19 Must Haves For An Eco-Friendly Bathroom

As I write this we are currently having one of the mildest autumns ever.  Many are rejoicing in this fact, but for me I find it concerning.  It is a reminder of the scale of the human impact on our planet and reminds me that I must continue to find ways to bring our planet back to good health.  That’s why I am sharing with you my must-haves for an eco-friendly bathroom.

1. Safety Razor

I love my safety razor so much that I wrote a whole post about it.  Therefore, it is definitely worthy of its place at the top of this list.  As both a money saver and a planet saver a safety razor is a simple switch.  It replaces those plastic disposable razors with a metal version.  They are available in an array of sizes and styles, giving you plenty of options.  You then replace the blades when they become blunt.  I’ve had my razor a couple of months now and I would say I’m getting through approximately one blade a month.  I bought 100 of them for around £8 but I’ve since found them for less.

 

2. Natural Soap

As a big worrier, I fret a lot about what nasty things are lurking in soaps and shower gels.  When I became a mum I decided that I wasn’t going to use such products on my kids.  Over time this extended to myself and my husband too.  It turns out that there are lots of products on the market that you can use for cleaning yourself.  Amazon has plenty of options, or if you prefer there are some beautiful options on Etsy.  If you are feeling more adventurous why not have a go at making your own.  For me though, I think water does a pretty good job on its own in most cases.

 

3. Shampoo Bars

I’ve written about these a couple of times, but they are a must for this list.  Shampoo bars are brilliant for many reasons: they are made with natural ingredients, they typically come in little to no packaging, they make your hair feel great and they are a cheap alternative to normal shampoo.  I’ve been using Soapnuts bars but have tried various others.  It can take a bit of trial and error to find one that works for you but when you do, you won’t look back.

 

4. Bamboo Toothbrush

Everyone is raving about these!  I have one but I have to confess that it is not my main toothbrush.My bamboo toothbrush is saved for going away when I can’t take my electric toothbrush.  It great though!  I love knowing that that is one less bit of plastic in the world.  With regards to my electric toothbrush I recently found charcoal heads for my brush so I’m hoping that these will make an excellent replacement.  Watch this space!

 

5. Eco-friendly floss

I’ve not used this but it looks awesome!  It is natural floss that comes in a glass jar rather than one of those plastic things.  And it is fully biodegradable.  Oh and vegan!  This is such an easy switch because you’ll barely notice you’ve made it.  However, it is a bit expensive!

 

6. Water pik

This is the reason that I haven’t used the floss.  Instead I bought a water pik.  It achieves the same cleaning as floss but by squirting water.  It recharges and you fill it with water and off you go.  The first time I used mine I couldn’t believe how much cleaner my teeth felt.  Plus I think I read somewhere that they were found to give a better result than standard flossing.  This is what gave me the nudge to make the switch.  The great thing is that this is a one time purchase.  Or at least fairly infrequent compare to floss.  Therefore is a potential money saver too!

 

7. Ear cleaning tools

Oh I love these!  I’d seen these talked about in a couple of other blog posts and need them in my life.  They are a set of metal instruments for cleaning your ears.  I am aware that they sound a little extreme, but they are completely brilliant.  I’m not sure how safe they are, but if you are already using cotton bud (naughty, naughty) then these can’t be any worse.  They might even be better!  And you can just clean them off and reuse again and again.

 

8. Reusable makeup wipes

You have several options for these, so there is definitely no need to continue buying the disposable variety.  Now you could get some cute crocheted ones, the sort you can find on Etsy.  Or you could use a simple flannel like cloth. If however you want a money saving option or just something a bit unique, you could make your own.  Pinterest is full of DIY posts to help you do this.

 

9. Reusable menstrual products

I’ve been using these for a while now and I love them.  I even used reusable postpartum pads.  Now this may be a step too far for many of you but hear me out.  Firstly, you have a couple of options.  There are menstrual cups, cloth pads and reusable tampons.  I’ve had most experience with cloth pads and they’re awesome.  They come in all sorts of prints and fabrics to suit your needs.  There are also different shapes, sizes and varieties.

