It was popular in the 1970s to have a green bathroom.
You can imagine a green sink, a green bath, a green toilet, and so on.
Green was a big hit back then, and it still is today — but not in the same way. Thankfully.
Being environmentally conscious is the most fashionable lifestyle choice in 2022, but does your sustainable attitude cease when you enter your bathroom?
With single-use plastics gracing every inch of our bathrooms, you’re unlikely to give your plastic toothbrush and empty shampoo bottles a second thought before tossing them in the trash.
And, with single-use plastics only the beginning of detrimental toilet habits, there are a plethora of eco-friendly improvements we can do.
Sanctuary Bathrooms experts have offered their top advice for making greener choices that can minimize our carbon footprints and save us money in the long term.
When you consider that showers, toilets, bathtubs, and bathroom sinks account for more than two-thirds (68 percent) of a household’s typical water usage, along with our plastic trash, it’s clear that we all need to step up our game.
So, what can we do to make our restrooms more eco friendly?
Replace plastic packaging with products that can be refilled.
It’s never been easier to switch out your toiletries, especially now that more stores and brands are following the refillable trend.
With their Forever Bottles and refillable soaps, body washes, and show oils, brands like L’Occitane have perfectly nailed this trend.
Carex, a supermarket hand wash brand, has recently joined the party.
To commit to a refillable and plastic-free lifestyle, you must first eliminate all single-use plastic products from your bathroom.
Start replacing them with packaging-free soaps, shampoo bars, and reusable bottles and jars once they’ve all been used up.
Bring the outside inside
Not only is a bathroom a perfect setting for a variety of houseplants, but having plants throughout your home, even in your bathroom, can also be beneficial.
Showers offer the misting and humidity that many low-maintenance plants, such as ferns, need to thrive.
Air-purifying plants including spider plants, peace lilies, aloe vera, and snake plants will help to clean the air in your bathroom.
Because of their air-purifying capabilities, they can help reduce mold in your bathroom, which means fewer cleaning products, chemicals, and single-use plastics — it’s a win-win situation.
Make the most of your water.
Now that we’ve dealt with plastics, it’s time to focus on the water that we might waste without even realizing it.
‘Many people may be unaware of the amount of water they consume in a day,’ explains Sanctuary Bathrooms Director James Roberts.
‘For example, letting the tap run for a minute can waste up to 6 litres of water!’
When brushing your teeth, washing your face, or putting soap to your hands, he recommends shutting off the faucet.
The largest eco-friendly trick we can implement into our habits, according to James, is to only flush necessary stuff down the toilet.
‘You might use toilet paper to blow your nose and flush it rather than dispose of it in a bin.
‘But without thinking, you’re wasting water that could have been saved. Especially if you have a dual flush system and use the “full flush” button.’
This is not only a green strategy, but it will also save you money on your water bills.
Replace your shower head
When the taps aren’t even turned on, you can be wasting water.
According to James, replacing a leaking shower head can save a lot of water.
He suggests moving to a low-flow, high-pressure shower, adding that the benefits include not compromising your current shower while saving water and money.
‘A short shower (2-3 minutes) with an efficient shower head will use less water than a bath (which is around 80 litres)1 and changing your shower head could save up to 40% of water used.’
Get rid of limescale
Many of us live in locations with hard water, which means your taps are probably clogged with limescale.
Limescale build-up, according to Samantha Mant, CEO of Halcyan Water Conditioners, affects the efficiency of your boiler dramatically.
‘So, when you take a shower, you could be using up to 25% more energy to heat the water than is necessary, adding to increasing bills.’
‘Limescale can also build up on taps and shower heads leaving a crusty residue which is difficult to clean off without harsh chemicals, which are then washed down the drain and into the watercourse – which is not good for the environment.’
If you want to keep limescale from inflicting too much damage, you need to treat it right away.
Purchase a new toilet.
Sanctuary Bathrooms’ James advises purchasing a new, high-efficiency toilet.
‘Dual flush toilets have a split flush function button which gives you the choice of how much water to use.
‘Low-flow and rimless toilets also use less water and some even feature a coating that makes them less prone to bacteria and easier to clean.’