If it feels like your bathroom is overflowing with plastics, toiletries or cleaning products, you’re not alone. Luckily, making a few simple changes can quickly transform your bathroom into an eco-friendly space.
Reduce Waste
Whereas biodegradable and plastic free products used to be hard to come by on the high street, now you can find eco-friendly alternatives in most supermarkets.
1. Shampoo bars and solid soaps
Moving away from liquid shampoo, conditioner or handwash is a great first step. Swapping to solid bars means you can buy a product that’s either packaging-free, or sold in a cardboard box that’s easy to recycle.
Bars are smaller and lighter to transport than liquids, giving them a lower carbon footprint. They also tend to last much longer than one bottle of liquid soap or shampoo, so they could save you money, too.
We love Rowdy Kind who make hair and body soaps suitable for the whole family.
2. Flannels
Cotton pads, wet wipes and make-up remover wipes might be convenient, but wipes alone are responsible for 93% of sewer blockages. A flannel soaked in tap water can do a great job of removing make-up, and they’re also perfect for quickly cleaning sticky paws and mucky faces after dinner.
3. Biodegradable toothbrush
It can take up to 500 years for a plastic toothbrush to degrade, and 4 out of 5 of them end up in the sea. Switching to biodegradable bamboo toothbrushes will make you feel better about the 300 brushes that you’ll use in your lifetime.
If you use an electric toothbrush, check out recyclable toothbrush heads to keep plastic waste to a minimum.
4. Refillable toiletries
Switching to refills is a great way to reduce plastic consumption. Visiting a zero waste shop means you can still use liquid toiletries or cleaning products without buying more plastic, while online companies like Smol produce tablets that can be dissolved in your existing bottles to end single-use plastic.
Reduce Energy Use
It’s not just product swaps that could help you achieve an eco-bathroom. Reducing energy use is great for the planet and your bank balance.
5. Use LED lights
If you’ve switched over to LED light bulbs elsewhere at home, check you’ve not forgotten your bathroom and replace the bulb with something more energy efficient if necessary.
6. Save water
You can cut back on the amount of water you use by having quicker showers, showering older children instead of bathing them, and installing low-flow taps or showerheads.
7. Reduce water temperature
To reduce energy use and cut your monthly bill, check your boiler to see if you can reduce the temperature of the water supply to your hot taps.
If your shower doesn’t really need to be as hot as it is, turn it down by a degree or two as well.
Consider Textiles
Cotton uses 3% of global water, and the textiles industry is responsible for 10% of the planet’s carbon footprint. Being mindful of the textiles we buy (or rent!) can positively impact the planet.
8. Buy organic
The most eco-friendly option is not to buy new towels or linens, but if you do need to splash out, try to buy organic cotton or bamboo.
If you buy new towels, you can re-purpose any old ones by using them to:
- Protect floors when decorating
- Create dens in the garden
- Dry the dog off after a walk
- Protect the boot of your car
Once you really can’t use them any longer, most local recycling centres will accept them.
There are lots of simple ways to begin making your bathroom more eco-friendly. You don’t need to do everything all at once, but making one or two changes now could make a big difference to the planet while saving you money, too.
