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Environmentally friendly ways to level up and maintain your space.

A cleaner, greener world starts with us. In celebration of Earth Day, Shondaland is looking across the spectrum of our existence to see how updating the everyday – our diets, beauty regimes, cars, wardrobes, and more – can help care for the planet with thoughtfulness and grace.

There’s no way around it: The news surrounding climate change is far from positive. But there are practical ways to reduce your carbon footprint and make your home greener. Yet one of the trickiest parts of embracing a new, climate-conscious home is differentiating between which products are legitimately eco-friendly versus those that are all talk.

“Companies use buzzwords like ‘natural’ and ‘chemical-free’ to imply a higher level of environmental stewardship, but they’re completely unregulated, so there’s nothing that can validate these claims,” says Lizzie Horvitz a sustainability expert and the founder and CEO of Finch, a website helping consumers choose the most environmentally friendly and ethical products on the market. So, how can you tell which companies are genuinely helping the planet? Transparency. “If companies aren’t hiding anything around the ingredients they’re using or their working practices, they have nothing to hide,” says Horvitz. “The companies that disclose more tend to be more favorable.” In the spirit of creating solutions in response to the doomsday climate news, we touched base with a few sustainability experts for the scoop on which aspects of our homes tend to be the biggest environmental offenders. Organized by room, here are the best products on the market that’ll make your home a green haven.

Your entryway sets the tone for the rest of your home — so why not ensure that sustainability starts the second you walk through the door? A bamboo doormat welcomes guests with soft neutrals, and good, eco-friendly lighting is essential. Also, nix any junk mail lying around. There are services you can use to remove yourself from mailing lists — and reduce junk-mail clutter in the process. “The average American receives 41 pounds of junk mail per year, most of which ends up in the landfill,” says Ashlee Piper, a sustainability expert and the author of Give a Sh*t: Do Good. Live Better. Save the Planet. You can register at the Data & Marketing Association’s consumer website and choose which catalogs, magazine offers, and other mail you want to discontinue. There’s a $2 processing fee, but your registration will last for 10 years.

“When choosing a doormat for your entryway, look for mats made out of recyclable or biodegradable materials (coconut fibers) rather than petroleum-based or synthetic materials,” says Erica Dodds, Ph.D., a sustainability expert and the COO of the Foundation for Climate Restoration. “Instead of generating carbon emissions at the landfill, the doormat can be recycled.” The Kempf Natural Coco Coir Doormat, for instance, is made from coconut husks and doesn’t have a PVC backing.

“The key to any functional entryway is good lighting, and as people get more creative with personalizing their space with chandeliers and pendant lights, it’s important to consider the environmental impact,” says Dodds, who recommends switching to LED bulbs to both save money on your energy bill (up to 85 percent) and reduce your carbon footprint.

Sylvania sells 60-watt LED bulbs in bulk packs, making it easy and cost-effective to swap out any energy-sucking incandescent bulbs lurking around your home. (And when they burn out, check with your local Home Depot to see if they recycle LED bulbs, or order an LED bulb consumer recycling kit from LampMaster.)

Biom’s sanitizing wipes are 100 percent plant-based, plastic-free, and biodegradable. They’re also CDC-compliant and effective against 99.9 percent of germs — perfect for use on hands (ages 3 and up) and bacteria-prone surfaces, such as doorknobs, remotes, phones, and kids’ toys. The brand’s starter kit contains one refillable dispenser and two wipe refills.

Your living room is where friends and family gather for movie nights. Or perhaps it's just where you enjoy a solo morning coffee. Maybe it's your favorite place for a midday nap. Whatever the case is, this room gets plenty of use, so eco-consciousness should touch everything from the couch — ever so crucial when it comes to bringing this room together — to the carpet to how you keep the space tidy and clean.

Furniture is often treated with chemicals that threaten air and water quality, such as certain dyes, flame retardants, and lacquers, but checking out the sustainability practices of furniture companies before you buy from them can help minimize these issues. Think: the Essential Sectional by Sabai, which is made of FSC-certified wood and recycled and upcycled fibers.

“Most furniture ends up in the landfill each year, so buying pre-loved or upcycled furniture lessens waste and your carbon footprint,” says Dodds. Sites like Kaiyo (where this Ethan Allen Square Coffee Table is from), Apartment Therapy Bazaar, and Urban Outfitters’ Urban Renewal are great places to browse for finds that are just right and lightly loved.

While carpets are a nice touch to a room, their environmental impact can be damaging from chemical emissions from manufacturing to difficulty recycling because of their bulky nature. These Stratosphere Carpet Tiles by Flor, on the other hand, are part of the eco-friendly rug company’s Carbon Negative Collection.

