How cool is this use it up soap deal? Very cool. Learn more at Treehugger.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

For the thrifty design divas: via Umbra…

madras soap pump

orvino soap pump

teardrop kitchen pump

vidrio soap pump

For folks who like a little lotion with their soap:

duo double soap pump

[via Umbra]

Hippie, earthy, pottery family friendly:

Soap or lotion dispenser from Gauley River Pottery

Patina, Rustic & Dawn from Little e Pottery

Dragonfly set in Bluegrass or Dark Blue from Cabin Pottery

Leaf from Cabin Pottery

Kid friendly:

Glee Soap Pump from City Living

Lodge Bear, Tiki set, or Chili Pepper from Ancient Visions Rustic Home Furnishings

Common Cold Soap Dispenser by Giant Microbes from Mod Cloth

Bizarre:Outhouse from Piper Classics

For Peggy:

Country Cat from Piper Classics

For me (I like this one – it’s so old school):

Hoosier Soap Dispenser from Piper Classics

Earth Friendly:

Note that anyway you play it, a refillable soap dispenser is a great green choice. However, for die-hard tree huggers, here you go…

100% Recycled Glass Soap Dispenser Cobalt Round or 100% Recycled Glass Soap Dispenser Clear Green Square from The Natural Abode

Luxury:

Fun to look, but um… no way! Although, technically one of these would eventually pay itself off.

Firsthand Soap Dispenser ($78) from Napa Style

K2 Wall Mounted Soap Dispenser ($211 – $296) from Ginger

Which one is your favorite? I like the Hoosier, all the pottery ones, and the little germ.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Here are some likely items:

• Soap
• Shampoo – conditioner
• Loofah or sponge
• Face cleaner
• Bath toys
• Bubble bath
• Razor
• Shaving cream (often in those pesky aerosol cans)
• Shower caddy

Each of the items above represents an item I could write a lot about. Since this is a blog, not a book, we’ll look at some quick facts and solutions. Later on, at some point on this blog, I’m sure Peggy or I will cover the topics more in depth. If there’s one item you’d like to know about sooner, then feel free to leave a comment or e-mail Peggy or I.

Soaps and other bubbly, body cleaning items:

The problem with most commercial soaps, face cleaners, shampoos, and bubble baths is that many contain chemicals you don’t need (or want) on your skin. Another issue is that the chemicals in commercial products leaches out into our water supply – which can also harm aquatic life and other water bound animals.

A bigger problem, so far as the health of the planet, is packaging. So much plastic is used to make all those bottles. Options?

• If you do buy new bottles, only purchase natural organic products, and purchase from companies that used recycled plastics or other containers. You can often buy natural soap with zero packaging at farmers market and co-ops.
• What I do is re-fill my bottles. A LONG time ago I bought some bottles, which I simply take to the co-op and refill with shampoo and conditioner from the bulk area. You can also buy bubble bath and body and hand soap this way. If you don’t live by a co-op that offers this option, buy the biggest container you can. You can even look into wholesale – save money and plastic.
• Make your own soaps, scrubs, and shampoos, etc. Not so hard as it sounds – I make some of my own items. Still, too long for this post. Later today I’ll come back with at least one cool recipe.

Razors:

Guess how many disposable razors get thrown away each year? Some research says about two billion razors and blades a year. Wow. Of course a plastic razor is going to refuse to biodegradable. Darn razors. Burning them up creates a toxic cloud of pollution, and they have a terribly short life span. What can you do?

• Shave less often.
• Use an electric razor. The environmental destruction caused by plastics is worse than the small amount of energy you’ll use with an electric.
• Use an old school razor – one with a longer lasting metal and replaceable blade.
• Buy recycled. Remember the post I did on Recycline toothbrushes and razors? No? Oh, well, go read it. They make nice recyclable razors that are mush better for the planet than traditional disposables.

Shaving cream:

There are lots of good natural and non aerosol shaving creams. You still have to deal with packaging, unless you make your own, but the natural and non aerosol aspects are better than nothing. I’m not sure why, but so many organic companies make natural shaving cream in really small containers. Wasteful. Still, here are some options I’ve liked.

• Organic Men’s Stock North Woods Shave Cream – I stole some of this from my ex one day. It smells a little strong, but works well.
• Kiss My Face makes many shaving creams; I like the Lavender/Shea Moisture Shave best.
• Body Shop men’s shave cream.

Your local natural foods store will have lots more.

Sponges:

You can simply use a washcloth – it lasts longer than most loofahs and sponges. Or you can use nothing or go natural. There are all sorts of better sponges and hemp scrubbers you can buy.

Shower caddy:

I love this sustainable shower caddy from Gaiam. Love it. Another option, of course is to use no shower caddy – although it does get a little nuts without one sometimes. If you do have one make sure you clean it weekly. This will expand it’s life, and keep it in no-mildew shape so you’ll be less likely to toss it. If you do get rid of yours, make sure you check around to see if recycling is an option.

What other ideas do you have for creating a more sustainable tub and shower experience?

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Now when we do a green bathtub / shower audit, we’ll need to look at some different items. Following are the things we’ll be concentrating on.

• The actual tub or shower.
• The products you have sitting on your tub – shampoo, soap, sponges, etc.
• Water use.
• Cleaning the tub.

These are the types of issues you need to consider if you want to complete a true and total green tub audit. If you ignore water use but buy organic shampoo that’s really only doing some of what you could be doing. That’s ok; small steps are cool. But the goal is to eventually green each situation in your home to it’s fullest potential.

Start thinking about your bathtub and shower situation. Tomorrow morning we’ll get started by focusing in on one part of the audit.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family