Eco Friendly Bathroom Ideas

When doing a bathroom renovation consider updating more than just the fixtures and colors – go a step further and think about everything else you can change to make your bathroom more eco friendly.

Sustainable Materials

So many things are now being made from sustainable materials and that includes lumber, even cabinetry. You can also choose to buy towels and linens from the very fast growing bamboo tree – bamboo products are incredibly absorbant and have a natural anti-bacterial quality. If the product you seek isn’t eco friendly already, consider recycled materials such as glass and tile. Even a brand new shower enclosure can be showcased with an eco friendly or recycled material shower curtain.

Low Flowing Water

Taps, showerheads and toilets are all available in a low flow option. Low flow showerheads and faucets are easily available – or put in low flow restrictors yourself. If a new toilet isn’t on your budget, you can save 16% on your water bill by simply filling up an empty 4 litre jug (water, juice, milk etc) with water and placing it in the toilet tank. Eco renovations don’t require all new products, sometimes a bit of DIY handiwork goes a long way.

Eco Lighting

Installing compact fluorescent bulbs is the best thing to do for energy saving on lighting in the bathroom. But you could go further and install a skylight for completely natural light. Compact flourescent bulbs are expensive on the intitial purchase – yet use only use 20 to 30% of the power required to use an incandescent light bulb. Compact fluorescent bulbs also last 8 to 15% longer.

Eco Friendly Paint

Take the opportunity to upgrade the color of your bathroom with eco friendly paint. In addition to soy based paints, there are several other choices including; low VOC paints, clay paints, lime(wash) paints, and even milk paints. Ask at your local paint store for information on which paint may work best for you.