TIPS TO A SUSTAINABLE BATHROOM THAT IS ECO-FRIENDLY

To practice green living effectively, it is best to take small steps. Turn around one way of living at a time until your lifestyle is more sustainable and responsible. For example, to create a sustainable bathroom, you can start by reducing the amount of plastics used in the bathroom. Thereafter, fix other areas that contribute to climate change and resource waste.

When considering a more eco-friendly bathroom, don’t think about implementing expensive measures. Choose eco-friendly bathroom products and be conscious about energy and water waste. Here are a few things you can do:

1| TAKE QUICK SHOWERS AND USE LOW-FLOW SHOWERHEADS

Did you know that the average shower time is about 8 minutes? During these 8 minutes, about 18 gallons of water goes to waste. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 2.2 gallons of water is lost per minute. So how do we reduce the amount of water wasted? We try to take under 5-minute showers. You can use a timer or put a 5- minute song.

In addition to saving water, a reduced shower time saves a lot of energy. This is the energy that would have been lost from letting hot water run . The EPA also stated (in the link above) that energy wasted from each shower is equivalent to energy lost when running a 60-watt bulb for 8 hours. It’s best to purchase eco-friendly shower products. Using a low-flow showerhead, such as a WaterSense labelled showerhead, would save so much energy.

Photo: This bar of soap is organic and made from oatmeal. You can get it from Wholefoods or Amazon.

2| USE A BAR SOAP OR REFILLABLE SOAP AND SHAMPOO

Using a bar of soap is a very important move when you decide to adopt a sustainable bathroom. Packaging is mostly cardboard material and this is recyclable and some even compostable. You may want to avoid brands that put the bar of soap in a plastic wrap inside the box.

You can also switch from single use plastic bottles to refillable soap and shampoos. Plastic bottles, as we know, end up in landfills and don’t degrade easily. It takes 1000 years for plastic to disappear into the soil.

You can also choose to make your own soap, shampoo, and conditioner. There are tutorials on YouTube and online taking people through steps to making soap at home.

Photo: These toothpaste bits are tropical fruit flavored from Amazon.

3| REPLACE PLASTIC TUBES TOOTHPASTE WITH TOOTHPASTE BITS IN A GLASS OR TIN CONTAINER

Every year a billion toothpaste tubes are discarded in America. All these tubes go straight to the landfill.

For a long time, toothpaste tubes were not recyclable. Home users tossed them in a general bin with trash that goes to landfills. Some companies have been researching how to make these tubes recyclable. Colgate has announced that all its tubes will be recyclable in America by 2023 and globally by 2025.

Even though this is a breakthrough moment, the best solution would be to eliminate plastics altogether.  Thus, replacing the toothpaste tubes with a more environmentally friendly container/packet.

Perhaps big companies like Colgate, Crest, and Sensodyne need to rethink their main product form strategies. For example, powder and toothpaste bits. Powder and toothpaste bits appear to be easily contained. Eco-friendly materials for packaging could be cardboard paper, bamboo container, glass, and tin.

Small companies with sustainable practices are manufacturing the bits toothpaste. The prices are on the higher side when compared with toothpaste in plastic tubes. And it appears this new way of cleaning teeth might not be perfect for kids. Despite some flavors being kid friendly, the tablets seem to be a bit hard. The only way to spread the tablet on the toothbrush is to crush it to powder. I use my fingers to break the tablet and evenly spread the powder on my children’s toothbrushes.

4| SWITCH FROM PLASTIC TOOTHBRUSHES TO BAMBOO

Again, the plastic problem is overwhelming in the toothbrush industry. Plastic toothbrushes are very cheap and easy to find. It’s best to switch from a plastic toothbrush to a more eco-friendly toothbrush such as toothbrushes with a bamboo or wood handle. However, this is not the perfect solution that is 100% solving the plastic problem.

Even though the bamboo handle and paper packaging are compostable, the bristles of the majority of toothbrushes are still made of plastic (whether nylon or another plastic type). Also, a lot of these toothbrushes are made of polycarbonate plastic which has BPA (Bisphenol A).  This BPA is not good for our bodies. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has a good fact sheet on BPA.

Some vendors claim that their toothbrushes are made of plant based nylon bristles and therefore break down faster than ordinary nylon plastic. Please remember that biodegradable items will only break down under the right conditions. Thus, at a special facility. If these items end up in a landfill, ocean, and other natural place, they will still cause environmental problems.

Other bamboo toothbrushes use boar (wild pig) or horse hair bristles. Even though these are natural, animal activists consider this a move that is animal unfriendly. Another problem with bristles made from animal hair and plant based hair is that they may not be as strong as the nylon plastic bristles.

Dental floss is also made of plastic. Some companies are manufacturing dental floss that is 100% plant based. Bite company sells toothpaste bits in glass containers and also sells dental floss that is plastic free made with vegan candelilla wax. 

5 | USE EAR COTTON SWABS WITH BAMBOO STICKS

Instead of buying cotton swabs with plastic sticks it is better to get tips with bamboo sticks or sticks made from rolled cardboard paper. There are a lot of these bamboo cotton swabs on Amazon and they are reasonably priced. Sellers of these bamboo cotton swabs usually state that they are biodegradable. Thus you cant just throw them in the general trash bin, they need to be taken to a special facility for the right degrading conditions.

6| CHOOSE LOW PRESSURE FAUCETS AND TOILETS

It is important to maintain a low water pressure throughout the water system if you want an eco-friendly house. Replace faucets with high flowing abilities with those that limit the water flow when in use.

If you must take a bath in a tub, you may choose not to throw away the used water and instead water plants using this water. Also, when you run a tap for hot water, don’t waste the cold water that comes before the hot water. Fill a jug with the cold water and use it for other purposes like watering plants, and etcetera.

Also, it is a good habit not to let water run while you are brushing teeth, shaving, or undressing. Some people prefer to get motion sensor faucets.

With regards to toilets, you can also get toilets that have two flashing options.

7| USE TOILET PAPER FROM SUSTAINABLY SOURCED TREES

Use toilet paper and other paper products made from sustainably sourced trees. Some manufacturers don’t pay attention to where the trees that make their products are coming from. Ask yourself, did these products cause irresponsible deforestation? Were more trees planted to replace the trees that made this product? Were more eco-friendly materials used to make these products? For example, bamboo toilet paper and hemp toilet paper.

8| USE A BIN WITH COMPARTMENTS TO RECYCLE IN THE BATHROOM

When you open a new soap bar, or packaging for personal care products, there is no time to go to the kitchen to properly recycle. Many people end up throwing everything in one bin and recyclable items end up in landfills. Using a trash bin with two or more compartments ensures that one is able to separate plastic and paper items from normal trash. Proper recycling is at the core of a sustainable bathroom because you reduce the amount of plastics ending up in landfills.

9| USE MENSTRUAL CUPS INSTEAD OF TAMPONS

Menstrual cups are a good alternative to tampons during menstruation. This is because menstrual cups are reusable and can be worn for many hours at a time. Also, most menstrual cups are made of silicone rubber which is stronger and lasts longer than plastics.

However, even though silicone is made of silica which derives from sand, it does contain some plastic in the composition. Also disappointing are the new researches. They show that, despite long term beliefs that silicone rubber is stable and does not turn into microplastics, silicone rubber ages after repeated moist heat disinfections and does in fact break down and produce microplastics. These microplastics are harmful to bodies, sea life in the ocean, and the environment.