3 Tips for a More Sustainable Bathroom
The journey to a more natural life always starts with the switching of one product, and we’re hoping that will be our natural deodorant, and it doesn’t take long until you start to realise that it’s easy to be eco-friendly in so many other ways!
For me, it started in the bathroom. Once I noticed how many chemicals were in not just my cleaning products, but all my other toiletries, I knew I needed an eco-overhaul to make my bathroom much more sustainable.
Whether that’s checking out more sustainable bathroom brands, searching for plastic free toiletries, making your own bathroom cleaners or even just upping your bathroom recycling game, we’ve come up with 3 simple ways to make your bathroom more eco friendly!
1. Avoid products that contain any nasties
In bathroom cleaners…
The majority of bathroom cleaning products are terrible for the environment, with the harmful chemicals being washed down drains and flushed down toilets on a daily basis, entering into our rivers and polluting the waters.
We recommend avoiding any products that contain sodium hypochlorite or alkylphenol ethoxylates, as these caustic chemicals, often found in antibacterial cleaning products, are not only known skin and eye irritants, but can cause real harm to marine life.
But all is not lost! You can make your own bathroom cleaners by using ingredients probably found in your kitchen!
Use Bicarb down in your drains to keep them clear, and combine with lemon for a fantastic tile scrub. For an antibacterial spray, combine distilled water and Hydrogen peroxide - easy!
Although it sounds scary, hydrogen peroxide is an oxygen-based, non-chlorine bleach, meaning it’s easily broken down in water, making it a much safer, anti-bacterial alternative for the environment (ref).
In beauty products…
Any products with Parabens, SLS or Aluminium are a no go in the Pit Putty household. With reports of parabens leading to hormonal imbalances, and even peer reviewed publications linking aluminium salts to breast cancer, we just don’t think it’s worth the risk.
We don’t think you should need a degree in chemistry to fathom out what’s in your bathroom toiletries, and a great place to start your eco-friendly bathroom journey is with Pit Putty natural deodorant!
Made from only organic ingredients, our natural deodorant is aluminium free, paraben free, SLS free…basically free from any sort of nasties that might do harm later down the line. You can take a look at what ingredients we use in Pit Putty, and the benefits of each one, in one of our latest blogs - check it out here!
(And yes, we’d also like to mention Pit Putty is a plastic free deodorant, meaning a clearer mind and a clearer conscience, as well as being vegan and cruelty free!)
2. Become a recycling champion!
With so many bathroom products being made from single use plastics, it’s so important that we recycle them, rather than dash them in the bathroom bin. If everyone in the UK recycled just one bathroom cleaner, enough energy could be saved to vacuum 82,460 homes! (ref)
But in the bathroom, it’s a bit of a grey area as to what can be recycled, so to avoid wishcylcing, here’s a handy list of the bathroom products that can be easily recycled -
- Shampoo, Conditioner and Shower Gel bottles
- Cardboard boxes such as toothpaste (but not toothpaste tubes!) or soap boxes
- Toilet roll tubes
- Bathroom cleaner and bleach bottles, including any spray dispensers
- Hand soap bottles, with the pump dispenser removed
Rest assured, all of the packaging for our natural deodorant sticks and tins, as well as our organic soap, is 100% recyclable, and can be easily popped into your recycling bin when you're finished!
A great way to keep on top of your bathroom recycling is to look at how you recycle in your kitchen. You could try a separate bin, purely for recycling products, or you could use a recycling box, and hide it away in one of your bathroom cabinets. If you’re short of space, you could simply pop a tote bag on the back of your bathroom door, ready to stuff with recycling.
4. Choose products from sustainable brands
There’s an abundance of other sustainable brands out there, and we all share the same goal - to make the planet a better place! So once you’ve made the switch to Pit Putty, why not try switching a couple of other products too…
Shampoo & Conditioner - Earth Kind
With a variety of options depending on your hair type, plus a nourishing conditioner bar, this swap is ethically sourced, plastic free, paraben free, SLS free…the list goes on!
Soap - Soapy Suds!
Yes we're a little biased as we make these amazing soaps, but our handmade natural soaps will leave your skin feeling super soft, clean and fresh. Scented with 100% plant oils, with a luxurious natural lather, there’s no better way to start your day!
Toothpaste - Smyle Toothpaste Tabs
Available as a one off purchase or on a subscription, these handy toothpaste tables are a 100% plastic free alternative to your usual toothpaste tubes. It might be a bit strange at first, but you soon get used to it!
Toilet Roll - Who Gives a Crap!
This iconic loo roll is a must have for any eco bathroom, plus they offer free carbon neutral shipping on their orders!
You can take the challenge and try all 3 steps in your new eco-friendly bathroom, or even if you just try one thing from this list, you’re heading in the right direction to a more sustainable, zero waste, eco-friendly bathroom!
And if that one change is switching to a natural deodorant, well fantastic! You can take a look at all of our products here, or why not pick up a mini to give us a trial run!