Every room in your home can benefit from some simple changes that will make it more eco-friendly. Whether you want to upgrade your entire bathroom, or just change your cleaning routine, you have options for going green. Use some of the following suggestions to reduce your impact on the environment in your bathroom.
1. Increase your storage options
Buying your bathroom necessities in bulk helps save you time running to the store and uses less packaging than buying things like toilet paper and other essentials piecemeal. Invest in some decorative bins for your bathroom that can attractively house your extra toilet paper, hand towels or green cleaning products, and keep them organized. You can display these bins on shelves in the room or under the sink to keep them out of sight.
2. Green cleaners
Many commercial cleansers you use to disinfect your toilet and tub contain harmful chemicals. Check the labels on cleaning products and avoid those that have government-mandated warnings like, "caution," "poison/danger" or "toxic." Opt for cleansers that are produced by environmentally conscious companies.
Keep your green cleaners close at hand by installing a panel system with cabinets in your bathroom. You can opt for a design with doors so your items are out of sight, or select some sturdy bins to hold everything you need to keep your bathroom clean. You can even maximize a panel's use by including hooks for towels or a robe. Either way, a cabinet panel in your bathroom is a great way to stay organized and provide a functional accent to your space. Get creative and customize one to meet all your needs.
3. Swap your curtain
Many shower curtains and liners are made with materials like PVC that release harmful chemicals called VOCs. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, these chemicals can increase the level of toxins in the air in your home. Companies also add phthalates to their curtains, which makes them more pliable but are as harmful to your air as VOCs.
4. Go low-flow
Installing a low-flow shower head and toilet in your bathroom will help reduce the amount of water that's wasted every day. Today, modern low-flow toilets are equipped to provide enough flushing power while using only a fraction of the water that a standard toilet would. Low-flow shower heads are also great green additions to your bathroom because they use only 2.5 gallons of water per minute (versus the 5 to 8 gallons typical shower heads use).
