I have an antique teacup with some baking soda & lime essential oil as my bathroom air freshener. Works quite well. I add a few drops if needed. When it’s time to change it, the scented baking soda is used to scour my sinks😊
I know im randomly asking but does anyone know a trick to get back into an Instagram account? I stupidly forgot my account password. I would love any assistance you can give me.
For people who don't like smelly bathrooms, here is a tip from my grandma: use perfume you don't wear (anymore). Over the years I have bought quite a few cheap perfumes that I liked at the time, but don't want to wear anymore. So instead of throwing them away, I use them for smelly toilets :)
I grew loofa’s last summer here in New Zealand. They were a such a success and so easy to grow and process. Everyone got one as a present. Was such a success.
The period cup is life changing! As women we are raise to despise our menstrual cycle, when in fact it is totally natural and a part of us. The cup and reusable pads helped me to "reconnect" to this side of me and listen to my body needs. Love your videos! 😊
TMI but I have a disability affecting my insides so I like to have a scented thing in the bathroom.... i hang a little bag of lavender on the loo roll holder :)
That is completely fair as well, this was just my preference and not meant to shame anyone who uses these things, especially not if you have a disability. Perhpas I use some thinges in other situations where you don't, so no worries 💚
if you have a particularly pungent smell to cover I recommend lighting a match! it helps to cover the more ... interesting... smells :P and the matches can be composted!
I made a room spray ...DIY...reusing a shop bought room spray container. I keep it on top of the cistern. If there is a particularly bad odour, it may be sprayed directly in the toilet basin. It lasts for ages and when empty I just remake a batch.
My motto has always been to buy the best and most sustainable or eco friendly product i can , even if it SEEMS expensive you do tend to get what you pay for in terms of quality ( a generalisation to be sure but its always worked well for me ) im still using a 12 year old klean kanteen stainless steel water bottle . Saves me from purchasing water & i have a water purifier at home its become 2nd nature to just fill it before i leave the house . But when i initially bought th kk bottle i thought it ws ridiculously expensive eek !
seriously the menstrual cup is worth every penny. i think the last time i bought tampons was 3 years ago? and i got my cup off amazon for $18!! it makes you forget you have your period
I regularly let my pit hair grow out just to see how long it gets :D especially in summer when they are out in the world! I haven't shaved my legs in about 6 years apart from for a wedding and a very fancy event.
I made the switch to toothpaste tablets months ago and I love them so far, I also bought a bamboo toothbrush but I'm waiting for my current plastic one to wear down before I start using it. Switching to a safety razor was also a really easy change and gives good results. And I've just bought a shampoo bar and conditioner bar that I'm excited to try out :) Edit: oh, and I switched from pads to a period cup. Bit strange at first but I quickly got used to it and have been using it for 11 months
Yes! You're doing it! Seeing people make sustainable swaps brings me joy and reminds me to do the same. Thank you for the motivation and I wish you the best of luck on your reduced waste journey. 😊
I light a match to camouflage the smells :) I love the smell of burning matches. Always been using solid soaps for ages, lots of shower gels smell like strawberry cakes and I don't wanna smell like a cake, lol. Toilet paper isn't a thing in my home, I use Happy Po which is a portable bottle bidet and so awesome. And then I just use a cloth to pad dry :) I only use tp when I'm out somewhere but would travel with my bidet
Lol. We used to always do that growing up. Kind of forgot all about lighting a match. I also have a peri bottle I was given when I gave birth and I use that like the portable happy po you mentioned.
For me the biggest appeal of many “sustainable” alternatives to disposables we commonly use is that in the long run it is both cheaper and exposes you to fewer potentially harmful chemicals. I also hate tossing so much plastic when I know that it isn’t biodegradable and will eventually breakdown into micro plastics which will cause unknown harm in the future. My goal is to slowly transition to low waste alternatives as I use up what I have. I grew up in California so some things like using washcloths in place of disposable ones or having a reusable water bottle are natural, I just made my first real change by buying a safety razor which was super easy to use. I think reusable period products and cotton pads will be my next switch
I have always been a big body scrub person and let me tell you, discovering that coffee can be used as a scrub changed the game! Whenever I make a big batch of coffee such as with a French press, I just put the grounds in an oven safe dish, bake it on low until it dries out, stir it, and throw it in a jar- boom! Completely free body and face scrub! All you do is put some in your hands, add a tiny bit of water, and then gently massage it over your skin. It really is crazy to me that I ever purchased body scrub.
yeah. I do the same. I never understand how a brand coffee scrub in a shop can be so expensive (in my country it costs 10 euros or even more for 1 package). I use a coffee grounds from my breakfast coffee and vuala my coffee scrub is for free. :-D :-)
I have just discovered your channel and I am obsessed! You are so inspiring and its incredible to see your passion. Which bidet attachment do you use or does anyone else have any recommendations?
