the low down on green living
February 11th, 2008
How To Tuesday: Green Your Bathroom
We all use a significant amount of water and power in our bathrooms– so there are plenty of ways to save resources by greening your bathroom. You can also improve your health by using non-toxic cleaners and personal products. Here is a list of ten ways you can embrace a green bathroom.
1. Save water and power in the shower. After toilets and clothes washing machines, showers are next up as residential water hogs. Today’s low-flow showerheads are comfortable and have great water pressure. Don’t think you have to give up a great shower to save water and power! You can save 3,000 gallons of water per person per year with these heads. They also reduce your power use by cutting your demand for hot water. Check out efficient shower heads here.
2. While you’re at it, why not take a shorter shower? You can easily get clean in under five minutes. And if you want to relax in hot water, take a bath. It uses less water than taking a long shower.
3. Use skylights or compact fluorescent lighting. A skylight saves you power for as long as you own your home. Or if you prefer electric light, make sure to use compact fluorescent or LED bulbs. Find energy-efficient lighting options here.
4. Turn off the sink while you’re brushing your teeth.
5. Consider a tankless water heater. A tankless water heater gives you a triple-whammy – you save energy (no water losing heat in the tank), water (shorter wait for the water to heat up on those cold mornings), and reduce carbon dioxide emissions (courtesy of less energy use). Not only will you save every time you use hot water in your house, but you’ll have all that extra space to put those mops and brooms where the water heater used to be! Find tankless water heaters here.
6. Get a low-flush toilet. On average, toilets are the single largest use of water inside of a house, and older models can use up to 5x as much water as state-of-the-art versions. Cut back by installing an ultra-low-flush toilet.
7. Get greener cleaners. Today’s non-toxic cleaners work great, smell good and don’t harm the environment. And you won’t be breathing in chemical fumes while you clean the tub. Find green cleaners here.
8. Use non-toxic soaps, shampoos and other personal care products. Remember that your skin is your body’s biggest organ, and it soaks up whatever chemicals we put on it. See healthy personal care product here.
9. Use eco-friendly towels and textiles. Organic cotton, hemp and now even bamboo-based textiles are better for the earth and healthier for you. See towels here.
10. If you are building the new bathroom of your dreams, help the planet at the same time! Consider cabinets, flooring, tiles and countertops made of recycled and renewable resources. See counters here, flooring here, and find cabinets here.
Comments
Megan
February 12th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I recently renovated my bathroom and used some neat green products: fluroscent bulbs–they even make them for vanity lighting now and I used Carlisle Wide Plank Floors wood flooring (www.wideplankflooring.com) over a radiant heating system. On another note, I only use Pureology shampoo and conditioner which is completely Vegan and organic.
Karen
February 13th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
My suggestion: purchase smaller sized bath towels, hand towels and wash cloths. It does not take a towel the size of a bed sheet to dry yourself. This saves natural resources like cotton or petroleum products used to make the towels. Additionally it takes much less water and energy takes to wash and dry these items. And since you are drying your clean body, consider using your bath towel more than one time.
matt
February 16th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
Great post - and good to know we do many of these things.
One pseudo-Grey Water move I use is to place a bucket in the shower to collect the water that comes out cold at first. Once you fill it up (in our house, it’s once per shower!), take it outside to water your flowers, plants, etc.
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