8 Ways to Make Your Home Greener—Room by Room

Sometimes “going green” can seem like it might take a lot of money and work.

But there’s much more you can do that doesn’t involve a hefty price tag that comes with installing photovoltaic panels or buying a hybrid car. Instead, you can reduce waste, limit toxins and make your home healthier just be following a few of these tips:

1. Put down the paper towels: Change up your paper towel habit to reduce waste by using cloth napkins and rags for the dirtier jobs.  

2. Reduce, reuse, recycle:  Make sure you have a system in your kitchen that makes it easier to separate recyclable materials from the non-recyclables. Everyone in your home will be more likely to recycle if they don’t have to walk outside to the recycling bin each time they want to dispose of something.

3. Buy in bulk: Before you even get back home, try to buy in bulk or unpackaged containers to reduce waste. You can store the food in containers or glass jars that you can keep reusing.

4. Go natural: Swap out all of your chemical-based cleaners for non-toxic, natural versions. This includes hand soap, dish soap, household cleaners and laundry detergent.

5. Don’t waste water:  Replace your shower heads with low-flow options to help save water. It’s usually an easy project that you can do buy yourself.

6. Green scaping: Design your property in a way that doesn’t rely on irrigation. Choose native plants and trees that can help reduce your carbon foot print. 

7. Save energy: Plug all of your electronics into a surge protector power strip that you can switch off when you’re not using them. And if remembering to unplug or turn the strip off seems like a burden, purchase a smart power strip equipped with a timer that can automatically shut off power.

8. Buy LED: It might seem tedious or expensive to change out all your bulbs at once, so chip away at becoming more eco-friendly one bulb at a time. Eventually, your whole home will be energy efficient.