Last Updated on September 5, 2023
The best housewarming gifts are gifts that will actually be useful in the new home. But what do new homeowners actually want and need?
These gifts for new homeowners are unique, useful, and best of all — good for the planet! Eco friendly housewarming gifts are so important in today’s climate, and they allow you to give good housewarming gifts that won’t be put in a closet and forgotten about (or worse, thrown away). These unique housewarming gift ideas will actually be used, loved, and recommended!
This post was sponsored by Green Eco Dream. All thoughts and opinions are my own. For more information please see my disclosure policy.
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good housewarming gifts
For those of you who missed it, I recently moved to Maine and am officially a homeowner! From California to Maine — what a lonnnnggggg trip. The house we got is a total fixer upper. We have a ton of work to do, but it got me thinking about good housewarming gifts.
I’ve moved a lot, and I always like inviting people over to help christen the new space. But, what do new homeowners, newlyweds, or recent renters really want? (Besides gift cards to the home improvement store…)
From experience (a lot of experience), I can tell you first hand — the best housewarming gifts are something practical, sustainable, and beautiful. This is just one reason I’m excited to be partnering with Green Eco Dream — a one stop shop for those looking to create an eco-friendly home.
Honestly, I’m eyeing their jade gemstone mask right now… because moving is stressful!
If the tables were turned, I’d probably gift something from Green Eco Dream’s cooking or cleaning section. I think a new homeowner would really appreciate an eco goody basket full of scour pads, bamboo scrub brushes, and Swedish dish cloths. Plus, they can be reused for years to come in all areas of the home.
Ready to check out housewarming gifts that won’t contribute to a warming planet? Here are the best ethical housewarming gifts for new homeowners.
why sustainable, eco friendly housewarming gifts?
Housewarming? Blame climate change.
Puns aside, we all know that climate change is contributing to extreme weather events like intense heat waves and worsening forest fires. So maybe there’s an iota of truth to the pun after all — our collective “house”, our shared home (aka earth) is warming.
That’s why, if you’re attending a housewarming party, gifting some eco friendly housewarming gifts that make a positive impact is a great idea. Even if the new homeowner isn’t eco-conscious, your gift may get them to start thinking about the lifestyle — and sometimes that’s all it takes.
A 2015 study found that the production and use of household goods and services were responsible for 60 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. It’s safe to say we need to make more conscious choices regarding what we bring into our homes, even when gifting.
Conscious gifting is the act of giving a sustainable and ethical gift to another person, regardless if that person is aware of eco or ethical issues. It’s about the gifter shopping their values and gifting with environmental and social issues in mind. But it’s also about knowing the person you’re gifting and considering what they will get the most use out of.
Truth is, most housewarming gifts will likely just end up in the trash or recycling bin. That’s why it’s important to purchase thoughtful gifts that are designed to last or give new homeowners peace of mind.
a one stop shop for gifts for new homeowners:
Green Eco Dream is a one stop shop for the sustainable home. It’s the ideal place to find eco-friendly housewarming gifts because there’s a wide array of ethical kitchen, bathroom, laundry, and beauty products to choose from.
Unlike conventional housewarming gifts, you’ll find Green Eco Dream has high quality, durable, and reusable products that are often quite versatile. New homeowners will get a lot of use out of them!
To make things even easier, they provide eco-friendly gift wrapping. You can make your gift unique by having it packaged with a low impact gift wrap, which is printed on recycled newsprint with soy-based ink. There are nine fun patterns to choose from, and you can even add a personal gift message if you so choose.
Green Eco Dream’s overall goal is to help eco-conscious people shop sustainably, reduce single-use plastics, and become more eco-friendly. They only showcase products from businesses that show sustainability transparency, have ethical practices, use better materials/ingredients, and focus on reducing waste.
Everything is shipped plastic-free with recyclable material. And they always encourage people to reuse the paper box or mailer their items come in.
Green Eco Dream is also Certified Carbon Neutral, meaning they reduce their carbon footprint where they can and offset emissions where they can’t. On top of this, they’re members of 1% For The Planet, Sierra Club, and Plastic Pollution Coalition, plus they’re a Certified Green America Business.
the best housewarming gifts people actually want:
Now comes the fun part: The housewarming gifts! I scoped out Green Eco Dream’s website to see what I’d want as a new homeowner and picked out these 15 products.
I’ve organized them into three different categories: Kitchen, bathroom, and cleaning. Feel free to jump to whichever section suits your needs.
I picked all of them with the thought of assembling them into a gift basket. However, any one of them would also be great housewarming gifts on their own. But I think putting each of them together into a wicker basket is such a charming idea! You can stick to a theme or mix and match from different categories.
unique housewarming gift ideas for the kitchen
I think the kitchen is the hardest room to unpack. There’s just so much stuff, and you always seem to be hungry but can’t find the right pan or your cutting board. Do these new movers a favor and grab a cutting board and some cooking essentials. These unique housewarming gift ideas will get them up and running, even when the rest of the house is still in boxes. Moving’s bad, but it’s worse on an empty stomach.
1. bamboo cutting and serving board
- Materials/ingredients? Bamboo is grown without pesticides or fertilizers. USDA Certified Biobased.
- End of life? 100% compostable.
- Why this gift? Fully reversible so you can chop on one side and serve on the other. Pair with a fresh loaf of bread or olive oil for the perfect gift.
2. reusable rolled unpaper towels
- Materials/ingredients? Made from 100% cotton flannel. Will come bundled around a recycled cardboard tube. Comes in a pack of 12 cotton towels. Made in the USA.
- End of life? Compostable at end of life.
- Why this gift? Pairs perfectly with wooden unpaper towel holder.
