Spring cleaning tips: Out with the old, in with the new (to you)

Ready to shake off winter with a good spring cleaning?  

Clean out the old, bring in the new (to you)  

As you clean out closets and drawers, set aside items that are still in good, working condition. Instead of tossing them, donate them to a local nonprofit thrift store – and while you’re there, shop around for items you need.   

Donating high-quality items supports the community, and buying from non-profit-run thrift stores helps fund great local causes. 

Plus, you’re avoiding letting good stuff go to waste, which is great for the environment.  For every item that doesn’t have to be purchased new, you’ve saved the energy and natural resources needed to manufacture it – as well as the carbon emissions from extracting raw materials, processing them into new products, and transporting them to the stores where you buy them. 

Check ahead to see if it’s accepted 

Before taking your items to donate, check the organization's website to confirm what they currently accept: This can change depending on their inventory.  

Shop online  

Did you know many nonprofit thrift stores share their items online or through social media? Additionally, Facebook Marketplace has become a resource for affordable secondhand finds local to your area. Shopping secondhand has never been easier! 

Local spots to shop and donate  

• Community Warehouse shares great items from their Estate Store on Instagram. Or shop in person at their Northeast Portland or Tualatin stores. They accept donations of furniture, mattresses, small appliances, and other home goods.  

• ReClaim It shares items on social media - both Instagram and Facebook. Or visit them in person at their shop in North Portland (at North Williams and Killingsworth – not far from Community Warehouse, so check them both out). They accept donations of furniture, home goods, yard and garden items.  

• ReBuilding Center shows what they sell at their large store on North Mississippi Avenue in Portland. They accept donations of building materials and some home goods.  

• Habitat ReStore has an online store or head to their stores in Southeast Portland, Beaverton, Gresham, or Vancouver. They accept donations of building materials and home goods.  

• The Arc Thrift Store is located on Southeast Stark near 82nd Avenue and highlights items through Instagram. They accept donations of clothes and small household items.  

• SCRAP Creative Reuse has an online store or stop by their downtown Portland store. They accept donations of craft, art, and school supplies.  

• Free Geek offers refurbished laptops, tablets, and phones through their online store. They accept donations of computers, laptops, and other technology at their inner Southeast Portland location.  

Swap, share, and resell  

Check out the Resourceful PDX map to find more ways to save, from swapping unwanted items through a Buy Nothing Group, to getting reused and repaired furniture, household goods, and more.  

A new place to buy (and sell) kitchenware in Portland

For a city known for food carts and famous chefs, Portland now has a kitchen-focused consignment store, Kitchen Culture, where you can buy affordable, high-quality, used kitchenware – and sell kitchenware you don’t use. 

Kitchen Culture is unique space on SE Foster Road and SE Holgate, where shoppers can find a constantly evolving selection of used and new cookware, dinnerware, glassware, kitchen tools, and cookbooks.  

The store also offers cooking and preserving classes as well as conversations about vegetable gardening and food access. 

Owner Traci Hildner opened Kitchen Culture in November 2022 with the thought, “I’ve shopped for used cars, music, movies, and books, so why not used kitchen supplies?”  

Traci chose the name Kitchen Culture because culture holds many ideas – and it comes back to food: Where we come from, how we eat, how we approach and share ​​food. One way Traci puts a love of sharing food into action is through cooking meals for local shelters with neighbors, through the Foster-Powell Neighborhood Association.  

A great place to buy & sell quality kitchen and cookware 

Kitchen Culture offers durable, functional, long-lasting, and practical items. Traci explained that she sells silverware and dishware by the piece, so people can buy what they need – whether that’s three forks or thirty.  

Asked about a favorite piece to use in cooking, Traci said her cast iron skillet is her go-to item. As far as other essential pieces, “If you start with good quality kitchen tools and take care of them, most can last a lifetime.” 

She recommends a good knife, butcher block, frying pan, stock pot, wooden spoons, and vegetable peeler. 

Beyond those, think about how much storage your kitchen has, and what tools could help you with things you make frequently. Can opener? Lemon juicer? A good, small grater for cheese, fresh nutmeg, or lime zest?  

If you’re interested in cleaning out your kitchen and earning some cash while seeing your kitchenware find a good home, Kitchen Culture is also a great place to sell your wares. Items are on consignment for 90 days, and you earn half of what the item sells for.  

