Healthy Home Starter-Pack

In the spirit of being proactive around health and reducing everyday stressors, here's a bit of how I set my home up in terms of choices around key items that get used. I hope this short-list of mine helps you in some way!

As I've recently moved into my Miami Beach home, I've accumulated some fresh home goods. I've been accumulating mindfully and meticulously, and I want to share some of the finds, because they will absolutely improve your quality of life and your health. Most of what I share I consider necessities, specifically because of the health factor. I'm not going to go into crazy details here, the point is to share these things so you have go-to's, should you need them and want a little backstory. 

1. Water (pitcher). Lifestraw is the brand I chose. What I learned about water filters is that many can filter out some of the minerals that we actually need. When you're doing your research (Google, YouTube, other influencers, etc), some will say whatever brand is "the best" because it filters A LOT. True, and - you may not need a water filter that filters every dang thing, or maybe you do. Water is different in every area and part of the world. There's even some water filter companies that you send you test kits to see what your water needs filtered, or what it's deficient in. I was not about to go down that route. I had a Clearly Filtered water pitcher before. It's high quality, but I found that it was too bulky once I filled it and I just didn't want to drop that much cash on a water filter yet again (I left this water pitcher behind when I moved to St Barth in 2023). I love my Lifestraw filter for more than a few reasons: it's beautiful (aesthetically), it's glass, the company is a B-corp and, it was a reasonable price ($64 USD). 
2. Water (shower filter). There are so many options in this arena. How I made my choice: a brand that I trust and already own their products. There was a coupon, meaning it was on sale, and it had good reviews. The choice for this was T3. They almost always have a sale of some kind (thank you T3)!
3. Mattress. The second I landed on the website of the one I chose, I knew it was "the one". This can be a complicated topic, and I didn't want to make it complicated and I did want to make a decision rather rapidly. I had a dollar number in mind to spend on a mattress and I stuck to the number. I love a memory foam feel (medium to hard but not hard like a rock). I wanted a mattress made of organic materials since we spend so much time in bed, and my dogs love to nap on my bed... After humming and hawing and not being intuitively drawn to some of the brands that immediately pop up when you search, i.e. Helix, Avocado, Casper, Lucid, the list goes on, I finally landed upon Earthfoam. It's a company who manufactures and ships out of Illinois. Great customer service. Speedy shipping. Also ordered a pillow and have a second one on the way. This company makes a 100% organic latex (rubber) mattress that feels like memory foam. I LOVE this mattress. Relatively fast delivery, also (think I got it within 5 days). 
4. Linens. I had sheets and a duvet cover from before, and I still wanted to mention my favorite companies. There are so many on the market - yet the quality isn't always there. I love washed linen for my fabric. Linen is the highest vibrational fabric that there is. In Canada, I ordered my linens from Silk and Snow. In the USA, I order from Brooklinen. Both are great quality and both have other options for natural fiber materials. 
5. Duvet. This was another one of those "let's not make this complicated" decisions. With a duvet, these can get pricey. I've had duvet's from hotels, from Restoration Hardware and I've also had random duvets from Amazon. None have blown my mind; all have been "fine". This time around, I ordered a duvet from Amazon and then, my Amazon account got flagged for fraud, so I resorted to another handy (and fast) delivery option: aka Instacart for Costco. Yes, my duvet is from Costco, and it's pretty great. It's all feather, the boxes are a good size (the feather boxes) and it's a good mid-weight for where I am. It also was not expensive. Quality for price and speed to delivery, totally hit the mark. 
6. Appliances. It's my natural tendency to just "get the best" which in the past has translated to "expensive" and present day, that's not always true or necessary that the best or a really good appliance, needs to cost a pretty penny. I'm by no means frugal (sorry mom, even from heaven), but - I am a smart shopper. A Vitamix girl through and through, I haven't replaced this yet. I haven't needed to. Instead, I have a Magic Bullet (to mix my matcha) and a Ninja Express Chop (to chop my dog's dog), and also a Bodum French Press, which isn't an appliance, but it's in lieu of. I find that if I could just "press a button" for coffee, I would probably drink way more than I need to. I love the act of making french press, and it tastes different, too. Plus not wasting 700 coffee pods each month or having that aluminum on whatever you're ingesting :) I absolutely love the Magic Bullet for speed and ease of use. Yes, the cup is plastic, but it's BPA-free. 
7. Pots and pans. Another dicey topic based on so many different preferences! I dove straight to replacing my dutch oven Le Creuset. It is so multifunctional and you can almost always find one on sale. For more cookware, I'm going to order a 10" Saute Pan and a 2.5 quart saucepan (pot) from Xtrema and will report back on how I like them. My choice in thought process: it's going to be either stainless steel or complete ceramic to the core. If you order Xtrema at any point, this is a 15% off code you can use (it's not mine, but it's from a YouTube I watched in my decision making process): DRYVONNE. I had stainless steel before, and it didn't "wow" me, and so ceramic to the core (meaning 100% ceramic) seemed like the next option for non-toxic cookware. I'm all about preventative when it comes to health, and pots and pans fit into this category - similar to the water than we drink and the water our skin absorbs. 
