Green improvements in the bathroom conserves many natural resources. Did you know a single person in the US flushes close to twenty gallons of drinking water per day? In this list there are a few Eco-friendly products that will not only help save the planet but may also save you some money as well.
1. Compact Florescent Light Bulbs: An ordinary light bulb has the lifetime of about one thousand hours. Compact florescent light bulbs last close to eight thousand hours. A CFL light bulb is a little more expensive but in the long run, one CFL light bulb is a lot cheaper than eight regular light bulbs.
2.Environmentally friendly Liquid Soap: Regular soaps contain synthetics, perfumes, and preservatives. These harmful chemicals leak into our septic systems. Which eventually make it into our to streams, lakes, and other bodies of water causing detrimental affects to our fish.
3. Low Flow Shower head: A regular shower head uses more than twenty five gallons of water for the average person's shower. Installing a low flow shower head can save over fifty percent of the regular shower's water usage.
4. Low flow toilets: Depending on your current toilet a low flow toilet can save a family of four between 4,000-19,000 gallons of water per year. A dual flush toilet is one of the most popular types of water saving toilets. These toilets are commonly used throughout Europe, China and are mandatory in Australia.
5. Toilet tissue: In the US we cut down over 10 million trees for toilet paper. By using toilet paper that has been recycled or that is EPA compliant we can drastically decrease the amount of lumber we cut down.
6. Vanity made from Bamboo: It takes bamboo three years to grow to the point where it can be harvested and used for products. Three years is a long time but not as long as a hundred years, which is the amount of time it takes most hardwoods to grow.
7. Eco-Friendly Cleaning Solvents: Using harsh solvents in our bathroom especially in the toilet or tub impacts the environment. When the solvents are flushed down the drain they leak into the local bodies of water and destroy bacteria that help balance our ecosystem. Using green cleaning solvents is also suggested for pet owners.
8.Organic Soy Candles: Regular candles are made from petroleum based paraffin. When this chemical is burned it gives off fumes which can be environmentally harmful. Organic soy candles are made with no harsh additives so they burn cleanly causing no environmental repercussions.
9. Organic Bamboo Towels: During growth, cotton demands harsh pesticides which are harmful to the environment. Bamboo on the other hand is grown naturally without chemicals. Bamboo towels also repel mildew and bacterias that grow on moist cotton towels.
10. Bamboo Bath Mat: For many of the same reasons listed above for the bamboo towels, bamboo bath mats are ideal for your bathroom floor.
11. Literature: Keeping up to date on green practices can be beneficial to you and your wallet. Many of the newest green products actually save you money over time.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
10 Nasty and Weird toilet facts
10 Nasty and Weird Bathroom facts
You have to read this before you ask for ice at the next fast food restaurant. Tidbits of information that will make you make you think twice about your next bathroom trip.
1. "Pick the toilet seat up," if your a male I am guessing you have heard this at least once in your lifetime. This statement usually relates to the fact you may have left a dribble or two on the seat. Yes it is very disgusting and you should pick up the toilet seat out of common courtesy but urine is actually a sterile liquid. Urine is made up of 95% water, with trace amounts of salts, ammonia, Urea, Uric acid, and a few others.
2. Thank you Automatic flush. The toilet handle in a public restroom can have up to 40,000 germs per square inch. It is safe to say you should wash your hands with anti bacteria hand sanitizer after going to the bathroom. This can kill up to 95% of those germs. Also use a paper towel versus a hand dryer. A hand dryer can actually increase the amount of bacteria.
3. Keep the lid closed. A toilet flush causes fecal matter to become airborne. It is suggested that one should keep their toothbrush as far away from the toilet as possible.
4. Doped up fish. 90% of pharmaceuticals taken by people are excreted through urination. Therefore our sewer systems contain heavy doses of drugs, which can get into our water supply. A recent study by the EPA has found fish containing trace amounts of estrogen, cholesterol-lowering drugs, pain relievers, antibiotics, caffeine and even anti-depressants. Scientists say this can have a strong impact on fish reproduction and growth.
