Whether you try to spend as little time as possible or you savour the alone-time you get when you're in the bathroom, greening one's bathroom is often at the top of a list of priorities for working towards a green home.

Bathrooms account for a large amount of water and electricity usage. They also account for a large amount of water and electricity waste in the home. It is important to find out where the waste is happening and find ways to use water and electricity more effectively all over the home and especially in the bathroom.

1) Fix Those Leaks!

According to Jessica Taylor, over at aboutmyplanet.com: "Leaking toilets can waste up to 400 litres a day and a leaky faucet can waste up to 5000 litres per day."

So, be sure to tighten your faucets and to check for leaks in the toilet as well. An easy way to check for leaks in a toilet bowl: add a few drops of food colouring to the toilet's tank. If the water in the bowl starts to change color, you have a leak that should be fixed as soon as possible.

2) Switch to low-flow shower-heads

The best low-flow shower-heads I have used have always been the cheap, simple ones at the local hardware store. These seem to have a sufficient amount of pressure, but aren't as fancy in terms of type of spray they offer, as other more expensive shower-heads. On a side note, anyone remember the Seinfeld episode where Jerry's apartment was getting new low-flow shower-heads and he and Kramer were purchasing black-market shower-heads? hilarious.

Anyway, according to Ray Dobson : "A typical showerhead delivers 25 litres of water per minute, while a low-flow showerhead delivers only 6 to 15. Cut your shower time in half and use a low-flow showerhead, and you’ll save a great deal of water.

If you really want to save water, however, consider an air shower. An air shower device can be attached to your existing showerhead. It pumps each water droplet full of air. This makes each water droplet bigger, so it feels just as wet and strong as a typical showerhead. Studies show that air showers can cut your water use by an additional 30%."

2.5) Put a water filter on your showerhead

3) Turn off the tap when you are brushing your teeth

Better yet - brush your teeth in the shower. But, I am personally not too keen on that one, since I shower in the evening and I can't get over the idea of rinsing my mouth with warm water. Maybe thats just me, though. Turning off the water while brushing your teeth can save approximately 12 litres of water per minute.

4) Put a full bottle of water in your toilet tank

All the toilets here (dual-flush toilets) have 2 buttons on them so that you can choose how much water you need to use when flushing. This is really great for saving water. If you are not in the market for a new toilet, you can do things like add something to your tank to take up the room of water so you use less when you flush. Most new toilets use about seven or eight litres of water every time you flush. Older toilets use 9-12 litres. Here's a sideways picture:

5) Use energy-efficient bulbs in your lighting fixtures

Fluorescent bulbs are 90% more efficient than incandescents. Incandescent bulbs lose most of their energy as heat—which makes them a fire hazard as well.

The best lighting for a bathroom is bright enough to let you shave or apply makeup without squinting, but soft enough to look flattering while you do it. Choose bright white energy-saver bulbs, and soften the light by hanging them at eye level on either side of the mirror or putting them behind frosted glass. source

6) Switch to eco-friendly bathroom products

Where to start? Well, think about everything you use in the bathroom. . . here's a list of some possibilities:

Toilet paper: use recycled toilet paper. this is easy to find in any grocery store. If it doesn't say it is recycled in huge letters, check the packaging. I have often found that the budget brands at grocery stores use recycled paper but perhaps because of this, they aren't sold for as much as the big brands. You may be able to find unbleached recycled toilet paper as well. Seventh Generation is just one of many brands that has eco-friendly toilet paper that is soft and inexpensive.
Hand and body soap, moisturizer, cleansers : There are a lot of brands that carry these types of products. One can also easily find handmade (or make your own!) soaps with natural ingredients. Lush is a company that sells a lot of natural and vegan body products. They have stores in many areas of the world. I use a lot of their products, in addition to many from Aveda and Avalon Organics.
Personal hygiene products - Lunapads is a great company that carries a wide range and variety of eco-friendly products for women. Here's a bit from their website: "Like recycling bottles and newspapers, washing Lunapads or rinsing out the DivaCup is a little more work than throwing away your used pads and tampons. But with over 14 billion pads, tampons and applicators going into North American landfills every year, it’s a small but important way of taking personal responsibility for a massive environmental problem."
They are having a 10% off sale now for starter packs: click here.
Shampoo and Conditioner - These are also easy to find in many brands. I use Lush as well as Aveda. Both brands are (relatively) easy to find. I, personally, can't stand the strong fake smells of conventional products, and can't use the products because I have a sensitive scalp.
toothpaste - Jason Powersmile Toothpaste is my favorite (and is only about $4 on Amazon!), but there are tons of brands out there.
other - I don't put any styling products in my hair, since it is either straight or naturally wavy depending on the weather, and I just don't like the feel of anything in my hair. . . but Greg uses some of Aveda's products in his hair and loves them. The Body Shop also sells these kinds of things. I hear from BellaSugar that Lush will be getting a new range of hair styling products soon, too! There are other brands in a natural food store's hair care section.

7) Prevent clogged drains

Use a grated cover over your drains to keep hair and other debris from clogging it up. Additionally, as a preventive measure flush your drains weekly to keep them clean. You can use one cup baking soda, mixed with one cup salt, flushed with a container of boiling water.

Make sure your exhaust fan is clean

Its important not to have too much moisture in your washroom as it could lead to mold buildup.

extras:
Avoid flushing things down the toilet even if packaging states that the item can be flushed. Flushed trash causes water treatment issues. Additionally, when your in need of a new shower curtain, purchase fabric rather than plastic. Fabric curtains last longer because they can be laundered and they aren't made of environmentally hazardous chemicals. It is becoming easier to find recycled-content toothbrushes for around the same price as conventional ones. When you next need one (remember to replace your toothbrush every 3 months!), try getting a recycled-content one or one that allows you to just change the head, therefore allowing you to throw out less. If you are changing out your towels, try to buy some bamboo, organic cotton or hemp ones. The organic egyptian cotton ones we have been using for 7 years now were bought from Sears of all places. They were on sale for 50% off so we stocked up. I recently bought a few bamboo towels as spares and have nothing but good things to say about them! They are so soft and fluffy and really stand up in the wash. Use a natural-bristle FSC certified hair brush. The Body Shop sells them for a reasonable price. Aveda has some as well.

Thats all I can think of for now. I'll revisit many of these areas again in the future to give more details. This is a pretty huge area where you can make a big difference!

*Lots of eco-friendly cleaning products here!

*I am so jealous of the people who own the eco-friendly bathroom in this video: http://design.hgtv.com/bath/Video_detail.aspx?id=864

Here are a few products that I've bookmarked: