Simple bathroom swaps to ditch single-use plastics

Waves of Changeis a CBC series exploring the single-use plastic we're discarding, and why we need to clean up our act. You can be part of the community discussion by joiningour Facebook group.

The bathroom. It's aplace to get clean, and a place to keep clean.

But that's often accomplished througha variety of plastic packaged productsthat ultimately end up cluttering our environment, despite the fraction of packaging thatfinds another life via recycling.

• Giving up plastic is not as hard as it sounds, when you have a plan

One way to rid your bathroom of some of these packagesis so simple, you may have already done it.

Back to basics

You've probably heard of little old bar soap, a product that's been keeping humanity clean since ancient Babylon.

Well, it still works. That'sdespite the plethora of liquid hand, faceand body soaps on the market that often come in plastic pump containers or squeeze bottles.

"if you have a good soap, youdon'tneed five different kinds of soap, for five different parts of yourbody," said Mikaela Wilson, the owner of Natura Soap Company in Corner Brook.

She said she had asoap simplification epiphany a few years ago, after falling prey to a sale at the Body Shop.

"Iwent and Ibought five different products for my face and I'm looking at this, and I'm going, do Ireally need a soap, and a foaming cleanser, and an exfoliant, and a toner, and the moisturizer? Or can Ijust use one type of thing on my face?"

Wilson nowmakes and sellsnatural soaps,which come with a strip of paper wrapped around them.

Her own bathroom contains two bars of soap rejects from her home-based business for her family of three.

The catch with bar soap is to find a brand that's free of plastic. Many bulk stores offer bars without much more than a price tag slapped on, and even major grocery store chains often have paper-wrapped products on their shelves.

Simplify your shampoo

Wilson also makes her own shampoo bar, a solid shampoo that looksexactly like a soap, and worksexactly the same way.

"You lather it up in your hands, and you use that lather to wash your hair," she said.

The difference between that bar and her other soaps is its higher percentage of castor oil, a percentage she says is so moisturizing it eliminates the need for hairconditioner.

There are solid conditioner bars on the market, and they, as well as other solid shampoo bars out there, tend to be heavy on natural oils.Those can come as a greasy shock to hair used to commercial products that often contain waxes and silicone.

"There is a growing pain involved. It's a disclaimer I say to pretty much anyone who's buying a shampoo bar for the first time," said Wilson, estimating it took her hair about a month to get used to the shampoo bar.

"Isay, give it time, give it a chance. It will get worse before it gets better."

The bathroom MVP?

Coconut oil has been hyped, perhaps undeservedly so, for its potential dietary benefits. But its versatility as a topical toiletry, and its widespread availability in bulk or glass containers, means it can replacean arrayof bathroom products.

"You can just use it on its own.It's so wonderful on its own for so many things,"said Kate Crawford, a mother of two inSackville, N.B., who also poststips on Instagramon howto lead a low-waste lifestyle.

She said she uses it as an makeup remover and fordiaper cream, as well asfor all her skin-hydrating needs.

"Basically, our whole family just uses coconut oil for moisturizing," she said.

Crawford noted the oil solid at room temperature thanks to its saturated fat content liquifies in the summer and can at times be too greasy. To combat that, she makes her own body butter by whipping coconut oil with arrowroot flourand vitamin E oil. The oil also pops up as a key ingredient in her DIYdeodorant and lip balm.

Green cleaning

Alot of time spent in the bathroom can be absorbed by gazing in the mirror, soperhaps you could be forgiven for not noticing the various life forms sprouting in your shower or toilet.

But trust us,they are there, and often wiped away by a plastic packaged product.

Crawford relies on just two products that she buys in bulk to take care of that: white vinegar and baking soda.The former diluted with water in a refillable spray bottle, and the latter in a Parmesan shaker.

"It's amazing to me how clean this keeps my tub, and how easy it is," she said, before quickly qualifying her statement: "Not that I'm excited to clean my bathtub.But it's just so easy."

White vinegar'shigh acid content kills many germs and deodorizes. Crawforduses it in her toilets, dumping full strength vinegar into the bowl and lettingit sit, before shaking in baking soda and scrubbing.

Tough teeth talk

Dental care presents a bit of a dilemma.

Bamboo toothbrushes are becoming a popular alternative to plastic ones, but as CBCNova Scotia uncovered, some brushes come in a plastic wrapper, and a dental hygienist found its scrubbing qualities not up to task.

Both Wilson and Crawford make their own toothpaste Wilson sells hers in refillable aluminum tins and say they haven't had any cavities since making the switch.

"As long as you're still brushing your teeth and flossing your teeth, like everyone suggests,it'll clean your teeth just the same," said Wilson.

"It's a little more gritty, so if anything it will mechanically clean your teeth better."

That product isn't on the Canadian Dental Association'slist of approved products,all of which currently come in plastic containers.

Join the discussion on theCBC Waves of Change Facebook group, or email us:wavesofchange@cbc.ca.

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