Introduction
What’s the only thing better than a nice, hot shower that leaves you squeaky and clean? Easy – it’s a shower that leaves you and the planet clean. Ok, maybe that was a bit cheesy, but the point is: let’s talk about zero waste bathrooms.
Last week, we ended up covering zero waste kitchens here, so if you haven’t yet, take a peek. While we loved writing this blog, there are just so many other precious areas in our loving homes that can similarly benefit from a second look. So, moving forward, we’ll start putting out other short pieces dedicated to living spaces, focusing on bathrooms this week!
The bathroom was an easy pick as the next topic since it’s probably one of the biggest sources of waste for any home. Naturally, there is a lot to cover here, and that’s why we have a wide range of sustainable bathroom items at Zero Waste Hero (some of which we’ll share here), but let’s break it down into two general categories: washing and drying.
Washing
Scrub, scrub, scrub, …scrub..., ………scrub………? That might be you freshening up next time, as you start to think about your cleaning routine. Washing is one of the worst sources of energy consumption, water, and plastic waste, and that’s not good for anyone.
If you’re going to have one single takeaway from this blog: please take short, non-scorching hot showers. First off, baths should be out of the picture completely – a 10-minute shower only uses around 25 gallons of water, while a bath uses up to 70 gallons. However, switching over to a shower isn’t everything – you have to be careful with that temperature dial. Water heating accounts for 17% of home electricity, and not to mention that hot water can dry out the skin and worsen any underlying conditions like eczema.
Of course, another essential part of reducing waste around the washing experience is personal care tools, as they fill up the bathroom with wasteful and unnecessary plastics. Take the everyday toothbrush, for example. The world goes through around 29.4 BILLION toothbrushes per year, translating to about 600 million KG of plastic in just 365 days. At Zero Waste Hero, personal care tools were one of the first places we started to target for sustainable alternatives, as it just didn’t make sense to us – why can’t we just use biodegradable materials for these simple items? Today, we carry Bamboo Toothbrushes, Natural Body Brushes, Wooden Hairbrushes, and much more.
Drying
Now let’s look at drying off for the second side of the equation. First off, rethink using that hairdryer next time you jump out of the shower. It’s estimated that, on average, each person submits 57 pounds of CO2 just from hairdryers each year. To be fair, this isn’t a lot when compared against, say, a washer (153 pounds of CO2), but every little step counts when going zero waste. Besides, it’s commonly known that hair dryers can cause damage to your hair by drying it out and breaking it. So, if our recommendation is to only go for that hairdryer when you absolutely don’t have time for natural drying.
Now, let’s direct the attention to that face. You might not know it, but there are much better, eco-friendly options for that pretty money maker than a traditional cotton towel. Our personal favourite is the Bamboo Face Cloth, which uses a combination of viscose bamboo and organic cotton fibre. The bamboo is key here, as this versatile and strong sustainability super plant has an unbelievably small footprint. In fact, bamboo can grow 4 feet in one day without fertilizer or pesticides while sinking 2 times more carbon dioxide than regular trees! Not to mention, these cloths are super smooth, hypoallergenic, and antimicrobial, giving your skin a much more comfortable washing and drying experience.
In case you’re curious about other conscious fabrics and materials that are quickly gaining traction, check out our blog here on 3 New Game-Changing Sustainable Materials.
Conclusion
Just like the kitchen, the bathroom is one of those areas of the home where you can really do a lot to cut back on your footprint – all that’s needed is the willingness. Of course, we didn’t even touch self-care products this time around, as that’s another related space that deserves its own blog. However, in the meantime, just remember that there is much more to a perfect bathroom than just scented candles and nice décor!
About Zero Waste Hero
Hey again! Welcome to Zero Waste Hero. If you’re not familiar with us, we’re a Canadian-owned one-stop shop for sustainable and ethically sourced home and beauty products. Our mission is to make the transition to minimal impact living as easy as possible. Naturally, a big part of this involves educating our consumers, so we’ve begun regularly posting blogs aimed at covering the latest news in the world of sustainability, sharing eco-friendly lifestyle ideas, and so much more.
If you enjoyed this read, sign up for the newsletter and keep an eye out, as we’ll continue to regularly release other informative pieces like this. Also, make sure to follow us on social media and visit zerowastehero.ca for a collection of the best eco-friendly products out there!
Sources
- https://takecareoftexas.org/hot-wire/shower-vs-bath-debate
- https://www.energy.gov/articles/askenergysaver-home-water-heating
- https://www.bcm.edu/news/hot-showers-can-damage-skin-winter
- https://www.dental-tribune.com/news/the-history-of-plastic-toothbrushes-and-how-they-pollute-our-planet/
- http://www.thegreenestdollar.com/2009/07/why-our-hairdryers-are-ruining-the-earth/
- https://goodonyou.eco/bamboo-fabric-sustainable/