10 Eco Swaps to Make Your Bathroom ECO
There are a lot of ways to make your home more environmentally-friendly, but one of the best places to start is in the bathroom. Most of the products we use there are continually purchased and repurchased, each time disposing of the containers and packaging that holds it: toothpaste, shampoo, liquid hand soaps, floss, and toothbrushes, just to name a few.
With Eco Swaps, what we’re always aiming to do is reduce the amount of plastic and garbage that we produce. Sometimes, that means completely swapping out one product for another; like swapping out plastic toothbrushes for bamboo toothbrushes. In other cases, eco swapping means that we change the products we use to reduce the number of containers and wrappers that we throw away: toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, etc.
With those targets in mind, here are…
10 things you can eco swap in your bathroom to make it more environmentally friendly!
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1. Bamboo Toothbrush
This is one that has come up over and over again in my blog, but that’s only because I find it to be a really important first step into the eco world: you literally just swap out one product you use for another. There are no changes to your lifestyle at all. It’s what I like to call a “gateway eco product.” Once you make this swap, it becomes way easier to start thinking of other things you could possibly swap out (even if they take a little bit more effort!)
Bamboo toothbrushes replace plastic handles of regular toothbrushes with biodegradable, sustainable bamboo. While the bristles are still usually non-biodegradable nylon, the handle makes up most of the plastic so you still get a product that is far better for the environment than plastic toothbrushes.
There are all kinds of shapes and sizes available, but you can get a cheap and easy set like these on Amazon! Or if you prefer to support me and my blog, you can buy a set of Live ECO Bamboo Toothbrushes at The Eco Swap Shop!
2. Zero-Waste Toothpaste Tablets
Once you’ve swapped out your bamboo toothbrush, a nice environmentally-friendly product to go right along with it are zero-waste toothpaste tablets! These little tablets are not like any toothpaste you’ve ever seen! Because they’re solid, they don’t need to be stored in a plastic tube that is thrown away! The first batch usually comes in a reusable glass bottle, and then refills often come in recyclable, cardboard packaging.
These require a little more effort than the swap to bamboo toothbrushes, but they’re easy to use once you get used to them! To use a toothpaste tablet, you simply place one in your mouth, bite down on it, then brush your teeth with a wet toothbrush just as you always do! Because they’re tablets, it’s also hard to over-use or be wasteful with them, like you can with liquid toothpastes, which is another reason I like them. They help me get rid of another kind of my own wastefulness!
3. Biodegradable Floss
We might as well keep with the teeth care products theme for now and get biodegradable floss out of the way too!
You might be surprised to learn that most dental floss is NOT biodegradable! It’s usually made out of some kind of nylon, which is derived from crude oil. Biodegradable floss is made out of…Wait for it…Biodegradable materials! Most of the ones you find on the market these days are made out of either silk or bamboo fiber, both of which biodegrade over time.
Another plus is that these biodegradable dental flosses usually come in reusable packaging, so you don’t have to throw out a plastic container every time you run out! I personally haven’t tried biodegradable dental floss yet but it’s on my to-buy list for the next time my (last) plastic dental floss runs out!
Note also, for any of you vegans out there, keep in mind that silk is sometimes coated with beeswax, which is natural, but NOT vegan. Vegan silk options do exist though!
4. Natural Bar Soaps
Still using liquid hand soap? I know. What could be bad about liquid hand soap? Fortunately, the liquid hand soap isn’t particularly bad in itself, but it DOES have to come packaged in materials that can store liquids without leaking. The cheap option, as always, is plastic.
Finding natural bar soaps can be a little more difficult than all the liquid hand soaps you can find lining the supermarket store shelves, and there’s a reason for it! The companies that produce liquid soaps strongly market them for a couple of reasons:
- It’s cheap to make, since it’s mostly water. That’s right. Go check the top ingredient on your liquid hand soap container.
I’ll wait.
…
Let me guess. Water, right?
- They control how much you use. How many pumps of soap do you use when you wash your hands? I’ll bet you use at LEAST one full push (I’ve seen people regularly use 2 or 3!). Guess who decides how much comes out in one push? The manufacturers. You can bet they set it on the “too much,” rather than “too little” side to make sure you’ve gotta come back to the store to buy more a little sooner.
So go out and get yourself a nice, long-lasting, sustainably made, natural bar of soap. I personally think they look great and add a beautiful, natural touch to your bathroom as well!
5. Shampoo/Condition Bars
This one goes for the same reason as liquid hand soaps: plastic containers are bad and liquid soaps are cheap to make and expensive to buy.
Shampoo and conditioner bars are definitely a bit of a jump to get used to, and finding a bar that suits you can be a little bit of a task: there are a huge range of options out there that are all going to have their own texture/feel/moisturizing capabilities/scents/etc…etc…etc. But once you find a brand you like, I guarantee this eco swap will keep you wondering why you wasted so much plastic on holding shampoo before.
Try out a sampler, or commit to getting one of the pricier, high-quality brands.
6. Safety Razor
Here’s another one that’s on my personal list of things to buy once I run out of disposables. A safety razor is an eco swap that so many people swear by. Safety razors are made out of stainless steel and can be used for the rest of your life. As such, over your lifetime, the cost of using a safety razor will be much lower than disposable shaving razors! The blades require replacing from time to time, but they are recyclable!
