7 Eco Friendly Upgrades for a Cruelty-Free, Sustainable Bathroom 

Working your way around the rooms of a typical house, you’ll find plenty of fixtures and materials that are ready for an eco conscious upgrade. If you’re embarking on a home remodel or even just a redesign of one key room in the home such as the bathroom, it’s a good opportunity to have a cruelty-free, environmentally conscious upgrade that will make your home more sustainable. The bathroom is a room in the house that can be both functional and relaxing. The functional aspect can cause people to overlook the potential for eco-friendly improvements. When you look more closely however, there are plenty of quick fixes and more radical changes to be made. 

The following are a few eco conscious, cruelty-free upgrades for your bathroom design: 

1. Low flush toilets or low flush options. Low flush toilets can reduce your water use. A toilet can also be installed with low flush options.
2. Re-used materials, restored bathtubs, upcycled materials. Using preloved furniture and fixtures in your bathroom can be a beautiful, unique and sustainable way to remodel your bathroom. Instead of buying a new bathroom cabinet, you could restore furniture that is available through second hand exchanges. If you are buying new furniture or installing new floors you can opt for sustainable, reclaimed wood. Instead of buying a new sink or bath, consider restoring the enamel on your old fixtures or salvaging an old bath or sink. You might also want to upcycle materials in your bathroom, which could include making a shower curtain from old fabric or creating tiling and mosaics using old tiles or ceramics. 
3. Install low flow taps and a low flow showerhead that reduce water use. If you are living in an area with water shortages, installing low flow faucets and showerheads can have a positive impact on reducing water waste and water depletion.
4. Upgrade from radiant heating to underfloor heating. Underfloor heating is a much more efficient way to heat a room like a bathroom, as it transmits heat that rises naturally upwards, rather than emitting heat from radiators that will quickly dissipate. In terms of comfort, under-floor heating is particularly suited for a bathroom.
5. Composting toilets. Composting toilets are often used by people living off grid or in remote areas where it’s convenient and practical to have a waste system separate from the mains. Composting toilets can be single systems like in an RV, or central systems. Composting toilets require regular responsible waste disposal, or arranged waste collection. Your state may have laws about how many composting toilets you have and how you properly dispose of the compost. 
6. Cruelty-free materials, paints and personal care and cleaning products. Use vegan, sustainable materials such as cotton and linen that are made from plant-based materials that aren’t produced by harming animals. You can also buy cruelty-free, sustainable paint that is non-toxic and doesn’t emit volatile organic compounds.  Stock your bathroom with cruelty free, sustainable personal-care products that aren’t tested on animals. Unfortunately animal byproducts that are used in a wide variety of products. A quick internet search can turn up a list of many common products that contain animal byproducts. 
7. Install a grey-water system. Grey water is water that contains lower concentrations of organic materials, such as water from the shower, bathroom sink or washing machine. Unlike water from the kitchen sink or toilet which contains high concentrations of organic materials and sewage, grey water can be re-used for certain purposes, such as for flushing the toilet or for watering plants. Grey water systems can actually be quite simple to install and use. In combination with non-toxic hygeine products they can seriously reduce the environmental impact of your personal care routine. 

The bathroom is a room where people typically go to practice personal care and personal hygiene. Unfortunately it’s also a room where people may be exposed to harsh cleaning agents, chemicals and animal tested products. Typical usage of a bathroom may involve wasteful use of resources like water and heat. If you are building a new home or remodeling a bathroom, it’s a chance to start afresh and have a hygiene routine that’s guilt-free. If you are struggling to know where to start with redesigning a bathroom that suits your needs and is sustainable and eco conscious, our green interior design consultants can help. At Earth Science Design, our green interior design consultants have researched the science of eco conscious design and construction for over ten years. We help people have eco-conscious upgrades that are small-scale or more ambitious, suiting spaces and dwellings of all sizes. We assist clients to tweak their existing design to live more sustainably or help you realize a bigger vision for a home build or remodel. We work with clients nationally and internationally and have offices in San Diego, CA, Brooklyn, NYC and Paris, France. We can work with you remotely or in person to realize your green interior design vision. Please contact us to learn more.