How To Turn Your Bathroom Into An Eco-Conscious Oasis

There are few places where we're really allowed uninterrupted time to ourselves. It may sound strange, but the bathroom is one of them. For this reason, why not turn our bathroom into an eco-conscious oasis? It's not just better for the environment, it's better for us. 

While the bathroom is often the smallest room in the home, it also produces a large amount of waste. Many bathrooms are brimming with items that do more harm than good to our environment—single-use products, toxic beauty products, and towels produced through wasteful practices, to name a few. Luckily, a few environmentally conscious choices, like the lush Noble Excellence Micro Cotton® Elite Bath Towels, can give your bathroom the sustainability makeover it needs, leaving your space greener and more luxurious. Let's get you started:

Fresh out of a shower, nothing feels better than a plush and absorbent stretch of fabric to dry off with. But manufacturing your average cotton bath towel wastes a ton of water. That is, unless you're Micro Cotton®. Micro Cotton® towels are made using a zero liquid discharge technology that allows 98.5% of the water in the production process to be recovered and reused. Let's put it this way: Micro Cotton® can produce 89 towels with the same amount of fresh water it takes an average towel manufacturer to make one.

And this is all without sacrificing luxury. Their Noble Excellence Micro Cotton® Elite Bath Towels bring a five-star hotel vibe to any bathroom—with exquisite softness from a proprietary spinning process you can't find anywhere else. They're made with long-staple cotton for strength and offer 150% more absorbency that doesn't wash out—meaning, they go the distance. 

As far as the environment goes, toilet paper is an everyday offender. That's because most leading T.P. manufacturers source their products from the Canadian boreal forest. Spanning 270 million hectares, this ecosystem plays a critical role storing carbon and purifying the air, therefore contributing to the climate crisis. Instead of choosing toilet paper made from trees, bamboo toilet paper is a great alternative. As a fast-growing grass, bamboo is highly renewable. But it's also hypoallergenic, meaning it's friendlier for your body. 

There are more single-use and waste-generative products in the bathroom than you may realize: toothbrushes, cotton swabs, tampons and pads, toothpaste, cotton balls, and razors—to name a few. Luckily, there's an innovative and eco-friendly version for essentially all of your bathroom needs (yes, even floss!). Strive to keep your bathroom trash can empty and invest in reusable alternatives.

We mind the ingredient lists on our food, but what about bath products? While the EU has banned more than 2,400 chemicals for use in cosmetics, the U.S. has banned only 11. Found in soaps, shampoos, conditioners, makeup, and the like, these chemicals are hard on our body and planet. Anything that goes down the drain eventually reaches our waterways and oceans, and this toxic runoff can harm marine life and coral reefs. Look for cosmetic products that have pledged earth-friendly, nontoxic ingredients. 

The bathroom is a room you want green but also clean. The thing is, many bathroom cleaners raise a red flag on the chemical front. Common cleaning ingredients—like bleach or ammonia—are known to harm plant and animal life1 while being connected to various health risks. Your bathroom can get just as clean with natural products or even solutions that are likely stashed in your cupboard right now, like vinegar, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide. 

It can start with one small decision that has a big impact—like treating yourself to the Noble Excellence Micro Cotton® Elite Bath Towel or the Macy's Ultimate Micro Cotton® Towel. Mother Earth does so much to care for us, we owe it to her to return the favor. If that means opting for an even softer, more absorbent towel, why would we ever refuse?