Cutting down on plastic in the bathroom

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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.

The thing about using a large dispenser to refill bottles is that... remember from maths classes at school - large items have a much smaller surface area compared to their volume. Small items have a much larger surface area proportional to their volume. So it makes efficiency sense to buy the largest practical container, as it will use less plastic per 1ml shampoo/whatever and decant into a reusable bottle.

Another thing I've done is stop using any products to wash my face... I just use cold fresh tap water smoothed across my face. Then moisturise with a couple of drops of facial oil (from glass bottle).

Thanks, I get that Bah, but you could buy the largest practical container without decanting it into a dispenser... the dispenser or reusable bottle is an unnecessary extra in the equation, surely?

It would be a good to find a way of doing away with all those plastic bottles altogether.. though yes, bigger is better than smaller.

Well, if you're happy to take a giant container of shower gel into the shower like this, knock yourself out... I don't mean literally

Personally I'd prefer to decant it into a preexisting bottle we all have lying around once we finish up the old one.

I take your point, Bah

Thank you brownelephant !! Will go there when I run out 👍

I second faith in nature- if you .ca t get it refilled locally then buy your own 5l container.

Bar soaps - unwrap and place in your underwear drawer - the soap will harden off and last longer and in the meantime scent your undies!!

Also we try to use the same products for everyone to cut down on the mountains of half used bottles that some families have. So no his and hers and kids shower gels, just one family one.

I'm pretty sureJohnsons cotton buds are now made of paper?

I also recommend Dr Bronner's soap. I use it as a shower gel, hand wash and a home cleaner to clean surfaces, floors... It's also recommended as a dish wash but it didn't work for me.

1 litre bottle lasts for ages as it's concentrated. They also do brilliant soap bars wrapped in paper.www.drbronner.co.uk/tags/946ml-pure-castile-liquid-soaps.aspx?tag=946ml+PURE-CASTILE+LIQUID+SOAPS

The liquid soap does come in a plastic bottle, however if you use it as a multi purpose product, you would cut down on the number of cleaning products and toiletries.

You can try to get the small bottle first to see if you get on with it. They do different scents, my favourite are peppermint and the unscented version that I add essential oils to.

Bathroom cleaners! I like this one from "You" - you buy the first one as a standard spray bottle, and then you buy refills that are the size of a film canister, and top it up with water. It smells lovely, of almonds rather than pine or lemon, and it works, too. (I live in a very hard water area.)

The good thing about the refills is that not only do they use less plastic than a full-sized bottle, but that they weigh much less so their transportation is more energy-efficient. Plus, also, you can have a couple of refills at home in your bathroom cabinet and it takes up hardly any space.

www.ocado.com/webshop/product/You-Bathroom-Cleaner-100-Plant-Based/228087011

try these

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/500ml-Bathroom-Kitchen-Shower-Wall-Mount-Soap-Dispenser-Bottle-Shampoo-Gel-Pump/282785339531?hash=item41d751d88b:m:mKfC4UuuQINu8CtH2_X3gOQ

Have always used bars of soap instead of liquid stuff, didn't realise I was a refugee from the 70s!

Have always used bars of soap instead of liquid stuff, didn't realise I was a refugee from the 70s!

We have always used flannels to wash our face - it's funny to think how eco we have been.

i have always made my own face moisturiser too - aqueous cream and a few drops of bio oil in a little pot.

Will move onto paper cotton buds when we run out of plastic ones. Tesco own brand have moved to paper sticks.

You can rest your soap on a natural sponge. This way it dries out, and also provides a bit of soap ready for your next shower when you use the sponge. I do this and it works a treat. A bit like this -->> static4.businessinsider.com/image/553a403f69beddf56c439043-1200-924/soap-on-a-sponge.jpg

Or what you can also do is use an old make-up container for powder, and put soap in that. The container should keep the soap dry whilst the holes in at the bottom should let the soap dry out. Put the soap in a container like this -->> i.ebayimg.com/images/g/3bAAAOSwWLFZnUeR/s-l300.jpg

carex liquid hand wash now in refill size in supermarket soft plastic bag type thing open lid and squeeze in to empty plastic liquid soad bottle, very easy to refill and plastic bag type thing folds up small in recyling

All this talk of bigger bottles and taking your own containers to shops for a refill just encourages car use which is counterproductive, surely? I can't walk around with lots of big bottles and my own empty containers.

Not in the bathroom but the kitchen; I bought a massive catering sized bottle of washing up liquid which I keep in the understairs cupboard; I bought a large size of washing up liquid so far I've had it since late summer and have only just scraped the surface of it. It's still plastic but I was buying washing up liquid every week or two so it's saved a lot of plastic.

I'm trying to find a supplier for a massive shampoo and shower gel now so I can do the same.

Gwenwhyfar I think the bathroom cleaner I recommended upthread is for you, as the refills are tiny - the size of a film canister! I don't use a car and so anything that makes my shopping lighter is hugely helpful.

You can put little pebbles in the bottom of your soap dish and rest the bar on top of that. As long as you use nice smooth pebbles it also looks very hotel chic too.

Why does this feature in DOTD as 'cutting down in the bedroom!'

Not necessarily in the bathroom but plastic related.Just driven home alongside a river in full spate due to recent weather,so the water level much higher.All along the bank the lower branches of trees festooned with tattered bits of plastic bags and detritus.Just so depressing.Poor wildlife and what a blight on the environment. Seen some comments from before of what difference does it make ,almost pointless cutting back on plastics here and there.Sorry but lots of us making small changes to the way we use and dispose of plastic has to be a huge priority.Sorry just had to get that off my chest as came home feeling very dispirited.

Have always used bars of soap instead of liquid stuff, didn't realise I was a refugee from the 70s!

The reason I said this in my OP was because I was fondly emembering the four-packs of soap bars wrapped in see-through plastic my mum used to buy for sinks, bath time etc. The height of sophistication was the light brown one containing something masquerading as "wheatgerm" or "oatmeal".

There are so many ways in which we were more environmentally friendly as consumers in the past simply by default, because there was nothing better available.

I remember when combination shampoo and conditioner was suddenly all the rage in the early 80s, only to almost disappear, presumably because it meant we bought less.

I've switched to using crochet make up remover pads and a 3 ltr bottle of almond oil rather than cotton wool, cleanser or make up wipes. Loving the results so far.

Just because something can be recycled doesn't make it ok. The resources that go into making each plastic bottle are extensive and plastic can only be recycled a couple of times.

We have used bar soap for ages, just have a dish from Ikea which works really well. Glass with a little metal insert so it drips through, can go in the dishwasher.

Castille soap can be used for most things, Dr bronners is nice and tk Maxx often have a selection. Lasts for yonks.

Face wise I use one of those funny soft cloths that only need warm water to remove all make up, seems to do the job.

I cut up old clothes into tissue sized hankies and keep them in a glass jar, unless there is a streaming cold in the house they are used in place of tissues. Bigger bits as hankies. They go straight in the laundry, which is then washed so even if snot got on clothes the whole point of washing them is that they get clean anyway.

All this talk of bigger bottles and taking your own containers to shops for a refill just encourages car use which is counterproductive, surely?

If you're already in the car and going that way then how is it counterproductive?

Or is it easier just to throw your hands in the air and bemoan how impossible it is to make anything better in this world rather than just trying a little bit each day?