The Pure-Sky Ultra Microfiber Cleaning Glove is multitalented — one side is great for tackling dust on furniture and electronics, while the other can be used to clean glass or mirrored surfaces sans streaks. Just add water.

For many, the kitchen is the heart of the home. From elaborate meals to simple, weeknight dinners to even just rummaging for that late-night snack, the kitchen is where we nourish our bodies and enjoy time spent with our loved ones. But, oftentimes, the kitchen is where the most goes to waste, so it's a prime household room where you can revamp your food consumption, storage, disposal, and cleaning. And the best part: there are so many great, green products out there that let you live clean while also keeping your kitchen space stylish.

It’s estimated that 24 percent of all food in the U.S. (54 million tons) goes to waste. Fortunately, there are plenty of products out there to help us waste less, including Zwilling’s Fresh and Save Vacuum Sealer Glass Storage Set. The rechargeable cordless vacuum pump removes all air from the containers and bags to keep your produce and leftovers fresher longer. (Additional glass containers are also available.)

Vejibags aren’t just an eco-friendly alternative to storing your produce in plastic — the organic cotton bags also keep it fresh and crisp for up to two weeks by providing a humid environment that breathes. The starter kit contains two standard bags, two large, and one extra large.

VestaEco’s Compostable Vacuum Pouches are made from renewable resources — PLA resin, to be exact — that decompose over time. They’re super-durable, lock in freshness for five to six times longer (sans freezer burn), and work in most vacuum sealers.

Bokashi fermentation is the most convenient, cost-effective, and streamlined way to recycle organic waste from your kitchen. The odor- and vermin-free composting process doesn’t produce heat or gasses, sequesters virtually all carbon to the soil (where it’s gradually taken up by microbes, fungi, and plants), and can be done year-round. It takes only 4 to 6 weeks for your food waste to become nutrient-rich compost.

Anywhere you have a faucet, you should install a faucet aerator, à la the Neoperl Dual-Thread Faucet Aerator. “They’re inexpensive and redistribute the flow of water so you waste significantly less water without sacrificing water pressure,” says Piper.

No drain hoses necessary: The Tetra Countertop Dishwasher is fully self-contained and can be plugged into any old electrical outlet. Just fill with water, load up your dishes, select a cleaning cycle, and let it do the work. Tetra cleans 50 percent more dishes using 40 percent less water in 55 percent of the time than the leading countertop dishwasher.

Blueland’s Dish Duo offers up a powder dish soap that’s tough on grease and grime and dishwasher tablets that gently deep-clean dishes, glass, silver, and porcelain. The kit includes a reusable shaker and tin, with refills available in compostable paper pouches.

Green Gobbler’s Drain Clog Dissolver uses natural enzymes that quickly dissolve hair, fats, oils, and other obstructions. It’s also biodegradable and won’t harm rivers and oceans.

The bedroom is a retreat from the real world, but conventional bedwares aren't always the most environmentally friendly. Mattresses are oftentimes made with dangerous materials like polyurethane foam, which can have detrimental effects on the planet, and typical pillows and sheets contribute to cotton's water-intensive production process that strains ecosystems. So, enjoy your crucial rest on an organic mattress and then outfit your bed with sheets made from sustainable, raw material.

Conventional mattresses are often chock-full of synthetic materials, like polyurethane foam, that may emit volatile organic compounds and have other harmful effects on the planet, says Horvitz. Avocado mattresses are as eco-friendly as it gets — a GOTS-certified organic product with the Made Safe® nontoxic seal for safety, the brand’s Eco Organic Mattress is the most affordable certified organic mattress around, with one for kids too.

Boll & Branch’s linens are made with sustainable raw materials (in the case of the brand’s Signature Colorblock Duvet Set and Sheet Set, 100 percent GOTS-certified organic cotton) and without harmful chemicals, pesticides, or GMOs. They’re also manufactured in a Fair Trade Certified factory.

If wood furniture’s your style but you don’t want to contribute to deforestation, Dodds recommends opting for furniture made from FSC-certified wood, which is sustainably sourced and a lot better for the environment. Furniture made of reclaimed wood is another great option, like Avocado’s handcrafted Eco Wood Bed Frame (which doesn’t require any tools to assemble!).

From excessively long showers to toilet paper overuse, the bathroom can be one of the worst offenders when it comes to keeping an environmentally conscious home. But with a few quick product swaps, you can reduce toilet paper usage, reuse typically disposable items, and replace non-recyclable ones. The best way to get clean is to live clean while doing it.