Food preservation  

Traci has taught food preservation classes for years under the name Lucky Larder and now offers those classes at Kitchen Culture.  

Her interest in food preservation started with an overabundance of vegetables. After moving from an apartment into her first house, she and her husband planted a vibrant edible garden, but it was so prolific, they couldn’t eat or give away vegetables fast enough and some went to waste.  

To expand her knowledge in food preservation and fermentation, she became a Master Food Preserver and a Family Food Educator for Oregon State Extension Services in 2014. 

Traci has taught preservation classes at Mt Hood and Portland Community Colleges, New Seasons Market, Portland Mercado, and various farmers markets.  

Now you can find her classes under the events section of Kitchen Culture’s website. She teaches a variety of preservation classes, including canning and fermentation. 

If you decide to try food preserving at home after taking a Kitchen Culture class, but aren’t quite ready to purchase a dehydrator or big canning pot of your own, you can always borrow one from Kitchen Share, Portland’s kitchen tool lending library. Then if you fall in love with jamming, pickling, or fermenting, you can head back to Kitchen Culture to stock up on your own supplies. 

Learn more

Check Kitchen Culture's website for hours and to learn more about their classes and sign up for their newsletter.

Or visit in person: 6300 SE Foster Road, Suite A, Portland, Wednesday through Sunday.

Easy ways to green your spring cleaning

Spring cleaning is here!

Did you know the average person in the U.S. uses about 40 pounds of household cleaners each year, and many of those products have harmful ingredients that can affect our health and damage our waterways?

We all want a clean home, but cleaning well doesn’t have to mean using harsh chemicals.

Make your own cleaning products

You can make your own cleaning products with common ingredients from the grocery store that are safe to use around kids and pets while being just as effective at getting rid of dirt and grime. Find out how at Oregon Metro’s Green Cleaners webpage.

Purchase safer cleaning products

Find out how to avoid harsh chemicals in store-bought cleaners by reviewing these tips from Oregon Metro.

Or shop at one of Portland’s small businesses that specialize in bulk items, including household items like laundry and cleaning supplies, and bath and body products. Read previous Resourceful PDX posts about The Realm Refillery and Mama and Hapa’s Zero Waste Shop.

5 safe cleaning tips for a healthy home

1.      Use natural ingredients that are tough on germs.

Vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and soap are effective at killing bacteria and some viruses without using harsh chemicals that can harm our health.

2.      Avoid aerosol products.

Products such as hairspray or oven spray cleaners release chemicals that can make our air quality worse and cause health issues, especially affecting children.

3.      Opt for wet-dusting instead of dry-dusting.

Dust often contains harmful residues from the products we use in our homes. Wet dusting is the most effective way to remove these chemicals.

4.      Skip the air fresheners and dryer sheets.

Artificial scents contain chemicals that lower air quality and harm our health. Try using scents from essential oils, lemons, cinnamon, and herbs.

5.      Safely dispose of harmful cleaners.

Leftover cleaners shouldn’t be poured down the drain. Call 503-234-3000 or visit oregonmetro.gov to find out where you can take things that are harmful for you and your family.

Metro resources

Green cleaning – Make your own cleaners at home using safe and affordable ingredients. 
Buying safer cleaners - Learn how you can buy safer cleaners that are better for your family and the environment. 
Common hazardous products - Understand what household products are hazardous, how to handle them. 

Shop small, shop local

The Small Shops Big Hearts holiday event helps you be intentional about how and where you spend your money. They make it easy for you to find businesses owned and operated by people who live in our communities and care about the neighborhoods where they operate and the people who live, work and play close by.

The event begins Thursday, November 17 and continues through Sunday, December 11.  

Check out the Shop Small Win Big event page to discover 100+ small businesses with amazing gifts that will make you a winner in the gift-giving department. You can see a full list of prizes and participating small businesses where you can pick up raffle entries for visiting, and more raffle entries when you make purchases.

Discover more holiday gift ideas to save money and shop local.

No Space for Waste at The Realm Refillery

The Realm Refillery is a package free grocery store in Northeast Portland that provides a more sustainable way of shopping by allowing customers to buy as much or as little as needed, creating less food waste, and less packaging waste.

