Washing Greener

Lots of posts about the bathroom, I know. But it's such a big area where we can cut back! Today's tips are about hand soap, although some of these tips you could use for body wash too!

• Dilute it: No matter what we use to wash with, green or not, it certainly can't hurt to cut back a little. Diluting it into a foaming pump (ratio about 1 part soap to 3 parts water works for me) makes a small amount go a long way.
• Buy refills: When your pump runs out of soap, you don't need to buy another cute little pump with your soap! Purchasing a refill container saves the environment as well as your pocket.
• Use dishsoap: Although some people find it drying on the hands, others don't. If you find that it is, try one of the foaming dispensers. The dilution makes it much less potent. Also, dishsoap is much less expensive than hand soaps, and I find has less scent.
• Use bar soap: I find that old hotel soaps work quite well for hand soap. Or, instead of body wash, use a bar such as Dial or Dove. If you do this though, try to let the bar sit in open air for about a week before you use it. The bar will last much longer this way.