Welcome to the week! Thanks for the input on the rugs last Friday. We still haven't fully decided, and in fact we're punting a bit, deciding to funnel the rug budget into some bookshelves for the office. Which means I'll get to obsess some more, and maybe work with what we've got for awhile.
Normally, I try to post something decor-related on Monday, but I'm in the middle of adding some much-needed storage to our bathroom, which I'll hopefully be ready to post soon! In the meantime, today I thought I'd share a few things we're doing to make our bathroom routine a bit greener.
Three easy ways to make your bathroom routine a bit greener
We're always trying to make our routines, all over the house, as green as possible. The bathroom is no exception. Here are some products and methods we've recently switched to.
1. Greener toilet tissue. So toilet paper is a fun topic, but when it comes to paper products, we try to be pretty serious about making the choice with the least impact possible. The NRDC has a great list of paper products that breaks down the amount of post-consumer recycled content, bleach processes and the like. I think it's a great place to start if you want to choose the best toilet paper. Unfortunately - possibly because it's still new - Scott Naturals Tube-Free, which we've recently started using, doesn't show up on the list. But, it, and the packaging it comes in, are both comprised of some recycled materials, and it appears to be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which has a series of laudable principles. There are other brands with more recycled content, so we may switch back to one of those (7th Generation being a long-time favorite). But for now, we love, love, love the tube-less thing. I know it might seem silly, but it's seriously nice not have to deal with the tube. Like, seriously nice. Ideally, 7th Generation or the other green lines will take note and go tubeless as well, so we can have the best of all worlds.
2. Natural cleaners. We haven't purchased dedicated bathroom cleaner for a long time - the smells and the chemicals always seemed unnecessary when there was bleach available. But, about a year ago, we decided to try our hand at going bleach free, as well. This is not a light thing - I was a bleach looooover before. I love the smell, and the white sheets and the white tub, and the smell. I'm aware that that's weird. But I figured I'd see if I/we can live without it, and so far, so good. In the bathroom, we've replaced bleach with two main concoctions. The first is hydrogen peroxide plus baking soda. The combo, which I mix into a paste (maybe 50/50), spread on the tub and let sit for at least 30 minutes, cleans the tub at least as well as bleach. For the rest of the bathroom, I use a mixture of Dawn dish soap (about 2 tablespoons), white vinegar (about a cup) and hot water (about a cup). In the toilet, I pour about a cup of white vinegar, let sit for a while and then scrub.
3. Bamboo Toothbrushes. I was a pretty dedicated battery-powered toothbrush user, but we've recently switched to these bamboo toothbrushes. There are more than one brand of these, and they all seem to be really attentive to their eco footprint, from sustainably harvesting to packaging to shipping. I really like having left the oil-based plastic and needless tossing of batteries aside.
So those are three easy ways we've made our bathroom routine a bit greener. Seriously, I actually think they were easy, even the switch to homemade cleaners. Now I'm looking into the remainder of the routine, including things like cotton swabs and toothpaste and dental floss (I'll throw out that I'm not a huge Tom's of Maine fan, but I'm always open to positive feedback)! If you've got any favorite brands or techniques, share with us!
Happy Monday!