How can you make your house more environmentally friendly?

Like the majority of us, you’ve undoubtedly found yourself making small changes here and there to make your home more environmentally friendly, such as recycling rubbish and limiting your driving. Is there anything else you may be doing to lessen your carbon footprint, though? There are numerous ways to make your home environmentally friendly. Below are some improvements that you can do.

Have proper Insulation for your house

Warm air leaking out of your house during the winter can be stopped by adding insulation to the walls. Make your home more eco-friendly by switching to cotton which may be manufactured into thick batts, instead of toxic fibreglass and unsustainable sheep’s wool for your walls,. Other choices include cellulose made from recycled newsprint and paper as well as cork made from the cork oak tree’s regenerated bark. Better insulation that prevents heat loss will give you a more sustainable home with less energy consumption required to heat your home.

Invest in eco-friendly solar Panels

By installing energy-efficient solar panels on your roof, you may get clean, pure energy directly from the sun, which will cut down on the need for fossil fuels. Solar power is one of the most tried-and-true methods to cut household energy use, even though it can take some time to see savings after the cost of installation. In order to support the panels, you need ideally to have a bright, south-facing roof that is in good condition. Your roof doesn’t need to be replaced, but you should ensure it has a long service life. Numerous organisations provide incentives and subsidies for homes wanting to transition to solar power, despite the fact that solar panels can be expensive.

Check your energy provider

When it comes to changing your energy provider, we always advise looking for the best bargain. However, in addition to looking for the lowest pricing to reduce the amount you are paying for your energy usage, you might also want to think about which suppliers are the most ecologically friendly. Though most of the major energy companies also offer energy efficient rates, there are other suppliers who are solely focused on providing renewable energy.

Make your home flooring more sustainable

To make your home more sustainable, scrap wood from old buildings or barns can be reused and preserved from rotting in a landfill, which is also an excellent way to conserve trees. Since it isn’t manufactured and doesn’t contain dangerous VOCs (volatile organic compounds), it also helps to enhance air quality. Other environmentally friendly flooring possibilities include bamboo, cork, recycled glass, plastic bottles, and tire-made carpets.

Use environmentally friendly cleaning products

Many of the components found in cleaning products have the potential to cause more harm than benefits, whether it is by releasing toxins into the air, damaging surfaces, or simply not working as well as claimed. It’s important to review the products you are presently using and switch to a more environmentally friendly manufacturer. You may substitute many of your products with inexpensive everyday items, so switching to a different product doesn’t always imply paying more money. To make a huge difference make the switch to cleaning solutions like lemons, baking soda, white vinegar, natural salt, and different essential oils that can be used on anything from draperies to cabinets.

Reuse and recycle

You can identify brands that package their products so that they can be recycled or reused in addition to switching out your current products for ones that are more environmentally friendly in the way they are created. Refills are becoming more common, so you may buy the liquid in a plastic bag and then use it to fill the bottle rather than buying a spray bottle repeatedly, for example. Reusing the old bottle eliminates the need to buy a new one and allows for the recycling of the refill bag.

This is a common practise across the toiletries, beauty and food businesses, not only in the cleaning and home goods sectors. Refill stations, where you can take your own containers and fill them up with items like pasta, rice, spices, flour, and more, are becoming more and more common at stores and supermarkets.

Try switching out cotton swabs and face wipes for cosmetics that can be transferred with your clothes. Face wipes can be substituted with linen cloths or towels, and reusable cotton pads can be purchased online and at most pharmacies. These apparently minor actions have a significant impact on the environment.

Upgrade your old furniture through renewable upcycling

We all need to make an effort to buy fewer things, and one fantastic way to accomplish this is to transform our current furniture by giving a beloved item a new life. It will contribute to minimising waste in addition to being an excellent way to kill time and save money. There are many websites and social media accounts out there devoted to upcycling projects, so you don’t even need to be a DIY expert. You can work on larger projects as well, such as reupholstering your sofa or painting your kitchen cabinets.  There are always alternative ways to reuse items for the benefit of generations to come.