The herbal and alternative medicine side is rather charming, in a slightly unnerving way – for me, the word ‘tincture’ evokes a thrilling hint of danger (no, I don't get out much these days). But the groceries seem really pricey, and so many products from America – naughty airmiles and all. Still, he does the cooking, so he calls the shops. While we were there, he suggested we try some ‘green soap’.

 

These days, greening up the bathroom doesn't mean getting an avocado suite like my parents installed in the summer of 69. During the recent drought, we heard a lot about water-saving quickie showers, but not a peep about the shower gel most of us use – or the plastic bottles it comes in.

 

Synthetic plastic celebrates its 100^th birthday next year, and wouldn’t Leo Baekeland be proud of his invention. Or would he? It will probably take 450 years for a plastic bottle to break down – no one’s really quite sure. In the UK we used over 24 million plastic bottles every day in 2003, around 440 per household. Some plastics can be recycled but it’s a tricky business what with all the different sorts, and anyway, the carbon cost of recycling is higher than avoiding the product in the first place.

So, I agreed to volunteer for a return to gooey soap dishes. On the plus side, the selection was all organic and natural. My husband chose a sandalwood bar from India (airmiles, please!) and I chose an all-natural olive oil bar, with no artificial fragrance. (Therein lies the rub-a-dub-dub.)

Last Sunday a newspaper columnist confessed that she likes skipping baths, so has accidentally gained green cred. That won’t work for most of us, who don’t fancy being dirty pretty things. I love indulging in a long, hot bath (I know, not too much water, and anyway a power shower uses more than a bath, according to waterwise.org.uk.) For me, the best part of the experience is a soothing scent that lets me imagine I’ve been teleported from my Victorian terrace to a luxurious spa. Not so pleasant when the bath turns green and smells like a soggy salad drizzled in olive oil. “Hmmm, I wouldn’t say salad,” reassured my husband. “More like a starter – or a packet of veg crisps.” Not quite the image I’m going for with my new SJ19 haircut. (That's Scarlett Johansson – plus 19 years).

 

My husband has just informed me that the offending soap also leaves a scummy green ring around the bath. Charming. At least I’m not contributing to the plastic islands adrift in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii. One is the size of Texas. Scary stuff.

Update: have just tried some gorgeous soaps from Pure Thoughts – www.purethoughts.co.uk (left). One bar is patchouli and orange and the other is rosehip scrub. Now that’s more like it! They’re all natural, so no nasties – and no plastic – and a much more sensuous scent.