How To Make Your Home More Environmentally Friendly

Many people are becoming more conscious of their impact on the world around them. If you’re like many individuals, you want to make choices that don’t hurt the planet. But, you may wonder if there are easy ways to make your lifestyle and your house better for the environment.

It might seem like a lot of work to upgrade your living space to help the environment, but reducing your environmental impact isn’t that complicated. You can make minor fixes and improvements around your property to be more conscious about your mark on the world.

Here are some tips to get you started – check them out below.

Start With The Bathroom

In your restroom, you use a lot of water to shower, flush the toilet, brush your teeth, and more. Plus, you’re probably using a lot of plastic products like shampoo bottles and a lot of toilet paper, which is made out of trees. So, bathrooms should be the first area where you make some changes.

There are a few ways you can make your bathroom a bit more eco-friendly, such as:

• Consider a bidet: Bidets have many health and environmental benefits. They are good for your health and reduce toilet paper consumption. While bidets do use water, they use a lot less than the water used to produce toilet paper. It’s easy to buy a bidet from BidetMate.com that can attach to your current toilet, and many are pretty reasonably priced.
• Take shorter showers: While you don’t have to deprive yourself of a nice shower, you can try to spend a bit less time sitting under the hot water. It’s also a good idea to implement a low-flow showerhead.
• Use eco-conscious products: There are many brands that offer reusable toiletries or that use a lot less packaging. You can consider using some of these items to cut down on trash. The less plastic you use, the better. Recycling only goes so far and isn’t always the perfect fix.

Even implementing a few quick changes to your lifestyle and approach to getting ready for the day can make you feel better about your impact on the environment.

Consider These Ten Energy Saving Tips

If you’re like the average American, you probably have a lot of items in your home that are running on electricity or gas. If you want to reduce your energy output, you can implement the following ten easy fixes:

1. Use better light bulbs: You probably know about LED light bulbs, but if you haven’t switched over already, now is the time. They aren’t much more expensive than incandescents and last a lot longer, so it’s worth it for your wallet and the ecosystem.
2. Cut down on dryer usage: Air drying clothing and other items often help them last longer, and it will also cut down on your energy bill and output to line dry.
3. Get dryer balls: Along with using your dryer less, you can also get a set of reusable dryer balls. You won’t have to keep buying dryer sheets that are worse for the environment and often build up residue on clothes.
4. Clean out filters: To ensure your appliances are running efficiently, regularly replace or clean out filters. Make sure to check fridge coils and HVAC filters.
5. Limit paper towels: While paper towels are convenient for cleaning up kitchen messes, they are both expensive and more harmful to the environment. It’s a good idea to use rags made of recycled old clothes or invest in a couple of solid cleaning cloths that can be used over and over. You could even consider a trendy option such as a Swedish dishcloth.
6. Wash clothes in cold water: Cooler water reduces how much energy your washer uses for each cycle. Unless you really need to sanitize something, cold water is acceptable to use.
7. Try to use your reusable shopping bags: It may be challenging to remember to use those tote bags you’ve accumulated, but it is a great way to limit how many plastic bags you bring home.
8. Water plants with used water: If you have houseplants, consider gathering rainwater or even while you shower to give them a drink.
9. Repurpose items: There are often creative ways to use things you buy instead of throwing them away. Instead of throwing them out, you could repurpose food containers to be used as Tupperware or give away items you don’t use anymore.
10. Program your thermostat: Running your thermostat on a set program is an excellent way to lessen your energy bill and help the environment. It’s also a good idea to adjust the settings. In the winter, let things be a little colder, and in the summer, let it get a little hotter inside. Even small changes go a long way, so you can try just changing things by half a degree.

While these steps might not seem significant, they will add up. They are essentially building blocks you can start with to incorporate a more eco-friendly approach to your life and to build a way of being in the world that makes you feel good.

Environmentally Friendly Doesn’t Have To Be Difficult

While it may seem like a lot of work and money to make these changes, most of them are relatively small and possible to do overtime. You can choose one change to make each month and go from there. While some products, such as environmentally friendly bidets and appliances, might be more of an investment, they will pay off long-term.

Also, remember not to get discouraged. You don’t have to be perfect, but making a few adjustments to your home and lifestyle can reduce your impact and inspire others around you to do the same in their own daily lives.

While no individual can stop climate change or change the world alone, we can all do our part to be better and think more consciously about how we are connected to others and the planet.