When I was learning how to shave by my mom,I never heard about shaving cream. Thiccc layer of soap and trust me,its far more better than the cream(because I ended up trying it)
I love all of these swaps so much, it kinda puts into perspective what we actually need and what we can perfectly live without! Just a question: how well does your konjac sponge work? Because I had two, and contrary to what it said on the packaging ("lasts up to 12 weeks) mine lasted max. 2 weeks and broke apart, even though I was super gentle with it. It was super nice for my face, helped cleanse it nicely, but it didn't last at all :(
maybe try a different brand? Ive tried some brands that I like and some I hate. My favorites are the andalou naturals ones and they last 3-4 months each (they continue to last but get rid of them for a cleanliness/bacteria standpoint).
Honestly I don't know about anyone else, but now that I have made so many zero waste swaps I cannot imagine going back. I tried using my sisters makeup wipes and I found them incredibly irritating!
Some of how I have swapped these thing: - smells: bicarb in a cup works well for the loo, for room/ furniture sprays we mix essential oils with vodka and water. Instead of scented candles we use a diffuser and any candles we still use are made from local beeswax. - period: hannahpads and modibodi pants 🙌🙌 - hair: I have frizzy, wavy hair and recently stopped using shampoo at all. I just use a conditioner bar and it's great - lotion: I use local beeswax and olive oil to make balls that can be used as a general lotion or can be infused with dried herbs to make medicinal products. This one is GREAT for tattoos healing and sprucing up
Ugh, shaving creams are so utterly pointless. Someone needs to ban them already. Also, thank you Gittemary for the Denttabs recommendation. I used to make my toothpaste with baking soda only to later find out that it can be abrasive for our teeth enamel and so had to stop doing that. I'm super psyched to try dental tablets now! :)
You shouldn't stick any hard items in your ears, be it cotton swabs or bamboo. That irritates your skin (so ears produce even more wax) and can be harmful. You can use clear oil or just your bare fingers to clean ears (I usually do it in shower after I washed my hair, a lot of water has already found its way into ears by that time so earwax is softened)
When I need to scrub my body skin.. I just use my natural body scrub glove. I have it for several years now and it does the trick well! Love your serie of videos for the thing you don't buy anymore.
Can anybody say just how crunchy are dental tabs? I am autistic and have a major sensory problem with crunchy things, my limit is the kettle brand potato chips for reference. Can anybody tell me are they so crunchy that it would be a nightmare for me to use? I will run out of my toothpaste soon and want to switch to something more sustainable, but I am worried that dental tabs would be too crunchy for my sensory sanity lol
I've been using them for the past two weeks, they don't "crunch" but you do have to bite down with slightly more force than you would use for a kettle chips. The texture can also be very inconsistent from use to use depending on how dry your mouth is! Maybe you could perhaps "mash it" into a paste in a little bowl before hand, with a few drops of water? So that you don't have to bite into it
I went through all of my things recently, as I went home for the holidays and brought back anything that would be useless sitting at home. I have like 1,000 single-use cotton rounds that were in small collections here and there between my parent's house and my apartment it'll be a while before I get to move to reusable cotton rounds but I compiled them and am working through them one by one.
You can make sugar scrubs super cheap at home if you love your body scrubs! There’s a lot of Pinterest recipes, It’s mostly a ratio of sugar to coconut oil, and essential oils for fragrance! Not sure how sustainable it is because sugar can be an intensive things to produce, however I straight up just use my nails to exfoliate (obviously gently) but just dragging your nails along your skin usually picks up all the dead skin and sebum and dirt and you just clean under your nails when done. I really love reusing coffee grounds if it want and intense exfoliation, but it is VERY VERY MESSY just a forewarning. Also sugar waxing can be done at home (kind of tricky and there is a learning curb), but it also uses sugar but for all the ladies who like their waxing; sugar waxing.