Owners Brit Snipes and Ryan Knowles work hard to assure the products they sell support local businesses and are sustainably and ethically produced. Ninety-five percent of their products are organic, and they look for items that are fair trade, chemical-free, cruelty-free, vegan, and use minimal packaging. They source products from over 30 small, local vendors and numerous local farms, and purchase from wholesale vendors that share the same values.

Brit said, “We need to all do our best to make sure the choices we make when consuming are focused on going straight back into our local economies as a community. Having the ability to buy local and with a small business is key to doing just that. Large corporations aren't the answers for progress.”

Shoppers are a mix of regulars and new customers who walk in to see what a package free grocery store looks like. Brit says they have an attention to cleanliness of containers, respect for food allergies with no cross contamination, and an intimate community.

Social media has been integral to an increase in young customers, especially Tik Tok which offers another way to share what the store is doing through short videos. Brit and Ryan want to build community by offering events and swaps as ways for customers to get to know each other.

There is a DIY aesthetic in the store, with Ryan taking the lead on building out the space and working with other local makers to complete the look. 

Ryan shared, “The DIY music scene and the ethos that comes with it was very impactful on my life from a pretty young age. Naturally, we wanted to do as much as ourselves, not only to reduce cost and waste, but so we could see out our vision to its fullest. We had never done anything to this level before and thanks to close friends and YouTube, we were able to get it all done ourselves. It's an amazing feeling to walk into the store every day and see our hard work come to life.”

Weigh, tap, tare

The Realm Refillery offers many products, including snacks, spices, baking ingredients, granola, olive oil, laundry and cleaning supplies, bath, and body products – even local, seasonal produce.

For bulk items, all jars have an initial deposit of $2. Once the jar is returned, the deposit rolls over to your new container each time you shop.

The staff are there to answer questions and assist with fast checkout with their weigh, tap, tare process. “We use a system called Filljoy in the store, which allows us to save the weights of all containers we use in the shop so we can easily deduct the tare for the customers. We even have all our paper bags weighed out, so customers won't ever pay for anything except exactly the amount of product that they intended to purchase.”

Brit and Ryan continue to make changes, with a free loyalty program as a recent addition. For every $1 you spend, you receive one point. When you get to 100 points, you receive a voucher to use in the store.

The monthly membership is like a co-op. Members don’t pay the deposit on containers and can take advantage of 20% off rotating items that are marked with a decal. You can also get more bulk items with discounts.

Future changes to bring your own containers

Customers often ask if they can bring their own container, but this is not currently allowed under Oregon Law. As part of the broader reusable container conversation, Brit and Ryan are involved with the Surfrider Foundation on a petition and possible legislation to change this law for the state of Oregon and approve bring your own containers.

You can sign the petition to help change the law.

Learn more about The Realm Refillery at their website, including frequently asked questions, and by following them on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.

Get your food to go, without the waste, with GO Box

Portland has been fortunate to have GO Box, a women-owned and led reusable take-out food container system, for 11 years. To date, GO Box has prevented over 750,000 single-use items from being disposed.

Like many small, local businesses in Portland, GO Box both survived and thrived during the pandemic. CEO Jocelyn Gaudi Quarrell shared that the company pivoted and recovered from the first year of Covid impacts, then transitioned from operating in a small commissary kitchen to a 1,000 sq ft space, and then into an 8,000 sq ft warehouse in July 2021. They also expanded to 10 staff members.

People passing by their Central Eastside location can look through large windows and watch the step-by-step process of how the reusable containers are collected and cleaned with automated commercial dishwashing equipment.

New space allows expansion and more partners

GO Box’s new, larger space has created opportunities to partner with like-minded businesses, such as Utility Zero Waste and Legwork Local Delivery. In total, GO Box has 100 partner vendors, including food carts, brick and mortar restaurants, and regional grocery stores. Jocelyn said she wants to support small local businesses and larger companies transition away from single-use packaging towards durable, reusable systems.

GO Box containers can now be found at the deli counter and in the bulk sections of every New Seasons Market location, from Fisher’s Landing in Vancouver to Happy Valley and Hillsboro.

And GO Box partners with Imperfect Foods to clean gel packs from the grocery delivery business so they can be reused repeatedly by Imperfect.

