Eco-friendly products and practices continue to grow around the globe. Applying these green products and practices to your bathroom can be easy and inexpensive.

Going green not only saves you money by reducing energy and water costs but also help save the environment by reducing consumption. From simple fixes to replacement of fixtures and bathroom furnishings, plumbtile.com is here to assist. 

Quick and Inexpensive Eco-friendly Bathroom tips

The easiest and most affordable way to make your bathroom eco-friendly is to reduce water consumption. Ways of conserving water include:

• Time your shower – By timing your shower, and reducing shower time, you use less water and less energy heating the water. A typical shower uses roughly 5 gallons of water per minute. Reducing shower time by four minutes can save 20 gallons per shower.
• Turn water off while brushing teeth – Turning off water while brushing your teeth reduces the amount of water used and going down the drain. You can also fill a glass with water for rinsing.
• Take a shower rather than a bath – The average bath tub uses between 30-50 gallons of water. The average shower uses 20-30 gallons of water.
• Fix leaky toilets and bathroom faucets – According to EPA.gov, leaks account for, on average, 10,000 gallons of water wasted in a home each year. Common types of leaks found in the home include toilet flappers, dripping faucets, and other leaking valves.
  • Test for leaks – Put food coloring in the toilet tank. If color begins to appear in the bowl within 30 minutes, without flushing, there is a leak. The toilet should be repaired immediately.
  • Add new faucet washers – Replacing defective faucet washers can save up to 20 gallons of water per day per faucet.

Other quick and inexpensive eco-friendly bathroom tips are using eco-friendly bath products. Biodegradable products, recycled toilet paper, green and certified organic products help reduce impact to the environment. Turning down the water heater temperature decreases the amount of electricity/gas needed to heat the water. LED and CFL lights are another way to reduce energy costs and benefit the environment at the same time.

Other eco-friendly bathroom solutions require replacement if existing fixtures and products. Replacing older less efficient equipment with newer eco-friendly options saves both water and energy. Items that can be replaced include:

• Low flow fixtures – Low flow fixtures reduce consumption of water by 50%.
  • Low flow shower heads – A low flow shower head reduces the amount of water from 5 gallons per minute to 2.5 gallons per minute. That’s a 50% reduction of water with each shower.
  • Low flow faucet aerators – Installing low flow faucet aerators reduces water consumption by 50% while keeping the pressure and functionality the same.
• Energy Star Rating – Using products with the energy star rating (www.energystar.gov) reduces energy costs and protects the environment by using less energy.
• Energy Efficient Fans – Replacing older bathroom fans reduces energy costs and is good for the environment.
• Hands Free Faucets – Using hands free faucets, especially with younger children, reduces the amount of time the water is running.