When you think of making the most of time in your bathroom, you think of long relaxing baths, soaking in bath salts, lights dimmed with Kip&Co Candles burning, and then drying off with a soft, luxurious Turkish towels. In reality, though, it can be the most time consuming room to maintain! When cleaning your bathroom comes to mind, it probably includes rubber gloves, masks, bleach and a whole lot of elbow grease. But there’s another way. So here are our ten tips for a greener and cleaner bathroom.
1. Consider the Lifecycle of Your Products
It doesn’t just come down to the ingredients, when we choose more eco-friendly alternatives, we’re also thinking about the lifecycle of all the products in our home. We have 3 main questions before we buy:
What material is it made from?
Am I supporting a local business?
Will this end up in landfill when I am finished, or can it be repurposed?
There are lots of alternative bathroom products out there, from wooden scrubbers to bamboo toothbrushes. Kip also has some decorative options: Kip’s bath mats and towels are 100% cotton which can be repurposed through recycling services like Upparel, and will eventually decompose naturally if composted. Polyester or blended fibre textiles can take hundreds of years to break down in land fill.
2. Small Cleans As You Go
Keep your cleaning products handy! Our bathrooms can build up mess and grime pretty quickly. A little clean every day can pay off massively in the long run and helps avoid the build up of soap scum and watermarks. Just give your basin a wipe once you are done or give the shower a quick scrub before you jump out.
3. Put Your Gorgeous Towels on Display To Air Dry
It’s an old habit that we’re guilty of. Shuffle to the bedroom in your towel, dry off and chuck it in the basket for the next washing cycle. But your gorgeous towels deserve to be shown off. Dig that towel out of the basket or pick it up off the ground, and hang it out to dry in your bathroom. The Kip&Co towels in our bathroom look their best when they get a few uses before a wash - you’ll extend their lives and elevate your bathroom. Don't forget a fun and colourful bath mat.
4.) Keep Fragrances Natural
Our bathroom isn’t just for practical purposes but is also a place where we choose to come to relax and unwind. At the end of a long week sometimes all we want is a quiet night enjoying a bath and some candles. Our Kip&Co soy wax candles are hand poured in Melbourne with natural fragrances.
5. Get Rid of The Bleach
First up. Take your bleach and throw them in the bin (recycling them properly, of course!). Not only are they bad for the environment, but bleach can also cause skin irritations, and are generally not nice to have in our homes. When choosing your cleaning products, opt for plant-based alternatives that still have antibacterial properties. The Cove bathroom cleaner is naturally acidic due to its high pH levels which means it can kill germs without all the damage of bleach and petrochemicals.
6. Remove Soap Scum Naturally
The dreaded soap scum. Effectively removing soap scum can require a little patience. Take the Cove bathroom cleaner, spray directly on the soap scum-affected areas and leave for at least 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, use a scrubbing brush to really get into the stubborn areas. It takes a little elbow grease but it’s worth it. It works, and with no nasties too.
7. Use Glass Cleaner For Extra Shine
Glass cleaner is great for shower screens, vanities and mirrors but it’s also awesome for bringing some extra shine to your tap wear. If you have stainless steel or chrome taps that can look a little dull. Finish off your clean with a spray and wipe off our Cove Glass Cleaner and they will look brand new.
8. Switch To Recycled Toilet Paper
Wiping our bums shouldn’t be the only purpose of a tree. Conventional toilet paper is made from virgin fibres requiring trees to be cut down purely for toilet paper. Recycled toilet paper is made from post-consumer waste like office paper and textbooks leaving trees in the ground to keep our air clean, and prevent soil erosion.
9. Add Some Indoor Plants
Adding plants like ferns, devils ivy, and calathea into your bathroom with help to improve air quality and collect dust. These babies thrive in the moisture and humidity of your bathroom and can bring a bit of life to a dull space.
10. Time To Fix Those Leaks
That little drip in your shower might not seem like a big deal - but after ignoring it for months you may have accumulated more litres than you realise. Minimising our water usage goes a long way to reduce energy consumption and environmental impact. So get that plumber, or call your dad who thinks that he is one!
