8 Simple Changes for a More Eco-Friendly Bathroom

While looking for eco-friendly bathroom inspiration, I came across a lot of wild ideas. Some people suggest peeing in the compost pile, brushing your teeth with a stick and using your hand as toilet paper.

I salute their efforts to go green. But today I’m focusing on the easiest changes we can all make to be more eco-friendly in the bathroom. No reusable toilet paper required.

Note: This article contains affiliate links. See my disclosures for details.

Eco-Friendly Bathroom Products

1. Eco Soap and Shampoo

If you’re not interested in giving up shampoo and going “poo-less,” I’m with you. There are easier ways to get a green clean. Look for natural ingredients as well as low-impact packaging, like bar soaps in cardboard versus liquid soaps in single-use plastic. This is also a perfect opportunity to support small and local businesses.

Natural Amor Soap (Made in the USA)

Check your local natural grocery stores, too. They might have products available in bulk or without packaging, like these bar soaps sold by the pound at New Seasons.

2. Organic Cotton Towels

As your bath towels wear out, choose organic cotton towels to replace them. Non-organic cotton farming relies on pesticides and other chemicals that end up in the earth or against your skin. Organic cotton, on the other hand, is nontoxic and feels amazing, so it’s a win-win.

Organic Cotton Towels

These towels come in a variety of colors and are Oeko-Tex Made in Green certified. That means they’re made in eco-friendly facilities with fair working conditions, and they’re tested for harmful substances.

Is Organic Cotton Worth It? Read more about the surprising benefits of organic cotton.

3. Natural Air Fresheners

Air fresheners and aerosol sprays typically have volatile organic compounds, those nasty VOCs that can cause irritation, headaches and dizziness, or even liver, kidney and nerve damage.

Bathroom spray always felt like a situation of two wrongs don’t make a right. So my household switched to Poo-Pourri, a non-aerosol freshener that you spritz into the toilet to trap scents. It’s non-toxic and free of parabens and phthalates. Plus it smells so much better than the aerosol sprays.

Poo-Pourri Natural Odor Eliminator

4. Bamboo Toilet Paper

Save the trees and wipe with bamboo. From what I can tell, our planet has no shortage of this annoyingly aggressive, fast-growing resource. Some smart brands are now harvesting bamboo to make eco-friendly toilet paper.

Betterway FSC Certified Toilet Paper

I haven’t made this swap yet, but I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments if you’ve tried this.

Best of the Bamboo TP: Read detailed comparisons of the best eco toilet paper according to Treehugger.

5. Bidet Attachment

Even better than bamboo toilet paper, you can greatly reduce your need for TP with a bidet that attaches to your regular toilet. We have the TUSHY Spa bidet in our bathroom. It’s an affordable luxury that will make you feel like royalty.

TUSHY Bidet Attachment

6. Natural Cleaners

Many traditional bathroom cleaners are packed with toxins, but it’s a piece of cake to switch to safer alternatives. The Clean Mama has two simple DIY all-purpose cleaners you can make.

For an even easier option, dissolve a Blueland eco-friendly cleaning tab in water and you’re ready to clean.

Blueland Cleaner and Refill Packs

7. Low Flow Showerhead

It’s a snap to replace an old showerhead with a low flow version, so you’ll use less water with every shower. Low flow showerheads can still feel very extravagant with a strong output. This one by High Sierra is WaterSense Certified and promises you’ll save 40% or more water with each shower.

High Sierra Low Flow Showerhead (Made in the USA)

8. Dual Flush Toilet Kit

This eco-friendly update is a little more involved but still pretty straightforward. You can get a kit to make any toilet dual flush, so you don’t have to replace the whole toilet. We installed this kit in our guest bathroom, so number ones use less water than number twos.

Dual Flush Toilet Kit

More Savings: Have you been thinking about upgrading to new energy efficient appliances? There are several new clean energy tax credits available in the US for 2023.

More Eco-Friendly Resources

Don’t miss my eco-friendly kitchen ideas to find more green upgrades for your home. You might also like these books that I found helpful.

• Clean Mama’s Guide to a Healthy Home, by Becky Rapinchuk: This natural cleaning guide has simple, easy-to-read recipes for making your own cleaners. It covers all the basics and doesn’t overload you with too much information.
• Don’t Be Trashy, by Tara McKenna: This book is divided into 12 chapters, so you can tackle one chapter and checklist each month and greatly reduce your waste by the end of the year.
• The Carbon Footprint of Everything, by Mike Berners-Lee: This interesting book explains the carbon footprint of everyday activities and products, giving you a better sense of the biggest carbon hogs to tackle in your life.