We’re all becoming more aware of the need for creative ways to make your home greener, and these days many of us do the basics. Living green is easy! all it takes is an organisation, mindfulness, and a bit of creative thinking to ensure your lifestyle has as little impact on the environment and your health as possible without really thinking about it too much. Psst! You may even save a bit of cash doing so.
Use Natural Cleaning Products
This may seem like a no-brainer. But according to The Endocrine Society of Australia, there are more than 80,000 known chemicals in our everyday environment. Cutting out these known chemicals by opting for natural cleaning products and personal care products, will not only benefit the environment but your health too.
Invest In Some Indoor Plants
As well as looking fabulous in our homes, indoor plants work hard and silently! to purify the air we breathe, filtering nasty chemicals and pollutants from our homes a greener home is human-friendly as much as eco-friendly. NASA’s Clean Air Study found that certain plants are better than others at removing pollutants like benzene, formaldehyde, and ammonia.
Make Recycling Easy
The easier it is for you and those in your household to recycle, the more they are to do it. Keep separate labeled bins one for rubbish, one for recycling inconvenient places such as the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and study.
Grow Your Herbs
As well as saving you money, growing your herbs will also prevent waste as you can pick what you need when you need it. A veggie patch and herbs can be grown indoors or out, even in the most space-challenged environments. All it takes is a bit of creativity and care.
Start A Compost Bin
According to the EPA, food scraps and yard waste currently makeup 20 to 30 percent of what we throw away, and should be composted instead. Making compost keeps these materials out of landfills where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
You don’t need a backyard to start composting. You can buy compost bins in a range of shapes and sizes to suit your space, just pop into your local nursery or hardware store for some advice and, while you’re at it, check out our guide to starting a compost.
Upcycle Old Furniture
Before you buy new furniture, cast a fresh eye over what you already have. Rather than throw out your timber dining table, try a little DIY to create a unique piece even just your bathroom can have a green make-over. A sanding down and fresh coat of paint might give a dated but well-loved piece of furniture a new lease on life and prevent it from going into a landfill.
Replace Old Light Bulbs With Led Light Bulbs
LED bulbs are by far the most energy-efficient source of lighting.
Consumers can expect an LED to last for between 30,000 and 50,000 hours of use, says Denise Hammond, product knowledge specialist at Beacon Lighting. By comparison, compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) globes can generally withstand 8000 to 15,000 hours of use.
Reuse Old Containers & Jars
Sustainably personalize your home by finding new uses for old kitchen items such as jars, tins, and containers. Glass jars are perfect for storing dry pantry goods and aluminum tins can be used for creating cute succulent displays. Get creative!
Conclusion
As the climate changes, your home stays mild and comfortable. When doing creative ways to make your home greener to minimise your risk of heat, chill, and atmospheric illnesses. Build with safe, sustainable materials, carefully selected for maximum protection for your family, ideas that will benefit the environment, your health, and your wallet.