“A shower as short as 10 minutes can use about 80 gallons of water,” says Dodds. “Switching to a low-flow shower head can reduce your carbon footprint.” The Waterpik EcoFlow Handheld Shower Head is budget-friendly, has six spray modes, an anti-clog nozzle, and can save you an average of $45 per year in energy and water expenses.

Shower-curtain liners are one of the biggest pieces of plastic in our homes — and can’t be recycled in curbside bins. But if you level up to the Outlines Shower Liner System, not only will you never have to worry about remembering when to swap your liner out for a new one, they also handle all the recycling.

Under the Canopy’s cotton and hemp bath towel set (two bath towels or sheets, two hand towels, and two washcloths) and bath mat are OEKO-TEX Made in Green-certified, assuring that it’s been tested for harmful substances and made in environmentally friendly facilities.

Save thousands on toilet paper by switching out your conventional rolls with the Tushy Classic Bidet and Bamboo Toilet Paper one-two punch. Among its many très-cool features, the bidet has a precision nozzle adjuster to better target where you want to clean and water-pressure control so you can decide on the best stream for you. Best of all, it takes under 10 minutes to install on most standard toilets.

In addition to helping reduce deforestation, switching to bamboo toilet paper also saves a ton of water — one of Tushy’s rolls of toilet paper takes 0.59 gallons of water to produce versus the 37 gallons a conventional roll uses up.

An oral-health kit and deodorant that are 100 percent plastic-free? Don’t mind if we do. The Bite Starter Set contains a 100 percent plant-based and compostable toothbrush (made with moso bamboo and castor beans), one jar each of toothpaste and mouthwash bits, as well as 100 percent plant-based dental floss (made with vegan candelilla wax).

Meanwhile, Bite Deodorant comes in four different scents and contains ingredients like fractionated coconut oil (which reduces irritation and helps prevent bacterial growth), tapioca starch (absorbs wetness), zinc ricinoleate (neutralizes odors), and zinc oxide (minimizes the growth of new odor-causing bacteria).

By making the switch to LastObject’s Beauty Kit and Zero Waste Cotton Swab, you’ll help keep more than 3,000 single-use tissues, 1,700 single-use cotton rounds, and 2,000 single-use cotton swabs out of the landfill. (The beauty kit also includes a laundry bag for easy cleaning.)

More than 80 percent of menstrual products end up in landfills, where the plastic components can take up to 500 years to break down — and switching to reusable period underwear can help lower their environmental impacts. The Knix Super Leakproof Period Underwear is the most absorbent period underwear around, holding up to eight tampons’ worth.

Toilet brushes are gross on so many levels. The Tushy Toilet Brush, on the other hand, is, well, not. In addition to its sleek and minimalist design, the upcycled and biodegradable coconut-husk scrubbing pads get the job done with natural cleaning agents like citric acid — and unlike other disposable brush head options, you can toss the pads guilt-free with the knowledge they’ll naturally degrade.

Greenifying your laundry rituals doesn't stop at cold-water cycles and high-efficiency washing machines. Consider ditching the traditional liquid detergent for plastic-free laundry detergent sheets that dissolve in water as they clean your clothes. And did you know there are many eco-friendly replacements to some of your favorite laundry products, like the Tide to Go Stain Remover sticks? The Cleancult Stain Stick which is just as effective and easier on the planet.

These liquid-less, plastic-free laundry detergent sheets by ECOS are as sustainable as they are convenient. All you have to do is add one plant-powered sheet with your dirty laundry directly into the washer drum. The sheets dissolve at all water temperatures and are safe to use in high-efficiency or standard machines.

Made with naturally derived ingredients, the Cleancult Stain Stick is designed to fight stains big and small on your clothing and upholstery. They also work well when your outfit needs an on-the-go touch up.

Ditch the dryer sheets for Woolzies Wool Dryer Balls to keep your laundry fluffy and wrinkle-free. Not only do they last for 1,000 loads, but they also reduce drying time by 25 percent, saving you time, money, and energy.

When it comes time to revamp your wardrobe or freshen up the other textiles in your home, order a prepaid bag from Retold Recycling, pop them in the mail, and Retold will do the sorting and ensure that nothing in your bag will end up in a landfill.

Krissy Brady is so out of shape, the health tracker on her phone pings her periodically to see if she’s still alive — so naturally, she became a health and wellness writer. You can find on Twitter, where she writes and tweets for the barely functional. Get Shondaland directly in your inbox: SUBSCRIBE TODAY