8. Knife, cutting board, kitchen extras. I've ordered from them in the past and really like everything they have. Jump to Material to see what they're all about. I would reccomend them over and over, and also think this brand would make a great gift. I love the choice of colors, too, for mixing bowls and cutting boards. I have one of the knives, and have longtime used their cooking extras, and all work and weather great, too. Shout out to @madisonrae. She's the one who introduced me to Material years ago!
9. Vacuum. This was another topic I was bamboozled by because there's so many different reviews, price points, etc, and I do not need a cadillac vacuum. I live in a 1500 square foot home with hard floors. I can't take credit for finding this recommendation, but I do stand behind it. I asked a friend of mine if she had a recommendation and she said, yes! I love my vacuum and it's an Electrolux Ergorapido. This is the vacuum. Price point, value and speed of delivery all hit the mark. 
10. Lighting. The lighting where I live is BRIGHT. Natural light is my source and as a secondary option after the sun sets, I really prefer to have lights that I can dim. In my quest for finding lamps that are aesthetically pleasing and don't cost a mortgage, I came up short. I was truly existing my candle light for the first week - until I stumbled across this interesting little light at Best Buy. I will spare you my detailed love for it and just say - it's amazing. It's the Govee Table Lamp (OG version) which - actually looks quite lovely in person, blends in, you can adjust the color, dim or bring the light up, etc. It's a good little light. You can put it on a timer. There are a ton of features. I love the warm color, and that it has a dimmer. It's controlled by wifi, so you do need wifi to use this, and your phone is what controls it. It's very easy to use, so soothing, and effective for lighting smaller rooms. 
11. Cleaning supplies. I'm a pretty simple one and done girl. I love natural fragrance but am not crazy picky because this is a topic that to me, doesn't get to own my energy. I would rather put my energy into other things and keep what I can keep simple. This morning I was like, "hmm. I'm running out of laundry soap and dishwasher soap". I like hand washing my dishes and I use Myers Soap right now (the Peony scent is so good), but I still need to replace the other things. I have used Dr Bonner Castile Soap (unscented) for years for my body and to clean makeup brushes (and I do have this in the shower right now), and so, I searched to that brand to see what they have. They have a one and done soap that's good for surfaces, dishes, laundry, floors, and I am so curious to receive it in the mail and put it to the test. The natural fragrance is pine from essential oils and pine is great for respiratory. The reviews and 15% off, plus my longtime use and familiarity of the brand all sold me. I will keep you posted on this. I've recently started using DedCool dryer sheets - which I do like. I've never really used dryer sheets as my skin is pretty sensitive (I've used unscented detergent since 2010), and I'm actually not irritated by the products and I like the scent. I was introduced to DedCool by @katherinegarbarino and she sells this brand on her shop (a shop I love): The GLW Shop. The thing: it's definitely not natural fragrance, but it is apparently still in the camp of nontoxic. I'm an 80-20% girl, and so this still flys with me. As for what I've cleaned my floors with in the past (and still do, while I await this Dr Bonner magic to arrive): hot water, vinegar and either lavender or lemon essential oils. This is ideal for floors, especially if you have dogs, because the walk around, their paws are on the ground, they lick their paws and ingest whatever they are licking. Most floor cleaner is clearly toxic. Be mindful of what essential oils you use, as not all are friendly for dogs and cats.   
12. Silverware. Surprisingly, this can be a challenging topic, too. There are certain things where the quality needs to be there, especially if it's a daily use thing, and silverware is daily use. I've had high and low options and landed on somewhere middle road this time. I originally ordered a brushed stainless steel set off of Amazon, and since my Amazon account was flagged for fraud, I turned elsewhere. CB2 actually has GREAT silverware - quality for value. This is what I landed on. Before this, I had an expensive set that is now in St Barth, and I really don't like it as much as my CB2 or even any of the less expensive options. When I lived in Canada, my silverware hack was brushed stainless steel silverware at (I'm drawing a blank....) Superstore! It was REALLY great silverware and super inexpensive. Great weight, beautiful. Tons of compliments always. 
13. Dog shampoo. This was a restock that I got shipped to me because there is absolutely NOTHING else that's acceptable on the market within arms reach here. This brand is non-toxic, naturally fragranced, and works incredibly well (easy to wash and rinse). A little goes a long way because it's highly concentrated. Somehow, this product keeps dirt at bay, and no one struggles at bath time because they aren't ingesting chemical product that disrupts their endocrine system (hormones). The brand is Groomer And George Organic Apothecary for Dogs. I co-created and founded this with a long time friend of mine back in 2018, and did so because I really believe in the product. If you ever want to order it, use the code SLOAN20. Code on repeat, won't expire. This is the only place you'll find the code on the internet - because it's for you, my inner circle. My favorites are the Orange & Oatmeal Shampoo and Lavendar Conditioner. Ask me anything about this any time! I love this topic :)
14. Ultra Mini Medicine Cabinet. Manuka honey, oregano oil and Celtic Sea Salt. I have more herbs and spices kicking around, but these are the cores I always keep on hand. Manuka honey is a great antiviral, oregano oil is fabulous to kill a sore throat near instantly and Celtic salt is a great natural electrolyte. 

