The need for eco-friendly bathrooms is on the rise. Water conservation products are becoming increasingly popular as trends point consumers into the direction of responsible water use. However, fashion aside, the planet has a dire need for water conservation efforts. Every person can help to save water by making some changes in the place which uses the most water in every household: the bathroom. Harsh chemicals used in cleaning and body products also lead to polluted water, causing a lot of environmental harm. There are approximately 1.4 billion cubic meters of water on Earth, 2.8 million cubic meters of which are available for use, an amount of only 0.1%. Water is a precious resource becoming scarcer each day. A single bathroom can use up to 100 litres of clean water daily; multiply this amount by the many households situated all over the planet and the picture becomes somewhat alarming. Contemporary water conservation efforts and eco-friendliness have begun focusing on making small changes in bathroom features and recycling ‘grey’ water (used water not contaminated by human waste). Reducing water wastage Bathrooms use water for showers, toilets, baths and wash basins. On average, a shower uses almost 23 litres of water a minute, a toilet flushes with 8 litres of water and a bath uses almost 152 litres of water. Cutting down the amount of water used in a bathroom is not as difficult as it may seem however. A bath uses twice as much water as a shower, so having a short shower is the first step towards saving water. Keeping the shower to a maximum of five minutes is also efficient in saving a lot of water. Replacing a showerhead with a low flow fitting can help reduce water used by almost 16 litres. Do not leave the tap running when using a wash basin for brushing teeth or for other reasons as this allows water to literally disappear down the plughole. Conventional toilets are being fitted with a ‘dual flush’ mechanism, a system which has two different flush settings: one for water waste and one for solid waste. When a person flushes the toilet, they have the option of choosing the type of flush required: solid waste or water waste. Water waste requires far less water to flush than solid waste and the dual flush mechanism therefore saves water as a strong flush is not required every time. Various bathroom and kitchen fitting producers have begun to sell systems which recycle grey water. Grey water has been used for household purposes, but not contaminated with toilet waste. Grey water can be taken from a sink, wash basin, bath, shower, washing machine and washing tub and used for procedures which do not require clean water, such as flushing the toilet and garden irrigation and some systems even clean the grey water using a bio-mechanical treatment and not requiring any chemicals for treatment. A grey water recycling system is able to save thousands of litres of water as water is used twice, where possible. Avoiding Toxic Chemicals An eco-friendly bathroom should not only save on water, but should avoid all harsh chemicals which are deadly to wildlife and eco-systems and aim to save energy. A geyser is often heated to far higher than necessary, wasting electricity used to heat the water inside. Reducing the temperature setting on a geyser saves electricity, as does using a geyser blanket which keeps the geyser heated with less energy. There are a variety of organic cleaning products available which will clean a bathroom without expending harmful toxins into the water and environment. A simple way of preventing mildew is to install a fan above a bath or shower to remove excess moisture in a bathroom, eliminating the need to use heavy chemicals to remove the substance. Bathroom cabinets should ideally be made of wheatboard, wheatstraw or other natural materials which do not contain a binding substance as these usually contain formaldehyde. Ceramic tiles for bathroom floors and to decorate the areas around the bath, shower and basin are eco-friendly, especially is made from recycled materials. Bamboo floors are also an eco-friendly option for bathroom flooring. A shower curtain made from fabric is far more environmentally friendly than a plastic curtain. A grated cover over the plughole of a shower, bath and washbasin will prevent materials from becoming clogged in drains and avoiding the need to clear out blockages with extremely heavy corrosives which are extremely harmful to the environment. Every individual living on the planet has a responsibility to help with the preservation of natural resources. A bathroom can be extremely taxing on the environment, and if each person instituted some eco-friendly practices into their bathroom, the world would save water, have less pollution and greater hope for the future. Design need not be compromised, as many bathroom fitting specialists have turned their focus onto producing luxury, designer fittings that have a duel purpose: designer look and eco-friendly. A little goes a very long way when people recycle grey water, purchase water conservation products and sustain eco-friendly bathrooms.
Tags: Bathroom, Create, Ecofriendly, environmentally safe grey water, Grey, Recycle, Water
