About Practical Living Guide
We are a small, independent team helping people make practical, sustainable choices across everyday life — from the products they buy to the way they care for their homes, gardens, and pets.
Our mission
Our mission is simple: reduce the everyday environmental impact of modern living through informed choices and honest, hands-on guidance. We test products ourselves, research the sustainability credentials of each brand, and explain — in plain language — what is worth buying and what is not.
Who runs Practical Living Guide
Practical Living Guide is founded and operated by Marie Dubois, a sustainability researcher and longtime pet owner based in Lyon, France. With a background in environmental science (MSc, Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1) and 8+ years of experience in product testing and consumer research, Marie combines scientific rigor with real-world practicality in every guide.
The site was born from frustration with vague “eco-friendly” marketing claims that didn't hold up to scrutiny. Every product featured here has been personally purchased, tested in a real household (shared with two rescue dogs and a cat), and evaluated against measurable criteria — not just manufacturer specifications.
What we cover
Practical Living Guide spans the parts of daily life where small, repeatable choices add up. Our guides are organised into six areas:
- Home & Cleaning
- Organization & Storage
- Pet Care
- Garden & Outdoor
- DIY & Simple Repairs
- Product Guides
Whether you are composting pet waste, cutting plastic in your cleaning routine, or fixing something instead of replacing it, we aim to give you a clear, trustworthy answer.
How we work
We are not a content farm. Each guide starts with a real question and ends with a recommendation we would give a friend. We buy the products, use them in real homes, and only publish once we have something genuinely useful to say — including when the honest answer is “skip it.”
Our testing methodology
- Real purchase: Every product is bought at retail price — no free samples, no sponsored reviews.
- Real homes: Products are tested in actual living environments (apartments, houses, gardens) with real pets.
- Measurable data: We publish original data — absorption rates, carbon footprints, durability timelines, digestibility coefficients — not just opinions.
- Long-term follow-up: Key products are retested at 3, 6, and 12 months to track degradation, shedding, and performance over time.
- Transparent sourcing: When we cite third-party data (LCA studies, certification standards), we link directly to the source.
Our editorial standards
- Independence: No brand influences our rankings. Affiliate revenue never changes a conclusion.
- Accuracy: Claims are verified against primary sources. Errors are corrected promptly with visible updates.
- Usefulness: Every guide must answer a specific, practical question. Theory-only pieces are not published.
- Sustainability integrity: We prioritize certified claims (OK Compost HOME, FSC, GOTS, etc.) over unverified marketing terms.
Independently tested
We buy and use the products we review ourselves — no manufacturer-supplied samples, no pay-to-play.
Sustainability first
We favour verified certifications like compostable, FSC, or recognised cruelty-free standards over vague "eco" claims.
Honest recommendations
Affiliate links are disclosed and never influence our ratings, rankings, or conclusions.
Practical by design
Every guide solves a real, everyday problem — we skip theory in favour of what actually works at home.