A new venture called Loop hired GO Box to manage logistics for their first U.S. pilot program of reusable packaging for consumer goods including everything from ice cream to shampoo. Through the pilot, you can buy products in Loop reusable packaging and return the empty containers at any of these 25 local Fred Meyer locations.

Heather Watkins, GO Box’s new Chief Revenue Officer, said, “We’ve seen a tremendous amount of interest to partner with businesses across the region. Companies are really interested to implement reusable packaging and reduce their waste. This is a big win for us all in the community.”

How it works

GO Box makes zero waste takeout easy. With a subscription to GO Box, you can order takeout food and drinks in reusable containers at 100+ restaurants, food carts, cafes, and grocery stores across Portland.

There are various subscription options so customers can borrow what they need when they need it, through the GO Box app:

1. Select the subscription term and credit level which best fits your reuse needs, starting at $3.95 a month.

2. Check out reusables from any partner vendor and return reusables to any drop site using the GO Box app.

Find a GO Box vendor, get your questions answered, and dig into why reuse matters.

Celebrate the holidays with low-waste and locally made gifts

Looking for ideas to simplify the holidays? Check out the Center for Biological Diversity’s guides, gifts ideas, and more.

Find holiday tree alternatives and easy entertaining ideas and use their SoKind Registry tool to give and receive gifts. The Gift Guides include ideas to:

• Release your creative spirit with DIY/Handmade Gifts

• Increase happiness and well-being with Experiential Gifts

• Get back more time in the day with Quality Time/Skill Sharing Gifts

• Help others in need with Donation and Support Gifts

• Discover Earth-friendly treats with Food Gifts

In addition to saving time and money, these gifts and celebration ideas reduce waste. This is especially important considering a 2021 analysis showings that Americans generate 23% more tons of waste in December than in other months of the year.

Remember to shop small, shop local

Support Portland makers and DIYers who are selling their wares at various markets and pop up shops throughout the month, including My People's Market, presented by Prosper Portland, and the Mercatus Holiday Gift Guide, featuring local businesses owned by people of color. 

Portland’s neighborhood businesses also offer plenty of gifts for your holiday shopping. Check out Venture Portland's list, with local retailers ready to welcome you. 

Discover more alternative holiday gift ideas and tips to shift to buying used and new-to-you.

Want to share your own holiday tips? The Center for Biological Diversity is looking for holiday tips from you. Share your advice or ideas on how you #SimplifyTheHolidays.

Refill and Save at Mama & Hapa’s Zero Waste Shop

Mama & Hapa’s Zero Waste Shop opened in Southeast Portland in May 2021. Since then, word of mouth has fueled the refill shop, with more Portlanders learning about it every day. A second location is already in the works for North Mississippi Avenue, with plans to open in December.  

Mama & Hapa’s joins other refill stores and pop-up shops around Portland, meeting a demand from consumers who want less packaging waste in their lives. Most packaging, especially plastic, cannot be recycled. And even when there are recycling options, single-use items use more energy and resources than reusable items that can be used over and over again. 

At Mama & Hapa’s Zero Waste Shop, reuse takes center stage, with household and body care products available in reusable and refillable containers.  

Ross Ching, co-owner with his wife, Nadia Takla, said he would like “less emphasis on recycling” and more focus on reuse. This extends to how they’ve built their shop: Their tables, dishwasher, and many other shop items were purchased second-hand.  

They also purchase local products: The store’s body care products come from manufacturers in Portland and around Oregon, while other items in the store come from Washington. Ross would like to make zero waste shopping convenient enough for the average person to change their habits. 

“Going zero waste isn’t going to save the world, but what it really does is change the way people think about the life of an inanimate object. How much energy is put into making something, transporting it, and disposing of it. Those are the kinds of things that need to be at the top of consumers’ minds when they shop because what is bought is a vote for wanting more of it — gasoline or batteries, paper or plastic, compost or trash.” 

The shop’s name represents its owners: Nadia is the Mama, and Ross is Hapa, a Hawaiian term that reflects Ross’s Chinese and white heritage. Ross embraced the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) small business ethic; he used online research and tutorials to learn to code, and designed the refillable electronic dispenser system himself, with inspiration from a fill-your-own brewery in Southern California. 

