The bathroom is a real hot spot for making changes to the amount of toxins and artificial chemicals in your environment. In the bathroom, we often expose large amounts of skin to various substances as we wash our bodies. The bathroom is also one of the places that requires regular domestic cleaning London to make sure that germs are kept under control. The following checklist is a starting point for making small changes to improve your immediate environment and living more naturally.
* Shampoo is very harsh – the basic cleansing ingredient is the same as the one used in dishwashing detergent. Instead of washing your hair with shampoo, use soap gel (this writer’s children used to refer to soap gel as “soapoo”). To make soap gel, chop up a bar of regular soap or else save thin slivers of bar soap that are too flimsy to wash with, put them in a sturdy container and pour boiling water over them. Leave this to sit and cool to a translucent gel. Add a few drops of essential oil to the gel if you like, and decant it into a bottle. This mixture can be used for more than just shampoo – it is also good for cleaning floors, washing cars and as liquid hand soap.
* Don’t use artificial air fresheners to remove toilet pongs. Instead, open the window and let fresh air do its work. Other stink-busters include burning matches, candles or incense (this burns the methane responsible for the stink) or making your own air freshener from essential oil and plain water.
* Fluoride in the toothpaste is rather dubious. Switch to a no-fluoride brand or clean your teeth the old fashioned way using table salt or baking soda (have a glass of water on hand – both of these taste pretty strong). If you need to cut down on your sodium intake (and thus need to avoid salt and soda) and can’t afford no-fluoride toothpaste, use only a tiny amount of regular toothpaste – a blob the size of a pea is ample for an adult; a mere smear for children.
* Bubble baths should be avoided if you have sensitive skin. Other ways to make baths fun and luxurious as well as natural are to add home-made bath salts, bath oils or bath vinegars. Simply mix the oil/salt/vinegar with essential oil and leave it to stand a week or so before using (but you can use it straight away). Or imitate the voluptuous Cleopatra and add milk to your bath.
* You do not need to pour large amounts of disinfectant down the toilet in an attempt to kill germs. All this disinfectant will just flush away down the drain next time someone uses the loo. Use vinegar, salt, tea tree oil or vodka to wipe around the toilet seat and rim, and use elbow grease to remove everything else inside the bowl.
* For women: menstruating is messy, but you should avoid flushing sanitary products down the lavatory. If they don’t block your toilet, they will cause problems further down the line. They also cause a waste problem if you put them in the bin and then send them to a landfill. If you’re squeamish, the best option is to avoid using panty liners on an everyday basis (you can wash your underpants, can’t you?) and to use cotton (preferably unbleached) tampons which are biodegradable. For the less squeamish, try washable, reusable products such as the Mooncup.
* Baking soda is the best thing for cleaning the bath and basin, as it cleans off the dreaded grey ring around the bath, removes soap scum and gets the taps sparkling. It doesn’t scratch and it rinses off easily.
* Vinegar kills mould and is great for cleaning glass, including glass shower doors. As an added bonus, it can also be used diluted as a hair rinse or a skin toner, or even as a deodorant. Add essential oil for extra anti-bacterial properties and a nice smell.
* Conserving water and caring for the environment is part of living naturally. The bath is one of the best sources of “grey water” available and is easy to move around to the garden or wherever else you want it – use a bucket to move it or siphon it out into the garden. Limit the amount of baths you have – a quick shower is all you need for everyday washing. Keep big hot baths as a treat and/or share the water.
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