The other day one of my children hopped in the shower. When I am downstairs in our rec room I can hear the water running through the pipes. A few minutes passed and I thought to myself, “Sure is taking a long shower.” Then another few minutes passed. Finally, after 20 minutes I banged on the bathroom door and called out, “Hey, let’s end this shower!”
There are so many bathroom habits that many of us have that are far from green friendly. However, we don’t always give a lot of thought to those. Taking unnecessarily long showers is one bad habit. Just get in there and get the job done.
How about when you brush your teeth? I would always leave the water running. By turning off the faucet until you actually need helps conserve water.
Now here’s one that might gross out a few of you. Try to cut down on flushing the toilet. Go a few times before you actually flush. Suffice it to say this is only when you have done “number one.”
Another bad habit that many don’t really think about is the use of toilet paper. Consider switching to recycled toilet paper. If anything, at least purchase the one-ply type. I also read somewhere that if you set your roll so that the tissue flaps over you will use less toilet paper. If the roll is set so that tissue has to be pulled underneath you tend to grab more.
Finally, try eliminating the use of disposable bathroom items. I have seen some people use paper towels in their bathrooms to dry their hands. Cotton hand towels will help eliminate waste too.
When it comes to cleaning the bathroom, many people will use wipes or other disposable cleaning products. Consider purchasing cleaning products that will not only save you money, but also preserve the environment.
Pay attention to some of the bad bathroom habits that you may have developed. If necessary just make one change per week. For example, you could post something on the bathroom mirror as a reminder, such as “Don’t let water run when brushing teeth.” In a short amount of time the small changes you make will add up to better bathroom habits.
Related Articles:
Green Tips for Toilet Paper Usage
Bathroom Conservation: The Shower