The Bathroom Plastic Audit Everyone Should Do
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Your bathroom is likely the most wasteful room in your home — and the easiest to fix.
Dear IMPT Family,
Bathrooms are plastic factories. Shampoo bottles, conditioner bottles, body wash, lotion, soap pumps, toothpaste tubes, deodorant sticks, makeup containers, cotton pads, razor handles — each one designed for single or limited use, then binned.
The average person generates roughly 4–5 kg of plastic from beauty and hygiene products annually, just from their bathroom. A household of four produces 16–20 kg per year. Over a lifetime, that’s several hundred kilograms heading to landfill or ocean.
A 30-minute audit reveals where the waste is — and which swaps deliver the biggest impact fastest.
🔥 Key Highlights 🔥
1️⃣ How to conduct a bathroom plastic audit
2️⃣ The 80/20 rule — which items matter most
3️⃣ Shampoo and conditioner swaps (the biggest wins)
4️⃣ Deodorant and personal care swaps
5️⃣ Dental and grooming items that can go plastic-free
6️⃣ Cotton pads and menstrual products — the hidden waste
1️⃣ How to Conduct a Bathroom Plastic Audit
Set 30 minutes. Go through your bathroom and make a list of everything with plastic packaging. Include:
✔ Hair care (shampoo, conditioner, styling products)
✔ Body care (soap, lotion, body wash)
✔ Face care (cleanser, moisturiser, serums, masks)
✔ Deodorant and antiperspirant
✔ Toothpaste, mouthwash, floss
✔ Razors and shaving products
✔ Makeup and makeup remover
✔ Cotton pads, cotton swabs, makeup sponges
✔ Menstrual products (pads, tampons, applicators)
✔ Medications and supplements (bottles, blister packs)
For each item, write down: what it is, how long a bottle/package lasts, and roughly how much you spend per year on that category.
2️⃣ The 80/20 Rule — Which Items Matter Most
You’ll find that 20 percent of your products account for roughly 80 percent of the plastic waste and spending. These are your priorities.
For most people, that means: shampoo and conditioner. These come in large plastic bottles, last 1–2 months, and people buy them monthly. A single household might bin 6–12 shampoo bottles per person per year. That’s often 24+ bottles annually for a family of four.
This is where to start. Swapping shampoo to bars eliminates roughly 50–60 percent of bathroom plastic waste.
Other big items: deodorant, lotion, body wash. These three account for most of the remainder.
3️⃣ Shampoo and Conditioner Swaps (The Biggest Wins)
Solid shampoo and conditioner bars eliminate liquid bottles entirely. One bar replaces 2–3 bottles and costs the same or less annually. This is the single highest-impact bathroom swap.
How to switch: order a bar, use it for two weeks while continuing with your liquid shampoo. Once you’re sure you like it, bin the liquid bottle. The transition period matters because bars require slightly different application than liquids.
Brands like Lush, Ethique, and Wholesome make bars that rival conventional shampoos in performance. Some people experience a transition period where their hair is greasier for 2–3 weeks — that’s normal and passes as your scalp adjusts to retaining natural oils. Stick with it.
Cost: a bar is 6–12 euros and lasts 2–3 months. A bottle is 4–8 euros and lasts 1–1.5 months. Over a year, bars save money and eliminate 8–10 plastic bottles.
4️⃣ Deodorant and Personal Care Swaps
Deodorant sticks come in plastic tubes you bin every 2–3 months. Refillable deodorants use a reusable container (glass or metal) and cardboard refills. One container lasts 5+ years; only the refill is replaced.
Cost: refillable kit (15–25 euros) plus refills (5–8 euros every 3 months) versus conventional sticks (3–5 euros every 2–3 months). Over five years, refillable systems cost 30–40 percent less.
For body lotion, decant into a glass jar and buy refills at refill stations, or switch to solid balms that work for face, body, and cuticles.
5️⃣ Dental and Grooming Items That Can Go Plastic-Free
Toothpaste tubes are metal-lined plastic — hard to recycle. Toothpaste tablets (chewable pellets you brush with wet) come in glass jars and are fully plastic-free. Alternatively, toothpaste in glass jars or metal tins exist from brands like Bite and Unwrapped Life.
Floss typically comes in plastic dispensers. Plastic-free floss comes in glass jars and lasts much longer.
Razors are often plastic handles you bin. A safety razor with replaceable metal blades lasts a lifetime. The blades cost pennies and recycle as metal.
Toothbrushes: wood or bamboo bristle brushes come without plastic packaging and are fully compostable. You’ll need 4 per year instead of 8–12 plastic ones.
6️⃣ Cotton Pads and Menstrual Products — The Hidden Waste
Cotton pads for makeup removal or cleansing are single-use and create surprising waste. Reusable cloth pads do the same job, wash with your laundry, and last for years. A set of 10 costs 10–15 euros and eliminates 365+ disposable pads per year.
Menstrual products are similarly plastic-heavy. Disposable pads and tampons come in plastic applicators and plastic wrappers, generating 10+ kg of waste per person annually.
Reusable options — period pants, menstrual cups, cloth pads — eliminate this waste almost entirely. A menstrual cup (15–25 euros) lasts 10 years and eliminates roughly 130 kg of plastic waste over that period.
Looking Ahead — Staged Implementation
Don’t swap everything at once. Most bathroom changes are expensive upfront and take time to adjust to. Start with the highest-impact item — usually shampoo. Use that category successfully for a month, then add another.
Your audit reveals your baseline. Rerun it in six months. You’ll see waste drop dramatically with just 4–5 swaps.
Let’s keep building — together. 🌍💚
