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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Cutting down on plastic in the bathroom

86 replies

Figmentofmyimagination · 17/01/2018 18:04

This is my NY resolution as we seem to have so many plastic bottles in the bathroom. I'm trying to switch us back to bars of hard soup (very 70s) for hand washing - Joseph do a nice soap dish on an angle, so the soap doesn't sit in its own puddle and get soggy and gross, and I'd like to find some nice, giant-sized shampoo, conditioner and shower gels - say 1000 ml. - or bigger still if they are refillable. Does anyone know of any business doing refillable toiletries or have other good ideas? My other idea is that I'm trying to encourage everyone to use cotton hankies instead of tissues but I'm facing a teen revolt over this.

OP posts:
caffeinequick · 17/01/2018 18:50

Lush do shampoo soap bars. I'm trying them now for the same reason as you and I'm pleased with the result.

BadlyParkedRangeRover · 17/01/2018 18:50

Currently using:
Lush 'new' shampoo bar, jungle conditioner bar and nesti dante cypress soap

BadlyParkedRangeRover · 17/01/2018 18:53

LOVE the jungle conditioner BTW. Not really a fan of the others

Snugglepiggy · 17/01/2018 18:56

I use Neals Yard 1 litre bottles,fully recyclable, bath and shower gel.Not the cheapest but last for months.The Orange and Geranium is a favourite. Having to cut costs recently,but these are products that I won't replace.Have stopped using bin liners,in bathroom and kitchen.The bin has a plastic inner that can easily be washed out and freshened with a bit of disinfectant .Also a bar of soap sits on my body shop nail brush to stop going soggy.No more plastic hand-wash bottles.

Skowvegas · 17/01/2018 19:20

How can I get rid of the plastic non-recyclable toothpaste tube? Is there a (not too weird) alternate to them?

I read the other day that the stand-up toothpaste tubes are recyclable whereas the squeezy ones aren't.

Don't quote me on that but maybe worth further research.

I bought tooth powder at a local hippy market before Christmas which probably isn't much help to anyone...

NannyR · 17/01/2018 19:26

I use a crystal deodorant stone which I've had for years, it works really well for me.

Tika77 · 17/01/2018 20:11

Bella I'm with you on that one. I used washable nappies for my kids when they were little but the handkerchief thing... can't do.

Out of Eden doesn't look bad price wise but I can't see the ingredients. Same with Lush, I also try to avoid sodium laureth/lauril sulfate and Lush products have them.

SimultaneousEquation · 17/01/2018 21:19

If you do opt for a proper soap dish the Joseph one is rather wonderful. It’s slanted so the water drains into a section at the base, and then you just tip it out later.

ugghhreally · 17/01/2018 21:35

We bought these a few years ago and refill them with shower gel / conditioner/ soap. Less waste and keeps everything neat too. www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B000FGI254?psc=1&smid=A8ULMJ6WKMLUI

Figmentofmyimagination · 17/01/2018 22:32

What's a crystal deodourant stone?

OP posts:
travailtotravel · 17/01/2018 22:37

I'd love it if we had a better range of super sized shampoos, or were able to do refills of shampoo on the high street.

Gotthetshirt23 · 17/01/2018 22:52

I'd like to swap to card centre cotton buds ....
Most are plastic ! Any ideas ?

BahHumbygge · 17/01/2018 22:58

See if your local health food store does refills - we can take along empty bottles and get Faith in Nature/Ecover etc shampoo, conditioner, shower gel refills.
thezerowaster.com/zero-waste-near-you/

Otherwise Lush shampoo bars are great, though gutted they no longer make the Ultimate Shine one any more.

Toothpaste - use less, you only need a pea sized amount to foam up and lubricate your brush. Advanced hippyness - you can make your own from a scoop of coconut oil, a scoop of bicarb, a couple of drops of peppermint oil. Take fluoride drops if that concerns you. Check out Lauren Singer for zero waste tips & recipes, who only produces one kilner jar worth of trash per year. Also read Bea Johnson - Zero Waste Home.

Deodorant - I use bicarb, just a pea sized amount applied to my clean pits with a damp face cloth. I add a few drops of lavender oil to a small pot full of bicarb. Honestly keeps me whiff free for 24 hours. I also used to use Neals Yard Lavender & Aloe spray in a glass bottle (though plastic pump). And Lush Aromoco deo bar. Have tried the crystal stone, but I didn't get on with it... others swear by it.

Loo roll... I've seen zero waste youtubers recommend "who gives a crap" which comes wrapped in paper. But then, you have to get it delivered in a large cardboard box, the emissions and waste packaging from that surely outweighs the benefits of a tiny reduction in plastic. So I just get standard recycled from Morrisons/sainsburys and use mindfully rather than mummifying my hand.

Shaving - get a stainless steel safety razor + job lot of razor blades. Keep the blade bone dry after use to prevent blunting from micro rust & each blade will last for ages. Use an empty travel sweet type tin to store the spent blades. Or get an epilator.

BlackForestCake · 17/01/2018 23:11

Eww cotton hankies are gross!

I’ll never understand how women who have borne babies can be so squeamish about bodily fluids!

How is snot on a hanky any worse than piss, sweat, blood, shit, vomit or anything else that we regularly wash out of our clothes?

comfortingcanopy · 17/01/2018 23:14

Grin Yes blackforest.

NotMeNoNo · 17/01/2018 23:26

Cotton hankies are fine for everyday and have been for centuries. Tissues maybe for when you have an actual continuous cold. All this "eww, yucky" has got us into this mess in the first place with thousands of disposable single use items.

LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett · 17/01/2018 23:31

Face cloths! No more cotton wool, and the wee hard corner does most of the make-up jobs a cotton bud can do.

What I'd really love though is a refillable low shampoo. Low shampoo is the same consistency as conditioner so it doesn't have SLS, which I figure is better for the environment (and certainly better for my hair and skin) but they only seem to come in pump action, non-refillable bottles which are so wasteful. Would love to hear any recs?

GardenGeek · 17/01/2018 23:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

brownelephant · 18/01/2018 07:31

I'd like to swap to card centre cotton buds ....
Most are plastic ! Any ideas ?

waitrose own brand

but don't just go buy new stuff - use up stuff first.

CheapSausagesAndSpam · 18/01/2018 07:34

I do'n't see how buying a dispenser cuts down on plastic if you're filling it from plastic bottles?

Aurea · 18/01/2018 08:35

Jason do a natural shower gel which is nearly a litre with a pump top.

thedevilinablackdress · 18/01/2018 08:53

Reusable cotton pads. Buy or make your own. Stick them in a wee laundry bag to wash.

Google 'zero waste bathroom' and you'll get loads of ideas, some do-able, some more extreme

PiecesOfHate · 18/01/2018 08:56

CheapSausages I came on to say exactly the same thing!
Also, some refill pack things (where they do exist, but I think it's relatively rare for toiletries) have plastic and thin metallic layer, so they are not recyclable, like tetrapaks. Normal plastic shampoo bottles are recyclable, though (where I live, anyway!), so it's difficult to see which is best. For me at any rate.

I have switched to hard soap (wrapped in paper). I find it gets me cleaner, keeps me dresser for longer and is super cheap compared to bottled hand wash or shower gel.: each bar lasts ages.

PiecesOfHate · 18/01/2018 08:57

*fresher for longer

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