Ross highlighted three aspects of Mama & Hapa’s that make it stand out: 

1. Offer free jars 

The shop provides customers with reusable and refillable glass jars at no charge. You can also bring in your own clean containers, or donate excess jars from home. Jars are washed onsite in the dishwasher.

2. No weighing necessary 

The store’s electronic system measures the amount of product you’ve dispensed by volume rather than weight. This eliminates the need to weigh your jars, makes it easier and faster to fill containers, and even shows the price of the amount dispensed as you go. 

3. Keep it affordable 

Prices are kept as low as possible by purchasing products in 55-gallon barrels, which are approximately 500 pounds each. Buying in bulk allows the store to sell at lower prices and offer a “store brand”. 

Ready to get started? Check out the website for a full product list.

Learn something new with at-home workshops

Combining the winter season and time indoors, many Portland organizations are offering ways to stay connected by hosting online workshops. There are classes for just about anything; from plant care and cooking to virtual repair and home maintenance.

Here are a variety of at-home offerings for you to make online learning a goal for the year ahead.

Attend Fix-It Fair 24/7 

Fix-It Fairs connect Portlanders with experts – and each other – to learn simple, low or no-cost ways to save money and be healthy all year long.

Getting bored with the same meals? Learn how to cook with different winter vegetables to mix it up. Tired of the drip, drip, drip of a leaky faucet? There are experts to show you how to fix it yourself.  Sign-up for these and other workshops running now through April. 

Watch past workshops on the Fix-It Fair YouTube Channel  or visit the Virtual Exhibit Hall anytime! The Community Resource Guide continues to expand and improve to share tools and information on everything from health and wellness, to repair and home care, and cooking and gardening.  

Share a skill with Alder Commons

Alder Commons is a community hub where kids and adults can attend workshops and classes and spend their time freely. Members are coworkers, makers, and learners of all ages.  

There are currently offerings every month at Alder Commons, including a full week of workshops the last week of each month. Workshop Week programs are open to all ages, voluntary, mostly free, and offer everything from DIY and maker classes to gaming, writing and discussion options. 

Do you have a skill to share? Alder Commons is looking for additional workshop hosts if you have something you’d be willing to share with the community. 

Learn from each other at Kitchen Commons

Kitchen Commons is on a mission to foster community kitchens and leaders that bring people together to share food, resources and relationships. They are starting the year with a monthly series of food justice workshops, free and online.  

The goal of the workshop series is to engage, educate, and empower diverse participants to improve as community organizers and facilitators. Together, you will:

• Learn and share new recipes.

• Meet people from other cultures residing in our community and provide an opportunity to connect on a personal level in the kitchen and at the dining table through facilitated conversations.

• Grow as organizers and community leaders through new technical and communication skills.

Kitchen Commons also acts as a resource for Northeast Portland residents, hosting the Kitchen Share, Community Kitchens and more ways to connect with local food organizations.

Keep it local, shop small

The holidays are often a time for creativity and this year is no exception. From online choral concerts and karaoke, to walkable and drivable light displays, we are making the most of our current situation to find some holiday cheer.   

For holiday shopping and giving, this year is about keeping it local and COVID-safe. Make a plan for shopping in-person and talk it through in advance with family or friends if you’ll have others in tow.  

The City of Portland announced December as “Shop Local Month” to recognize the importance of small, local businesses to the city and its economy. In partnership with local organizations, the City has created and improved public safety to instill support of local small businesses, many of which are owned by people of color. For small businesses, much of their annual income is made during the holiday season. 

Shop Small PDX is one resource to help connect Portland residents and visitors to shop local and to be intentional about where you spend your money. Others include directories for Black and Indigenous-owned businesses. Plus, The Intentionalist offers a directory of businesses in Portland and cities around the country.  

Headed downtown? Combine your gift list with visual treats. Check out the Winterland project, a 26-day art experience at window locations throughout downtown, the Central Eastside, and Old Town. Passing by Pioneer Courthouse Square? Visit this year’s holiday tree in Portland’s Living Room to help you celebrate the season. 

Looking ahead to the new year, an experience gift could signal hopeful times together. Perhaps a gift certificate to a local restaurant or theater, weekend travel plans to the Oregon Coast, or a workshop or class. Find more ideas and get holiday tips to save money and shop local with previous Resourceful PDX blog posts.