it gets full we know its time to take a trip to the laundry pile. Of course, I have been collecting napkins for a very long time so I do have quite a large collection. Many of the napkins are quite old but they still work and while they may not be the best condition we do tend to use those ourselves while setting out the newer napkins for guests.
We carry several different brands of cloth napkins in the shop, both cotton and linen. We carry single napkins as well as sets. And even napkins that were hand dyed with plants by me. So anytime you are in the mood to add to your collection we got you!
I have said this before and I will say it again: making changes in one's life takes time and no one can do it all at once. Be kind to yourself. Use up what you have. Look for opportunities to add more swaps into your life as you can financially manage. As they say it's a marathon not a sprint. These are some of my favorite swaps that add whimsy and joy into my everyday routine. I bet you have some of your own which I would love to read about if you feel like sharing below. Thanks for being here.