10 Tips to a Zero Waste Bathroom

10 Tips to a Zero Waste Bathroom

Shampoo and Conditioner Bars

Do you have an idea how many empty shampoo and conditioner bottles have you thrown in the trash this year? You didn’t even think about it that most of them are recyclable. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to cut down the plastic in your bathroom. Switch to using a shampoo bar or refillable bulk shampoo in place of plastic bottles of shampoo and also use dry shampoo to save water and cut down the number of times you wash your hair during the week. You can also swap out traditional conditioner for ACV. Use a spray bottle to spritz in your hair or just pour over your head. It works miracles.

 

Safety Razor

Swap a plastic razor for a reusable safety razor. Safety razors are made of stainless steel which means they can be recycled at the end of their life. Safety razors use stainless steel blades that can be recycled too. Blades are super cheap plus last forever if you dry between uses. Instead of throwing into a trash bin, deposit the blades in an can and crimp it closed so it can get recycled without hurting anyone.

 

Bar soap

Use a soap bar in place of body wash in the shower. If you don’t want to switch to a bar of soap think about buying a larger size shower gel and use a refillable non-plastic soap dispenser. But switching to a bar of soap is definitely the better option.

Bar soap can be used as shaving cream, shower gel, hand soap. Buy a locally made olive oil soap that’s made with locally grown and pressed olive oil (more sustainable). Place one bar at the sink and one bar in the shower and make a simple, cheap, and pretty swap.

 

Bamboo or wood brush

You probably have a plastic hair brush or comb. Why not switch to a sustainable brush like the one wooden ones? A wooden brush or comb does a much better job of pulling oil from the root to tip. You might be able to go an extra day without washing. They should last for years if you look after them.

And what about toilet brush – is yours plastic? Change to a wooden brush with natural bristles.

Bamboo Toothbrush

Swap the plastic toothbrush for a brush with bamboo, which is compostable except for the nylon bristles. When it’s time to get a new brush, you can use the old one for cleaning grout. At the end of it’s life there, just pull out the bristles with a plier and compost the handle.

Toothpaste

Toothpaste and mouthwash are very easy to make and don’t take anything away from the one you’d buy in store… expect the plastic disposable container and the unhealthy products in them. As it turns out, you don’t need a lot of ingredients to keep your teeth clean – you can even use plain old baking soda and get by. Most DIY toothpaste recipes fall into two categories: tooth powder or a coconut-oil based paste. Toothpowder is mild and non-abrasive. Anyway, toothpowder doesn't leave your breath smelling very minty fresh. Mouthwash can be a great addition to a morning routine.

Natural cleaning products

To swap chemical cleaning products, you can’t go wrong with some bicarb, white vinegar and essential oils. You can clean all areas of the house with only few ingredients: Castile soap, vinegar and baking soda, using natural fiber brushes that can be composted at the end of their life, and reusable cotton towels.

Wet wipes

Not only is it a good idea to stop using them as part of your Zero Waste journey but a ‘monster’ blockage has been discovered in London sewers and wet wipes are a major contributor. Switch to reusable cotton pads or a flannel. You will save so much money when you stop buying wipes. You can even use these wipes to remove make-up. Just fold your pads, cover with mixture of witch hazel, water, vinegar, and lavender oil and let them soak. Wipe away, and just toss in the washer when you’re done!

Toilet paper

Try to find it in paper packaging. Swap the wrapped plastic package to individually wrapped paper ones (like the ones at restaurants, hotels etc). Purchase 100% recycled toilet paper that comes without any plastic packaging. If you buy in batches it comes in a cardboard box, and you get a discount for buying by the case. They are also sold individually in case you want to try it out before you commit.

Toilet cleaner and freshener

Make it yourself. It is easy to make and completely natural – clean without toxic chemicals. Just mix a few ingredients together, press into ice cube trays, and let dry. Use essential oils to eliminate odours and to disinfect surfaces. This natural toilet cleaner freshens and eliminates funky odours, disinfects, naturally sanitises and leaves toilet sparkling clean and fresh.

BABY feeding FAQS

Simply add it to the cart, pop in the coupon code, and it will remove 100% of the price.

At 6 mths of age you can introduce a range of puree's to your baby (see our baby food recipe book and use coupon code RECIPE to remove 100% of the price at the checkout).

For baby led weaning you skip the baby food puree altogether and start with large (2 finger sized) pieces of the food. We would of course do this on our Little Mashies sucky platter! So from 6-9mths of age in baby led weaning foods should be the size of about 2 fingers so that the baby can pick it up and self feed. They also need to be well cooked so they are soft, and with no loose pieces (for example tiny florets that can break off on broccoli, or a slice of apple that's so thin it can break when gnawed on).

From around 9mths with baby led weaning you chop the food very small (to avoid choking). I would suggest 2-4 grains of rice in size. It's a small piece so that if they swallow it whole they won't choke. In traditional baby food recipes this is the stage where we mash food so it has a little texture.

At around 12mths of age in baby led weaning the food goes up to bite sizes (and this is the same in non baby led weaning kids), about fingernail sized pieces. Of course some babies will be on a different timeline depending on whether they have heaps or a few teeth.

