Sustainable Ethical Interiors – Bathrooms 2024

After the kitchen the bathroom is where most people make sustainable living changes, switching to bamboo toothbrushes, recycled toilet paper and homemade toothpaste. Here’s a guide to some ways you can reduce your carbon footprint in this most sacred of spaces.

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I tried bamboo toothbrushes but couldn’t cope with the sensation of wood in my mouth so switched back to the electric toothbrush I had.

The Danish brand Jordan are making recycled plastic toothbrushs with bioplastic bristles, electric toothbrush heads made from recycled plastic & bioplastic bristles, FSC certified toothpicks and vegan floss in a paper box. All products are packaged in recycled paper, plastic-free packaging. You can now buy them from quite a few pharmacies around the country.

You can also buy recyclable electric toothbrush heads from Live Coco, who hope to recycle them once they get enough supply. You can buy directly from the company or from Holland and Barrett stores. There’s also a brand made from plant-based plastic from the German company Tiomatik, which I’ve seen on sale in Irish retailers. They don’t appear to have a recycling scheme set up for it.

Source is toothbrush made from recycled plastic, this time with a replaceable head made from plant-based plastic, which I’ve been told lasts much longer than standard toothbrush heads, i.e. more than 6 months. At the moment it can only be bought via Amazon, from the US but maybe that’ll change.

Electric toothbrushes are also becoming more sustainable and now we have a repairable plant-based plastic electric toothbrush with recyclable head by the UK based company Sustainable Rituals

I tried a myriad of recipes for DIY toothpaste but all of them my mouth feeling unclean and with a nasty after taste. I recently came across one that doesn’t make me gag. I’m in the process of tweaking it and I’ll publish the recipe once I’m happy with it.  I tried toothpaste tablets and biodegradable floss but really didn’t like either and couldn’t bear the sensation of the floss.

For options around toilet paper check out my article on Eco Toilet Paper

Fixtures and Fittings
The most impact you can have in terms of sustainability in bathrooms is the amount of water you can save.  It makes complete sense for us to be using grey water (water from washing machines and showers) to flush our toilets but best of luck finding a plumber out there who knows how to do this, particularly in an existing house. So we can only do our best with fixtures and fittings that help us reduce our water usage.

The Toilet – When choosing a toilet (or WC in architecture speak) choose one with a dual flush that allows you to use the least amount of water necessary for the job. I’m very tempted to invest in a retrofitted bidet fitting for the toilet like the one from the aptly named bumgun! Not only will it save on single-use toilet paper I think it’s more hygienic too. Alternative designs that works inside the bowl like that from Boss Bidet are available too.

Another way to save water usage when choosing a toilet is to go with one that combines the cistern with the sink, like this one by Spanish company Roca. There are a few retailers of Roca in Ireland so just Google the name Roca and Ireland.

Taps – Apart from tips like not leaving the tap running when you’re washing your teeth, or catching water as you run it hot or cold to reuse instead of fresh water tap aerator make water go further by mixing it with air. Most modern taps come with aerators but you can buy separate aerators if you need them.

Showers – Rainfall type shower heads emit a huge amount of water when they’re used so be mindful of how long you spend under them or switch to a water-saving version, and if you’re really hard core, it’s even possible to now buy a shower that recycles your shower water.

If you’re currently using an immersion to heat your showers consider switching to an electric shower. When you think about it most people put their immersion on for 20-30 mins before having a shower, whereas an electric shower will only be on for 4-5 minutes so it’s far more efficient.

Flooring

Tiles – There’s very few options when it comes to sustainable finishes for bathrooms. I did manage to find a few brands of tiles that have received an Ecocert, including some from Porcelanosa, a brand stocked by Tilestyle in Dublin 24. The company would have received an Ecocert for their products by demonstrating a reduced impact of extraction on habitats and natural resources, reduced energy consumption of production processes, improved consumer information and waste management and less packaging.

