It seems the environmental impacts of all our actions, relating to almost anything we do as a society and as individuals is under increasing scrutiny. The pressure to live an eco-friendly existence can be quite a weight to carry. After all, it's difficult to understand as individuals how we make a noteworthy impact.
In truth, impacts can be made everywhere. In the choices you make in your home, even in the decisions you make about your bathroom.
There's much that can be addressed and improved even within the bathroom. Everything from the toilet you use to the cleaning products that clean that toilet. In this article we'll take a look at the implications of decisions that are made specifically in the bathroom. We'll take a look at how the bathroom can be the epicentre for change and the beginning of an understanding which can be both eco-friendly, but money saving aswell.
Eco-Friendly Means Money Saving
It may sounds dramatic, but it's true. All aspects of your bathroom can and will have some kind of environmental impact. The key lies in understanding where improvements can be made and their benefits.
You'll be surprised to hear that choosing the right toilet will make one of the largest differences and can bring quantifiable value, aswell as looking brilliant of course.
Looking at dual flush technology, you'll have two flush buttons instead of one. Your usual flush and an extra flush button. This extra button has the capabilities to reduce the water you use when flushing by up to 50%.
With an increasing population where fresh water globally has already been lacking for some time, those of you with keen to reduce any detrimental impact upon this situation will be happy to hear this.
With the average British person estimated to be using a pretty startling 150 litres of water a day, this can become costly. If you take into consideration that it's estimated that around 30% of this amount is associated with use of the toilet, the benefits of a toilet that uses 50% less water soon becomes clear. The savings of a dual flush toilet will begin right away, many are available with long guarantees you can feel assured of superior quality too.
Another design development revolutionising the world of toilets are rimless toilets. In the image above you can see one first hand. With no rim, this makes the toilet more hygienic and far easier to clean. The benefits don't end there though.
With an innovative direct flush technique, giving a more thorough covering of water in the pan. equating to less water being used than a traditional toilet, also benefiting your bank balance.
What Measures Can You Take to Reduce Your Impact On the Environment?
There's endless ways to reduce any adverse effects that your bathroom has on the environment. If you're about to install a new bathroom there's choices to be made. Armed with all the information it may have a positive influence on the choices you make. Providing a positive outcome for both you and the environment.
Extractor fans are a necessity in most bathrooms. They do a vital job in reducing the moisture in a room which encounters the most moisture in the home. Many modern extractor fans are available with timers and with LED or energy efficient lightbulbs. The benefits of the energy efficient lights is plain to see for everyone. The relevance of the timer may not be immediately apparent though.
With the use of the timer you can make sure once the fog's cleared the fan switches off. The majority of modern extractor fans are supplied with humidity sensors aswell. Ensuring the fan stays on for as long as its required.
Keeping Your Bathroom Warm
Sometimes it seems an impossible task to heat a bathroom, or perhaps that's just us. Insulation can be one of the most beneficial elements which you can incorporate into your bathroom. Retaining warmth means your home stays heated for longer, uses less energy to keep it warm and so also saves you money - everyone's a winner!
Looking at heating specifically, dual fuel technology can be extremely beneficial for the environment. Bathrooms can be cold even on a summer's day, even when the rest of the home requires no heating.
It's in moments like these where dual fuel technology can be your saviour. Allowing you to heat your radiator/ towel rail independently from the rest of your home. With the ability to heat with both your mains and central heating, the power will lie in your hands.
Where the dual fuel technology will come into play is during the warmer days, when heating the entire home isn't necessary. That doesn't mean your bathroom will be warm though. Jumping out of the shower can still be a winter like experience.
A towel warmed through via the mains, giving you the comfort intended but without the wasted energy or extra cost of heating your home via the central heating.
What About Eco-Friendly Manufacturing?
Understandably, looking back to the manufacturing process and the raw materials that have been used to create each item tends to be neglected. For many it's not something which is even taken into consideration.
You may be surprised to hear that even the most luxurious of items can created with both decadence and the environment in mind. An example of such an item, you can see below. A pretty amazing feature for any bathroom in its own right.
Couple this with the fact that it's manufactured from multiple materials that are robust, non toxic and eco-friendly. So, you can buy a stunning bath and know you've had an impact for good at the same time.
It's not just for the most exclusive of products though, there's showerheads, taps and much more that can have a positive impact environmentally. With contemporary products it's becoming very prominent.
Everything doesn't always have to be new
If you want to look an eco-friendly bathroom, it doesn't have to be all be about large expenses and revolutionary cleaning methods. It can be very simple. Even looking at the somewhat wasteful nature of modern society reveals areas where inroads to a more environmentally conscious way of living can begin.
The idea of up-cycling has become more and more prominent in recent years. The basis of the idea lies in giving a second hand item a new lease of life. It's a job for those with an imaginative nature. Up-cycling isn't just beneficial for the environment in reducing waste. You'll also end up with a piece of bespoke furniture, a reflection of your individuality.
For example, a bedroom cabinet could be adapted to act as a vanity unit. Though that's one example, we'll leave the rest to you, after all the fun lies in the creation.
Bathroom cleaning products and the environment
Bathroom cleaners that are eco-friendly and good for your health tend to go hand in hand. One common misconception of such cleaners is that for the purpose they were intended, they won't perform as well as their better known counterparts. At one time this may have been true, but nowadays this certainly isn't the case.
Not only are many bathroom cleaners containing various potentially dangerous chemicals but when the remnants of the cleaner are washed away when you're finished, where do they go? Sure, the majority of what's left will be filtered out, but some will remain. With that, there's potential for a build up of toxins in the water supply and far reaching implications in a world where fresh water is already at a deficit.
What are the alternative, eco-friendly options?
In the past considering the environment when making decisions like which household cleaners to use didn't come into the equation for most. For decisions across all aspects of life this is changing. Having an eco-friendly bathroom is no exception.
You'll be glad to hear that there's options aplenty. They'll be environmentally friendly cleaners you've got at home already. There's a chance that most won't be aware of their cleaning benefits. You can use vinegar as all purpose cleaner for example, with anti-bacterial qualities and the ability to clean most surfaces in the home. Without the chemicals and toxins many store bought cleaners contain.
A few more unexpected household items that can double as cleaning agents in your bathroom are baking soda, lemon and toothpaste.
There's a multitude of options available to you. There's plenty of natural cleaning products available to you for every room in your home. Looking at bathrooms specifically there are lots of brands who create fantastic cleaning products that are eco-friendly. There's brands such as Seventh Generation, Faith in Nature and a Drench favourite Ecover.
We do practice what we preach here, in the Drench kitchen area, there's always a bottle of Ecover washing up liquid nearby.
Ecover offer a range of environmentally friendly cleaning products, including a bathroom cleaner. So try it out, small changes to your lifestyle can lead to wide reaching results.
Here's hoping this has planted a seed in your mind and an eco-friendly bathroom is simply just the beginning.