3. wooden unpaper towel holder
- Materials/ingredients? Made of sustainable birch plywood. 100% felted wool counter protector. Made in the USA.
- End of life? Can be easily composted.
- Why this gift? Pairs perfectly with the unpaper towels.
4. chef’s baking set
- Materials/ingredients? Includes apron, oven mitt, dish towel, trivet, and parchment baking paper. Cloth is made from organic terry cotton, colored with plant-based dyes. Baking Paper made from compostable FSC Certified unbleached paper.
- End of life? Biodegradable.
- Why this gift? Helps reduce usage of baking essentials made with synthetic materials. Perfect when paired with homemade baked goods.
5. stasher bags
- Materials/ingredients? 1 snack stasher, 2 sandwich stashers, and 1 half gallon stasher. Made from 100% pure platinum food-grade silicone. No BPA, BPS, lead, latex, or phthalates.
- End of life? Take back program through Stasher, through which they make safe playground pebbles.
- Why this gift? Great alternative to single-use plastic storage bags.
luxurious housewarming gifts for the bathroom
Moving is a pain — mentally and physically. Treat your friends or family members to a little something to help them unwind and relax. I am seriously eying that jade mask. Any friends want to give that to me for my housewarming party? Pretty pleeasee?
6. bamboo soap dish
- Materials/ingredients? Made from naturally grown bamboo
- End of life? 100% compostable at end of life
- Why this gift? Alternative to a plastic soap dish. To complete the gift, add a nice bar of soap.
7. corvus soap bar
- Materials/ingredients? Made using natural ingredients. Vegan, cruelty-free, ocean-safe, palm-free, and biodegradable. Made in the USA.
- End of life? Paper wrapper is compostable or recyclable.
- Why this gift? Pairs perfectly with the bamboo soap dish.
8. toothbrush holder
- Materials/ingredients? Base made from ceramic. Removable bamboo divider will keep the germs from spreading. Includes Dry Earth insert, plus a naturally absorbent disk at the base that will absorb excess water to keep container dry.
- End of life? Donate or upcycle.
- Why this gift? It will keep toothbrushes clean and separated and prevent mold from growing.
9. jade gemstone facial therapy mask
- Materials/ingredients? 100% pure Grade-A Jade Gemstone
- End of life? The jade rocks are 100% from nature and can be returned to nature.
- Why this gift? To ease stress and unwind after a long move, this mask will help soothe facial tissue and aid in relaxation.
10. earth harbor revitalizing set
- Materials/ingredients? Set includes 1 Jade Facial Roller and 1 Ampoule. 100% pure Grade-A Jade Gemstone. Anti-Pollution youth ampoule made from 91% organic ingredients. Cruelty-free and vegan.
- End of life? The jade rocks are 100% from nature and can be returned to nature.
The glass bottle is recyclable and reusable. - Why this gift? Moving is stressful – give them a gift to unwind.
practical housewarming gifts for cleaning
Cleaning is always a chore, but it’s made a little easier when your cleaning supplies look THIS good. Help them out with one of these thoughtful gifts!
11. heavy duty coconut scour pads
- Materials/ingredients? Pack of 3 reusable scour pads. Made from recycled plastic and coconut husk. Dishwasher safe. Free from BPA, triclosan, and other harsh chemicals.
- End of life? Recycle or dispose in trash after repeated use.
- Why this gift? This will scrub and clean any surface without scratching and remove caked-on, burnt-on messes. Perfect for keeping a new home spotless.
12. swedish dish cloth
- Materials/ingredients? Reusable alternative to sponges and paper towels. All natural materials: 70% cellulose, 30% organic cotton. Screen printed with water-based inks.
- End of life? 100% compostable.
- Why this gift? Can be used to clean a wide array of surfaces such as glass, granite, tile, ceramic, and stainless steel with just water, soap, or sprays. Pairs well with refillable glass spray bottle. Can be washed up to 200 times and reused!
13. refillable glass spray bottle
- Materials/ingredients? The body is glass, the neck bamboo, the boot silicone, and the nozzle is recycled polypropylene.
- End of life? Remove plastic and silicone, then recycle glass bottle.
- Why this gift? It can be filled with DIY cleaners or refilled with eco cleaners bought in bulk which saves money. Check out my blog post 15 All-Natural and Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products.
14. tru earth
- Materials/ingredients? Ultra-concentrated laundry strips. Hypoallergenic, vegan, palm oil free, HE safe.
- End of life? Compostable packaging. Detergent is readily biodegradable in accordance with OECD 310D.
- Why this gift? Less packaging = less clutter – a must-have when you’re still unpacking boxes after a move. Check out my blog post 5 Reasons to Try Tru Earth Laundry Detergent.
15. fair trade latex household gloves
- Materials/ingredients? Household Gloves made from 100% FSC Certified latex. No fillers.
- End of life? 100% backyard compostable once they have been cut into small pieces.
- Why this gift? These reusable gloves are super strong and can be used in both cleaning and renovating projects around the house from dishwashing to painting.
faqs
what are more traditional housewarming gifts?
There’s a Scandinavian tradition of bringing 3 things to any housewarming party: bread, so that no one goes hungry; salt, so that life has flavor; and wine, so that everyone is happy.
I love that these 3 things can all be eco friendly as well! So if you’re looking for more traditional housewarming gifts, these are great options as well.
how much should you spend on a housewarming gift?
Most housewarming gifts fall in the realm of $25-$75. However, there’s no official ‘limit.’ Spend as much or as little as you feel comfortable with. Everything on this list can be found for less than $60 — and some are as low as $5!
Which of these housewarming gifts are your favorites? Let me know in the comments!