Random side notes:

• I'm a quality and natural materials girl who is 80-20% in most categories of my life. I do not sweat the small things and really aim to make timely (quick) decisions based on research, reviews - and primarily intuition. I can talk about my intuitive process to home decor in another post! It's been interesting and revealing - what's on the inside that is manifesting on the outside in this regard. 
• Natural fibers, natural fragrance, biodegradable/sustainable materials and ingredients and price for value is the basis of how I make home choices. 
• Another hack (although not really a hack because a huge portion of the world already does this): grocery delivery. I value my time and LOVE grocery delivery and again, since my Amazon account is still offline, I'm using Instacart, while I might add, I really like and have liked using them for years. 
• The real hack to online grocery shopping is knowing what you're putting in your cart and if you're someone who wants to flag ingredients, this is your chance. Online grocery shopping is also great for shopping within a price range because it's so easy to get carried away and buy a ton of things you don't need or want, especially when you're hungry (HANGRY!). Note: some online stores up-price items, meaning, they cost more to shop online. Many stores will say "in store pricing" letting you know that the prices online are the same in-store. One of my favorite grocery stores to shop on Instacart is Sprouts. It seems to always have what I need. 
• Another absolute hack to repopulating whatever you need to: QVC. When you subscribe to their newsletter, you'll get a deal of the day email - and, it's clearly handy to see what items that are high quality, might I add, are on sale that day. I was originally going to get a shower head filter from QVC and did not end up getting one from there, but I'm still subscribed to their emails, and I kind of like knowing if there's something I need and it goes on sale, they're doing the work for me (this is how I see it). I say this, and I have self control around online shopping. If you don't, don't subscribe to emails that do the shopping for you. 

Is there any other home category you want me to go into, or do you want me to touch on any of these areas in depth? Write it in the comments or send me a message!