About Sweetgum Home
Welcome to Sweetgum Home! We offer the most stylish, sustainable, “Swedish” dishcloths, plus other eco-friendly kitchen goods, recipes & art prints that add happy to your day. Our unique designs are created in New England; we then source the highest quality raw materials in Europe and print in the lovely land of Finland. Sweetgum Home is also the proud USA distributor for More Joy of Finland.
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Our purpose: To create happiness, by inspiring you to connect with friends & family in the heart of your home, the kitchen.
Many of my own most joyful family moments have been the simple ones – like seeing my two girls working together to bake Christmas cookies, gathering larger groups of friends & family for the holidays, or just taking long walks through the many beautiful places close to us in New England. At Sweetgum Home, we hope to inspire many moments of happiness and joy for you & yours! |
What is a Swedish dishcloth?
Swedish dishcloths were invented by a Swedish paper engineer back in the 1950's, essentially a re-usable, better paper towel. Swedish dishcloths are made from all natural, renewable fibers: 70% Cellulose, 30% Cotton. As a result, they can absorb 20x their weight in liquid, yet they dry super fast... Goodbye paper towel waste and icky wet sponge smells, hello happy healthy home! Plus, Swedish dishcloths are 100% biodegradable. Use them for ~6 months, and then compost!
Swedish dishcloths can be used to clean just about any household surface. Use them to clear crumbs and spills off counters, wipe down the sink, cabinet fronts, or stainless steel appliances, handwash your holiday china, crystal and non-stick cookware, clean windows and mirrors (streak-free!), damp dusting shelves… and the list goes on!
This recent CNN review of Swedish dischloths provides a good overview of all the ways they can be used - the only thing the author missed is that Sweetgum Home has the cutest collection on the planet! After all, doing right by the planet need not be boring…
Swedish dishcloths make a great alternative to plastic sponges and paper towels, which reduces landfill waste and plastics seeping into our waterways, oceans and water supply. One Swedish dishcloth alone can save +15 rolls of paper towels – this is great for the planet and great for your wallet, especially given current prices! Swedish dishcloths are also very easy to clean, whether in the dishwasher or washing machine.
Sweetgum Home Swedish dishcloths are sourced from the highest quality materials in Europe; our designs are then printed in Finland with water-based inks. We are committed to premium, eco-friendly materials in everything we do - from our products to our packaging.
Sweetgum Home has been locally, regionally and nationally recognized:
Over time, we’ve also added other eco-friendly kitchen products to Sweetgum Home in addition to our Swedish dishcloths:
- Tea towels made of all natural fibers and ethically sourced
- Cutting boards and trays made from premium, sustainably sourced birch plywood and melamine, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) for responsible forestry (both environmentally and socially)
- All with designs that make you smile 😊
A little bit about me...
Hi! I’m Anne and I’m the owner of Sweetgum Home. I live in New England and am a working mom who’s passionate about both creating joy and happiness at home, while helping to protect our environment for future generations.
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I discovered these fabulous cloths in 2020 (remember how hard it was to find toilet paper and paper towels?!??). I was hooked immediately – it was amazing how quickly I was able to reduce our paper towel waste in a family of five, especially when we were manically wiping down every surface and doorknob! It took me a little while longer to find Sweetgum Home, which happened when I was looking to upgrade from the very plain and boring dishcloths I had originally purchased to ones that would complement my holiday décor (I love holiday decorating, table-scaping, and hosting family and friends). Sweetgum Home undoubtedly has the cutest collection on the planet! |
Upon meeting Sandra I was immediately impressed with Sweetgum Home and knew I wanted to be a part of the company’s next chapter. All of the things that were the inspiration for Sweetgum Home were important to me, and I absolutely loved the products. I began running Sweetgum Home in 2022 and while there are new ideas that I am exploring and some things that I am doing differently, much of what makes Sweetgum Home special has stayed the same:
- Sweetgum Home remains committed to a premium quality, sustainable supply chain; I personally love working with other small businesses, many of which are led by female entrepreneurs
- Sandra is continuing as a lead designer for Sweetgum Home and you will continue to see new, unique and beautiful designs in our collections
- As a small business, I care personally about both the products we offer and the experience we deliver – everything from the website to shipping & service
How did Sweetgum Home begin?
Sandra Venus founded Sweetgum Home in 2016 in New England. Before starting and running the business, Sandra worked as an architect for nearly 20 years, living in states across the US (New Jersey, Rhode Island, California, Florida, Washington) as well as spending short stints abroad in Mexico & Italy.
These experiences gave Sandra the desire to design eco-friendly kitchen goods and to start Sweetgum Home: “I have a deep appreciation of how the design of the spaces we live in shapes our experiences. Kitchens, more than living rooms, are now the center of our homes. We spend more time in our kitchens and have more celebrations centered around the food we make there to share with one another than in any other room.”
By the way, what is a Sweetgum?
We do hear this question somewhat regularly! The American Sweetgum tree – with its beautiful star-shaped leaves that are glossy green throughout the summer and then turn gorgeous shades of yellow, orange, red, and sometimes purple in the autumn – is a favorite in parks, campuses, and large yards. It’s also well known for its interesting, spiky fruit.
For me (Anne), I also love the happy, melodious sound of “Sweetgum” and the gorgeous fall foliage this tree produces. In addition, I associate the cool, spiky Sweetgum seed balls with Christmas and other holidays.
A neighbor of mine is a very talented gardener and floral designer. The first year we lived moved into our home, she presented us with the most beautiful Christmas arrangement, that included a variety of evergreens, holly berries, white roses and dried sweetgum balls, painted red! I’ve kept these balls for years and use them each year in my own Christmas and winter floral arrangements. I’ve also experimented with painting sweetgum balls many different colors as a fun DIY project for Fourth of July, Christmas, winter and other seasonal decorating.
The Sweetgum ball is both beautiful and functional, just like Sweetgum Home's Swedish dishcloths and other eco-friendly home goods!