Regardless of your opinions on climate change, there are a number of benefits to incorporating eco-friendly options within your household. Whether you’re just looking to save a few bucks on utilities or you’re on a mission to decrease your carbon footprint, there are plenty of things you can do to live a more sustainable and environmentally friendly lifestyle. Surprisingly, most of these adjustments are also wallet-friendly–meaning they will save you money rather than costing you more of it.
5 Tips to Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly
Here are a few tips you can use to make your home more eco-friendly.
1. Change Your Light Bulbs
Energy-efficient light bulbs are a simple and easy first step to an eco-friendly home. Luckily, these green bulbs also have the ability to save you both time and money.
Energy-efficient bulbs generally last longer than conventional ones, which means you’ll likely spend less time getting the ladder out from your crawl space to change your light bulbs.
Typically, they use between 20-80% less energy than other bulbs, which can also cut down on your utility bills. To put things into perspective for you: if you replace five of the most frequently used light fixtures in your home with energy efficient bulbs, you’ll save $75 each year. Depending how many lights you have in your home, if you replace most of them, you could see that savings number continue to increase.
2. Install Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo flooring has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its many attractive qualities as an alternative to hardwood flooring.
Since it is technically considered it to be a grass, it seems a little strange to think of it as a durable flooring option. Surprisingly, it is considered to be just as durable as hardwood flooring.
How it’s Made
Bamboo flooring is created by slicing and shredding the strands of grass, then pressing them back together with heat and glue to form bamboo floor boards. The process results in an attractive and versatile home flooring option, available in a variety of grains, colors, and patterns.
Why it’s more eco-friendly than hardwood
In terms of sustainability, bamboo is more ecologically desirable than hardwood due to the fact that it grows so much faster. While hardwood trees require one to two decades to reach their full maturity, bamboo self-regenerates in just around five years. This means it grows back on its own, without any additional planting.
In terms of your pocketbook, bamboo comes in different qualities and grades but is also reasonably priced in comparison with hardwood, which is often not as budget-friendly.
3. Replace Your Window Treatments
Jumping back to the world of energy efficiency for an eco-friendly household, another option to consider is replacing your window treatments. The amount of money you can save with the use of this energy saving option should not be underestimated. Window treatments are aesthetically pleasing and have the added benefit of being able to significantly reduce your heating and cooling costs.
If you want the best of the best, we suggest looking into investing in cellular shades. These are considered to be the most energy efficient option by some, as far as window treatments go. Cellular shades come in a wide variety of fabrics and have the potential to more than double the insulation on your windows.
That being said, don’t fret if this option isn’t for you. When it comes to making your home more eco-friendly, any window treatment will do.
4. Add a Rug
Have you ever noticed how a nice area rug has a way of making even the draftiest room feel cozy and warm?
There are a few reasons for this, but perhaps the biggest one relates to our feet. When it comes to staying warm, you can usually hack the system if you focus on keeping your toes warm. This is because our feet are involved in regulating our body temperature, so it literally pays to keep them warm.
Generally speaking, when our feet are warm, we retain more body heat and do not have to work as hard to feel comfortable. In our homes, this means we can keep the thermostat at a lower setting during those cold winter months.
If you have mostly hard flooring throughout your home and don’t want to install heated flooring, an area rug might be just the sustainable option you’ve been looking for. A thick area rug can act as insulation between your feet and the cold floor, keeping your toes warm and making it harder for heat to leave the room.
For the best results with this eco-friendly option, think big. The bigger the rug, the less surface area is left exposed for heat to escape.
In terms of the best materials, look for rugs made out of wool, cotton, acrylic, or nylon for the best insulation. Of these, wool is said to be the best insulator with the highest durability. In contrast, the other options are less durable, but more budget-friendly and easy to clean.
5. Use Eco-friendly Cleaners
Eco-friendly household cleaners are said to be the smarter choice in comparison with conventional cleaners. This is the case for a number of reasons.
For starters, many conventional cleaning products contain ingredients like carcinogens that are toxic and non-biodegradable and thus, harmful to the environment. These chemicals are also associated with various health problems.
Green products, on the other hand, are made using naturally derived, non-toxic, biodegradable ingredients.
It’s easy to see why these products are considered by many to be better for the ecosystem and possibly even for our personal health. Keeping toxins out of the air (and out of your home altogether) can offer some peace of mind when it comes to maintaining long-term physical health and wellness.
When used strategically, eco-friendly cleaning products may actually be more cost-effective than some conventional products as well. Many of these cleaners are multi-purpose, meaning you don’t have to buy special and separate cleaners for your bathroom and for your kitchen. One product can be used all throughout the home, which could save you money in the long run.
If you are interested in making eco-friendly sustainable upgrades to your home, schedule a design consultation with the experts at Windows Floors & Decor in Kansas City.