Our planet Earth is the only planet that has life in it. It's our sole responsibility to protect and preserve our Mother Earth, despite the increasing levels of global warming and pollution. We must focus on the need for being eco-friendly by recycling the waste, discarding plastics and finding ways to conserve our energy and resources. There are various measures that can help us to lead a sustainable lifestyle and also develop a healthy, eco-friendly environment in our homes.
In this article, we will discuss a few ways to make our homes eco-friendly.
WAYS TO MAKE YOUR HOME ECO-FRIENDLY
- Use energy-efficient lights:
Use energy-efficient lights as they use less electricity and also save a lot of money. Many homes have CFL and LED lights today as they hardly need replacement and save a lot of energy consumption.
- Install solar panels for your home
Installing solar panels for your home can be a big step towards being eco-friendly. Although it might seem to be a long term investment, it does help in saving a lot of money in the long run.
A properly insulated phone can hold in heat or cold for a longer time and reduces the use of the heater or air conditioner considerably.
- Try keeping your house repairs local
Look for local options when you are thinking of getting repair works done in your home. Employing a tradesman miles away from your home to fix a petty issue can even cost you more money, while you can get the job done by someone around the corner, who can do it more inexpensively and without travelling much.
- Opt for water-based paints
While getting your house painted, opt for water-based paints that contain natural pigments. Most paints used currently are oil-based and are not at all eco-friendly. Water-based paints also offer a large variety of shades that are far more aesthetically pleasing.
- Use natural cleaning products :
Using the synthetic detergents readily available in the market causes a lot of harm to the environment as they wash down through the drain and go into the water supply often. Purifying the water bodies is a great deal of work and requires proper treatment. Try to opt-in natural ingredients for cleaning like bicarbonate of soda, lemon juice or vinegar which can all be used in place of bleaches and detergents which kill bacteria, works great on grease and dirt around the house and are also great for your respiratory health. Switching to steam cleaners to disinfect and kill germs is another eco-friendly way to keep homes clean.
You can easily turn any food waste or kitchen scraps into compost. Scrape off your leftover food into DIY composts and you can use them later for your garden. Fishbones, rice starch are quite useful leftover composts for the plants.
Instead of buying branded furniture opt for furniture made with recycled wood and raw materials as they are more eco-friendly.
- Service your appliances regularly:
Regular servicing of your home appliances helps in keeping them in optimal health which also prevents energy wastage and higher electricity bills.
- Save water with a low-flow showerhead:
We all know that using a shower saves energy and water. It's convenient as well as economical. But if you opt for an aerated or low-flow showerhead, you can help in saving even more water.
- Keep indoor plants or build a balcony/terrace garden:
Indoor plants like money plants, philodendrons, snake plants, and anthurium are of low maintenance and act as air purifiers. You can set up a small balcony or terrace garden with peace lilies, hibiscus, periwinkles and roses too and turn it into your green zone. You can also grow microgreen at your kitchen windows like coriander, mint and mustard greens.
Do you have any more ideas to make your home eco-friendly? Share with us in the comments below. 