8 Ways To Make Your House More Green

Panicking about pollution and environmental damage? Don’t be.

Now don’t get us wrong. They are certainly a cause for concern, but panicking won’t really do any good here. What would be good though is creating better habits that will help reduce the damage that has been done to the environment.

And you can easily start where your heart is — your home.

Read on to find out how.

8 Habits for a Greener Home

Being eco-friendly in your own home doesn’t mean you have to give up everything you love or take drastic actions. Now drastically switching to an eco-friendly lifestyle can seem like a big task at first, but it becomes more manageable if you take things little by little.

To make it easier, we’ve compiled 8 habits you can build that will help you create a more sustainable home.

1. Opt for Renewable Energy

One effective way to make a home greener is to invest in renewable energy.

Most homes run on energy from an unsustainable source such as oil or gas. Solar panels, however, are an excellent example of renewable energy that uses the sun’s energy and transforms it into electricity. Compared to oil and gas, solar energy is much more environmentally friendly.

Another option is to choose another heating system.

Boilers are an example of an eco-friendly heating source. Heat pumps are also another heating option for homes. Their energy consumption is low, and they also don’t require gas pipes or oil tanks. 

2. Use Eco-Friendly Products

Most cleaning products on the market today are made up of chemicals and ingredients that are harmful to the environment. The products we use to wash our dishes, clothes, and home contain harmful components.

The chemicals in cleaning products that are washed down the drain don’t disappear. They end up in the ocean again and can harm the aquatic environment.

So of the best ways to make your home green and clean is to switch to eco-friendly products that contain no synthetic ingredients.

Eco-friendly products are just as effective as the standard household cleaning products in your local supermarket. The difference is that the former won’t have a damaging effect on the environment.

Aside from household cleaning agents and tools, you may also find eco-friendly alternatives to items you use on the daily. Now, you may go about this in two ways.

First, you can seek out and only support companies that use sustainable manufacturing methods. The other would be using sustainable counterparts to everyday items like toothbrushes, underwear, sanitary products, cotton swabs, and even phone cases.

If you’re an avid coffee drinker, using a drip coffee maker instead of a pod coffee maker can drastically change your carbon footprint and plastic waste.

If you are fully committed to living a sustainable lifestyle, you may even opt to use eco-friendly packing products when moving houses or sending your belongings to a self storage facility. You may do this by re-using cardboard boxes or pallets, using plastic zip ties instead of tape, and even getting rid of bubble wrap and styrofoam packing peanuts in your packing arsenal.

You won't even have to worry about the safety of your belongings, as these packing alternatives will provide them with just about the same amount of protection, if not more.

Although it's not much, making use of such items will definitely be a step in the right direction towards reducing garbage in landfills everywhere.

3. Reduce Your Water Usage

Being eco-friendly doesn’t stop at renewable energy and eco-friendly products. Saving water is also a part of building a greener home.

A couple of things you should do to reduce water usage are fixing any leaks in your home, reducing shower time, and installing a low-flow showerhead. Doing these three things have been proven to save up to around 160,000 liters of water.

Sometimes we like to take our time in the shower. Although it might seem trivial, water usage can affect the environment. Lower water levels can contribute to higher concentrations of natural and human pollutants. So, try to reduce your water usage and use the appropriate amount of water.

4. Stop Using Plastic

When the weather is warm, buying a water bottle seems like the ideal solution. However, making this a habit can harm the ocean since most people don’t recycle water bottles properly.

Due to this, the sea suffers from pollution, and many aquatic species suffer from microplastic pieces.

One of the things you can do to prevent this from happening is by investing in, and encouraging the use of, reusable water bottles.

Forget plastic water bottles and opt for water bottles you can use over and over again. Reusable water bottles aren’t just great for the environment. They’ll also help you save money since you won’t need to purchase many plastic bottles.

This can also apply to other utensils in the home as well. Instead of single-use plastic utensils and plates, invest in durable and quality dinnerware. 

5. Ease Up on the Meat

Did you know that dairy and meat cause a majority of greenhouse gas emissions? For meat, the emissions happen during production, processing, packaging, and serving. For dairy, farming causes the release of two greenhouse gases — methane and nitrous oxide.

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, try reducing your consumption of meat and dairy. It’s challenging to change your diet drastically or go vegan, but you can start small and reduce your intake of meat little by little. A small change can have a significant impact.

If you are fully committed to living a sustainable lifestyle, you may even opt to use eco-friendly packing products when moving houses or sending your belongings to a self storage facility.

6. Reduce Energy Consumption

If you’re not using your chargers or devices, remind yourself and your family to unplug. Leaving electric appliances plugged in when they’re not in use can increase energy consumption, which can result in an increase in greenhouse gases and air pollutants.

Start taking action today by checking around your home for unused devices that are plugged in. If you find any, unplug them and keep them in a place near electricity outlets for easy access.

7. Change Your Washing Habits

A majority of the energy used by a washing machine goes to heating up the water. So next time you’re washing your clothes, remember to turn on the cold water setting to be energy-efficient.

Doing this will help reduce your carbon footprint and keep your clothes in good condition since hot water has a tendency to deteriorate fabrics and ruin colorful clothes.

8. Learn to Master the Kitchen

The last thing you can do to make your home a greener place is to master your kitchen and its appliances. For example, if you or your family often eat bread, investing in a toaster can help reduce energy use. Using an oven takes a lot of energy and is inefficient to use just for toasting bread.

If you’re an avid coffee drinker, using a drip coffee maker instead of a pod coffee maker can drastically change your carbon footprint and plastic waste. Pod coffee makers aren’t eco-friendly due to their plastic pods, which end up piled up in landfills.

If you want to go the extra mile, consider changing your barbecue grill to a solar stove the next time you’re thinking about your next outdoor event.

You should also reduce your food waste by planning your meals and storing your food correctly. Doing this will not only help you reduce waste but can also save you time and money.

Conclusion

Doing your part to help the environment and reduce damage doesn’t have to be drastic. Taking small steps such as investing in reusable water bottles, reducing water usage, and meal prepping can significantly impact the environment.

Transforming your home into a greener place won’t just benefit the environment — it’ll also benefit your well-being in the long run. So, don’t let the big idea of saving the environment scare you from building eco-friendly habits today.