Plastic Free Bathroom
This Plastic Free July we're focusing on simple low waste swaps around the home that are great for you and better for the planet. With nearly 2/3rd of the single-use plastic we throw away originating in the bathroom there's a huge opportunity here to cut our plastic waste.
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Keeping the bathroom plastic free has never been easier with simple swaps from shampoos and liquid soaps to soap bars, toothpaste to toothpaste tablets, and spray deodorants to natural deodorants. With a few simple lifestyle tweaks you'll reduce your waste and create a streamlined, uncluttered bathroom space free from plastic bottles.
We've got five easy ways to set you free from single-use plastic in the bathroom. These swaps don't need to be made all at once, you can replace them over time as you use up your existing single-use plastic products. Many items on the list are reusable, meaning that once you have them, you shouldn’t need to replace them for years. Once you've switched you'll never look back!
Tooth Care - Toothpaste Tablets, Eco Floss & Bamboo Toothbrushes
We each use approximately 300 toothbrushes in a lifetime, with 3.6 billion plastic toothbrushes used worldwide each year. Bamboo toothbrushes are a great plastic free swap, made from renewable and fast growing bamboo. The bamboo handle can go in the compost where it takes about six months to biodegrade. The bristles are made from BPA-free nylon, so snap the head off first and check it can be recycled with your local authority. If you're not quite ready to give up your electric toothbrush, you can now buy replacement bamboo heads to fit most sonic toothbrush models.
With 300 million toothpaste tubes being thrown away per year in the UK (buisnesswaste.co.uk) it's a great time to switch to toothpaste tablets. Tooth tabs are available in either fluoride or fluoride-free in fresh minty flavours with great teeth cleaning results. Switching to mouthwash tablets will also cut out the need for mouthwash bottles, while plastic-free eco floss will keep your your teeth in tip top condition and your dentist happy.
Solid Shampoo Bars & Body Soap Bars
Are bottles of shampoo and conditioner cluttering up the shower? Using a shampoo bar is a brilliant plastic free alternative.
EcoLiving shampoo bars are a customer favourite and highly recommended time and again. Thanks to the soap free formula it leaves your hair thoroughly clean and silky smooth without any residue - even in hard water areas. If you like to use a conditioner as part of your hair care routine, we love The Soap Mine conditioner bars handmade here in North Wales.
If you're looking for that shower gel lather without the plastic bottle, then Shower Blocks solid shower gel bar is a great option. In a lovely range of scents these body bars lather up just like gel and are great for shaving too. Body wash makes up around 6% of our bathroom waste, giving these soap bars a mighty impact.
It's time to make solid hand soap bars trendy again! We've all become used to liquid hand soap, but a soap bar is a much better eco-friendly choice. Store it on a soap dish for a longer life and keep it dry between use. If your not ready to get rid of the hand soap dispenser just yet, then bulk refillable hand wash is a good compromise.
Plastic Free Shaving - Safety Razors
A safety razor offers a more traditional way of saving that gives fantastic results. If you want to ditch disposable plastic razors for a more sustainable option, then safety razors are for you. Unlike disposable razors that can't be recycled due to their mixed material composition, safety razors only need the blade replacing when needed. Keep the used blades in a blade bank or jar ready for recycling. Spare blades are great value and won't take up space in the bathroom cabinet.
With care a safety razor lasts a lifetime and gives an exceptional and shave, making it a worthwhile investment.
Natural Deodorants
Ditch the spray deodorant and choose a natural deodorant in a recyclable cardboard tube! The natural, vegan friendly ingredients really work, leaving you smelling fresh all day long. The Earth Conscious Bare Bar has even less packaging, simply wrapped in wax paper.
If you have sensitive skin try a crystal deodorant stick like Biork or Salt of the Earth, which is natural, hypoallergenic and aluminium chloride free.
Natural Bathroom Cleaners
Keeping the bathroom clean doesn't need to cost the Earth. We recommend using natural refillable toilet cleaner in bulk by Bio-D, or natural cleaners in minimal packaging such as citric acid and bicarbonate of soda from EcoLiving. These are all safe to use on septic tanks, are great value, and will reduce your plastic waste.
We love EcoCoconut scourers for their brilliant cleaning powers all around the home. Use them on sinks, showers and baths to get everything sparkling clean without using plastic scouring pads. It's also handy to keep a pack of reusable wipes in the bathroom for cleaning and giving surfaces a wipe over.
Plastic Free Bathroom Ideas
We hope this has given you some ideas on how to make your bathroom a plastic free haven. You'll find it cleaner, tidier and with much fewer trips to the recycling bin! Not only are these products low waste, but they are better for you, your family and the planet.