10 Simple Swaps to Make Your Bathroom More Sustainable

1. Switch to Bar Soap Where Possible

It’s no secret that we are huge advocates for bar soaps at REV! Switching to bar soap is one of the simplest ways to reduce your plastic usage as many of them come in no packaging or packaging that is recyclable and plastic-free.

Bar soaps don’t have to be for just hands and body! As we continue to expand our zero waste collection we have recently added some beautiful natural bars for face and hair cleansing.

2. Try Plastic-Free Dental Care

Brushing your teeth twice a day, everyday using toothpaste packaged in plastic results in a lot of plastic waste for just one person! Luckily, our favourite eco dental line Georganics offer many sustainable and natural alternatives including toothpaste tablets, natural toothpaste, dental floss and mouthwash, all packaged in glass or recyclable materials!

Georganics only use natural ingredients in their products and skip on any synthetic chemicals that could be detrimental to both your health and the environment.

3. Opt For Toilet Tissue That Cares

Not only does conventional toilet tissue come packaged in plastic, but it can often contain a lot of synthetic fragrance and colours – not something we want! Our toilet paper of choice at REV is PlantPaper, their toilet paper is made out of 3-ply, silky soft FSC-Certified bamboo. The best thing about bamboo is that the more bamboo that is harvested, the faster it grows. A bamboo grove may be able to produce as much 10x more usable fibre for paper than a forest of equivalent size. Bamboo stores up to 40% of its carbon underground, carbon that remains intact even when it’s harvested. This is why we love Bamboo and PlantPaper!

4. Flush Just The Once

Save the planet and your dignity at the same time. Simply place a few drops of the Haeckels courtesy flush into the toilet and flush once. Formulated with sweet fennel oil and safflower, this product is designed to rid your bathroom of any lingering smells in the most natural way. Any brand of flush drops would make a great quirky gift!

5. Clean With Biodegradable Scrubbers...

Conventional cleaning tools like sponges and scrubbers are made of 100% synthetic, plastic materials that when discarded will pollute landfills and oceans for thousands of years. There are lots of plastic-free, biodegradable alternatives that clean just as well so you can completely rid single-use plastic from your cleaning box

Some of our favourite online stores to buy eco cleaning products from are Wearth London,  Eco Vibe and Peace With The Wild.

6. ...And Without Toxins

We believe it is so important to ensure that the products we clean with are non-toxic and as natural as possible, to protect both our health and the health of the planet. Chemicals found in conventional cleaning products can irritate or cause sensitive skin problems like eczema and even respiratory problems like asthma [Source: Tincture London].

We love Branch Basics products because they carry the MADE SAFE® seal, the most comprehensive safety standard available, which certifies they are made without 5,000+ toxic chemicals known to harm human and environmental health.

7. Reuse & Reuse Again

It’s no secret that face wipes, cotton rounds and ear buds are huge contributors to landfill and ocean waste pollution. Conventional ear buds and face wipes are made with plastic materials, but there is a whole other issue with cotton rounds due to the vast amounts of water, pesticides and chemicals used in cotton production [source: Euro News].

Whilst sourcing organic and natural versions of these products is an improvement, we believe that choosing reusable alternatives is an even better swap! One of our favourite lines to find reusable beauty products is Tabitha Eve. Their make up pads are made from organic cotton and bamboo and can be easily washed and reused!

8. Invest in a Bamboo Toothbrush

Every year over a billion plastic toothbrushes are thrown away worldwide, ending up in landfill, in the sea or washed up on a beach [source: Truthbrush]. The Truthbrush is  a wonderful alternative – beautiful and luxurious as well as biodegradable. The rounded ergonomic handle is crafted from sustainable, organic bamboo which is naturally anti bacterial.

If you prefer an electric toothbrush, Georganics offer an eco alternative alongside their Zero To Landfill scheme which allows you to send back any Georganics products and components that cannot be composted or recycled at home.

9. Lose the (Plastic) Loofah

Exfoliation is one of our favourite self-care rituals to help us achieve soft skin and preserve our healthy summer glow. However, a lot of tools for body exfoliation are actually made of plastic materials (exfoliating gloves and loofahs, we are looking at you).

So, we recommend opting for a natural, biodegradable skin brush instead! Some of our favourite come from Basho Skin, Glasshouse Salon, and Stass and Co. Read our editorial all about skin brushing here.

10. Curate Your Beauty Cabinet Carefully

Unfortunately, most beauty products are still packaged in plastic and contribute to the tonnes of plastic waste that enter landfill and our beautiful oceans every minute. It has been reported that the beauty industry creates 120 billion units of plastic every year! By curating our beauty and skincare collections to be plastic-free we can make a huge difference to the amount of plastic we consume on a personal level.

Not to mention, those labels who care about the packaging they use are usually those who also care about the ingredients of the product inside! We curate our beauty collection to be as natural and sustainable as possible – a healthier choice for your skin and for the planet too!