There is something deeply transformative about dive into a river, in the sea or under a waterfall. It is a feeling of complete renewal, as if the water took away the tiredness, worries and stress.
Now well, what if we could transfer that experience to our own home?
What if the bathroom stopped being a purely functional space and became a small ecosystem of regeneration?, where body, mind and environment come into balance?
For decades, Our bathrooms have been designed from the logic of speed and industrialization: synthetic materials, waterproof surfaces, intensive consumption of water and chemical-laden products.
However, It is increasingly evident that this approach not only impacts the environment, but also in our health.
To start a conscious change, many people have begun to consciously choose cosmetics, soaps and cleaning products, replacing them with ecological and natural alternatives, which is essential. And this is VERY important!!
But inside the bathroom there is much more than that., hay criteria you need to know to be really healthy, a space that calms you, cleanses you and regenerates you.
Throughout this article, we will explore how to design a healthy bathroom, that takes care of you and allows you to enjoy the most pleasant sensations of nature, to have your deeply regenerating moment every day.
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Table of contents
Natural floors for bathrooms
Within natural materials, We have different flooring options for our bathroom:
– Floors ceramics,
– Floors of baked clay,
– Floors continuous (of lime, stone…)
– Floors of piedra natural,
– Floors of porcelain or ceramic stoneware
We must take into account that are easy to clean and have the right texture for space, in this case, the bathroom.
Besides, we will prefer soils that They are not shiny or the same color as the wall, but in a somewhat darker tone, since the feelings of well-being will be greater.
In the event that we want to have a floor of madera, we must take care that it is treated with natural products (not with synthetic varnishes or toxic glues) and decide if we can give the wood the care it needs in the bathroom (because if the ground is wet, breaks down) or if it will be more comfortable to choose another type of floor, which can also be healthy and natural.
And we must always avoid toxic soils: polyurethane, microcemento, imitation wood, laminate flooring… that contain materials that are harmful to health.
(If you want to delve deeper into how to choose floors for your healthy home, In this article on our blog we explain it to you: Soils that you should avoid in bioarchitecture)
Walls that breathe well-being
There is a crucial aspect of bathroom design, that is often overlooked (and it is very common for the opposite to be done): the strategy of do not cover the entire space with tiles.
This is essential for moisture management in a moisture-prone environment.. Please note that, when you shower, water vapor is generated. If there are only tiles, humidity stays inside the bathroom, because the tiles are waterproof and cannot capture moisture
Instead, limiting tiles to the most humid areas where splashes may occur, we promote moisture absorption, by other more porous materials that can be placed on walls.
Choosing furniture for a healthy bathroom
Just like in the rest of the house, let's choose durable furniture, that responds to what we really need without overloading the space and that does not contain toxic materials.
Some furniture contains glue, varnishes or paints that release volatile organic compounds (COV) which are very irritating to the respiratory tract.
When choosing the worktop, We can opt for natural materials such as ceramics, the stone, quartz, slate or granite.
If you like wood, It is perfectly viable for the bathroom, You just have to keep in mind that it is an area where water splashes occur., so we will have to Treat wooden furniture with products based on natural oils and waxes. The idea is to protect the wood, don't clog your pore, because we would lose their properties.
Our decision will depend on different factors, between them:
– that sensations these materials generate us at the touch level, textures,
– how they make us feel inside the space, level emotional,
– he budget that we have
– and how we agreed the colors with the rest of the materials to make our healthy bathroom a space of regeneration and well-being.
– The composition of all materials, at a technical level, aesthetic and functional.
Healthy and sustainable water use in the bathroom
The design of a healthy and sustainable bathroom is all about, also, with a conscious water management. Various studies – as This example is from the University of Alicante – point out that the reuse of waste and gray water has become a key strategy to guarantee supply and reduce pressure on natural resources.
If we look at it this way, wider, The bathroom stops being a space for water consumption and becomes a circular system, where each liter can have more than one use.
One of the most innovative solutions is the shower water recovery, that allows you to take advantage of the initial cold water or the so-called “gray water” (coming from showers and sinks) for other domestic uses or for outdoor irrigation. Some examples of solutions you can explore are:
- – Zypho (shower waste heat recovery)
- – AquaReturn (use of initial cold water)
- – We give away (water reuse)
This principle also applies to embedded systems where the sink feeds the toilet cistern, reducing the use of potable water in discharges that can consume between 6 y 9 liters each time .
All these solutions reflect a transition towards a model where the bathroom not only takes care of personal hygiene., but also environmental efficiency and water sustainability.
The lighting of our healthy bathroom
Another very important issue to take into account is the lightning. When we do works, we can design the entry of natural light, but many times the bathroom does not have an exit to the outside and so we must focus exclusively on artificial light.
In this sense, we have different forms of lighting for create environments in the same space depending on the time of day and the use we are going to give it.
For example, we can think well:
- – the general lighting, zenithal, which will take into account the amount of light we will need
- – the ambient lighting, which could be recessed sconces that provide warm, indirect light of lower intensity for a more relaxed atmosphere.
- – the functional lighting, like for example, in the mirror or in the shower, where we can have an LED strip that we use only when we are going to shower.
Focusing on how to improve lighting is a simple thing that we will immediately notice in our daily bathroom experience..
And if you still won't do any work or renovations...
In a reform, will be the last, and if you still won't do works, It's the first thing you can do:
Prioritize the textiles of natural and non-synthetic origin, and when possible, choose natural organic textiles.
That is to say, the towels, the bathroom mat and curtain, if you have .
Along with soaps, shampoos and other natural cosmetic and cleaning products, Contact with bathroom textiles when drying your hands or getting out of the shower is a step that seems small but will make your daily experience more comfortable..
Do you want us to advise you to make your bathroom healthier and more enjoyable??
Whether you are going to build or want to renovate your house to make it healthier, At HabitaBio we can advise you personally throughout this entire process..
Ask us for a session 1:1 free and we explain how:
