In the kitchen

In order for both you and the environment to feel good, a tip is to use natural materials in the kitchen and common sense. Here are some things you can think about in everyday life.

Fridge and freezer

• Keep the correct temperature in the refrigerator and freezer: +4 degrees Celsius in the fridge, -18 degrees Celsius in the freezer.
• Defrost the freezer often.

Choose correct kitchen utensils

• Choose stainless steel or cast iron when buying new pots, pans and molds.
• Avoid non-stick coating. Teflon for example often contain highly fluorinated substances that are difficult to break down and in some cases endocrine disruptors. There is also a great risk that the environment will be damaged when the products are manufactured.
• Choose wood, glass or stainless steel for food boxes, utensils and bowls.
• If you choose a plastic product, make sure it is intended for food.
• If you have a plastic lunch box, put the food on a porcelain plate before heating it. Plastic can leak chemicals into the food when heated.
• Replace plastic cutting board with wood. When you cut on a plastic cutting board, microplastics easily end up in the food we eat, which are harmful to the body. Wooden cutting boards can easily be cleaned with salt and lemon and preferably oiled with organic coconut oil.
• Choose eco-labelled/Svan-labelled baking paper. Varieties without these markings may contain silicone that can leach into the food when the paper heats up in the oven.
• Use natural beeswax cloths instead of plastic wrap when for example you need to cover food in the fridge. Unlike plastic wrap, beeswax cloths breathe, are easy to clean, are reuseable and do not create unnecessary plastic waste.

Washing up

• Use the lowest amount of detergent when washing the dishes by hand.
• Wash and rinse the dishes in the sink with a plug instead of washing up with running water.
• Fill the dish washer completely before running it to save water and energy.
• Split the machine wash tablet in half, it is still  enough for the soft water of Stockholm.
• Choose a unscented and eco-labeled detergent. Detergents scented with lemon contain a substance that is particularly allergenic. Some perfumes used in cleaning products may be difficult to break down and are therefore damaging to the environment. Even naturally produced scents can be very allergy inducing.