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Ecoluxe offers a collection of ecofriendly bamboo made products for the environmentally conscious person or business.

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Category: Personal Care

father's day gift idea

Father’s Day Gift Ideas that are Low-Tech and Eco-Friendly

Father’s Day is just around the corner. If you’re looking for a unique gift idea that doesn’t pollute the environment, then check out these eco-friendly low tech high value products for Dad. 

Electronic gadgets are cool but at some point, they end up in the landfill. There are a lot of other products in the market that are just as functional and practical and more organic that you can gift to your dad this father’s day and below are some ideas.

These products are more biodegradable, they require no batteries and very little maintenance. Some may require a little bit of dismantling at the end of their life to make them recyclable and compostable but nonetheless, they don’t sit in the landfill for hundreds of years contributing to greenhouse gasses the way plastic products do. So this year, consider introducing dad to sustainable products and show him how much you care about the planet.

Give dad something unique, memorable and appropriate. If dad enjoys the outdoors, give him a gift that allows him to enrich his experience. If dad travels a lot for business, consider a personal care travel kit or a fashion accessory. If dad works at home, consider an office desk organizer. To help guide you in formulating your own unique gift idea for father’s day, here are some suggestions. 

 

Bamboo Sunglasses

Get dad ready for summer with these cool shades. A more affordable option to the designer brands but trendier and environmentally friendlier too. This all natural fashion accessory would be a great summer time gift for the beach trotter.

Fathers Day Gift Ideas EcoLuxe bamboo sunglasses

 

Bamboo Watch

Another great gift idea for the dad who loves to dress up. Get him this trendy bamboo watch. Tell him it’s time to start living more sustainably and give him a head start with this fashion accessory. Complements any color and style of suiting with its earthy, neutral color.

 

Fathers Day Gift Ideas EcoLuxe bamboo watch

 

Bamboo Office Organizer

If dad works at home, this home office desk organizer is a great practical gift idea. Help him to stay organized with this multi compartment desk accessory so he can keep post-it notes, pens, paper clips and other office supplies within reach. 

 

Fathers Day Gift Ideas EcoLuxe-desk organizer bamboo

Bamboo Wooden Razors

Super low tech but 100% reliable and practical is the wooden handle razor. Electric shavers are great if you can carry batteries or if you have access to electricity. But, if dad likes the outdoors and he’s off the grid, manual razors never fail to keep him well shaven.

 

Fathers Day Gift Ideas EcoLuxe Personal Care razor

 

Bamboo Speakers

For his road trip, a bluetooth enabled speaker with the bamboo outer shell. Lightweight, practical, portable, durable and works just like the commercial plastic grade ones. Let him enjoy his favourite tunes on the road, at the beach or anywhere he wants to be with this bluetooth speaker.

Fathers Day Gift Ideas EcoLuxe Bamboo speakers

Bamboo Camping Mess Kit

If dad is a camper, hiker or the outdoorsy type, this eco gift box is an excellent gift idea. It’s a mini mess kit complete with tableware and personal care kit for his overnight stay. This 6 piece utensil set is reusable and tucks away nicely in this fabric case. The stainless steel tumbler is excellent for his road trip. He can use it both for hot or cold beverages. With its removable tea infuser basket, he can enjoy organic tea without the bag. The personal care kit includes the essentials including a reusable bamboo toothbrush, dental floss and comb. 

 

Fathers Day Gift Ideas EcoLuxe camping mess kit

Bamboo Personal Care Travel Kit

If your dad is a traveler, consider this personal care travel gift box. It’s complete with all the toiletries and personal hygiene essentials including an eco-friendly bamboo toothbrush, bamboo charcoal infused dental floss, comb, containers for his shampoo and conditioner and a manual razor. Everything he needs for a truly sustainable travel adventure.

Fathers Day Gift Ideas EcoLuxe Travel Personal Care

The Round Up on Sustainable Father’s Day Gifts

Think of sustainable products when buying gifts. Everything we buy and consume will eventually end up in the landfill so to avoid this, think about the raw materials used to produce the gifts you buy dad and what happens to these products at the end of their life. Make smart choices and consider organic and biodegradable gift ideas that don’t add to our environmental issues.

 

 

bamboo, cotton swabs, q-tips, biodegradable, ecofriendly

Are Bamboo Cotton Swabs Any Better than Q-Tips?

Cotton Swabs, or as we know them, Q-tips (which is actually a brand), are commonly found in many bathrooms. They are used regularly as part of our personal hygiene routine. Many of us think that they are completely harmless for us and the environment. But, the truth is depending on what type you are using, they can actually be quite harmful to both humans and our planet. 

 

The Origin of the Q-Tips

Q-Tips were invented in 1923 by Leo Gerstenzang, a Polish American inventor after observing his wife use cotton on a toothpick to clean her ears. He manufactured these Q-tips® as part of his baby care accessory line and the product was originally called Q-tips® Baby Gays. In 1926, he dropped the word Baby Gays and just marketed this line as “Q-Tips”.

 

The “Q” stands for quality while the “tips” describes the cotton swabs at the end of each wooden stick. Originally, all Q-tips® were made of wood until around 1958 when the company acquired Paper Stick Ltd of England, a manufacturer of paper sticks for confectionery goods. The bonded paper and paperboard Q-tips® stem was then introduced as an alternative to the wooden sticks.

 

In 1998, Q-tips® antimicrobial cotton swabs were launched. The q-tips were dipped in boric acid in the factory during the manufacturing process so they can be promoted as “personal hygiene” products. Boric acid provided the antiviral and anti-fungal properties. 

bamboo, cotton swabs, q-tips, biodegradable, ecofriendlyDo Cotton Swabs do More Harm than Good?

As far as health is concerned, many people believe that cotton swabs actually do more harm than good. Some say that the cotton pushes the ear wax even further into your ear canal and can possibly damage sensitive tissues. If improperly used, the cotton swab can actually compress the wax even more and cause damage to the sensitive ear organs. If you are using cotton swabs or Q-tips® for other purposes, like cleaning tight crevices, they are extremely helpful and harmless. They are a simple invention with multiple practical uses. 

 

For the environment, cotton swabs made of paper or bamboo are generally safe and harmless when disposed of. Paper and bamboo are both 100% biodegradable and compostable. They typically decompose within months. 

 

Are Cotton Swabs Recyclable? 

Cotton swabs are not recyclable. They are too small and lightweight to be sorted through the normal recycling process and may end up causing more environmental harm because they will pollute the waterways.

 

Regardless of whether they are made of bamboo sticks or paperboard, unfortunately, they will all end up in the landfill. So the best option we have is to buy and reuse ones that are 100% biodegradable made of natural cotton and bamboo or paperboard sticks in order to minimize the environmental impact. If either the cotton tip is made of synthetic or the stick is made of plastic, then the whole piece is not considered eco-friendly and will take years to decompose.

bamboo, cotton swabs, q-tips, biodegradable, ecofriendly

Why Switch to Bamboo Cotton Swabs?

So many may be wondering what’s the benefit of buying bamboo stick cotton swabs instead of the paperbonded applicator. The key benefit is that when using bamboo, there is no chemical, like adhesive, used to bond and stiffen the paper into a stick. Therefore, composting the bamboo variation is easier and faster. 

 

Bamboo is far more renewable than wood. It regrows to maturity within 5 years whereas wood will take 50 years. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant and can be found throughout the world. With very little agricultural input requirements, like pesticides, to grow, they are hardy, low maintenance plants considered to be one of the most eco friendly resources.

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