Lately, more and more people are becoming aware of the impact that pollution has on Earth and consequently on people’s health. We are slowly but steadily understanding that we can’t wait for governments to fix pollution problems if we, as individuals, aren’t willing to lift a finger. Today, we are going to give you a few tips for making your home Eco-friendly without investing a lot of money. In the long run, some of these small changes will protect both the Earth and your family’s health while others will help you save money.
Save Energy
The greatest thing about having an eco-friendly home is the fact that you don’t have to invest in expensive things such as solar panels, sustainable wood flooring, and non-toxic paints. In fact, through simple changes in your daily life, will make your home safer and greener. Thus, in turn, it will have a positive effect on your overall health. These are some of the things that you can do:
- Fluorescent Light Bulbs – If you use these widely available bulbs, you will notice that your energy bill will actually go down and you will save money. This is because they use a quarter of the electricity of regular light bulbs
- Use Electricity Smart – You may have noticed that your refrigerator and freezer are probably the most expensive appliances on your electricity bill. Well, you should know that a fridge will do its work at 37 degrees Fahrenheit and -3 degrees Fahrenheit if you want to keep foods frozen. Do not keep the doors open for as long as it will increase the energy consumption.As well as, use an electronic thermostat that will lower the temperature whilst you’re sleeping and it turns the temperature up just before you get out of bed. This way, it’s much more energy-efficient
- Let the Sunshine Inside – Open your windows and blinds. The drapes and shutters should be pulled up during the day if you want to use less energy
Meter plugs
A lot of appliances are marked either with the Energy Star qualification or with A Energy rating. When people buy these appliances, they are under the impression that they consume very little energy, but that is not always the case. An energy qualification only means that a certain appliance consumes less energy than other appliances in its class. In order to be able to closely monitor your home’s energy consumption, the best thing to do are install meters on all of your plugs. This way, you will see exactly how much energy certain devices consume so that you can limit the use of those devices, at least when you don’t need them.
Clean Air Indoors
Toxic free interior decor
It is very hard to know what type of paint was used to paint the furniture found in most stores. However, we can choose what type of paint we are using the repaint our homes. In addition to this, there are other things that you can do:
- Foam mattresses are also hidden dangers in a home, which pack a lot of toxins. Our advice would be to read the latest mattress reviews before investing in a new mattress, and if your budget allows you, to choose only organic mattresses
- Another way to ensure that your home is toxic free is to conduct a mold inspection regularly. Mold can form in wet and dark places, having a negative effect on the quality of the breathable air
- Ideally, when shopping for paint, you should only focus on VOC free products
Water Filtration Systems
We are well aware of the fact that tap water is not safe to drink. A whole house water filter would be the best approach, but if you can’t afford that, even a countertop system can make a huge difference. However, few people realize how the contaminants found in tap water affect us, even if we don’t drink the water. These are some of the things that it can do:
- They infiltrate our pores, they are absorbed by the fruit and vegetable that we eat and they even affect the taste of our food
- High levels of chlorine (this being the most common water contaminants can lead to dry skin, dry hair and even skin itchiness. Therefore, even if you only drink bottled water, you are still not safe from water contaminants
Plants
When you live in a big city, there is no way to escape pollution. The only thing that you can do, is lower the levels of pollution within your home. The traditional way of accomplishing this purpose would be to buy a lot of indoor plants. However, plants take space and require constant care so, a lot of people turn to air purifiers. Unfortunately according to Optima Institute a lot of air purifiers release ozone as a byproduct of the purification process. However, if you do a little research, you will see that there are a few green air purifiers on the market, which use actual plants in order to clean the air of pollution. These devices work by enhancing the purifying properties of plants by 100%.
