Here's another one from the archives...enjoy!

A lot of you have been wondering about ways to make your homes and bathrooms more eco friendly.  An easy way to start is by getting all natural and green cleaning products such as Method and Seventh Generation and some of the ones I wrote about in my earlier posting.

Making your bathroom green is fun and easy!  And the best part...it keeps more green in your wallet!  And who doesn't want that?  Sean Miller, the Director of Eduction at the Earth Day Network, said that, "If the average American household installed low-flow toilets and low-flow showerheads in their bathrooms, they could save up to $60 annually on their water and energy bills combined." Ok, so I know that’s not a HUGE amount of money, but it still counts!  Unfortunately, it doesn’t save that much money because water is inexpensive...I hope that one day water gets its proper value, and costs a lot more. I found a great list of low-flow toilets compiled by TreeHugger.com.

No matter what kind of toilet you have, I have a great tip for you that will save you money and save water!  All you have to do is save a 20 oz. water bottle, remove any plastic or paper from the outside of it and then fill it partially with sand, dirt, pebbles or gravel (if you can’t find any of those materials around your house, just fill the bottle partially with water!).  Make sure to seal the bottle tightly before placing it in your toilet tank.  Then carefully lower the bottle into the tank and put the lid of the toilet back on.  Pretty easy, right?  HERE is a New York Times article about reducing water in your home.  According to this article "A sealed half-gallon water container installed in the tank will save a half gallon of water per flush...a family of five that flushes five times a day each -- the national average -- will save 350 gallons of water each month."  That's a lot of water!

It doesn't stop there though because there are many ways to make your bathroom green.  You can buy towels and washcloths made of organic cotton or bamboo, get recycled toilet paper, and if you really want to get crafty you can make your own cleaning products from common household items like baking soda, lemon juice and diluted vinegar.

If you have a favorite homemade concoction that makes cleaning supplies that you swear by, please share!!

Also, those icky sprays for the bathroom are just gross and toxic.  Let’s face it... When you start eating better, you won’t need to spray the bathroom after you go.  After a while, your poop just doesn’t stink! Ok, just not nearly as bad!  If you do want a spray to use in the bathroom, try to find a nice, natural one... Or you can make your own with an old spray bottle!  Just take water and add your favorite essential oil, and there you have it!

Baby wipes are also not a bad thing to have in your bathroom!  Just find the good, non toxic kind that are all natural, biodegradable, and made with recycled materials. Be careful not to get the kind that contain Bronopol (a preservative ingredient).  It is in most baby wipes, and has been given the highest hazard score by the FDA! Seventh Generation makes some good ones, or you can find another eco, generic brand.  These are good for the planet, AND good for your bottom!

And of course, my favorite tip for an eco friendly bathroom.... Don’t flush!!!! Unless you have to, of course!

And I've posted some photos of these cute toilet seat covers from Toiluxe.  You can get them on Etsy if you want to decorate your bathroom!  They aren't eco, but are just some fun things for decoration, depending on your style.

What are your tips for making a more eco-friendly bathroom?