The Home Edit

The idea of making your home eco-friendly can often feel overwhelming, and usually, people don’t know where to start. Being eco-friendly means living in a way that is not harmful to the environment. This way of life is becoming increasingly important, as we need to protect our planet from man-made damage. There are various ways that an individual can make sustainable changes to lessen the negative effect that our daily lives usually contribute to.

As we’re all becoming more aware of the need to be eco-friendly, these days many of us end up doing the basics, such as recycling rubbish, without really thinking about it too much. However, looking at the wider picture, there are lots of different ways, some big, some small that will really go a long way to helping us all become much savvier about our home environment and encourage a more sustainable way of life.

These changes are budget-friendly, and they don’t take a lot of time. They are, however, efficient and can turn your home into an eco-friendly place. For your help, we have made a list of all the small changes to make your home more eco-friendly.

Wash Your Clothes in Cold Water

Up to 90% of the energy used by a washing machine goes towards heating water, according to research. So, skip the heating and just use your washing machine in the cold water setting. This way, you reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but you also keep your clothes in top condition for longer, as hot water can deteriorate the fabric and make your colourful clothes less vibrant. Unless you’re dealing with stubborn stains like oil stains, there really isn’t a point in running your washing machine on the hot water setting. If you feel the cold water setting doesn’t do a proper job, you can try the warm setting. Energy-wise it’s still better than using the hot water one, but also more efficient for cleaning than the cold water setting.

Create a compost station

Composting is the process of breaking down organic materials using natural decomposition to turn them into rich soil. Depending on where you live you can make your compost space indoors or outdoors. If you are composting inside, you will need a designated bin. If you plan to start your compost station outside, you can use either a bin or start it on the bare dirt ground. With your newly set up compost station, the next time you cook you can throw your leftover peels or old eggshells in your bin. Some things you can and should compost include fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, loose-leaf tea, used paper napkins and paper towels, cooked pasta and rice, stale crackers, and much more. Composting helps enrich your soil and reduce methane emissions from landfills helping lower your carbon footprint.

Use natural cleaning products

Making the switch to eco-friendly cleaning products helps reduce harmful chemicals that are being released into the environment, creates better air quality, and creates a safer home. Ditching the toxic, hazardous chemicals found in conventional cleaning products will help improve the earth’s ecosystems. When conventional cleaning products are sprayed, they can create pollution in the surrounding air. Switching to natural products will help reduce dangerous chemicals in both the air and on surfaces in your home.

Invest in energy-efficient light bulbs

Although energy-efficient light bulbs have been in existence for a good number of years now, it’s only in the last few years that the general public has really started to become more educated about their effectiveness and how they can save money around the home. In the past, there have been complaints that they simply don’t throw out enough light, or that they take a long time to light a room properly. Improvements in their technology are happening all the time and now more than ever is the right time to make the switch. Not only do they use less electricity, but they also don’t need to be replaced anywhere near as often as regular, old-fashioned light bulbs do.

Be smarter in the kitchen

Many people use the oven to make toast because they think it’s not efficient to buy a toaster. However, the oven uses a significant amount of energy to heat up properly and, if you only plan to cook two slices of bread, it’s not at all efficient to use the oven. The toaster uses less energy and gets the job done faster. Speaking of the oven, check the oven door every time you bake or cook something to be sure the oven door is properly closed. Keeping the oven door open leads to a huge amount of heat loss. If you’re a coffee lover, swap the pod coffee maker for a drip coffee maker. Pod coffee makers are not at all eco-friendly since you have to use pods. The plastic capsules end up piling up in landfills every year. With drip coffee makers, you just need ground coffee.