Easy Tips for a Low-Waste Bathroom

Disposable plastic items, like shampoo bottles, razors, and toothpaste tubes, quickly fill up bathrooms before being thrown away. Nevertheless, convenient refills minimize waste from daily routines such as washing, shaving, and brushing teeth. Learn how to make your bath eco-friendlier with reusable accessories and sustainable products.

Energy Efficient Appliances

Replace aging showerheads, toilets and piping with low-flow versions using less water getting individuals clean. Swap out hot water heaters for modern, highly efficient ENERGYSTAR rated tanks that lose less warmth to standard insulation flaws. Install LED lightbulbs, alive with bright light but sipping just watts of electricity all day long. Activate energy saving settings on blow dryers, electric toothbrushes and other bathroom gadgets by default. Unplug chargers when not actively powering up devices to eliminate passive energy drainage from the wall.

Refillable Dispensers

Shower supplies like shampoo, conditioner and body wash come contained in plastic bottles discarded after just weeks of use, but durable, refillable dispensers neatly supply right-sized product amounts while condensing storage space greatly. Some brands sell chic starter sets then offer wallet friendly refill pouches delivered right to your door. This cuts excess product packaging accumulating in landfills with every restock. Dispose of only the recyclable film pouches periodically versus entire hard-to-recycle bottle plastic shells every month.

Reusable Accessories

Quality accessories enduring for years replace endless throwaways with simple upgrades. Try long lasting Swedish dishcloths effectively to remove makeup with some warm water. To apply skincare, use soft bamboo rounds that are gently effective then quick air drying for reuse the next morning. Install hooks to conveniently store stainless steel razors with recyclable blades swapped out when dull. Exfoliate skin with a dry brush instead of microbead scrubs that damage waterways. Spiky silicone facial massagers boost circulation, improving skincare absorption without becoming landfill waste. Stash these daily essentials neatly on the walls in hanging baskets and sliding shelves, freeing up precious counter space as well.

Eco-Friendly Oral Care

Tooth brushing and mouth cleansing also quickly accumulate plastic waste from paste tubes, string floss and mouthwash bottles. Eco-friendly oral care uses sustainability concepts for effective plaque removal without excess trash. According to the people at Ecofam, toothpaste tablets or bites come packaged minimally in recyclable paper then chewed into effective cleaning paste. Dental floss comes wound on small cardboard cores instead of piles of plastic containers. 

Bamboo makes an excellent biodegradable brush handle alternative or try models with replaceable heads only. Where electricity allows, sonic brush varieties greatly reduce required scrubbing motions, preventing rapidly frayed bristles becoming landfill waste. To rinse your mouth, use tablets that dissolve in water; this is more economical than premixed liquids as you avoid paying for the water.

Make Gradual Changes

Transition to low waste in gradual steps not overnight so that new habits feel natural not restrictive. First, take stock of all disposable plastics already purchased previously sitting under sinks or at the back of drawers. Use up existing inventory and then replace with reusable, refillable eco-versions when needing to restock each product. Recruit family members to adopt upgrades together, building convenient domestic routines benefiting everyone’s wallet and environmental footprint long term. Gradually, the changes integrate seamlessly into the rhythm of daily life at home, so that they don’t feel like a significant burden or a major sacrifice.

Conclusion

Strategic product choices and preparation can make bathrooms almost entirely zero-waste. Durable accessories prevent excess plastic accumulation from typical grooming and hygiene tasks. ENERGYSTAR appliances curb energy expenditures. Don’t let fears of perfection stall progress; add one upgrade at a time until new earth-friendly habits feel simple and enjoyable.