Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly

How to Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly

Pollution now ranks as one of the biggest problems of the modern era. It causes diseases like asthma and cancer, spoils water supplies, and makes our air uncomfortable to breathe. While cities and commercial entities are usually the target of blame, individual homes do produce quite a bit of pollution over time.

Chemicals used in home cleaning, electricity usage, and even the designs used when building a home contribute to the production of pollutants. So how does one make their home more environmentally friendly? Check out our tips below.

Keep the Trees

Homeowners often cut down trees around the yard to create more space or to eliminate the threat of a fallen branch during a storm. While these are valid reasons for cutting down trees, a great reason to keep them is that they provide shade, which in turn helps to keep homes cool. This also means using less gas or electricity to power fans and air conditioning units.

Use your Windows

Most people cover up windows with blinds, curtains, and shutters. Many homes could do well with more windows – glass windows, to be exact. Windows let in a lot of natural light, and this eliminates the need to turn on lamps and overhead lights. Opening windows can also let in a fresh, cool breeze. This not only helps to cut down on the use of fossil fuels, but also lowers the energy bill. That’s a win-win.

Insulate and Re-insulate

The better insulated a home is, the more energy efficient it becomes. Homeowners can use GreenFiber Cocoon to insulate already existing homes without tearing up the walls. Consumers can ‘inject’ the insulation after drilling small holes in the wall. The product is made from old shredded newspapers that undergo chemical treatment to make the resulting product flame-retardant.

Sleep on Bamboo Sheets

Bamboo sheets are soft to the touch, hypoallergenic, and even antibacterial. But most importantly, bamboo sheets are made from a rapidly renewable plant. This means you can sleep in comfort, knowing that rainforests were not irreparably destroyed so that you could get a good night’s rest. Bamboo sheets are also considered more biodegradable than other sheets.

Replace Bulbs

Studies show that consumers stand to save two-thirds more energy by replacing old incandescent bulbs with fluorescent lights. In fact, just one bulb can stop up to 400lbs of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere. And once again, the savings are amazing.

Unplug Devices

Most modern devices come with LED lights and standby displays. Though individually these features consume very little electricity, they add up. Such devices include the microwave, TV, music players, phones, surge protectors, and even stoves. Unplug electronics whenever possible to save on energy.

There are many great ways to make our homes and lifestyles more eco-friendly. This could include initiatives that keep energy use and cost down as well as great ways to naturally clean the air and incorporate green spaces into our living environment. Whatever the reason, making the home more eco-friendly is sure to reward families with better health, less stress, and more disposable income for the better things in life.