The Easiest Eco Friendly Bathroom Cleaning Routine Ever

When you switch to an eco friendly lifestyle, it can be tricky to know how to do simple things like clean! Which products are safe to use? How can you clean a dirty bathroom without making a ton of waste? Below, I’m going to spill the beans on my simple eco friendly bathroom cleaning routine so you can see just how easy it really is.

Why is eco friendly bathroom cleaning important?

There are so many reasons to switch to an eco friendly bathroom cleaning routine!

Conventional cleaning products are packaged in plastic and plastic packaging contributes to pollution.

Beyond that, many conventional cleaners are made with synthetic fragrances, toxic ingredients, and irritants that can harm our bodies and the environment.

Take a look at the Environmental Working Group rating for Lysol cleaning wipes. These are common household cleaning products you’ll find in homes around the US.

Lysol disinfecting wipes were scored a D by the EWG for asthma/respiratory issues, skin allergies & irritation, developmental & reproductive toxicity, and environmental concerns.

It’s more than just the plastic bottles – it’s that these products are really not safe for us to touch or breathe and they can cause problems for the environment, too!

How do I find safe eco friendly bathroom cleaning products?

Don’t worry! I know it can be intimidating when you first learn about the issues with conventional cleaning products.

You’re stuck between panicking about how these products may be affecting you and trying to figure out what to do instead.

I use a very simple, safe, zero waste cleaning routine that changes the game. We’re going to use simple household products and natural ingredients you likely already have on hand!

We’ll do away with the harsh chemicals and learn about simple, natural cleaners you can use around the whole home.

It doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or confusing!

Here are the best green cleaning products:

1. Sal Suds (all purpose cleaner from Dr. Bronner’s)
2. Baking soda
3. White vinegar
4. Citric acid
5. Castile soap
6. Water
7. Hydrogen peroxide

That’s it!

Some of these can even be eliminated depending on what type of water you have, too!

With a couple of simple tools that make the job even easier, you can clean your bathrooms without waste or toxins.

Here’s my eco friendly bathroom toolkit:

1. One spray bottle of diluted Sal Suds (costs about $0.13 to make an entire bottle of cleaner)
2. A jar of my zero waste toilet cleaner (works on more than just toilets!)
3. A stack of cleaning rags
4. Baking soda
5. A reusable spray bottle with half vinegar and half water
6. A pumice scrubbing stick
7. Microfiber glass polishing cloth
8. Tub scrub brush
9. Toilet brush

My Super Simple Zero Waste Bathroom Cleaning Routine

Below, I’m going to break down exactly how I clean each part of my bathroom using these simple zero waste bathroom cleaners.

Sinks & Bathroom Mirrors

Start with your sink.

Spray everything (sinks, taps, and counter) down with diluted Sal Suds and wash it away with a wet rag.

Dealing with sink build-up

If you have some build-up in your sink, close the drain, add a couple of inches of hot water, and add 2 tbs of my toilet cleaner.

The mixture will fizz and break down soap scum! Just let it sit, scrub, drain, and rinse.

Bathroom hardware

Rub the glass polishing cloth over the taps to avoid water droplets.

Then, rub a damp cloth over the entire mirror to remove any smudges, toothpaste specks, etc.

Dry off with the glass polishing cloth. Done!

Eco-Friendly Toilet Cleaning

Ditch the toxic toilet cleaners! You can clean your toilet using a variety of simple cleaners.

Learn everything you need to know about zero waste toilet cleaning here.

For a toilet bowl cleaner, you can squirt a small amount of Sal Suds or castile soap directly in the bowl and scrub.

We like to use my homemade toilet bowl cleaner powder. It’s great at removing stubborn stains and is totally free of toxic chemicals.

Tackling hard water stains

One of my favorite tips is to use a pumice scrubbing stone!

Although I usually have to buy these wrapped in plastic, they reduce so much waste.

To use, dip the end of the stick in the water and then scrub away any hard water stains.

This is the most effective treatment I’ve ever used and it’s safe to use on ceramic. Just be sure to wet the bar first!

Cleaning the toilet

To clean the rest of the toilet, grab your Sal Suds spray bottle to spray and wipe.

Since Sal Suds is a great natural cleaner, you can just stop here and be done!

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Homemade disinfectant

If you want an extra layer of disinfectant, make a simple spray disinfectant with hydrogen peroxide.

Dilute equal parts of water and hydrogen peroxide in your hydrogen peroxide bottle (very important – only store hydrogen peroxide in its original bottle). Stick in a spray nozzle and spray!

Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes. The hydrogen peroxide will start breaking down right away and will ensure a nice, clean toilet.

Cleaning the Shower

Stick with the best eco-friendly cleaning products for a squeaky clean shower! Stick with your simple eco friendly bathroom cleaning kit to deal with any shower issue you may have.

