Are you killing it with the 5 Simple Swaps To Make In The Bathroom and looking to keep taking it to the next level? Well here are 5 more things you can do that will bring your bathroom waste down to almost nothing. Am I doing all of these? Nope! But my life, like yours, is a work in progress moving towards reducing waste. So let's check them out. 1. Refill soap containers We have 4 sinks in our house and each one has a soap dispenser. The convenient thing to do is to buy new soap containers as they run out, but this isn't the best for the environment. Refilling the soap containers is an easy way to use lessen the environmental impact. Check out this post for more less waste hand soap options. 2. Oil cleansing method I don't use soap to wash my face, but rather I use the oil cleansing method and I use oil alone, or mixed with salt for exfoliation. You can often purchase oil in more sustainable containers such as glass rather than plastic. 3. Menstrual cup and reusable pads It said that the average woman discards 250 to 300 pounds of waste due to her menstrual cycle. Two ways to minimize the effect are using a menstrual cup and reusable pads. A menstrual cup is a cup that is inserted into the vagina to collect fluid. There are a number of menstrual cup manufacturers (Diva Cup*, Moon Cup*, Lunette*) and all have their devotees. Most people say there is a one cycle learning curve, but after that they are easy to use and will replace tampons. Reusable pads come in all sorts of sizes and shapes. Some are heavy for overnight flow and others are thinner and smaller. You can even make them on your own if you have the sewing skills to do so. 4. Homemade Toothpaste Hopefully you've already switched out your plastic toothbrush for a bamboo toothbrush. Now to take dental care to the next level you can start making your own toothpaste. Many people have made their own toothpaste recipes. A great deal of them involve baking soda which will scrub your teeth and help whiten. I attempted to make my own toothpaste, but I wouldn't say I recommend the recipe I used. Most recipes have a sweetener or something to mask the salty taste of the baking soda and I now realize that is an important step! Kathryn from Going Zero Waste has a recipe she worked on with a dentist which I may try next. Or purchase a tooth powder*. 5. Q-Tips Plastic Q-tips are the definition of single use. There are a number of alternatives that can be used in their place depending on what you are using them for. If you are using them for makeup removal or placement you can use cotton rounds or the edge of a towel. If you are using them for your ears you should rethink that decision according to the American Academy of Otolayringology. If you are still bound and determined to use a product like that at least purchase ones with cotton ends and a paper handle. It is still disposable, but at least it is plastic free. However if you are looking for a reusable replacement try a ear wax pick*. Sign up for the weekly newsletter for more tips and ideas. *This is an affiliate link, not a sponsored post. See Privacy and Disclosures. Shared on Healthy Happy Green Natural, Homesteader Hop, Homestead Hop, Pretty Pintastic, Home Matters, Share The Wealth, Waste Less Wednesday