When it comes to giving your abode an eco-friendly makeover, one area that’s easy to overlook is the bathroom. It’s the smallest room in the house and doesn’t get much foot traffic compared to communal spaces such as the kitchen or living room. Consequently, we tend to underestimate the impact of our bathroom habits on the environment. The water we use, the waste we throw away, the myriad of toxic chemicals lurking in our products — it adds up fast, putting the planet and our health at risk.
Fortunately, thanks to a proliferation of sustainable bathroom products, it’s easier than ever to shrink your carbon footprint and go green in the bathroom. Making a few small changes — like switching to shampoo bars or installing a low-flow showerhead — can do wonders for the planet and may even help you save some cash!
Here are a few easy tips to help you green-up your bathroom and embrace sustainable living.
Table of Contents
Reduce Your Shower Time And Install A Low-Flow Showerhead
According to the EPA, standard showerheads use 2.5 gallons of water per minute — that’s 25 gallons of water going down the drain for a 10-minute shower!
One way you can drastically reduce your water usage (and your water bill) is by installing a low-flow showerhead. These water-saving showerheads are designed to use two gallons of water per minute or less, helping to decrease your water consumption by as much as 40 percent.
Once you’ve installed a low-flow showerhead, don’t forget to change your showering habits, too. Making a water conservation playlist is a fun and easy way to keep track of the time you spend in the shower. If that doesn’t work, you can also try using an annoying timer that forces you to get out of the shower in order to turn it off.
Ditch Single-use Bottles for Solid BARS
You may have heard experts say that about eight million tons of plastic waste escape into our oceans every year. If you’d rather not add to that growing pile of waste, solid beauty bars — such as ultra-gentle shampoo bars, hydrating conditioner bars and nourishing soap bars — are worth adding to your daily get-clean routine. These little blocks of nutrient-dense vitamins and fatty oils are often packed with plant-based ingredients that are great for hair and skin, as well as the planet. Plus, they’re package-free and waterless, which means they generate fewer planet-heating gases compared to your liquid bottles of suds.
Use Sustainable Personal Care Products
Shampoo and conditioner bars are a great start, but why stop there? These days, there’s an eco-sustainable alternative to just about every bathroom product. Level up your sustainable game by switching to plastic-free deodorant that comes in a compostable tube. Replace your plastic toothbrush with one made from bamboo. If you’re still using single-use floss picks, switch to biodegradable silk floss.
Investing in reusable bathroom products is another easy way to go green. Switching to reusable cotton rounds, safety razors and period products can go a long way in helping you cut down your bathroom waste and will save you money in the long run.
Rethink Your Toilet Paper
Americans go through more toilet paper than any other country in the world — and it’s killing Canadian forests at an alarming rate. As the National Resources Defense Council points out, much of the pulp in U.S. tissue products come from Canada’s boreal forest, a large bio-region that is home to over 600 Indigenous communities, as well as countless species of flora and fauna.
Installing a bidet attachment on your toilet can help save precious forest and water resources, as well as money. Not ready to upgrade to a bidet? Switch to 100 percent recycled, unbleached toilet paper or bamboo toilet paper and revel in the notion that your toilet habits aren’t destroying the planet.
Reach for Green Cleaners
Many traditional cleaning supplies contain a slew of toxic chemicals that aren’t good for people, animals or the planet. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency says that concentrations of some indoor air pollutants — including those found in household cleaners — are two to five times higher than outdoor pollutants.
If you’re getting ready to deep clean your bathroom this spring, consider using plant-based cleaners with gentle yet effective ingredients. Better yet, make your own cleaning products and ditch the plastic altogether.
Turn Down the Heat
There’s no doubt about it — steamy showers feel heavenly, especially at the end of a long day. Unfortunately, water heating requires a significant amount of energy. And because the warm water feels so good, you’re more likely to stay in the shower for longer and waste more water.
Taking a cold shower offers a smorgasbord of benefits, including reduced muscle soreness, glowing skin and hair and a potential boost in weight loss. If the idea of taking a polar plunge every day isn’t appealing, take heart — turning down the water heater in your house, even just by a little bit, can also result in major energy and water savings.
Unplug Electrical Devices when They’re Not in use — or Ditch Them Altogether
If you use an electric toothbrush or electric hair styling tools, make sure you’re unplugging them when they’re not in use. Although it may not seem important in the grand scheme of things, those energy savings really do add up.
Additionally, this may be a good time to ask yourself if you really need to use those tools in the first place. Hair dryers, while convenient, emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and can be extremely damaging to hair. Instead of using a hair dryer, consider carving out enough time to allow your hair to air-dry. Your hair and the planet will be better off for it!
Whether it’s saving money, living healthier or reducing your impact on the environment, there are plenty of reasons to go green in the bathroom. If going green feels overwhelming, start by picking up a shampoo bar or making a DIY multipurpose cleaner for the tub. With a few small changes, you can make your bathroom — and your daily routine — so much more sustainable!
