There are so many different products to choose from for our homes, well-being, and personal care that it is often really hard to figure out which products are better for our health and wellness, are longer lasting, more durable, and do what they are meant to do.  I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today, I’m doing a solo episode to share my thoughts on selecting the best products and materials to bring into your home. Much of the work I do involves helping people understand the specifications for products and materials, find what will work best for them, and provide them with the necessary health and wellness benefits when they do a design, remodel, or big build project.  A health and wellness remodel in our kitchen My husband and I recently did a small remodel in our kitchen. We called it a health and wellness remodel because the kitchen was small, and we wanted to make it spacious enough for us to cook together. Home repairs We also had some significant cracks in our dry walls, so we called in several professionals to take a look. One of them thought there might be a crack in the concrete slab under the floor too- and he was right! So, we had that fixed and replaced floor. Materials  Our designer was Christy Howell from CRH Design Build in Oklahoma City. After she set out how everything would look, we had to select the materials.  Limitations We ran into some limitations with supply chain shortages and had to make some trade-offs. Going through that process helped me understand things from the client’s perspective! Green labels Green labels give an independent third-party verification for products that have been researched and tested. I advocate for using trusted green labels when selecting materials or products for your home or the homes you are building or remodeling.  Goals Start your remodel by considering your goals and laying out what works.  Choosing materials that worked for us For our home remodel, we wanted to use durable materials that would work well together and did not off-gas. We chose quartz countertops, and even though we had to do some trade-offs, we eventually found a flooring product we felt good about that worked for us. We also used tiles made with a lead-free glaze and zero-VOC paint for the walls and cabinets. (Unfortunately, we had to use a high-VOC primer to make the cabinets more durable.) We learned a lot from the process! The Everyday Green Home Shop The shop on Everyday Green Home is divided into many different categories. Most of us have an established relationship with Amazon, so all the products in the shop are sourced from Amazon. There is even a go-green edition of the Monopoly game available there! Affiliate programs and brands We have had direct affiliate relationships with several companies, and those affiliate programs are all still there. We are excited to have added some new affiliate partners too, and we hope to add a few more by the end of the year. We will also add the products we like to use ourselves, in our homes and daily lives, to the trusted partners and brands category. Imperfect Foods Imperfect Foods is a company that helps people avoid and fight food waste by repackaging and selling ugly produce and surplus foods at affordable prices. Most of their food is sourced sustainably. All the packaging is recyclable, and the food gets delivered right to your door. Rothy’s shoes  Rothy’s shoes are made from recycled plastic bottles. They are super comfortable and have arch support! They are also washable.  Oka-B Shoes Oka-B shoes are manufactured by a woman-owned company in Georgia. They are made from plant-based plastic and are recyclable. They are very comfortable with arch support.   Inventive ways to use resources I love seeing the inventive ways in which people use the resources we already have in a new way! My son and his business partner have a company in St. Louis, Missouri, called Printerior Designs. They make filaments for 3-D printers from recycled plastic, and they also h