Zero Waste in the Bedroom
I’ve covered Zero Waste tips for the Kitchen, Bathroom and Baby. I thought I’d move onto going Zero Waste in the Bedroom.
You want your bedroom to be a calm and relaxing sanctuary where you can unwind and relax before drifting off into a restful night’s sleep. So, you want it to be free from clutter and nasty chemicals. Here are a few tips on how you can start achieving Zero Waste in the Bedroom.
The Zero Waste 5 Rs
Before I dive in though it’s always useful to Remember Zero Waste is all about the 5 Rs:
Refuse – Learn to say no! Say no to plastic, say no to single use disposables.
Reduce – Think before you buy. If you switch to homemade natural cleaning products you only need some White Distilled Vinegar and Bicarbonate of Soda to cover most jobs link
Reuse – If things break, repair them or have them repaired. Upcycle items you would otherwise throw away, paint that old bedside cabinet and give it a new lease of life. Buy second hand.
Recycle – If you’ve managed to Refuse, Reduce and Reuse then you shouldn’t have a lot left but make sure you separate out your remaining rubbish and put the recyclable rubbish in the recycling bin.
Rot – Compost your cardboard packaging and don’t forget you can compost your bamboo toothbrush when you’ve finished with it just remove the bristles.
5 Tips to start going Zero Waste in the Bedroom
1. Swap disposable face wipes for reusable
Ditch the face wipes. Did you know that 93% of all blocked sewers in the UK are a result of wet wipes! Why not switch to reusable cleansing wipes to take your makeup off and clean your face.
You can try making some yourself, I made some out of an old cotton T Shirt, or there are lots of lovely ones to buy. I love the towelling and organic fleece ones by Little Green Wood
2. Use natural fibre bedding
Most conventional cotton sheets are treated with chemicals (including chlorine, formaldehyde, and silicon) to keep them from shrinking, losing their shape, and wrinkling. Some are treated with chemicals to produce a sheen. It’s therefore much better to buy 100% organic cotton or linen bedlinen.
If you do have man made bedlinen and you want to carry on using it until it wears out, which is absolutely fine, you might want to invest in a Guppy Bag for washing it.
With each wash, countless plastic fibres from synthetic fabrics are making their way from washing machines into rivers and oceans. The Guppybag filters out the tiniest microfibers released from fabrics during washing. The self-cleaning fabric bag is made of a specially designed micro-filter material. Simply collect the fibres and dispose them of properly.
And don’t forget an added bonus with linen is it looks great without ironing so not only is it better for you it will save you time.
3. Bring back hankies
Handkerchiefs are a simple swap. Start using hankies again instead of disposable tissues. People always tend to think of hankies as not being very hygienic but if you wash them regularly they will be fine. You can keep a small bag in your handbag to pop them in and just wash them with your regular laundry.
Mr J suffers with hay fever and he always uses hankies as he says they’re not as scratchy and don’t disintegrate. They’re easy to make or you could buy some and they make lovely presents.
4. Bedroom Furniture
remember your 5 Rs when you’re thinking about ways to go Zero Waste in the Bedroom. The third R is Reuse, so if you’re looking for a new bedside cabinet or set of drawers you can spruce your old ones up with a bit of paint. If you don’t have any then you could scour the charity shops or freecycle papers for some cheap buys and upcycle them.
5. Clothes
Zero Waste isn’t all about plastic and when you think about Zero Waste in the bedroom you might not automatically think about clothes. But if you think about todays fast fashion and how wasteful that is you’ll start to understand what Zero Waste really means.
Fast fashion is the second dirtiest industry in the World next to big oil!
If you already have a wardrobe full of clothes do you really need to go out and buy the latest new style dress?
I hope this has given you some inspiration on where to start going Zero waste in the Bedroom and if you want to more ideas on how to achieve Zero Waste check out my other Zero Waste Blogs like What is Zero Waste ?
great ideas i do most of these no longer buy paper products reuse is best i get cheap white wash cloths to take of makeup