Ten Ways To Green Your Bathroom

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1. Spray the shower with a natural mold-fighting solution after each use: This
   preventative measure can eliminate the need for toxic chemical
   mold-killers in the future– a few spritzes now will save a whole lot of
   scrubbing/re-grouting later. Fill a spray bottle with one of these
   suggested solutions, and keep it in the shower:
   • White vinegar, or
   • 2 cups water + 2 teaspoons tea tree oil, or
   • Water + lavendar essential oil
2. Use baking soda as a tub and sink scrubber: The
   abrasive qualities are similar to that of “bathroom scrubbers” but
   without the unneccessary toxic chemical additions so often found in
   those products:
   • Sprinkle it on straight and wipe with a sponge, or
   • Combine with water to make a paste, or
   • Make your own natural “soft scrub”
3. Open a window, crack a door, or install an exhaust fan:
   By implementing a venting strategy in this most humid of rooms, you’ll
   remove the dampness which is needed for the growth of mold. No mold, no
   need to use chemicals to clean the mold.
4. Clean mirrors with vinegar: Fill a spray bottle
   with a solution of half white vinegar + half water, and you’ll have
   sparkling mirrors with no need for eerie blue cleansers. If you have
   streaks after using this combo, add up to 1/2 tsp of liquid dishsoap
   to the bottle and try again (the streaks are most likely caused by your
   previous chemical-laden glass cleaner). And if you use old newspapers
   to wipe the mirror, you’ll have a lint-free shine with a no-impact
   paper use…don’t forget to recycle!
5. Switch to recycled toilet paper:
   This simple choice has immense implications, as old-growth trees are
   still being cut down in order to make single-use disposable paper
   products, such as toilet paper and paper towels. This absurd practice
   should be illegal, or at least punishable by rebirth as a worm– but in
   the meantime, switching to recycled TP is the smartest and easiest
   choice you can make. (Read about Grist’s survey of recycled TP here.)
6. Reduce your bathroom water consumption:
   • Retrofit your toilet with a dual-flush handle (here and here and here)
   • Install an Aquis reclamation system
   • Keep a bucket under the sink/in the shower to catch your waste water, for use on your plants/in your garden.
   • Take shorter showers
   • Put an aerator in your faucet (so worth the few dollars you’ll pay at a hardware store)
   • And the easiest step of all: put a sealed bottle into your toilet tank to reduce its water usage.
7. Use an environmentally friendly shower curtain: When it’s time for a new curtain, don’t buy a new evil PVC one– opt for a green one instead:
   • Hemp
   • Organic cotton
   • Linen (+ an awesome cork bathmat!)
   • Coated nylon (nylon doesn’t offgas like PVC, but still made from petroleum)
8. Install a low-flow showerhead: From an inexpensive
   model at your local hardware store to much more expensive super-fancy
   luxurious models, low-flow showerheads can cut your water consumption
   in half while still getting you squeaky clean.
9. Green your personal care:
   • Use oil, or shea butter, or cocoa butter as a body moisturizer
   • Choose either a replaceable head or recycled/recyclable plastic toothbrush (click for video of Preserve toothbrushes on the Sundance Channel)
   • Switch to Dr. Bronners as soap/shampoo/toothpaste/etc (All One!)
   • Find eco-friendly replacements for your shampoo, conditioner and haircare.
   • Use replaceable-head razors instead of disposables, or switch to shaving with a straight-razor.
10. Install a compact flourescent lightbulb!

What did I miss? How have you greened your bathroom?