Make Your House Go Green

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Many believe that doom is inevitable at this point and there’s no use in even trying. But don’t sit around and wait for the end to come, or start building your bunker, instead, make your house eco-friendlier. Don’t worry you don’t have to invest in fancy gadgets like solar panels or temperature regulating walls. There are plenty of simple ways to help the earth out and also save a few bucks from the comfort of your home. Here are a few:

 

Lighting

Start off by replacing incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs to save 66% more energy. Changing one blub will save 400 pounds of greenhouse emissions.

 

Appliances and Electronics

Use multi socket extension leads and turn them off when they’re not in use to reduce your home’s energy consumption by 15%. TVs are generally on standby 17 hours a day. Can you imagine how much power that’s using up? Don’t stop with the TV, remember to unplug chargers, computers, and microwaves, these appliances are leeching energy when they’re not even in use.

Move your refrigerator to the shade, if it’s in the sunlight it forces it to work harder to keep cool. Opening up the refrigerator can cost you from 20 to 40 dollars a year. Decide if you want the carrots or the cake before you open up the refrigerator door. Additionally, make sure there’s at least 7.6 cm between the fridge and the wall to allow an appropriate airflow.

When searching for appliances, we recommend you always try to buy low-energy appliances. For instance, “Energy Star Qualified” appliances use from 10% to 50% less energy than conventional appliances. And if you can’t purchase new appliances make sure your boiler, gas oven, and AC get checked regularly by a certified engineer. Badly-maintained appliances release many pollutants.

 

Kitchen

Try to compost your kitchen scraps as much as possible. This will reduce the amount of household waste in landfill and also reduce the need for water, fertilizers, and pesticides in your garden.

Ditch paper towels, we’re not saying completely, we know that’s a big commitment, but use rags as much as possible. Tear up old shirts like your mom used to do, or even buy some cute ones, just reduce your use of paper towels.

 

When Cleaning

Instead of using chemical-packed cleaning products with fluorescent colors, use vinegar. It’s the best natural way to kill bacteria, mold, and germs.

When heating something up, save time and money by using your microwave which uses 50% less energy than the oven. And if using the oven is necessary, no peeking! Opening the oven door for only 30 seconds can drop the temperature by 65°F.

 

Green Decorating

Go green, literally. Place plants around your house to improve the air quality and soak-up volatile organic compounds.

Get DIY, instead of throwing out old furniture, turn it into a fun project and try to reuse and repurpose as much as possible. And, when looking to buy furniture check out thrift shops and used furniture online, which means one less item going straight to landfill.

 

Eco-friendly linens

Cotton beddings are accountable for 25% of the world’s use of insecticides, always buy organic cotton or sustainable linens instead.

When choosing between wool and polyester blankets, always go for wool. Polyester is made from a non-renewable resource, synthetic petroleum-based fiber, it can cause water and environmental damage by its harmful chemicals and even has carcinogens.

 

Bathroom

In the bathroom, whether it’s while you’re brushing your teeth, or shaving remember to turn off the tap. Additionally, make sure you don’t have any leaks. A leaking tap might not seem like a big deal, but, guess what, it is a big deal, 182 liters of water are lost a day from a leaking tap. And a leaking toilet wastes up to 757 liters a day. Get all your leaks fixed ASAP, the world is begging you to do so.

Say good bye to old-fashioned shower heads, buy installing low-flow showerheads, a family of four could save up to 68,894 liters of water a year. But don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you’ll have “pressureless” showers, look for a low-flow showerhead with good reviews, which will provide a powerful spray with restricted water use. And, don’t forget to turn off the flow while shampooing or shaving.

 

Laundry

When washing, always try to use cold water, 80% to 90% of energy the washer uses solely goes into heating the water. Also, ditch the chemical-filled, environmental-damaging detergents for all natural organic detergents and softeners. I have bad news, using a dryer produces 2 to 3 kg of carbon emissions for every hour it’s in use. Hang dry your clothes as much as possible.

Contrary to popular belief, many small differences added up can make a huge difference to the world. If everyone helps out a little bit, we can make the world greener and safer for everyone. Domestic property makes up one of the largest percentages of carbon emissions. Try to do all if not some of the previously mentioned tips and help the world out.

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