 

Menstrual cups are gaining a lot of popularity and I completely understand why.  They are easy to use, and you can wear them for up to 12 hours at a time before a quick rinse under a tap and popping them back in.  I use a Diva cup but there are plenty of options again so look around.

 

10. Family cloth

Again, this might be too far for some!  But if you want to go for the full eco-friendly bathroom then this is a good one.  Family cloth is reusable alternative to toilet paper.  We use Cheeky Wipes and store them in a pot next to the toilet after use.  Every couple of days we wash them with our cloth nappies.  We still have toilet roll out for guests and in case we run out of wipes.  But largely family cloth is better.  We get a cleaner experience and we save a lot of money on toilet roll.

 

11. Coconut oil

Coconut oil has multiple uses in our bathroom.  We use it as a moisturiser, shaving foam, with sugar as a scrub, for nappy rash, dry skin and anything else we can think of.  We always try and have a pot of it available and use it whenever the need strikes.  My favourite use is to mix some with sugar and some lavender essential oil.  I then use this as an all over body scrub and it leaves my skin feeling amazing.

 

12. Natural bath bombs

I used to love bath bombs but found that they irritated my skin.  This is when I started looking at natural bath bombs.  There are plenty of options available and they come in an array of fragrances and colours.  If you love bath bombs, then shop around you won’t be disappointed.

 

13. Essential oils

For me, a few well-chosen essential oils are a must for any eco-friendly bathroom.  I have a collection that suit my preferences and are good for a variety of things.  Generally, I will add these to baths or soaps just for the lovely smell.  Regularly I will add a couple of drops of lavender oil to my children’s evening bath in the hope that it will help them sleep.  The jury is still out on that one!

 

14. Natural cleaning products

Bathroom cleaning products are full of all sorts of horrible things.  I hate the thought of breathing in all the fumes and then washing it all down the sink or the toilet to pollute the environment.  Plus I feel that I can get equal and probably better clean using natural cleaning products.  I use lemon for removing limescale.  If you cut them in half you can use it directly on your shower screen or shove them on the ends of the taps.  I do this every now and then, leave it overnight and in the morning the limescale wipes away.  Vinegar and bicarbonate of soda of general household cleaning staples for me.  You can use them to clean most things.

 

15. Natural shaving soap

If you’ve made the switch to a safety razor then it is logical that you would look for an eco-friendly alternative to shaving foam.  Again there are plenty of options available.  My personal favourite solution is whipped coconut oil.  Showing just how much of a necessity coconut oil is in an eco-friendly bathroom.

 

16. Epilator/electric shaver

Now if you’re using a safety razor you made not need this too.  However, as a hairy woman, I feel that one can never have too many options in this field.  I have an epilator.  Although it is a plastic monstrosity, it is not something that I should need to replace too often.  It uses minimal power and is generally very good at the job it does.  In terms of its overall impact on the environment, I would consider it low.

 

17. Water-saving shower head

Installing a water shaving shower head is a great way to reduce your water usage.  This, in turn, is a great way to save money.  If you love a shower but worry about the amount of water you are using then this could be a good investment and seems relatively easy to install.

 

18. Hippo water saver

If you have an older style toilet with a larger cistern then investing in one of these could help you save water with each flush.  They sit in your cistern and take up space meaning that not all water is flushed each time.

 

19. Natural deodorant

This is possibly one of my favourites on this list.  I made the switch to natural deodorant a couple of years back and I haven’t looked back since.  Initially, I tried a crystal deodorant which I loved but found that I was reacting to it when I was pregnant.  That’s when I made the switch to Earth Conscious natural deodorant and it is brilliant.  I rub a small amount on my underarms each day and that’s it.  I’m odour free all day, even after a run.  It is much better for the planet and much better for me.

 

Which will you add to your eco-friendly bathroom?

As always I urge you to make changes gradually.  Use up those products that you already have.  Replace them as they break.  Throwing things away now just to replace them with eco-friendly version is worse than just using them.  And a very expensive way to live.

 

Good luck with your new eco-friendly bathroom!

And don’t forget to check out my 16 Essentials For An Eco-Friendly Kitchen.

Disclaimer:  Remember the information you read here does not represent advice.  Any ideas or suggestions are just that and may not work for you.  Read the full disclaimer here.