by Jemma Pearson Make your living space more sustainable by creating an eco-friendly bathroom.

If you want to be a lot greener at home, whether you’re building a new house or changing your existing space, one of the first rooms to consider is the bathroom. Water, waste and manufacturing processes of bathroom products all impact on the environment. Get these right and your home can become so much greener.

Bathroom bits

If you are building or renovating, choose your bathroom products carefully. Baths, basins, shower trays and toilets made from recyclable or more natural materials are the way to go. Opt for cabinetry crafted from environmentally sustainable resources and reuse or buy second-hand where you can. Ceramic tiles, bamboo flooring and natural stone are all materials that are much kinder to the environment.

Wet, wet, wet

It’s all very well to try to use less water, but it’s much easier when your taps, mixers and showerheads are helping you with the job. Water-saving showerheads are inexpensive and use about a third of the water that conventional showerheads use. Baths use much more water than showers, so save these for really special occasions. WELS (Water Efficiency Labelling and Standard) is a labelling scheme initiated by the Australian Government to help Australian consumers compare the water efficiency of different products. Look out for WELS ratings on showers, toilets and taps. For a really cheap solution, a water aerator, fitted to your existing taps, can halve the amount of water used. Get straight on to leaking taps and toilets – these can really take a toll on the water supply.

What a waste

Installing a dual-flush toilet goes without saying, and while you certainly can’t recycle black water – which is the stuff that comes from toilets – recycling greywater is a great idea. The reuse of greywater from the bathroom can greatly reduce a householder’s reliance on the water supply. Sydney Water, which supplies water to the NSW capital, reports that the bath, shower and hand basin produce about 200 litres of greywater a day. Greywater diverter and recycling systems can redirect and treat this water – which would normally end up going straight down the drain – so you can use it on all areas of the garden, even on the vegie patch. You can also connect your toilet to the water tank, so you’re using only rainwater when you flush.

Going solar

Anyone serious about greening up the home will want to install solar hot water systems – which heat all water in the home, not just the water used in the bathroom. The heating of water by residential properties contributes a huge amount to the greenhouse gas problem and by switching to solar you will save money on your power bill in the long run.

Keep it clean

Once your eco bathroom is up and running, the last thing to do is head out and pick up some green cleaning products. There are plenty of eco products made from natural ingredients that are not only friendly to you and the environment, but are a lot kinder to your tiles, bath, toilet and shower. Lemon, bi-carb and vinegar are great all-purpose cleaners. Microfibre cloths will clean smooth surfaces without the need for any cleaning products. Open up your window rather than switching on the fan and treat yourself to some new organic cotton towels. When you have to buy soap, shampoo, deodorant and beauty products next, choose the organic, natural varieties.

Baths, basins, shower trays and toilets made from recyclable or more natural materials are the way to go. Opt for cabinetry crafted from sustainable resources and reuse or buy secondhand where you can