Eco-Friendly Transitions: Simple Swaps for Creating a Zero-Waste Bathroom
The bathroom will have to be the second most wasteful place in our home after the kitchen. Single-use items and plastic bottles of all shapes and sizes piled up in the trash. It's easy to say that we humans are tempted to buy such products in the first place because it's convenient and the belief that they can get the perfect salon-style frizz-free hair, clean and flawless skin, or even a confident smile!
Sure, like how they show it in those commercials, it may work for some but do you want this to hit back at you with hair loss, rashes, or itchy skin from the contaminated water due to ocean pollution and landfill? Let's not forget the addition of chemical properties in most skin care products which can directly harm the skin and hair in the longer run.
Not so worthy for frizz-free huh?
Anyway, not to worry because here are some all-natural and affordable swaps that take care of your hygiene, give you the feel-goods with no side-effects, and by all means ensuring that your bathroom does not become a dump yard (excuse the pun!;)).
Swaps that are just as good for the earth as it is for you and your new eco bathroom!!
Dental care that won’t cost your planet!!
Ditch those plastic toothbrushes and welcome bamboo and wheat straw brushes!! Unlike their counterparts, these guys come with compostable handles and are vegan-friendly!
Brushiton’s Lassie Brushes made from high-quality sustainable MOSO bamboo is known to grow a metre a day without the need for fertilisers. This bamboo is also panda-friendly because pandas do not eat it or inhabit the area where it grows. Hence no guilty feelings about starving them!
Their Wheat Straw Toothbrushes - something that is left over once wheat is harvested and used as an alternative for making plastic products decompose at a rate similar to paper. And once it does, use the compost for growing plants!
The bristles on these brushes contain bamboo charcoal. Speaking of charcoal, ever tried using tooth powder packed in a metal jar instead of those fluoride-filled toothpastes in plastic tubes? A finely milled powder made from coconut shells, the Activated Charcoal Tooth Powder is an all-natural alternative treatment that helps remove discolouration while brightening and whitening your teeth. Enjoy cleaner feeling teeth without the plastic guilt!
Going hand in hand with the eco brushes and tooth powder is dental floss that doesn’t get tossed in the oceans threatening precious marine life. Seed and Sprout’s Biodegradable Tooth Floss made from a cornstarch-based PLA is a compostable plant-based renewable floss that is not just eco-friendly but vegan-friendly as well. Unlike traditional floss cased in plastic film, this one comes in a glass dispenser that is refillable and reusable.
Wear a real smile and not a plastic one!!
2. Natural Bar Soaps
Natural and long-lasting with plastic-free packaging. The only thing probably missing is a cute and beautiful glass/plastic pump bottle. But this is nothing to be worried about considering the ugly impact these ‘attractive’ bottles have on making our waterways! Instead, tuck the bar in Thurlby Herb Farm’s biodegradable Loofah Pockets that can be refilled, or place it in the reusable aluminium tins (aluminium is 100% recyclable) that come with the soaps from Seed and Sprout. And when you have eye-catching ones like the Crystal Soaps from Summer Salt Body, there is no need for a fancy cover!
From shampoos to shaving bars, or from body care to baby care there is a bar for all purposes and all skin types. Take a look at our blog: Raising the Bar this Plastic Free July and find out the beauty and benefits of natural bar soaps and why you should make the switch from liquid hand soaps or body wash to biodegradable paper-wrapped solid soaps!
3. Loofahs, Konjac Sponges, and Agave Wash Cloths
Say goodbye to those plastic body scrubbers and a big hello to Japanese konjac plants, luffa plants, and agave cactuses!!
Made from the luffa plant - a fast-growing annual vine, the Natural Loofah Skin Exfoliating Body Scrub helps cleanse your skin and renew its cells with a natural method of skin exfoliating. And why is it a zero-waste alternative? Because the loofah itself can be home composted at the end of its life.
Similarly, the humble Konjac Sponge made with Japanese konjac potato fibre is rich in revitalising minerals giving your skin the smoothness and flawlessness it deserves. Used in Japan for centuries as a beauty tool, these sponges are also great makeup removers or tan removers! And once its use has come to an end, feel free to compost it with your fruits and vegetable leftovers!
Now, if you are looking for more of a multi-purpose option, the Agave Wash Cloth is the one! Not only great for scrubbing your body but this plant-based cloth also for scrubbing off mould and grime from the bathroom floors and walls! Hand woven from the agave cactus, this long-lasting, quick-drying, and mould-resistant all-purpose cloth is a must-have in your bathroom.
4. Eco-Friendly Cleansing/Cleaning Brushes
The goodness of plant-based fibres doesn’t end without mentioning the super-efficient coconut, sisal, tampico and rice toot fibres! For yourself and the bathroom, these ethically handmade brushes from Eco Max are super effective for your skin or getting rid of the stubborn stains around your tap, tub, or toilet!
The sisal, a softer cactus fibre is gentle on your skin. The Palm Body Brush with medium strength bristles can be used in the shower as a wash and scrub sponge and the Dry Body Brush as a gentle exfoliator, while increasing circulation.
Face and body aside, scour the bath with the vegetable fibres - tampico and rice root Scrub Brush – a Japanese inspired invention, and reach out more places in that toilet bowl with the long-lasting coconut fibre Toilet Brush with the long recycled timber handle. Containing natural antibacterial properties the fibres on this will not become smelly or mouldy. Moreover, unlike many nylon brushes, they do not discolour or flatten over time which makes them the ideal cleaners for your eco toilet!
5. Rosalina Toilet Cleaning Tablets
Scrubbing the toilet with an eco-friendly brush – yes. But what about the cleaning product itself? Many toilet cleaning products have chlorine, ammonia, and hydrochloric acid as ingredients among others, all of which are highly corrosive and harmful to aquatic life.
Made from the Rosalina plant (which is also referred to as the Lavender tea tree), is an Australian Native oil packed with antibacterial properties. The scent of these cleaning tablets is slightly woody, camphoraceous, and floral with a rosy undertone. All you need to do is drop one tablet into the toilet bowl and let it fizz gently, allow it to dissolve give it a good scrub, and flush! No worries about adding chemicals or microplastics to our waterways and food chain!
