Having a sustainable home is a great way of helping the environment and being eco-friendly, so here are 50 Sustainable Home Tips to help you!
If you want to know how to design a sustainable home, the kitchen is one of the easiest places to start making changes because, even if we don’t notice it, we use a lot of disposable things. Let’s take a look at the sustainable home tips and see how we can change this.
Paper towels may look eco friendly because it’s not plastic but paper. However, they are still disposable items that we only use once. This is why using cloth towels is a great option because we can wash them and reuse them over and over again.
Plastic wrap is often used to wrap leftovers and food, but it's not good for the environment because we can only use it once. On the other hand, reusable food wrappers are a great alternative. The food isn't in contact with the environment and we can reuse the wrap as many times as we want.
Plastic containers can be easily replaced by glass containers. Not only because they both can carry the same amount of food, but because glass containers are microwave friendly!
Teabags can be used once or twice and then they are thrown away. Plus, some of them are made with plastic materials like nylon. So, tea infusers or reusable tea bags are eco-friendly options and will allow you to drink better quality tea.
Sometimes we cook more food than we should and we are left with food waste. A good sustainable home tip to avoid this is by planning your meals. You won’t need to worry about what to cook because your meal is already prepared and you will be reducing food waste. Learn here how to make it real: Food Waste 101: Simple Steps Towards a Zero Food Waste
The problem with bottled water is that it involves a lot of plastic that can be avoided by choosing other alternatives of drinkable water. This sustainable home tip is about using a water filter, which is connected to your tap, filters water and gives you drinkable water. It's eco-friendly and will save you a lot of money!
This is related to the plastic issue we talked about before. Most products come in packages that are only used once and create a lot of waste. However, when we buy in bulk we can bring our own containers and avoid all those unnecessary packages. An extra sustainable home tip is to buy in local stores, like the greengrocer’s. Not only you will help to reduce the use of plastics but also to boost your local economy.Take a look at this article: 8 Eco Friendly Kitchen Products that Will Make You Go Green
It might sound silly, but keeping your recycling bins at sight is a great way to remind yourself to sort residues and not put everything in the same bin. If you are composting, you may be interested at: How to Choose the Best Indoor Compost Bins? The Ultimate Guide
Sometimes, when we make ourselves a drink, we use straws, which can be made of plastic or paper. They can be only used once and are very harmful to the environment, the plastic ones even more. This is why metal straws are a very good alternative to them. They are washable, reusable, and can be carried on! For example, they can be carried on in a backpack, a purse, everywhere! There are lots of types, some of them can even be folded and become smaller. Choose the best one for you! Learn here how to do it: How to use Less Plastic on our Daily Routine, 6 Items to Save the Planet
If you are planning a party or an event, try using reusable dinnerware. Disposable dinnerware creates a lot of waste because it can only be used once. However, reusable dinnerware can be washed and used again, allowing you to be eco-friendly and save money!
Buying plastic bottles is very harmful to the environment (and expensive!), which is why getting a reusable water bottle or mug is a great eco-friendly choice to avoid buying plastic water bottles and saving money. They can be used at home, at work and even at the gym. Find yourself one that best fits your needs!
The daily sponges that we use to do the dishes contain micro plastics that aren't good for the environment. Luckily, there are new options to replace them, like cloth sponges or all-natural sponges like the loofahs, which are plant-based. Check this article: 9 Best Natural Sponges for Eco-Friendly Cleaning
Bar soap is a great alternative to liquid soap because it involves less packaging! More options here: 7 Sustainable Cleaning Tips to Try On Your Home And Go Greener
Old sheets can become your new table cloth, cloth towels, bags, the options are endless. The important thing is that they can be reused to become a new object in your life and give your kitchen a new look! Here you have 5 Sustainable Kitchen Practices to have a Green Kitchen
As time goes by, fashion is finding new ways to become more eco-friendly. And that means you can be part of it too! Here are some sustainable fashion tips that can help you with your sustainability path.
You may be interested in: Sustainable Fashion 101: All You Need to Know & A Complete Guide
Even if they are inherited or bought, second-handed clothes are great for sustainability. We are using good quality clothes that were going to be thrown away, and now giving them a new life and avoiding waste. Plus, shopping for second-handed clothes at garage sales is so much fun and will let you save a lot of money! Here you have the: Best Places To Find Used Clothing: a Trend or the Best Option for Sustainable Fashion?
