The bathroom is probably the easiest room in the house to make more environmentally friendly. If you start in the bathroom you’ll find you’ve removed so much plastic and an awful lot of chemicals as well. There are so many eco-friendly bathroom swaps you can make, from dental care to shampoos and toilet paper and more. I’m hoping this will be the most comprehensive list of eco-friendly bathroom swaps you’ll find, as most articles seem to include only 5 or 10 examples.
Before we get into it, it’s important that you don’t throw out everything you currently have in the bathroom. Only swap items when you need to otherwise you’re just contributing to unnecessary waste.
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20+ Eco-Friendly Bathroom Swaps
As more people become aware of their impact on the environment, companies are following suit by producing numerous products. Where a short while ago you only had a few options for eco-friendly bathroom swaps, these days you have a variety of different swaps to choose from.
1. Shampoo & Conditioner
-> Shampoo Bars or Shampoo in Zero Waste Packaging (Refills)
This is one of the easiest bathroom swaps to make but it can take a bit of getting used to if you choose shampoo bars. It took me a while to find a shampoo bar that I liked and that was good for my hair type. If a shampoo bar isn’t for you, try out liquid shampoo in glass or aluminium bottles. You can either recycle or reuse the bottles, something you can’t do with most plastic shampoo bottles.
2. Shower Gel
-> Soap Bars or Zero Waste Shower Gel
We’ve all become accustomed to having bathrooms filled with plastic bottles, but it really wasn’t that long ago when it was quite normal for the majority of us to use soap in the bath or shower. There are lots of different types of soap available in eco-friendly packaging and all with different fragrances and for a variety of skin types.
3. Soap Dish
If you find your bathroom full of far more soap bars than you’re used to, like I have, you’ll need some nice eco-friendly soap dishes to keep them in. There are several available but I do think that bamboo soap dishes look nice as well as being kind to the planet. And they keep your soap from going slimy.
4. Sponge or Shower Puff
-> Sisal Soap Saver or Cotton Shower Puff
It’s true that some sponges are natural, however most are synthetic meaning micro-plastics are probably being released with your bathwater. Instead get yourself a soup pouch or ‘soap saver’ made from sisal or instead of a synthetic shower puff, which I always used to use, get a natural cotton one instead.
5. Toilet Paper
-> Bamboo Toilet Paper / Recycled Toilet Paper, Bidet or Bidet Attachments / Cheeky Wipes
The easy option is to buy recycled toilet paper, unfortunately the more affordable recycled toilet paper generally comes in plastic packaging. You can get bamboo toilet paper which comes with or without individual paper wrapping, buy in bulk to save a bit of money. A good option is a bidet. No more toilet paper required at all! I actually use Cheeky Wipes these days, but these won’t be for everyone as they are basically reusable flannels.
Eco-Friendly Bathroom Swaps – Toilet Paper
6. Toothbrush
One of the most common recommendations made to people who are converting to a plastic free and zero waste lifestyle is a bamboo toothbrush. It’s worth checking exactly what the bristles are made of on any of the cheaper bamboo toothbrushes for sale, as they are often made of nylon. The best ones to buy have plant based bristles.
7. Toothpaste
-> Zero Waste Toothpowder / Toothpaste / Toothpaste Tablets / ToothSoap
You can now buy pastes and powders in glass jars and there’s even a tooth soap as well! I’m not sure how I feel about that one but I’m sure there are a lot of parents who’ll buy it just so they can tell their children to literally wash their mouth out with soap!
8. Floss
Most floss is made of nylon and comes in a plastic case, however you can buy natural floss in a glass jar and once it’s run out just buy the refill and reuse the jar.
9. Mouthwash
-> Mouthwash Tablets or Zero Waste Mouthwash
All the mouthwash you buy in the supermarket comes in plastic bottles, and like most hard plastic it can’t be recycled. Buy some toothpaste tablets, just dissolve them in water, or use an oil pulling mouthwash that comes in an aluminium bottle.
10. Interdental Brushes
Unfortunately I can’t find reusable interdental brushes but these ones are at least not completely made of plastic. They do have nylon bristles (BPA free), so they’re not perfect but they are a much better option for those who need to use them.
Eco-Friendly Bathroom Swaps – Dental Care
11. Lip Balm
More often than not lip balms come in the form of lipsticks in plastic containers, although it’s not hard to find lip balms in tins. Choose a lip balm in a tin rather than in a lipstick case to keep your lips nice and hydrated and landfills free of plastic.
