Mettle In The Bathroom

Getting back in touch with nature…

n her latest attempt to save the planet, and save us all a few shekels, the bould Ann Teehan this week tackles the bathroom.

Where, as any sweet-smelling, coiffured Greystonian will tell you, quite a lot of sprays, shampoos, soaps, lotions, potions and fake tans like to gather.

With this in mind, AnniePooh (as she drunkenly likes to be known) here comes clean about making our WCs truly clean.

Take it away, kiddo…

Hands up who has a bazillion bottles of lotions, potions and miracle products? The ‘might use’ (but haven’t in 6 months), the miracle cream that had it’s fortnight in the spotlight before being consigned to the bathroom shelf in favour of a newer product in a more attractive bottle? Guilty as charged?

Well, the good news is that there are easy ways to make your bathroom plastic free!

My top tip is to keep it simple. Find what works for you and stick to it. And keep clear of shiny packaging and wild promises of eternal youth!

Here are 6 easy swaps you can make to ditch single use!

Cloth Sanitary Towels
The first commercially available sanitary pad (as we know it) was launched by kotex in 1921. Although convenient at the time, it has taken us almost 100 years to twig that sanitary pads can take 500-800 years to biodegrade! Yuck!

As with many ‘developments’ over the years, the environmental impact was not high on the agenda at the time of inception. Luckily for us, not only do we now have the knowledge but we also have plenty of sustainable sanitary options. These cloth sanitary pads and period pants are one of our best sellers. Once thought to be the domain of hippy types with dubious hygiene practices, they are now favoured by smart CEO’s, sassy school teachers and eco conscious mums around the world. Plastic free, bleach free and sustainable. Kind to you and kind to the world.

Deodorant
Sugarloaf Botanics All Natural Deodorant – If this one hasn’t found its way into your life yet, you are really missing out. Tried and tested, this really works! 100% natural, vegan, made at the foot of the Sugarloaf and completely eco-friendly.

Teeth
Paste, Power, Tablets & Brushes!
One of the easiest swaps for our house has been our toothbrushes. Bamboo brushes are now widely available for all the family. If you’ve tried one in the past and didn’t like it, do try again, they have upped their game since becoming mainstream. Choose different colours for each member of the family for less bathroom drama! Once you’re done with them, use them to label seeds, clean the bathroom grout or scrub mucky runners.

There are so many options now for tooth care and going zero waste no longer means whipping up a hydrogen peroxide tincture each morning to keep your gnashers gleaming. Here at AnniePooh, we stock all kinds of zero waste toothpaste replacements. If you’re unsure which one will suit, drop us a note here.

Soap
We are spoilt here in Ireland with the amount of great quality zero waste soap options available. In the past decade, convenience has overtaken common sense and shop shelves are now bursting with plastic pump bottles of every colour but what could be more convenient than the humble soap bar?

Package free, palm oil free, natural & packed with oats, chia seeds, charcoal and essential oils to beat the band, it ticks a lot of boxes!

Start with your skin type. If your skin is sensitive, well you’re on the right track. Cutting out nasty chemicals is going to be a hit with your skin. If you have oily skin, you might want to opt for a charcoal bar. There’s a soap bar to suit everyone!

Make-Up Remover Pads
Organic cotton make up remover pads are simply great. Larger than standard cotton pads, there is no messy leakage. Whether it’s micellar water or coconut oil, you won’t end up with sticky fingers. Our reusable cotton pads come in a pack of 10 in a handy little mesh bag for washing them in. Easy Peasy!

Razors
I’m going to be honest, it may have been the rose gold colour that swung it for me but it also comes in gunmetal grey to make his ‘n’ hers identification easier, or pink, mint green…… It is soooo easy to use (and refills are only 80c a blade!), there are no plastic bits anywhere and it sparks joy every time I see it on the shelf! I teamed it up with Airmid’s Green Man Shaving soap (on insider advice) and haven’t looked back.

You can check out the AnniePooh Zero Waste Shop & Refillery on Hillside Road, check the website here, and get in touch directly on [email protected].