There are two more ‘green-ish’ options to consider when considering flooring finishes. I say green-ish because, although processed with chemicals they are made from a renewable plant source and not oil.

Linoleum – This is a product made from linseed oil and flax, which are renewable and will grow back within 10 years. It is also said to biodegradable although, give the colour of it and the fact that it’s treated with synthetic chemicals, I’d be keen to know about any toxins left in the soil after it has broken down. One of the makers of linoleum, Forbo, recycle offcuts of their linoleum product (Marmoleum) back into the product. I asked the supplier of Marmoleum in Ireland for results of their test into the biodegradability of their product but they stopped answering my emails when I asked for test results. I did however find a webpage that stated that Forbo’s Marmoleum 2.5mm is now independently EPD confirmed as CO₂ neutral, without the need for carbon offsetting. In simple terms, this means that the CO₂ produced in the extraction, transportation and manufacturing process of Marmoleum 2.5mm is balanced by the removal of CO₂ through the growing of its natural ingredients such as flax, jute and rosin.

Cork Flooring – This material is made by harvested cork by hand when the tree is 25 years old and then every 9 years leaving the tree undamaged and able to grow new bark. It is a renewable material which helps sustain the economy of rural Portugal, where the trees grow. Like linoleum it’s unclear if the final product, which is typically coated with plastic, is biodegradable. Again I emailed an Irish supplier but they failed to respond.

Vinyl Flooring – is made from PVC and so doesn’t spring to mind when you think of eco-floors, but the vinyl flooring manufacturer Tarkett now has a range called IQ Natural that is partly made with plant-based plastic, is fully recyclable and is made with renewable energy in Sweden. As far as I’m aware they’re not taking back vinyl for recycling in Ireland.

Towels
The most obvious regular purchase for a bathroom, apart from toiletries, is going to be towels – although we’ve managed to get a good 20 years out of ours, and as I’ve said before for all new items, only buy if you absolutely need to.

To find out Where to buy organic cotton towels in Europe visit this article

Accessories

I simply adore the tactile nature of wooden light pulls especially if made from sustainably grown Irish wood like these Irish yew ones by Brendan Bannon Woodturning or these lovely wooden light pulls, made in the UK and finished with natural oils, from Dojo Eco in the UK.

The Swedish brand Irish Hantwerk make a range of cleaning tools, including personal cleaning tools, from sustainable grown timber, metal and / or natural fibres. From it’s foundation in the late 1900s every brush is made by hand by visually impaired craftsmen.

One of the easiest zero waste switches is from liquid soap to soap bars, but what to rest them on? Some people use an upturned nailbrush or loofah but one of the cutest, options I’ve seen is to use a flat pebble as as soap dish but I’ve kids so this would never work in my house.

Ceramic soap dishes are easy to find, popular, affordable, and long lasting, as is stone, albeit a bit more expensive. Glass soap dishes are another option and you can get recycled glass versions from Dojo Eco in the UK.

Wooden soap dishes have become popular in recent years and I’ve tested quite a few. In my experience most wooden soap dishes blacken quickly, particularly the ones made from bamboo. I did get one a few years ago that didn’t blacken as quickly but not sure where it was bought. You can get some nice wooden soap dishes from

• Lucy’s Soap Kitchen – (Ireland, wooden soap dishes)
• Wild Atlantic Wood (Ireland – wood soap dishes made from locally sourced wood)
• Emma’s Soap Shop (UK – wooden soap dishes, see image above)

In France it’s very popular to stick in a magnet into your bar of soap and use a wall-mounted soap holder in stead of a soap dish. I’ve found two suppliers of these magnetic soap holders in Ireland Donegal Natural Soap and Gubby Soap

If you prefer liquid soap, don’t worry, I’ve given an easy peasy recipe for making liquid soap from a bar here.

E

PS – Check out my other articles on Sustainable Ethical Interiors on Living Rooms and Bedrooms