5. Water guzzler. A toilet uses more water than any other appliance in the home. The average person flushes almost 20 gallons of drinking water per day. In the US alone we flush over 6 billion gallons of water per day. A water efficient toilet such as a dual flush toilet can significantly cut down on the amount of water per flush.
6. Occupied. In Kansas a lady had been stuck on the toilet for two years. Apparently her skin had formed around the seat. This is truly an amazing statistic considering the fact that a normal person spends 3 years of their life on the porcelain pony.
7. Super Bowl halftime show. A certain costume malfunction always comes to mind when someone mentions the Super Bowl halftime show. Most Americans may have missed this little bit due to the fact they were in the bathroom. The toilet is flushed more times during the super bowl halftime than at any time during the year.
8. I'll have That to go. In 2006 a seventh grader for a science fair project hypothesized that there was more bacteria in the ice at fast food restaurants than there was in the toilet water. Unfortunately her hypothesis was proven correct. She found that 70% of time the toilet water contained less bacteria than the ice.
9. Don't shake with your left hand. In India the left hand is commonly known as the hand used to perform bathroom activities. It is considered a disgrace to make contact with someone with your left hand. All of you south paws should keep this in mind next time you try to shake some one's hand in India.
10. The water feels warm. A recent survey found that 1 out of 5 people have urinated in the pool. Urination in the pool can cause recreational water illnesses which can lead to respiratory, skin, and ear problems.
You have to read this before you ask for ice at the next fast food restaurant. Tidbits of information that will make you make you think twice about your next bathroom trip.
1. "Pick the toilet seat up," if your a male I am guessing you have heard this at least once in your lifetime. This statement usually relates to the fact you may have left a dribble or two on the seat. Yes it is very disgusting and you should pick up the toilet seat out of common courtesy but urine is actually a sterile liquid. Urine is made up of 95% water, with trace amounts of salts, ammonia, Urea, Uric acid, and a few others.
2. Thank you Automatic flush. The toilet handle in a public restroom can have up to 40,000 germs per square inch. It is safe to say you should wash your hands with anti bacteria hand sanitizer after going to the bathroom. This can kill up to 95% of those germs. Also use a paper towel versus a hand dryer. A hand dryer can actually increase the amount of bacteria.
3. Keep the lid closed. A toilet flush causes fecal matter to become airborne. It is suggested that one should keep their toothbrush as far away from the toilet as possible.
4. Doped up fish. 90% of pharmaceuticals taken by people are excreted through urination. Therefore our sewer systems contain heavy doses of drugs, which can get into our water supply. A recent study by the EPA has found fish containing trace amounts of estrogen, cholesterol-lowering drugs, pain relievers, antibiotics, caffeine and even anti-depressants. Scientists say this can have a strong impact on fish reproduction and growth.
5. Water guzzler. A toilet uses more water than any other appliance in the home. The average person flushes almost 20 gallons of drinking water per day. In the US alone we flush over 6 billion gallons of water per day. A water efficient toilet such as a dual flush toilet can significantly cut down on the amount of water per flush.
6. Occupied. In Kansas a lady had been stuck on the toilet for two years. Apparently her skin had formed around the seat. This is truly an amazing statistic considering the fact that a normal person spends 3 years of their life on the porcelain pony.
7. Super Bowl halftime show. A certain costume malfunction always comes to mind when someone mentions the Super Bowl halftime show. Most Americans may have missed this little bit due to the fact they were in the bathroom. The toilet is flushed more times during the super bowl halftime than at any time during the year.
8. I'll have That to go. In 2006 a seventh grader for a science fair project hypothesized that there was more bacteria in the ice at fast food restaurants than there was in the toilet water. Unfortunately her hypothesis was proven correct. She found that 70% of time the toilet water contained less bacteria than the ice.
9. Don't shake with your left hand. In India the left hand is commonly known as the hand used to perform bathroom activities. It is considered a disgrace to make contact with someone with your left hand. All of you south paws should keep this in mind next time you try to shake some one's hand in India.
10. The water feels warm. A recent survey found that 1 out of 5 people have urinated in the pool. Urination in the pool can cause recreational water illnesses which can lead to respiratory, skin, and ear problems.
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