Everyone knows the standard list of ways to go green in the bathroom (and I’m not talking about all of those green beers you’re planning to drink next week for St. Patrick’s Day!). I’m talking about turning off the water while you brush your teeth, low-flow shower heads, water efficient toilets, chemical-free cleaners, short showers and low-volume baths… okay, you’ve heard them all, but what about those little things you overlook?
Think there aren’t any? Well, think again… here are some things you may have missed:
- Soap – choose bar soaps over liquid shower gels and avoid excess plastic packaging. Although many of the bottles are recyclable, the caps often aren’t.
- Cosmetic foundations & eyeliners – choose foundation sold in glass bottles or jars over those in plastic tubes and containers so they can be recycled. Choose wooden pencil eyeliners over plastic tubes too.
- Shampoos – (if you must use a conditioner) choose a 2-in-1 product where the shampoo and conditioner are combined. You will use one less container but also shorten your shower by skipping an extra step.
- Razors – choose a refillable razor versus disposables. Plastic razors simply become needless trash.
- Toilet paper – choose recycled content toilet paper… a simple choice.
- Q-tips – choose those with a paper spindle instead of plastic… plain and simple also.
- Antibacterials soaps – skip them… they do more harm than good. (Read more here.)
- Towels – choose bamboo options. They’re soft, snuggly and (most important) sustainable! Organic cotton towels are another great choice.
- Greywater – Add a bucket in the shower with you and capture it! Showers actually account for over a quarter of a home’s typical water usage, and there are plenty of uses for this greywater.
- Shower curtins – avoid the additional plastic liner. Instead choose a curtain that is waterproofed on the inside without the plastic.
Now, what you consume on St. Patrick’s Day is all your own business, but with these tips you can “go green” in the bathroom the more natural way!
Disclosure Policy
There are some great ideas here. I agree about the soap, razors, toilet paper, towels, and q-tips.
Some of the other items, there’s a trade-off. For very dry hair, a 2-1 shampoo and conditioner won’t work as well. Now, I’ve been to natural food places that sell shampoo and conditioner in bulk, you bring your own container and refill it. The container is weighed before and after and you pay accordingly. That’s a good way to green your shower routine! They also make shampoo and conditioner bars, which save on packaging as well.
As for the shower curtains, I don’t think the additional plastic liner is such a bad thing if your fabric curtain is sustainable–like made out of bamboo. Still the uses the same amount of plastic, and the fabric ones last forever!
Amy – good tips in return… thanks! But I want to clarify that the concern about the plastic shower curtains is the PVC… even if the curtain itself is sustainable, it can’t offset the off-gassing from those plastic liners!
[...] (While I’m on the subject of making sure you have the “greenest bathroom on the block“:) [...]
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