You don’t necessarily have to make major changes to make your home eco-friendly. Everything you do counts and even making small changes is better than doing nothing. If you have always wanted to make your home more eco-friendly, the first thing you have to do is look at your habits. You will then start to see areas where you might be wasteful and make corrections. There are also tools and small additions that you could do to make your home more energy-efficient and reduce waste. Here are five easy ways to make your home more eco-friendly.
Plant a Tree
One of the simplest ways that you can make your home more eco-friendly is to add a tree, but not for the reasons that you think. Trees are great for the environment as they reduce CO2 levels, but strategically planting a tree or multiple trees on your property could help reduce your carbon footprint too. Trees can be used to shade the area of the house that is the most directly hit by sunlight. A tree will allow you to control the temperature in that area and decrease demand on your AC system. Trees can also be positioned to block gusts of wind during the winter, reducing your heating consumption.
Use Cold Water Whenever You Can
A lot of us have the very bad habit of using hot water to wash everything. However, you don’t need to use hot or even warm water to clean things like dishes, for instance. You also don’t have to use hot water all the time to clean whites. Bleach is more than strong enough to clean clothes efficiently without using hot water. Not only that, but using cold water will allow you to keep your clothes for longer as hot water deteriorates fabrics faster. The only time you should be using hot water is when you’re trying to get rid of things like tough oil stains. If you think cold water doesn’t do a good job, then you can always switch to warm water. It’s still better than using hot water and will be enough to deal with most kinds of stains.
Don’t Use Dryers
Whether it’s for clothes or hair, you should only use a dryer when it’s necessary. Anything that produces heat will consume a lot of energy. If you have great weather where you are, you should let nature do the work and dry your clothes outside. If you often use a hairdryer, invest in a high-quality microfiber towel. It will dry your hair effectively without causing damage.
Grow Whatever You Can
If you want to limit the distance your food has to travel or the number of trips you make to the grocery store, you should consider planting a few crops in your garden. Things like tomatoes, lettuce, or cucumbers can all be easily grown on your own and will often be much better than what you would get at your local supermarket. If you don’t have a garden, you can always plant herbs on your windowsill. Not only will you reduce your carbon footprint, but you’ll always have fresh herbs on hand when you need them.
Choose Your Products Wisely
If you’re going to buy anything, then choose eco-friendly products. Look at whether the packaging on any product is recyclable. Compostable packaging is even better. You also need to limit your usage of single-use items like napkins and plastic bottles and use reusable towels and bottles instead.
As you can see, making your home more eco-friendly is extremely easy. All it takes is a genuine effort on your part and a willingness to make concrete changes to the way you live.
