Review | Eco Made Easy Subscription Box from Smallkind
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Eco Made Easy is a term I live by. If you follow me on social media you will know that my posts are dedicated to showing how simple eco living can be and breaking down those myths we often hear about it being more complicated and costly. Since making many of my own eco swaps, I can honestly say that I buy less, spend less time at the shops, have just a handful of products for cleaning, and my house is nowhere near as full of “stuff” as it once was. Switching over to eco-friendly ways has completely changed my lifestyle and it can yours too. There are just so many amazing products, companies, tips and blogs out there to help you along your way and one small business has recently taken it a step further by providing a brand new service.
Smallkind is a small sustainable business that I have known for a while and they have just launched their Eco Made Easy subscription box which is specifically designed to help you on your eco journey. I was sent the very first box to review and here are my thoughts…
About Smallkind
Smallkind is owned and run by Mum of 2 Natalie. Having started her own eco changes back when she had her first child she realised there was so much they could do as a family to both help the environment and their pockets. They began with cloth nappies and (just like me) this opened a doorway to the wonderful world of eco-friendly products but she became frustrated that she couldn’t purchase all she needed in one place. As a busy parent, Natalie wanted to make her life and other parents’ in the same position even simpler and so the idea of Smallkind was born. A one stop shop that would stock all of those eco essentials from baby products to toys, clothing and reusable wipes, menstrual cups to toothpaste, homeware and gifts and so much more. Her shop truly has so much to choose from and now, of course, that includes her latest product the Eco Made Easy subscription box. So, what is it?…
Eco Made Easy Subscription Box
The Eco Made Easy subscription box came about because Natalie listened to the feedback that her customers and followers gave her with the main message coming back that they don’t always have the time or headspace to make the changes they want to. It can be so hard to juggle work, school, kids’ activities, your social life, cleaning, shopping and so on, can’t it? It leaves little time for much else. Being more eco-friendly once you know your products can be easy but it is finding the time in the first place to get to that stage that can be a sticking point and so, Natalie came up with the idea to create a monthly box to help take that pressure away and to allow people to try out a selection of items to see what will work for them.
Each subscription box costs £20 (free P+P) and will be delivered every month. Your Eco Made Easy Box will be packed full of surprise eco products that Natalie will carefully select herself based on what she finds useful, the time of year, what parents love and all will be products you can use up (no reusable cups, bottles etc that you may have already invested in).
“Each month, you’ll receive a curated selection of tried and tested eco-friendly products. Each box will include some full size and trial size options so you get a good mix of products without investing all your budget in one item“
Smallkind Website
Along with your products, you will also be sent an information leaflet on what’s inside, how to use them, some simple actionable tips, good reads and anything else Natalie finds useful. And lastly, your subscription will also allow you access to the Eco Made Easy Facebook group where you can gain support, ask questions, and learn tips from a like-minded community.
Eco Made Easy Subscription Box Review
I was sent the first box which launched in May. Within this box I received:
- Marseille soap
- Kabloom Foragebom Seedbomb
- Heavenly Organics Solid Hand Balm
- EcoCoconut Scouring Pads
- Coconut soap rest/scourer
- OceanSaver multi-purpose cleaning refill
- Plus a chocolatey treat!
Let’s take a look at them all…
Marseille Soap
I’d heard of Marseille soap and it was one of those products I was meaning to get around to trying out but hadn’t (I am a perfect example of why Smallkind launched this box!) What I love about this soap is its versatility. I knew it could be used for cleaning and washing up but I had no idea it could also be made into shower gel, shampoo, used as a natural pest repellent, for washing clothes, as a stain remover and even for shining jewellery. Once I started to research it, it just seemed like one eco product that everyone should have in their home.
I have been using the soap for washing our hands – it leaves your skin lovely and soft – as well as for washing up and I was really impressed, much more so than I was with the other washing up block I have previously tried. This lathers nicely, cleans and cuts through dirt easily and at this size, I am pretty sure it is going to last us ages!