12. Make-Up
There are a few brands that supply a lot of their make-up in reusable and recyclable packaging. You probably won’t find many of them in the usual high street shops, instead you need to look for their online shops. The company I’ve linked to – ‘Love The Planet’ – supply foundation, concealer, blushers and eyeshadows all in recyclable tins. They also send refills in compostable packaging.
13. Skincare
Eco-friendly skincare brands are again harder to find, it’s unlikely you’ll manage to have a completely plastic free skincare routine because many items will come with a lid made of plastic… but not all of them. Look for glass jars with aluminium lids wherever possible.
14. Cotton Balls / Rounds
I always used to have cotton rounds or cotton balls to remove any traces of make-up, but as they’re single use, and generally come in plastic, it was time to look for an alternative. Almost all online eco-friendly shops will sell reusable rounds.
15. Face Wipes
-> Bamboo Flannel or Cotton Flannel, Organic Cotton Muslins, Biodegradable Bamboo Wipes
It’s amazing how easily we’re convinced to buy something that we never considered before. Wipes suddenly appeared and became so popular that you can now buy them specifically for your face, for cleaning jobs, and even for bottoms. The problem is that a lot of people dispose of their wipes down the toilet and this just causes massive blockages in the sewerage systems, and they don’t biodegrade easily. Instead of facial wipes you can just use an eco-friendly flannel, i.e. made of organic cotton or bamboo.
16. Razor
-> Safety Razor
Possibly my favourite of all the eco-friendly bathroom swaps just because some safety razors really look nice. I’ve got a bamboo and steel safety razor and I couldn’t be happier with it. Although buying a safety razor is initially more expensive, over time it should cost much less.
17. Cotton Buds
-> Bamboo Cotton Buds or Reusable Ear Picks
Let me first say that I know you’re not supposed to use cotton buds in your ears, however I’m well aware that most people do. I mainly use cotton buds to put on eyeshadow if I’m perfectly honest so bamboo cotton buds are a great alternative. For those looking for a reusable ear pick there are a few different ones available, some made of silicone and some of steel.
18. Hair Brush / Comb
-> Wooden Hair Brush / Comb
What’s great is that you can now buy wooden hair brushes which also have wooden bristles. No more flimsy plastic bristles breaking off.
19. Hair Dye
19. Hair Dye-> Non-Toxic Vegan Hair Dye or Zero Waste Hair Dye
Buying a zero waste hair dye is extremely difficult unless you’re happy to use henna. Buying non-toxic and vegan hair dyes is getting much easier.
Read more about eco-friendly hair care
20. Nail Brush
One of my biggest problems with nail brushes has always been that the nylon bristles seem to break off, and as I use nail brushes in the sink that means bits of plastic going down the drain as well. That’s why I’ve ordered some wooden nail brushes with natural bristles.
21. Period Products
-> Menstrual Cups / Reusable Pads / Cotton Pads / Organic Cotton Tampons / Period Pants
With the amount of eco-friendly period products available there really is no excuse to use tampons with plastic applicators or sanitary towels that come individually wrapped in plastic. Menstrual cups are great, for those who can use them, but you can buy reusable pads and even reusable tampons. If reusable period products aren’t your thing, check out the organic cotton pads and tampons available.
Read more about plastic free periods
22. Towels
-> Bamboo or Organic Cotton Towels
Most towels are 100% cotton, but if it has a design on it make sure you know what materials have been used to create the design. Always check the label to make sure you’re buying something that is 100% natural and organic cotton is always much better than non-organic cotton.
23. Bath Mat
-> Natural Bath Mat; Bamboo, Cotton or Wooden
Many bath mats come with a ‘non-slip’ base, it’s this part of the bath mat that is likely to be less eco-friendly. You could buy a 100% organic cotton or bamboo bath mat, but why not consider a wooden one? Just make sure the wood is FSC certified.
24. Bathroom Cleaning Products
-> Plastic Free Cleaning Products
As well as looking for plastic free cleaning products it’s important to check out the ingredients. Many bathroom cleaners contain pretty nasty chemicals which probably aren’t good for your health and they’re certainly not good for marine life. You could try making your own cleaning products, find out more in the eco-friendly way to clean your bathroom.
As you can see it’s fairly easy to find eco-friendly bathroom swaps for most of the things you use every day. There are other ways to have an eco-friendly bathroom including saving water and reducing energy use.
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