If someone is having issues with needing shaving cream, Package Free Shop sells a shaving bar that has worked really well for me in the past. Either that or I will just lather my legs with conditioner 😊
I love your content. I recently renewed my commitment to reducing my plastic consumption. I listen to your videos instead of music while cleaning nowadays in order to keep myself on track with this mentally. When you mentioned the comfort and convenience of reusable menstrual products, it reminded me of the beginning of the pandemic. I was out of pads, my period hit, and I was out of options when the lockdown happened. I drew inspiration from women who are part of the zero waste movement and sewed some crude looking reusable pads out of old cotton socks. It was the most comfortable period I ever had. I didn't think I could associate a luxury item with a bodily function but here we are lol. I got away from that as time progressed, but I am redoing my sewing area so I can get back to that and make more reausable things. Thank you for helping me stay on track.
Toothbrush is the only bathroom related item that I haven't switched yet, still using my electric toothbrush. My dentist says that the electric one cleans a lot better and oral health is very important so kinda stuck.
Not sure where you're located (and what brands are available there) but quite a few sustainable brands are now doing electric toothbrush heads that they have a take back program for, so they will get recycled. And then obviously the base is reusable!
Oral health is super important, no question. I have heard of these more eco-friendly electric toothbrush heads, and I cannot discard them completely, perhaps I'll try them some day. I see my dentist for check-ups a couple of times a year and we talk about ways to improve oral health always, so I have am super thorough with my bamboo brush, I floss etc to make sure I am always prioritizing health 🌿
@@martaduarte3364 Thanks for the tip! I need to check if I could get my hands on one of those. There are finnish online shop that sell Georganics but haven't seen a electric tootbrush yet
An actual loofah is a natural grown plant. I buy whole organic ones and cut them to size for cleaning, washing dishes and for the shower 🚿. I love a natural loofah. I also make a mouthwash with water and baking soda, add some mint extract and I make tooth powder from bentonite, baking soda and mint extract. I love all of these swaps that I use daily!
How do you like your Last Swabs ... I think that’s their name? I only use cotton swabs to dry out my ears when water gets in them. So, mostly my showers which I take 3-4x/week based on the season. I cannot stand the feeling of water in my ears and have tried using towels and cloth to get in there, but it never works and I’m left with an ear ache. Do the Last Swabs absorb water pretty well? Do you think I could swap for those and be ok? Thanks for your awesome videos! I’ve been watching for a while and your evolution as a RU-vidr and as a person has been beautiful and inspiring! Love to you!
We use both the LastSwab and disposable swab, because the LS cannot absorb water. The disposable ones are for drying our ears and the LS for cleaning. My boyfriend uses them more, I only need it once every few weeks, when I wash my hair. But one pack of cotton swabs has lasted the two of us more than a year, I cannot even remember when we bought that pack. There is still twentysomething left...
I've never been a fan of the dental tabs. Maybe I never used them properly. But I have been able to find sustainably made toothpaste in a little jar! Everything else in this video I'm 100% on board with.
I get a lot of my bathroom stuff from a local woman on etsy who makes them! She sells her products at a lot of local stores around here too. She makes soaps, shampoo bars, conditioner bars, lotion bars, scrubs, chapsticks - it's amazing. For toothpaste, once I'm out of what I have, I'm going to be giving Bite a try - they also have mouthwash tabs too!
