The Ultimate Guide to Non-Toxic Bathroom Products
Updated: Jul 3, 2022
*I’m not in any way affiliated with any of these products and I don’t receive any money from them. I write these articles simply to share what I love and what works for my family and me!
Did you know that the average person spends over 182 hours A YEAR in the bathroom? Needless to say, you want this space not only to be functional but filled with non-toxic products that don’t disappoint.
From handsoap to face wash, body washes to shower curtains, there’s no shortage of bathroom basics that every household needs.
But if you’re looking to reduce your carbon footprint while ridding your bathroom of nasty chemicals, where do you begin?
Luckily this article has everything you need to know about a non-toxic bathroom. Keep reading for more great information!
It’s All About the Bathtub
Let’s begin by taking a look at the bathtub. The first thing many people overlook is their shower curtain and liner. Most cheap shower curtain liners serve a purpose for a month or two, only to end up in a landfill once they get moldy.
In fact, plastic can take up to a thousand years to degrade. Even more concerning, shower curtains can leach toxic phthalates and VOCs when heated up during your shower. This can cause a host of medical issues.
Now, I’m talking from experience here- those plastic shower curtain liners never lasted us more than a couple of months before they grew nastiness on the bottom of them. I went out and purchased 100% polyester cloth shower curtain liner and I’ve been swapping out the same two liners for TWO YEARS. Every month I throw them in the wash and voila! Yes, they do get discolored, but if you wash them more often they’ll stay new-looking longer.
They’re not completely waterproof, so you need to be mindful, or else water can seep out while showering, but my $40 investment has saved me from having to purchase new shower curtain lines while saving the environment.
We are in the market for new shower curtain liners and are going to be trying 100% cotton liners. I’ll update you on how that goes!
Now, the same goes for shower curtains. Look for 100% cotton and OEKO-TEX if possible. I wanted a cute Christmas shower curtain and actually found one that was 100% polyester but OEKO-TEX certified at Kohl’s. They’re out there and more common than you think!
Bath Products
In my effort to rid our home of plastic, I decided to find an alternative to plastic bath loofahs. Loofahs harbor TONS of germs and bacteria and need constant laundering to keep the germs at bay.
I was on the hunt for something non-toxic, sustainable, and that didn’t require constant laundering or replacement. I found these amazing silicone body scrubbers. Silicone is considered non-toxic and safe if it comes in contact with something you eat or drink. I purchased these on a whim and we absolutely LOVE them. They’re affordable, come in tons of great colors for the kiddos, foam up exceptionally well, and will last a long time! You can toss them in the dishwasher to clean them, too!
Pro-tip: when using these, wet them before putting soap on them. The soap will slide off the slick surface, so you need to build the lather first.
For baby/toddler/kiddo all-over wash, we use Babo Botanicals Sensitive Baby Shampoo & Wash
For body wash the adults use Everyone Soap
For shampoo, the adults use Attitude Super Leaves Shampoo
I’ve also used Dr. Bronner’s Baby Unscented Pure-Castile Bar Soap. It gets a pretty darn good lather!
These products are ultra-clean and EWG verified! Dr. Bronner’s isn’t EWG verified, but this brand has been around for a LONG time and is about as clean as they come.
If you’re looking for a shower mat for the kiddos, check out the HEVEA bath mat. It’s made from natural rubber and is non-toxic.
Toilet Time
What about toilet cleaning products? I’m so glad you asked!
As mentioned in my previous post, I use a mixture of white vinegar, hand soap, and water to clean…well, everything. Vinegar is known to kill all kinds of microorganisms, including bacteria and viruses. It’s inexpensive and I enjoy the smell. I feel like I’m in a sub shop.
Now, toilet brushes are another source of unnecessary plastic that only ends up in our landfills. I did some poking around and found these natural toilet bowl brushes. And they’re great! They're made of beechwood and coconut fibers.
I am looking to try these silicone toilet brushes only because the bristle kind does kind of gross me out. I’ll post an update if I try these!
For toilet paper, we’ve been purchasing from Amazon Aware. Yeah, it’s got the consistency of tree bark, but it gets the job done! Here’s the blurb on Amazon for Amazon Aware Toilet Paper:
No added dyes, inks, or fragrances. Whitened without chlorine bleaching. Plastic-free packaging.
This product is produced from 100% recycled paper, minimum 65% post-consumer content
Made in U.S.A. of U.S. and imported ingredients
This product is certified carbon neutral by ClimatePartner. Learn about our third party sustainability certifications below.
I’m good with all this! Would I use this toilet paper before a colonoscopy? NO. But for everyday use? You bet.
Floors…What About the Floors?!
I’m so glad you asked! I have several recommendations for rugs that can be used just about anywhere in the house.
For our bathroom, I love Grund rugs. They’re 100% cotton and GOTS certified organic. I have these super-thin ones for my bathroom that are extremely easy to wash. I read that thick bathroom rug are bad for the washer, so I have all these paper-thin rugs that we now use.
Here’s a link to Grund’s thin rugs, the Charleston organic cotton bathroom rug. I also have to say, their customer service is top-notch. One of my rugs pulled (if you have pets, their nails will catch), and they sent me a new one for free, right away.
These rugs wash and dry really fast and are just amazing. The colors are really pretty, too.
Amazon also sells 100% cotton rugs which we also have.
Towels, Towels, and More Towels
For hand towels, bath towels, and washcloths, Amazon has a great assortment of 100% cotton GOTS certified organic towels.
For bath towels, I also love Under the Canopy. You can usually always find them on sale, and they're SUPER plush. LOVE LOVE LOVE.
The Sink
For handwashing, we use a diluted mixture of Dr. Bronner’s and water and use mason jars with foaming soap pump dispensers. The links are found in this article I previously wrote (link).
I also clean my sink with the same vinegar, soap, and water mixture. When I have extra grime I need to wipe off, I use this cleaning cloth by Norwex. It removes some gross stuff without ever using any cleaning products. It’s magic.
The tissues I keep on our counter are…drum roll, please…Amazon Aware Facial Tissues!
As stated on Amazon:
No added dyes, inks, or fragrances. Whitened without chlorine bleaching. Plastic-free packaging.
This product is produced from 100% recycled paper, minimum 65% post-consumer content
Made in U.S.A. of U.S. and imported ingredients
This product is certified carbon neutral by ClimatePartner. Learn about our third party sustainability certifications below.
So There Ya Have It!
That’s our non-toxic bathroom!
I also have 100% cotton, OEKO-TEX holiday hand towels I ordered from Kohl’s. If you’re not afraid to do a little digging, you’ll find the exact product you want but without the nasty chemicals.
As always, I hope this article helped you with your green home! Feel free to contact me with any questions, or if you need any writing done!