6 Best Kitchen Cleaning Supplies for Alternative Living + Lower Your Impact
Discover 6 essential, low-impact kitchen supplies for alternative living. From solid dish soap to compostable sponges, simplify your routine and reduce waste.
You wipe down the counter after dinner, but the single swipe covers your prep space, dining table, and office desk all at once. In a tiny home, RV, or van, every surface is multi-use, and every mess feels bigger. Choosing the right cleaning supplies isn’t just about tidiness; it’s a critical decision that impacts your space, your health, and your environmental footprint.
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Small Kitchen Cleaning: Maximize Space & Impact
Living small forces you to be ruthlessly efficient. This is especially true with cleaning supplies, where an entire cabinet’s worth of specialized bottles in a traditional home must be condensed into a small caddy or a single drawer. The goal isn’t just to have fewer things, but to have the right things—products that are concentrated, multi-functional, and low-waste.
Forget the "one cleaner for every surface" marketing you see in big box stores. That approach is a space-killer. Instead, the philosophy for a small kitchen is built on a few core workhorses that can handle 90% of your cleaning tasks. This mindset shift saves precious real estate under your sink and simplifies your entire cleaning routine. It’s not about minimalism for its own sake; it’s about practical, streamlined living.
Your entire cleaning arsenal should ideally fit into a small bin you can grab and go. This is crucial in a van or RV where you might need to clean up a spill outside or scrub down gear. Think of it as building a toolkit. You don’t need a dozen different screwdrivers when one with interchangeable bits will do the job better and take up less space.
Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds: The One-Bottle Solution
If you only have room for one liquid cleaner, this is it. Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds is a biodegradable household cleaner, not a soap. This distinction is important—it’s a powerful degreasing detergent that works effectively in hard or soft water without leaving any film, making it far more versatile than castile soap for household chores.
Its true power lies in its concentration. A single 16-ounce bottle can replace your dish soap, all-purpose surface spray, floor cleaner, and even a heavy-duty degreaser. For daily use, I keep a spray bottle mixed with about a tablespoon of Sal Suds and filled with water. For dishes, a few drops in a sink of hot water is all you need. This one product eliminates the need for at least three or four other plastic bottles, a massive win for storage and sustainability.
No Tox Life Dish Block: Zero-Waste Dishwashing
Cut grease and grime with this ultra-concentrated, zero-waste solid dish soap. Its rich lather cleans effectively in all water types, leaving dishes residue-free and your skin happy.
Liquid dish soap comes in a bulky plastic bottle that’s always in the way and constantly needs replacing. The No Tox Life Dish Block is the antidote. It’s a large, solid puck of concentrated dish soap that sits by your sink, eliminating the plastic bottle entirely. You simply wet your sponge or scrub brush, rub it on the block to create a lather, and wash your dishes.
This isn’t just an eco-friendly swap; it’s a practical upgrade for small-space living. A single block can last for months, far outlasting several bottles of liquid soap. This means less to buy, less to store, and less trash to manage—a critical concern when you have limited waste capacity. The key is to use a draining soap dish to keep the block dry between uses, preventing it from turning into a mushy mess.
Swedish Wholesale Dishcloths: Ditch Paper Towels
These eco-friendly Swedish dishcloths offer superior absorbency for quick spill cleanup and a reusable, effective clean. Made from cellulose and cotton, they are safe for all surfaces and can be washed for repeated use.
Paper towels are a space and waste nightmare. A multi-pack hogs valuable cabinet space, and the constant stream of trash is a logistical headache, especially if you’re boondocking. Swedish dishcloths are the single best replacement I’ve ever found. Made from a blend of cellulose and cotton, they are incredibly absorbent, capable of soaking up 20 times their weight in liquid.
Unlike a sponge, you can wring them out almost completely dry, so they don’t get smelly. Unlike a cotton rag, they dry quickly and leave a streak-free finish on countertops and stainless steel. When they get dirty, you just toss them in the top rack of the dishwasher or in with your laundry. One cloth can replace over a dozen rolls of paper towels, drastically reducing your waste and freeing up an entire shelf of storage.
Bon Ami Powder Cleanser for Tough, Grimy Jobs
Clean your kitchen and bathroom surfaces effectively with Bon Ami Powder Cleanser. This gentle, non-abrasive formula removes grime, polishes surfaces, and absorbs odors with baking soda, all without scratching.
Even the best all-purpose cleaner has its limits. For baked-on food, scuff marks on the floor, or a grimy stainless steel sink, you need a little abrasive power. Bon Ami has been my go-to for over a decade because it’s effective, simple, and gentle. It uses feldspar as a mild abrasive, so it cleans without scratching surfaces like acrylic RV showers or sensitive cooktops.
The powder format is perfect for alternative living. It’s lightweight, comes in a recyclable cardboard canister, and there’s zero risk of it leaking in a cabinet while you’re driving down a bumpy road. A light sprinkle on a wet surface is all you need to scrub away stubborn messes that a liquid cleaner can’t touch. It’s the specialized tool that earns its small spot in your kit.
Utopia Kitchen Compost Bin for Food Scrap Control
Keep your kitchen fresh with this 1.3-gallon stainless steel compost bin. Its lid and included charcoal filter effectively control odors, while the durable, stylish design complements any decor.
A countertop compost bin is a non-negotiable cleaning tool in a small space. Food scraps in your main trash can create odors and attract pests, problems that are magnified in a confined living area. A dedicated, sealed bin contains the mess and the smell, keeping your kitchen cleaner and more hygienic.
Look for a model with a tight-fitting lid and a charcoal filter—this combination is incredibly effective at trapping odors. By separating your food waste, you make your primary trash can lighter, drier, and less smelly. This means you can go longer between trips to a dumpster or transfer station, a huge quality-of-life improvement when you’re living on the move or off-grid.
Better Life Floor Cleaner: Plant-Derived Power
Effortlessly clean all sealed hard floors, including wood, tile, and laminate, with this streak-free Citrus Mint cleaner. Its plant-based formula tackles tough messes without harsh chemicals, making it safe for homes with children and pets. Simply mop and enjoy a brilliant shine.
Floors in tiny homes and RVs get dirty fast. Your kitchen floor is also your living room floor and your hallway, so it sees constant traffic. Many conventional floor cleaners use harsh chemicals that can fill a small, poorly ventilated space with toxic fumes. This is where a plant-derived cleaner like Better Life shines.
It’s formulated without volatile organic compounds (VOCs), so it’s safer to use in an enclosed environment, especially if you have pets or kids. The no-rinse formula is also a major benefit when you’re trying to conserve water. You just squirt, mop, and let it dry. It does the job effectively without leaving a sticky residue or compromising your indoor air quality.
Create Your Compact, Sustainable Cleaning Kit
The ultimate goal is to assemble a small, cohesive kit that can handle anything. Get a small caddy or bin that fits under your sink. In it, place your pre-mixed Sal Suds spray bottle, your canister of Bon Ami, a scrub brush, and a few clean Swedish dishcloths. That’s it. That’s your entire kitchen cleaning system.
This isn’t about sacrifice; it’s about being strategic. By choosing concentrated, multi-use, and low-waste products, you solve multiple small-living challenges at once. You save space, reduce trash, improve your indoor air quality, and simplify your routines. This intentional approach to something as mundane as cleaning is a cornerstone of thriving, not just surviving, in a smaller space.
Ultimately, a well-curated cleaning kit does more than just keep your kitchen tidy. It’s a system that supports a more flexible, resilient, and lower-impact lifestyle. By choosing smarter, not more, you free up physical and mental space to focus on the adventures that small living makes possible.