Toothbrush and razor are also the first things I switched over. For toothpaste I use tooth tabs when I travel but at home I love David’s toothpaste. It comes in an aluminum tube. For body lotion, I get body oil from my local bulk shop as well as mouthwash tabs that dissolve in water. Shave cream I use a vegetable glycerin soap bar. There are so many easy switches that I didn’t know existed until I committed to switching to low waste. For periods I use a reusable menstral disc and I love it
Making my switch from shampoo bottles to bars have changed my life! I absolutely love it. I also just use coconut oil as my lotion, it has saved me so much money and the planet so much plastic! I love your videos they are so informative and encouraging
I love my Muslim cloths and flannels that I use to wash my face with and to take off make up if I wear any. I can’t use air fresheners anywhere in my home as they affect my sinuses so I use candles where possible. I do have one body and face scrub left to use up but once I do use them up I will not use them as I’m lazy with my skincare anyways and prefer a face mask over face scrub x we are renovating our bathroom and am currently doing a bathroom audit of products I use. Looking into a uk soap company to change some of my other products I use. But slowly getting there x
I use SALT cup and it was a game changer. I bought it in a set of 2 sizes. I tried the first size and it worked for my routine and body shape/size so I passed the unused size on to someone else- dropped it off in a little free pantry with other toiletries and I think sometimes I hope whoever picked it up is enjoying their cup as much as I am 🤗
Hey, I wanted to know how long you use your toothbrushes as many people say you should replace your toothbrush every 3 months. Is that the same for bamboo toothbrushes? Also, something you can do is just reuse the old toothbrushes to clean hard to reach areas
Oh Yes! 🍃we all started with the bamboo toothbrush 🤗 the best low waste product ever 😁 ...is it gross when I tell you that I've been using the same disposable razor for almost 2 years now? 😅🤣😋 A friend of mine bought a whole package of them and gave me one...once in a while I put it in disinfectant and obviously I rinse it after using - but tbh it's still sharp enough for me...I can shave as usual, no problems, works completely fine - I don't have much to shave though 😉 ..but eventually - in an other year or so 😎 I might finally invest in a safety razor 🦊
Great video, Gittemary! :) You've given me some things to think about. I did try a bamboo toothbrush once, but I couldn't stand using it. The wood was so dry inside my mouth, even when wet. I didn't like it at all! I wish there was another alternative to plastic toothbrushes. :( Also, two things about the lotion that you make yourself - do you use it on your face as well as your body? And doesn't the coconut oil clog your pores, since it solidifies at room temperature. Or...does the warmth of your skin keep it from doing that?
Hi if you can stand it try again with the bamboo toothbrushes. Every time I change mine it's dry for the first couple uses and then its totally fine. I've also had brands that don't do that at all so perhaps try a different brand too...
@@moss5690 thanks for the suggestion. I have to confess that I only used the bamboo toothbrush once, so I guess I didn't give it much of a chance. The other thing is that they are more expensive than plastic ones, which makes it difficult for those of us on a fixed income.
I've made reusable menstrual pads and they are way more comfortable and have never had a problem with leakage. I have very sensitive skin and I used to buy more expensive all cotton pads but the reusable ones are a million times better! I also use the diva cup, mostly for beach days. I also made a bunch of reusable cotton rounds out of facecloths and flannel. They also work better than the disposable ones and I love that it's another thing I don't have to buy!
is there anyone here that, albeit feeling sligthly guilty about it, likes to wear nail polish? If so, can you let me know if reusable cotton rounds are a feasible alternative to disposable ones for nail polish remover? Do you have alternatives? I know it's a wasteful, polluting thing, but i do like to apply nail polish sometimes... thanks
I know not everyone does this but I just let my nailpaint chip off before I apply the new one🙃 Maybe it's a bad thing to do because it is plastic afterall, but I think one dedicated reusable cotton wipe should do the trick.
Even zero wasters have habits and hobbies that aren’t waste free! Don’t feel guilty! If you are lowering your waste in other areas it makes up for things like this. Do some research and try to make your manicures last as long as possible.
I don't think that removing nail polish zero waste is possible because the polish can't be rinsed out afterwards. What I do is keeping old socks with holes or too old cleaning rags and any other unusable cloth things, cut these in small pieces to remove the nail polish and then throw them away. Doesn't take it all off as easily as cotton pads used to, but works pretty well too. Definitely not the most eco friendly way, but I found no alternative so far. I am using Eco friendly nail polish remover if there can be anything like that and also, as a former nail polish and nail design addict found myself going nude - nailwise - way more than painted since zero waste became a huge thing to me. But still love some colour every now and then because it used to be a way of expressing myself and an important creative hobby for me, which we all need! So I feel like it's ok from time to time and still better than throwing out amounts of cotton pads. Maybe that works for you as well?
anyone have any tips for getting rid of the smell that comes from using a menstrual cup? the smell of the silicon, how do i neutralize it or get rid of it completely?
also haven't used these items for ages, some never (e.g. wet wipes, air freshener, shaving cream). one after another I switched to bulk-variants or sustainable versions or cut out completely. At the moment I'm using up my cotton swabs (bamboo handle, but yeah, still single use) and want to switch to this stick (mine's called oriculi). The difficulty is, I kind of like usings cotton swabs for cleaning my ears. So I want to kind of outsmart myself by simply not buying new ones so that I will be forced to use the oriculi stick 🙃😅 and absolutely, air fresheners are so wasteful 😫 and relatively unnecessary.
