How To Make Your Bathroom Eco-Friendly

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We waste more water and use more chemicals in our bathrooms than any other place in the house! Here’s how to green yours up.
Added February 19, 2008

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You Will Need

Fluorescent light bulbs
Plants
Low-flow showerhead
Food coloring
Natural personal care products
Low-flow toilet
Vinegar
Baking soda

Step 1.
Switch your lights

Swap your regular light bulbs for compact fluorescent lights. Not only do they use up to 90% less energy, they also last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
Step 2.
Get a plant

Get a plant. They don’t just look nice; according to a study by NASA, they actually clean the air of toxins like acetone and formaldehyde. And they reduce humidity, so you’ll have less mold and mildew.
The best plants to rid the air of chemicals include spider plants, rubber tree plants, English ivy, Boston ferns, peace lilies, and any kind of palm.
Step 3.
Replace your showerhead

Replace your showerhead. A typical showerhead drops about seven gallons of water every minute, while a low-flow one only gives off about half that.
Step 4.
Check your toilet

A single leaky toilet can waste up to 100 gallons of water a day! To see if yours is leaking, put a few drops of food coloring into the tank, wait 20 minutes, then check if the water in the bowl has changed color.
Step 5.
Use natural products

Use only all natural shampoos, soaps, and conditioners. Not only do they reduce the amount of toxic chemicals that get into your body, they prevent those chemicals from going down the drain and into the groundwater.
Step 6.
Swap your toilet

Replace your existing toilet with a low-flow model. While regular toilets can use as much as five to seven gallons of water per flush, new models use less than two.
Some cities give partial rebates for buying a low-flow toilet.
Step 7.
Clean the natural way

Instead of using toxic cleaners, make your own. White vinegar fights germs, soap scum, mold, mildew, and mineral deposits, while two parts baking soda and one part hot water is great for cleaning tile and grout. Now you’ve created a green sanctuary…
Low-flow toilets save Americans $11.3 million every day on their water bills!