But be warned, safety razors have a bit of a learning curve to them! Both using them and replacing the blades require a bit of study, so be sure to do your research before you start using one! They should be cleaned after each use, and using them properly so you don’t cut yourself takes practice. There are also a whole slew of types available to buy: one/two/three piece double blade, slant bar razor, and single edge. Each has its own feel, weight, and blade-to-handle angle. Which one to choose comes down to a mix of preference, ease-of-use, learning curve, and style. (Future blog post coming for sure, this is a subject I want to dive deeper into)
Last, don’t forget safety razors are unisex! Women and men both can use safety razors to get an eco-friendly shave!
7. Bamboo Cotton Swabs
Like bamboo toothbrushes, bamboo cotton swabs another easy-peasy eco swap for you to make with literally no change to your life or routines. Whereas many cotton swabs (or Q-tips, or cotton buds, or whatever you personally call them) are made with cotton attached to a thin rod of plastic, these have just swapped out the plastic for a stick of bamboo! They work just like the regular ones, but they biodegrade after you throw them away! A quick-and-easy eco swap for your eco bathroom.
8. Wooden/Bamboo Hair Brush and Comb
Another simple and easy-to-make eco swap! Ditch plastic and get yourself a bamboo hair brush or comb made of natural materials! Trust me, they work exactly the same as their plastic buddies do, but are much better for the environment. Personally, my hair is short so I don’t have issues with tangling, but from what I’ve read, the bamboo bristles are great at gently removing tangles as well as offering an amazing massage each time you brush. You can even get both bamboo comb and brush as a set.
Just note that depending on what kind of material is used for the soft body portion, the brush may only be partially biodegradable! In most cases you’ll be okay: very often it is made out some kind of rubber, which is usually 100% biodegradable, depending on the composition.
9. Natural Zero-Waste Deodorant
These days, the list of what makes a product “environmentally-friendly” is getting longer and longer, and deodorant is no exception. Vegan, non-toxic, palm oil-free, ethically-sourced, zero-waste/recyclable/biodegradable packaging represents the dream eco-product. And surprisingly, there is a growing number of products that meet all of these requirements!
However, finding a deodorant that works for you tends to be a pretty personal endeavor. Deodorants that work for one person may not work for another. The scent, one’s own body chemistry, bar or liquid….These all factor into finding a deodorant that works for you! Personally, I enjoy the challenge of finding a product that works for me, but for some, it can be a bit overwhelming. At some point, I’d like to do a deeper dive into available products, but that’s beyond the scope of this article today!
Packaging variants include recyclable holder styles and bare styles.
Full disclosure, I haven’t yet found a natural, low-waste deodorant that I’m happy with yet. This is still one eco-area that I’m still doing the research on. What kind of deodorant do you use? Comment down below! I’m always looking for suggestions!
10. Bidet Attachment For Your Toilet
The Experience
I live in Japan. And I’m not going to lie. It took me about 3 years to work up the courage to push the WASH button on the robot toilet seat attached to most toilets here (Yes, even public ones usually have a bidet attachment). And trust me, once I did, it was a new experience that I can’t say I was immediately impressed with. The jet of water left me wet enough that I had to use MORE toilet paper than I regularly do.
However, after getting my first experience and knowing what to expect, I was able to start using it regularly and I can now say that there IS a bit of a learning curve to them: getting your “aim” right takes practice. But ever since I mastered using it, the bidet attachment has saved me so much toilet paper. I haven’t had to use NEARLY as much as I did before, as most of the work is done by the water. Also, it just feels cleaner to use it.
Think of it this way…If you needed to wash your hands and you had a choice between just wiping them off with a dry towel or running some water over them and THEN drying off, even without soap, the water is going to FEEL cleaner. The same goes for the bidet.
But is a bidet toilet seat environmentally-friendly?
While there haven’t been any studies specifically targeting how environmentally-friendly a bidet toilet seat is, there are some numbers we can look at to get a pretty good idea!
- To produce a single roll of toilet paper, it takes 12-37 gallons of water! A bidet less than 1/8th of a gallon to spray in a single use. You still need a little toilet paper to dry off, but a few squares is plenty.
- In America alone, we use 36.5 billion rolls of toilet paper per year, which takes 3.7 billion gallons of water PER DAY to produce! By switching to bidets, America could save over 3 billion gallons of water per day.
- Worldwide, 270,000 trees are cut down every day just for toilet paper. Any reduction in this would be a huge help to the environment.
They can be expensive to buy, with some models costing up to $600 with all the bells and whistles, but cheaper models are available for as low as $50 for just the basics. They last decades and will save you money on toilet paper, and for me personally, the hygienic benefits are also totally worth the cost. I don’t think I can go without one now.
TL;DR
So that’s it. 10 eco swaps that you can make for a fantastically environmentally friendly bathroom. If you are looking to make your bathroom better for the environment, make the swap today!
1. Bamboo Toothbrush
2. Zero-Waste Toothpaste Tablets
3. Biodegradable Floss
4. Natural Bar Soaps
5. Shampoo/Conditioner Bars
6. Safety Razor
7. Bamboo Cotton Swabs
8. Wooden/Bamboo Hair Brush and Comb
9. Natural Zero-Waste Deodorant
10. Bidet Attachment For Your Toilet
Are these the eco swaps you would recommend to someone starting an eco-friendly bathroom? Is there anything I’m missing? Maybe you are looking for some starter eco swaps that you can use outside of your bathroom! If so, check out my blog post on 6 Easy Eco Swaps.
Photo Credit
Bamboo Toothbrushes Photo by Sara Groblechner on Unsplash