Plastic Free Bathrooms

Create a plastic free bathroom with these easy steps

You’ve long since ditched the single use plastic for your food shopping (you never did like how the handles dug in to your hands anyway). You’re a metal straw convert (they can even match your outfit which is pretty cool). You’ve even become a bit of a recycling queen (and you’re quite fastidious about it)!

But you know you need to go further: it’s the bathroom to tackle next, and there is no better time to start than during plasticfreejuly.

Cleaning up you and your sanctuary: an eco friendly approach.

This is the most daunting task yet on your eco journey. We get it, we really do. There is a lot of plastic associated with bathrooms, and it can seem overwhelming. Just where do you start?

Here is our top tip: start small and make just one change at a time.

How about aiming for one or two changes each month? By this time next year, for Plastic Free July 2023, you will have made 12 – 24 steps towards a plastic free bathroom.

Here are some things to consider:

Your body: think natural

If you’re making just one change a month, here are three months of switch ideas to get you started on your journey:

1) Deodorant: go aluminium and paraben free (we promise you’ll still smell sweet and sweat free) with a natural deodorant. We love the scents and range of products on the market at the moment so there really is a choice for everyone. The real beauty is in the reduced waste with reusable applicators and natural and compostable refills.

2) Reusable make up remover pads: ok so this switch is probably the easiest. Those easy ‘pull from the packet’ wipes have had their moment and it’s time to get back to basics. Organic cotton pads are pesticide free so much kinder on the surface of your skin. (Shhh…we’ll let you in to a secret…you can use old fashioned face cloths and flannels too!)

3) Bamboo toothbrush: the only real difference between this and your plastic handled toothbrush is…well…the plastic handle. The bristles are still going to help you get a superior clean twice a day. The handle is fully compostable and can return to the earth, either by landfill or in your compost. Just snap off the bristles.

And, once you’ve got those big switches under your belt, you can think about soap, moisturiser, body scrub, shampoo…slow and steady wins the race though, that’s a few months down the line perhaps.

Storage: reuse

We’re the first to admit here at Sansaar that we binge watched The Home Edit; the colour coordinating is right up our street. But do we need to purchase matching plastic containers to store our bathroom items in? Eh, no! We do not.

  1. Use glass jars of varying sizes. Keep those glass yoghurt pots or pasta sauce jars, peel the labels off… and voila. Fill them with your makeup brushes, bath bombs or plastic free hair ties. Not only are they a cheap, environmentally friendly use of pre-used jars, but they look good too.
  2. Use an old saucer for your soap. If your house (or your Grandma’s) is anything like ours there’s always a tea set or two with an uneven number of saucers. And we love some mismatchy matchy. Sansaar’s Kara currently has a turquoise dish holding her peppermint and poppy seeds soap. The turquoise with the black trim really pop in her otherwise plain white bathroom. Sounds quite posh doesn’t it? Or you could try an eco friendly soap saver pad or pouch.
  3. Invest in some homemade or vintage hessian baskets. We love some of the beautiful UK based shops on Etsy, but a little trip to your local car boot sale or charity shop may unveil some treasures too.

Cleaning: keep it simple

You don’t need lots of expensive, chemical-ly smelling products to keep your bathroom sparkling clean.

By ditching the plastic bottled factory produced products from your cleaning regime (remember, it only needs to be one at a time!) you will be taking steps in reducing your plastic waste while saving yourself some much needed cash too. AND you’ll have a lovely smelling, hygienically clean bathroom too. Bonus!

We love this tip from cleaning expert Carolyn Forte to make an all purpose cleaning spray. You’ll need:

  • one part vinegar
  • one part water
  • lemon rind
  • rosemary sprigs.

Pop all in a spray bottle, shake and allow it to infuse for a week before using.

We’ve tried it and it really is great for removing hard water stains on the shower screen and around the taps and plug.

Plants: add some oxygen

Ok, so adding some foliage isn’t a way to rid your bathroom of plastics is it? But at Sansaar we love leafy additions to the home so we couldn’t help mentioning this here.

They help purify the air and give a spa like ambience – what is not to love?

This is a great explanatory video from Lauren at Indoor Gardening which gives the low down on bathroom friendly plants. Our favourite is a fern!

We’d love to hear how you are getting on in reducing plastic from your home and body one change at a time. We’ve got some great sustainable purchase options for you here at Sansaar to help you on your journey. Check us out.

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