7 Easy Plastic Free Swaps for the Bathroom
Do you want to reduce the amount of plastic in your bathroom but have no idea where to start? Then this post is just for you. We’re going to take a look at 7 simple plastic free swaps for your bathroom that you can do today!
1. Swap Bottles for Bars
Did you know that the average UK family gets through 216 bottles of hair products every year? And that’s not counting all of the shower gels and soaps we get through too!
It’s easy to swap these every day essentials for plastic free bars, such as soap bars, shampoo bars and shower blocks. Even better is that the bars last a lot longer than bottled products – one shampoo bar can last for up to 80 washes!
P.S. If you’ve been put off from shampoo bars in the past, give these ecoLiving bars a go. They don’t need a transition period, work in all water types, and leave your hair feeling silky smooth, with no need for conditioner!
2. Switch to a Reusable Razor
Switching to a reusable safety razor was the first plastic free swap that I ever did, and boy do I wish I’d done it sooner.
With a safety razor, all you do is replace the blades, which are 100% stainless steel, so are fully recyclable (unlike those expensive cartridge razors that have loads of plastic encasing the blade).
A blade lasts for ages and can be as little as 10p, so there’s money to be saved too!
3. Use a Bamboo Toothbrush
As a nation, we get through around 200 MILLION toothbrushes each year. Switching to a bamboo toothbrush stops all of that plastic going to landfill.
Bamboo is really fast growing, and doesn’t need lots of water and pesticides, so it’s a really sustainable material to use for toothbrush handles. Don’t worry about the pandas either, they don’t eat the type of bamboo that toothbrushes are made from!
4. Swap to Toothpaste Tablets
Whilst we’re on the subject of brushing your teeth, another easy swap is moving to toothpaste tablets.
You chew the little tablet in your mouth to create a foam, and then brush your teeth like normal. This saves countless toothpaste tubes from going to landfill.
The tablets are available in awesome flavours like orange and raspberry, as well as the usual mint!
5. Ditch the Plastic Bath Puff
Bath puffs are great for creating lather, but they don’t last forever, and plastic ones can’t be recycled.
Switching to a plastic free, ramie bath puff, you’ll be saving that plastic from going to landfill, and also stopping micro plastics from washing down the drain.
6. Change to a Natural Deodorant
Natural deodorants are great for your body and for the environment. They’re packaged in cardboard tubes or metal tins, removing some more single use plastic from your bathroom (even metal spray deodorants have plastic lids!).
Unlike conventional deodorants, natural deodorants don’t contain any nasties like aluminium or parabens, so they’re really gentle to your skin. They smell great too!
7. Use a Wooden Toilet Brush
It’s not the most glamorous part of the bathroom, but everybody needs a toilet brush. Those manky plastic ones don’t just look awful though, they also shed their bristles over time, sending micro plastics down the drain.
I bet you didn’t know that you can get a natural wooden toilet brush! The handle is made from sustainably sourced beech wood, and it has natural Tampico fibre bristles. You can even get a stylish metal holder for it!
So there we have it, 7 simple swaps that you can make today to reduce the amount of plastic in your bathroom. And remember, if a swap just isn’t for you, don’t sweat about it – being more eco-friendly isn’t about being perfect, it’s about making small changes where you can!