The bathroom ranks number 2 on most wasteful room in your house. We use a lot of disposable products in there! Luckily, there are reusable alternatives for nearly everything that we discard. Start phasing out the following disposables and you'll eventually have more floor space with no need for that trash can!
1. Toothbrush (retire your plastic one once it wears out and replace it with a bamboo alternative that can be composted) You can get one
HERE!
2. Toothpaste (toothpaste tubes are destined for a landfill - not to mention that some of them have/had micro plastics in them for an abrasive property which is crazy. Once, your current tube runs out, try making your own! Check out my recipe
HERE!)
3. Cotton Balls (Instead of throwing your money away, invest in some organic cotton rounds to remove makeup.) Find them
HERE.
4. Shampoo (Try alternatives to the plastic bottle of shampoo. Buy in bulk, buy shampoo bars that come in paper packaging, make your own, or try the no-poo method) Find it
HERE.
5. Razor (Replace the disposable razors with a safety razor. A box of stainless steel blades will last quite a long time and can be recycled once dull.) Find the one I use
HERE.
6. Tampons (Instead of disposable tampons, try using a menstrual cup - check out my article
HERE on why you should switch today!) You can also find the menstrual cup
HERE.
7.
Menstrual Pads (Rather than throwing your money away with disposable pads, get some cloth pads instead. I assure you they are much more comfortable and way less diaper like.) I'm loving
Lunapads right now!
8.
Floss (Most floss either comes in plastic packaging or is not biodegradable so finding other options can be tricky. Over the last year, I have come across a few Zero Waste alternatives - some may work for you, some might not. I personally use a waterpik and that is because I have orthodontics and is what my doctor recommended. If a waterpik is not for you, there are a couple "plastic-free" brands of floss out there. You could also use silk thread or horse hair. My grandmother raised horses and would use horse hair that she collected as a result of grooming.)
9.
Bath Scrubby (Are these really necessary? Couldn't a wash rag suffice? If not, you can purchase a loofah sponge from your farmer's market or grow your own.)
10.
Toilet Paper (There are a few options to toilet paper. I choose to use toilet paper made from recycled paper in paper packaging only so I can compost it later - I find this at club stores. You could also install a
bidet or go with the "family cloth" option. That's up to you.)
