In any design project for your home, the first important step is to determine your desires and needs. Think what space do you like to have and what will make your everyday life better. If we speak about bathrooms, maybe more storage will be ideal for you at this moment, organized drawers or fluffly new towels, or why not, a more natural environment. Whether you have an extra small bathroom which is a purely functional space or you are among the lucky owners of a spa-like retreat, to turn it into an eco-friendly room it requires many important changes to do. If your budget allows, of course you can transform the entire appearance of your bathroom from fixtures to the tiniest things to be truly environmentally friendly, but in case you haven’t that much money and you want to update it slowly, with smaller changes first, here are some simple makeover ideas to replace your bathroom accessories.
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1. Keep unwanted and dangerous toxins out of your bathroom by choosing paint without harmful chemicals, odors, or added solvents. Based in most of the cases on water formulas, milk protein formulas, etc., these paints are almost odorless non-toxic, non-flammable. The poisonous ingredients such as ammonia and formaldehyde, which continue to be released into the air for many years after application, are removed from such paints that meet the strictest green standards and replaced with natural ingredients such as china clay, lime putty and linseed oil, while colors are derived from natural pigments. Looking for paints and colorants that don’t release VOC (volatile organic compounds) or has significantly reduced them, it doesn’t mean you sacrifice the color quality of the paint and won’t find what color combinations you want. On the contrary, you’ll be suprised to know that also these eco-friendly options offer an infinite user-friendly color palette, which provide the coverage and durability you expect from a premium paint.
2. Furniture finishes are another similar subject when it comes to materials that contains undesirable chemicals which do more harm than good in a bathroom. With plans to transform your bathroom into a more eco-friendly environment, it would be a good idea to look for shelving made from bamboo instead of laminated wood. Besides the fact that it exudes natural beauty, unfinished bamboo works well in a humid space like a bathroom too, while lots of wood-like materials are often treated with polyurethane finish.
Photo @theholdingcompany.co.uk
3. Another thing to get rid of is your liner or shower curtain, whether it’s made of plastic or PVCs. Difficult to breakdown and to recycle, PVCs is toxic and surprise: it’s found almost in everything from household such as vinyl shower curtains, vinyl flooring, children’s toys and even in lotions and perfumes. The „new plastic” smell released from the very start you open the packaging is actually toxic gases, not to mention that it isn’t at all a good idea to to wash plastic or vinyl curtains, since detergents and heat could release toxins more quickly. So, there are two eco-friendly options to choose from to avoid potentially harmful compounds given off by the plastic: a) look for shower curtains made with PEVA (polyethylene vinyl acetate), which is a stable vinyl product that doesn’t cause any health problems and doesn’t contain any risky air polluants, or b) for completely eliminate the health concerns, install organic cotton or hemp fabric shower curtain ideal for this high-humidity room. The only downside in choosing hemp curtains is that they don’t come in fun colors, only in white and „natural”, at least for the moment.
4. Think twice before purchase your bath towels next time. As they are an essential bathroom accessory, towels fulfill an important function and in the same time express your personal style. If until now you’ve bought towels taking into account their price, color and design, from now on, think firstly on how good they are for your health. The only sensible choice is to opt for organic towels made with natural fibres such as cotton, organic bamboo and hemp, if you want to create not only a more green bathroom, but also to be more eco-conscieous. They are more absorbant and softer, offering a higly protection to your skin. Moreover, they can last for a long time, offering a quality after-bath-experience over and over again. Although they are more expensive then the usual ones, consider them an investment to your family’s wellbeing and comfort, not to mention it’s a good choice for the environment too.
Photo @luxorlinens.com
5. Your toothbrush can be also a product from your bathroom to reconsider, if we think how many plastic waste we are adding to the landfills. As hundred of choices we make everyday have an impact on the environment, looking for a more green solution for our toothbrushes can be a simple change with a big effect on long term. Recycled plastic toothburshes which can be sent back to the manufacturer for further recycling, or bamboo toothbrushes seems to be an ideal choice since they are don’t pollute the space and are biodegradable, and environmentally sustainable as well.