Every baby is different and you just have to watch carefully and get to know how your baby is with food. Never leave them alone whilst eating, and I also recommend sitting them at a table with you for all meals if you can. It helps set the expectation for later in life and you can be a role model for how to eat well. Around 18mths you can offer your little one larger serves again (so a whole apple for example) so that they can learn to take smaller bites themselves, to chew, and to swallow.

It is widely recognised that babies should start solids around 6 months of age. At this time reusable baby food pouches can be really convenient to take your homemade healthy puree with you when you are out and about. Spoon attachments are available so you can feed your baby directly from the pouch from 6 months old. Without a spoon attachment babies usually start feeding themselves pouched food around 8 months old. This is when they hit their independant phase and what to do everything themselves. A pouch is a lot cleaner than a bowl and spoon in these circumstances. We do however advise that you give your baby a variety of meals, not just ones that are in a refillable pouch.

Refilling your reusable yoghurt pouches is easy! Simply turn the reusable food pouch upside down and open the wide double ziplock at the bottom of the pouch. Once the zipper is open you can spoon yoghurt into the pouch or pour it in (out of a jug or bottle).

If you are concerned about making a mess you can use a kitchen funnel so that all of the yoghurt stays away from the yoghurt pouch zipper.

Another idea that we commonly do at home when filming videos (but it would also be useful when holding a baby in one arm), anyway.. the idea is that you put the pouch upside down in a glass (with the lid on), open the ziplock and the glass acts like a second hand, holding the pouch still whilst you spoon the yoghurt in. This is what I do when I only have one hand to use for the refill!I also tend to refill my reusable yoghurt pouches in bulk. I'll buy a good quality yoghurt from Coles or Woolworths and will fill a whole 10pk of pouches in one go so they are all ready for snacks on the go.

My kids always want to eat when they are out and refilling the reusable pouches one at a time just doesn't work for us. The only time i do that actually is when I've pureed a meal that my toddler refused, put it in a reusable pouch, and given it to her again. Oh and the other time I do singles.. there are two actually. When we go for ice-cream (it is so much cleaner when in a pouch), and when I have leftover smoothie (again, it stops me getting smoothie all through my car, pram, or playroom).

Little Mashies refillable yoghurt pouches are compatible with pouch filling machines that are on the market. Our spout is universal so even though we don't think you need a filling machine, our reusable pouches will fit. All of our yoghurt and baby food pouches come with anti-choke lids as standard.

Cleaning reusable baby food pouches is easy! We have designed Little Mashies refillable yoghurt pouches without corners so there are no places for food to get stuck (we would hate your little one to get sick from old food stuck in corners)!

When you open the ziplock you can see all the way through the pouch to ensure it is clean. If you have a dishwasher you can clean the pouch using that, otherwise you can wash your reusable baby food pouches by hand and this takes around 20 seconds. Little Mashies squeeze pouches are BPA Free and are safe to wash with warm water.

If you need some meal ideas for your refillable pouch you can find home made yoghurt here, baby food recipes here, and pouch smoothie recipes here.

Now, to clean your Little Mashies food pouches by hand simply open up the ziplock at the bottom and take off the cap. Run warm water through the open ziplock with the baby pouch facing downward so the water comes out of the spout and into the sink. The shape of Little Mashies reusable pouches acts like a funnel, pushing out food and making the pouch very easy to clean.

To start washing your reusable pouch, squirt some dishwashing liquid into the refillable pouch, then use a baby bottle brush to clean the inside walls (just like a baby bottle). To clean the spout use a straw brush (like the ones we have here), and clean it in the same manner that you would clean the teat from a baby’s bottle. Give the reusable pouch a rinse and place it over a kitchen utensil in the drying rack to dry. If you don’t have time to dry it fully place it in the freezer until you are ready to use it again. Do not put wet reusable food pouches in dark cupboards or draws. They are very easy to dry if you have removed the cap, and placed something inside the zipper to keep the pouch open (we use a whisk, tongs or a spatula).

Note that if you continuously wash your pouches in the dishwasher the high temperature will make the zipper wear out more quickly. At home we wash our pouches mostly by hand because it is so quick and easy and then just use the dishwasher when we have had loads of kids over and served reusable yoghurt pouches or smoothies to them all.

Oh and while I remember if you use the code RECIPE at the checkout it will remove 100% off the price of the baby food recipe ebook so you can get some inspiration for your refillable pouches.

Some parents start introducing a sippy cup or straw cup to their babies around 6 mths of age. This can make it easier to transition from breastmilk or bottle feeding around 12 mths of age. Most paediatricians recommend babies 18 mths or older use an open sippy cup rather than a bottle, so anytime before then is fine. This is why we have a 4 in 1 sippy cup, so that you don't have to purchase seperate products as your baby moves through the stages of learning how to swallow and drink. To shop the Little Mashies silicone sippy cup, check out our baby feeding range here.

All of our baby food recipes are contained within our ebook. You can get a free download by using the coupon code RECIPE at the checkout. Simply add it to the cart, pop in the coupon code, and it will remove 100% of the price.