5 Ways To Be Green At Home -- The Bathroom

I've started a new series called "5 Ways To Be Green At Home".  Each posting will include suggestions for a different room/area of the house.  They are by no means the only ways, but the first five ways that come to mind.  For the most part, the suggestions don't require much effort and may be things that you're already doing and you don't realize it.

You may have heard the saying: "If it's yellow, let it mellow.  If it's brown, flush it down."  While you may not want to be that drastic, the bathroom has a lot of potential for change to the green lifestyle.  The following are ideas that will be good for the environment and good for your bank account.

1.  Add simple aerators to your showers heads and faucets.  This will add air to the water coming out, without changing the pressure.  Ultimately, it will reduce the amount of water that you use in the bathroom.

2.  The bathroom is a common place for a nightlight.  Make sure your nightlight has a light-sensitive sensor on it, so it will turn off automatically when it is light in the room; and turn on when it's dark.  Also, look for an LED light versus the standard light bulb, to lower electricity usage even further.

3.  If you don't already have one, install a hook or towel bar near the shower or tub.  After bathing and drying off, hang your towel to dry and reuse it again for the next shower/bath.  Less laundering will save on electricity, water, and detergent.  Best of all, your towels will not be worn out as quickly.

4.  At my last dental check-up, the dentist advised me that the dental picks for flossing can be used more than one time.  Rinse them off, similar to your toothbrush, and reuse them 3-4 times before tossing.

5. Instead of using the bath gels and hand soaps that come in plastic bottles, use the standard bar soap.  Bar soap cleans just as well and the packaging is much better for the environment (no plastic bottles to dispose of). 

6.  Speaking of plastic bottles, have a small trash can for recycling next to the regular garbage can.  There are many items in the bathroom that can be recycled, including: shampoo bottles, soap bottles, medicine bottles, toilet paper tubes, kleenex boxes, and more. 

I know this is more than 5 ways, but I decided they're all worth including. Hope you find at least one idea to incorporate into your daily routine!