Almost the same list here!!! I still use disposable razers,but I use like 5 or 4 a year, so it is not such an absurd..leaf ismy dream, but just a bit too expensive
I love these videos! I bought a RubyCup menstrual cup a few years back and it really changed the period game! I also have never used mouthwash, but I’ve recently acquired a stainless steel tongue scraper which has been wildly fantastic and goes a long way in helping my mouth feel clean and fresh!
You can make your own liquid soap by "melting" a bar of soap. The ratio varies depending on the brand, but about 8 cups of water to one bar seems safe. Chop up the bar, heat it in a pot with the water, stir, let cool, put in containers of your choice. Sometimes called soap jelly.
Does the soap separate from the water when being stored? I was looking into making my own liquid soap but couldn't find a way to do it without using lye (apparently that binds the soap & water) which is a chemical I'd rather not use.
@@niknikkuta4241 not usually, but it wont quite be the same consistency as commercial. I have had the best luck using doctor bronner's for hand and kitchen soap. I actually get two gallons out of one bar and store it in empty gallon containers. For laundry soap, i use zote soap, borax, and washing soda. Have fun! 😊
I use a little drop of my conditioner as shaving cream :) works super well, 2 uses in 1 and my one bottle of conditioner lasts me a year so not too bad! want to look into conditioner bars next though
About 11 things I am working on not buying for at least a year or longer....socks, black pants, black flat shoes, black ankle boots, house slippers, pajamas, hair scrunchies, body spray,....for a very long time all those items...now getting to future empties... hand soap...( I have way too many bars of hotel soap that will be used for hand soap...I have enough for all in the home) body wash/bar soap ( until it runs out... probably in a year) decorative paper napkins ( until they run out)
I just got a plastic toothbrush where you just replace the part of the head with the bristles! I was finding my bamboo toothbrushes got mouldy so this solution works for us.
After I became sensitive to commercially made toothpastes, I switched to a sprinkle of sodium bicarbonate on a toothbrush moistened with hydrogen peroxide. Doing so has stopped my mouth pain, saved money, and earned the complements of my dentist.
Quick question, I use an oil based eye makeup remover. Can I wash reusable cotton rounds with my clothes or will it leave oil spots all over my laundry? Thanks
You can cut apart an old flannel pyjama into five inch squares and use them when you pee but use toilet paper when you poo. Wash the flannels with your panties in a mesh bag and hang to dry. It will cut your toilet paper use down drastically. It’s no ickier than washing your underwear. If you are very fastidious, wear gloves and wash them in the sink with very hot water before adding them to your wash load.
Please I need a video about how you switched / when to replace plastic items with the better options. My heads going round in circles thinking I want a bamboo toothbrush and loofah but my plastic ones are still here and fine. I find it easy to do swops with products that finish eg it was easy to swop my disposable razors for a safety razor and pads for a menstrual cup, but what about things that don't really wear out? Thank you for your videos x
I've got a little earwax problem going on and my left ear got extra crusty after blowing my ear drum during a nasty cold, using swaps just wasn't an option because it was too painful, so I used my netipod (nose shower) to squeeze warm salt water into my ears while bend over the tub and oml they're so clean and healthy now, my ear drum on the left and infection on the right healed in no time.
Serious question:does anyone have any tips on stopping reusable panty liners from slipping round? Mine fold round the gusset with a popper fastening,but they dont stay put.
I find really wanting to go out any buy more of what I already have. I had the same face bar for like 3 years. I was still using it until I realized it got all mushy and wasn't doing much for my skin anymore. I went to a different local sustainable store and got one I've never tried before. But there were so many times where I told myself not to buy face wash because I already had a bar at home.
You don't need a bidet, just keep a jug of water next to the toilet. I have been doing that for at least ten years for cleanliness. Long before l even thought of sustainability. My Muslim friend taught it to me. It's just cleaner.
when i was a kid i also thought you needed shaving cream to shave properly. i switched so many years ago to soap and I have to say either I got better at shaving or the shaving cream was the problem but I never cut myself anymore which was not the case when i used that cream.