You can purchase this here.
Kabloom Foragebom Seedbomb
As this is a Spring box, Natalie had to include a seedbomb. Now is the perfect time for making the most of your garden… Or perhaps even your local area? Guerilla gardening anyone?! Seedbombs are so easy to use and a really effective way of adding colour and interest whilst attracting bees and other insects. I cannot wait to see these flowers popping up over the coming months.
You can purchase this here.
Heavenly Organics Solid Hand Balm
Not only does this smell divine but what I also love about this is being a solid bar, you really can’t waste any of the product. You simply warm the bar in your hands and rub the product in as it melts away, leaving your skin soft and supple and smelling amazing!
EcoCoconut Scouring Pads
This is a product I already use and love for our washing up. Coconut husk makes a great material for scrubbing those pots and pans but is also really gentle on the surfaces too. The reason I use these is because those commonly seen/used washing up sponges you get in the supermarket are made from plastics and each time you use them they release microplastics into our waterways. On top of this, they will end up in landfill once you have finished with them and will never completely vanish. But once these coconut scouring pads had their day we can just throw them in our home compost bin to naturally breakdown. Far better for the environment.
You can purchase this here.
Coconut Soap Rest
This is the product I never knew I needed. What a great idea. I mean it is a soap rest but then can also be used to clean, it’s a 2 in 1 product! As a soap rest, it allows your bar of soap to air dry as the water can drain through the fibres. As a cleaning item, it is tough on bathroom residue/soap/dirt etc but gentle on the surfaces and, just like the above eco product, it is 100% compostable.
You can purchase this here.
OceanSaver Multi-Surface Cleaning Refill
As much as I love making my own eco cleaning products I know a lot of people aren’t quite as enthusiastic about this as me so OceanSaver is a fantastic alternative. I have used and tested some of the OceanSaver range previously and have found them to be easy to make up – simply add the pod to a bottle of water and shake – plus they work really well. If you want to actively reduce your plastic waste and clean in a toxic free way then these are the eco product for you.
You can purchase refills here.
Chocolate Treat
The chocolate treat I received was Love Raw Chocolate Butter Cups with salted caramel. These are vegan, made in the UK and contain no palm oil. Unfortunately, they did contain nuts so I couldn’t eat them but my husband quite happily stepped in to taste test them and said they were lovely.
You can view all of the chocolatey treats here.
The Eco Made Easy Subscription Box has been a joy to review. It has put new eco products on my radar, it has been incredibly useful, the products were all right up my street and I really liked the surprise aspect of it all; it gave me something to really look forward to opening. At £20, I feel it is well priced as we all know we can end up spending out quite a fair bit more than this by trying to find the right items so this provides a good variety at an affordable price. I think the personal touches from Natalie really seal the deal for me too. She has clearly put so much work into creating this box, her tips as well as her Facebook page and she’s doing all of this because she is so passionate about helping the environment and helping others on their eco-friendly journey. It’s that small business touch, isn’t it? You wouldn’t ever get anything like this from a large corporation.
If you would like to sign up to the Eco Made Easy subscription box and be in for a wonderful eco treat each and every month you can do so over on the Smallkind website here.
*I was sent the Eco Made Easy subscription box in exchange for an honest review. As always all opinions are my own. For further information please refer to my disclosure page.
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I love this! I’m heading over to their page to check them out. Thanks for sharing about them.
So tired of businesses trying to convince people we can shop our way out of the climate crisis 🙄
Interesting take. Tell me, at what point did either myself or the small business state this? I believe the products I showed were all zero waste, chemical free, plastic free and so on. All of which reduce waste, protect our homes and waterways, help our garden… Doing these small steps are important in helping our environment. Waste, plastic, pollution are all extremely important areas to tackle as well as carbon emissions and if we can do our bit then that’s great. This isn’t about buying “stuff” this is about finding alternatives that will make a difference.
Sounds like a great concept