Shower doors

We have glass shower doors and hard water, so we’ve tried a few different options to get rid of the hard water spots.

First, we scrubbed the heck out of the doors using an overpriced cleaning paste.

We now use baking soda and vinegar for this process because it works just as well.

Spritz the doors with the vinegar and sprinkle baking soda on top. Scrub and rinse.

To maintain this surface, we run a squeegee down the shower doors after every single shower.

We only need to scrub the doors every few months or so for maintenance. If you’re picky, you’ll probably have to scrub more, but this works for us!

Daily shower spray

After you give your shower a deep scrub, how can you keep your shower clean every day?

Keep a reusable spray bottle with equal parts water and vinegar in your shower.

Simply spray down the shower after each time you use it to keep the grime away.

Shower floors and tubs

A little elbow grease goes a long way here.

If your tub and shower floor aren’t too bad, you can get by with spraying and scrubbing Sal Suds.

For tough jobs, sprinkle baking soda generously and then add vinegar (either straight vinegar or spray with your spray bottle).

If you have leftover lemons, you can scrub those on the ceramic tile too as lemon juice is a great gentle acid for cleaning.

Use your wooden tub brush to scrub.

Shower curtains

Spray diluted vinegar to clean the soap scum off your plastic shower curtain.

Bathroom floor

Don’t forget to clean your floors!

Start by sweeping or vacuuming up hair and dust.

Then, mop. If you have a manual mop, dilute castile soap or Sal Suds in the water following the dilution ratios on the bottle.

If you have a steam mop, let it heat up and steam like normal. We found one at our local thrift store for $5 and it saves so much effort.

FAQs about Eco Friendly Bathroom Cleaning

Can I use essential oils to clean the bathroom?

Yes! We love using essential oils in the bathroom, but they aren’t necessary.

Since not all essential oils are safe to touch undiluted, I prefer to use them sparingly.

For example, when I add my toilet bowl cleaner to the bowl, I will often add 10 drops of my favorite grapefruit, orange, or essential oil.

How do you clean an eco friendly bathroom?

Skip the overpriced concentrates. Instead, focus on simple, natural cleaning products you can find easily in your local area.

Look for ingredients like:

• hydrogen peroxide
• white vinegar
• baking soda
• castile soap
• citric acid

We like to use Sal Suds as a general all-purpose cleaner as it received an A-rating from the EWG.

The main difference between Sal Suds and castile soap is that Sal Suds is a detergent. It’s meant for hard water and has a little extra oomph that castile soap doesn’t quite have.

Are these natural cleaners safe for septic tanks?

I always recommend checking each individual product to make sure its appropriate for your septic system.

All of the products I mentioned in this post are typically septic-safe in normal quantities.

What are the best natural household cleaners?

You probably own most of the cleaning supplies you need for a healthy, clean home!

Don’t waste your time or money buying prepackaged cleaning sprays or solutions. Instead, pick one simple all-purpose cleaner (we recommend Sal Suds) and use a little know-how to apply simple, natural products.

In my Sal Suds review, I compare Sal Suds to Mrs. Meyer, Puracy, and Branch Basics. Read the whole post for details, but it’s the safest and cheapest eco friendly cleaner out there!

What’s the best zero waste bathroom cleaner?

My favorite zero waste bathroom cleaner is Sal Suds because it’s just so effective at cutting dirt and grime. It has a mild scent from essential oils and is perfect for cleaning hard water.

If you don’t use Sal Suds, I’d recommend working with diluted white vinegar. It’s even cheaper and easier to find, although you can’t use it on every surface.

Since Sal Suds costs me about $0.13 to refill my 16 oz bottle and can be used on any surface, it’s the most convenient cleaner out there!

Plus…your bathroom won’t smell like pickles. 🙂

What do I need to know about zero waste bathroom cleaning?

This eco friendly cleaning routine is pretty low waste. I focus on simple, basic ingredients I can source in my bulk section or with minimal packaging.These are perfect for a zero waste lifestyle.

Although my cleaning concentrate comes in a plastic bottle, one bottle lasts me a very long time.

You could also skip the Sal Suds and use white vinegar as a general all purpose spray (just avoid using it on stone or porous surfaces).

Learn about my favorite zero waste cleaning swaps here.

Why do you recommend a microfiber glass cleaning cloth?

Microfiber releases microplastics, which contribute to pollution. Scientists have even found microplastics in human blood!

I’ve found that by using this one microfiber glass cleaning cloth, I can skip the need for any other window cleaner. It is incredibly effective and I use them throughout my home (polishing appliances, windows, mirrors, my glass stovetop, etc).

Because it replaces so many other products and I do my best to care for them so they’ll last, I’m okay using this one microfiber product.

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What do you think of these eco friendly bathroom cleaners?

Did you find a new cleaner to use or find the answer to your cleaning question? Share your thoughts in the comments below!