The Eco-Friendly home

How to be eco-friendly

Most of us now accept that we are facing climate change and global warming.  We can have the cynical approach of not doing anything about it because, whatever we do, China and India will nullify its effect – or we can each do our little bit and hope that these bits add to an overall impact.  For this, the best place to start is in our homes..

Conserve energy

Use low-energy bulbs; turn off the lights when you’re not in a room; don’t leave TV’s, computers and DVD’s on standby. Boil your kettle with only the amount of water needed for your tea or coffee. Choose A-rated appliances – they not only need the least energy, but because of this, they are the cheapest to run. Make your home heat-efficient by insulating your loft and doors and windows. If possible, install double-glazed windows. In the summer, try not to use the air-conditioning too much – have a ceiling fan instead.

Conserve water

Collect rain water in large containers and use it for watering your garden, washing your car and flushing the toilets in your home. Have showers instead of baths. In washing machines and dishwashers only do a full load. Fit a dual-flush toilet which has secondary, lower volume, water flush button.

Recycle

Get into the habit of recycling – collect glass, plastic, tins and paper in different containers. If you’re home or street is not supplied with recycling bins, take them to your nearest collection point.  Try to buy fruits and vegetables that are packaged in paper bags and re-use carrier bags. Try to re-use as many items as possible – glass containers can be reused to store grocery ( pasta, rice, beans etc) – tins can be painted and used as vases, pencil holders etc. Use a waste-disposal unit to gobble up the leftovers of your dinner! For vegetable peels, buy or make a composter and add paper, eggshells, grass cuttings together with paper packaging, egg-containers and other natural materials.

Natural materials

Use natural materials in your home. Buy your furniture made of sustainable wood -  oak or pine harvested from a sustainable source, reclaimed timber or bamboo flooring. Choose environmentally friendly flooring – bamboo flooring, cork flooring, or natural carpets. For soft furnishing go for natural unbleached fibres such as wool, cotton, linen and hessian.

Eco-friendly cleaning

Use cleaning agents with the least chemicals in them. Vinegar and baking soda are very good products to clean with. Read more about cleaning naturally and how to apply these products. Buff your wooden furniture with beeswax – it’s natural and smells great. 

Eco-friendly decoration

When you decorate or remodel your home bear the above in mind and try to design your home taking into account all these issues. If you’re installing a new kitchen – do include a waste-disposal and multiple recycling bins, in your new bathroom do have a dual-flush toilet (if possible flushed with rain-water). Consider solar panels and an efficient heating/cooling system. Try not to use toxic paints, varnishes and sealants.