If you need to buy new clothes, make sure they are of good quality because they will probably last a lot longer than a regular product. Even if it’s a little bit more expensive, the fact that they are long-lasting will make it worth it, allowing you to not buy clothes as long as you have those good quality clothes and to take care of the environment.
There are lots of brands that make environmentally conscious clothes, which makes them the best option to buy from. This means they use eco-friendly fabric and/or have eco-friendly manufacturing procedures.
Here you have multiple options:
A great sustainable home tip is to reduce the number of clothes that you use. After you've chosen the clothes you want to give away, ask your friends and family if they want them or get to your closest donation center. Either way, it's a great opportunity to make someone happy!
This is a very fun thing to do with friends. If you want to try a new style or just try something new, trade clothes with your friends or relatives! You won’t have to buy new clothes and it’s a group activity that helps the environment.
The dryer consumes a lot of energy that can be avoided by drying your clothes while hanging them on a rope. (Pst! It’s also cheaper!)
Just like the dryer, it consumes a lot of energy. The problem is that we don’t always necessarily need to use it. If we only need to wash a few clothes, like socks or underwear, we can wash them by hand and avoid using the washing machine. The environment will thank you!
However if you need to use a washing machine, you can choose natural detergent! Here are The Best Natural Laundry Detergent: Our Top 10 favorites!
There’s no need to throw away your favorite shirt, it can be fixed! You can learn how to sew (it’s really fun!) or if it’s not your thing, you can always take it to a tailor to do it for you. That way you can avoid producing more waste and still wear your favorite clothes!
Part of learning how to design a sustainable home is knowing that technology is a great way to become more eco-friendly at home. By following a few sustainable home tips, you can reduce your energy consumption and carbon footprint.
One of the easiest and oldest eco-friendly home tips. When some electronic devices are not being used, you can turn them off or unplug them, reducing the amount of energy that will be consumed.
If you need to use batteries, the best sustainable home tip is to buy rechargeable batteries. This way, you won’t produce any waste and help the environment. Plus, you won’t be spending any money on new batteries, another benefit of rechargeable batteries.
Solar chargers are great not only because they are eco-friendly (they recharge by exposing them to sunlight) but because you can recharge them when you are out of your house. If you can't use electricity because it's out of your reach for any reason, a solar charger will save you. You can start with this one: Solar Battery Charger: Best Options for Your Cellphone
During the day, open your blinds as much as you can. Natural light will fill your house with no need to turn on the lights. You will be reducing your energy consumption and your house will have a totally different look.
Some devices have the option to use them in saving energy mode. This helps to reduce the use of energy of the device, maintaining the same level of performance.
When it’s cold, the first thing we do is to turn on the heating. If we avoid this by wearing an extra layer of clothes, the environment will thank us.
Otherwise you can choose greener energy, like solar. Solar energy refers to the electricity obtained from sunlight when it hits on our planet. Light and heat from the Sun is harnessed by the use of photovoltaic panels. Other solar technologies include solar water heating/cooling, solar electricity and passive solar. Check here how to incorporate it to your home: Solar Panel Lights: 6 Options For Enlightening Your Home
There are lots of places where you can take devices that are no longer in use. Look for the closest one to your neighborhood and take them there to recycle. Another option, if the device still works, you can donate it to someone you know or someone in need, they surely will appreciate it.
LED lights are great because they use a very small amount of electricity. They are also great because they are small, so you can place them anywhere you want.
The garden can seem like an already sustainable place, but it can be more sustainable than we think. Let's take a look at these sustainable home tips to figure it out!
To do this, there's no need to have a giant backyard because it can even be done on a balcony! Growing a vegetable garden is pretty easy. Find a wood box that you like and plant some of the seasonal seeds. This way you will be growing your own vegetables with no toxic fertilizers and carrying on a sustainable way of living.
Here you have the 9 Easiest Vegetables to Grow, especially for Beginners
Composting is a great option to make use of your food waste. You will be reducing the number of residues and the compost will act as a natural fertilizer for your vegetable garden. That's awesome! If you want to start composting, take a look at How to Choose the Best Compost Bin for your Kitchen.
33. USE ORGANIC FERTILIZERS
If you want to use fertilizers for your vegetable garden, get organic fertilizers. They are non-toxic and eco-friendly, check theses ones: Organic Fertilizer: Take Care of your Plants with these Products
Using a bucket, you can collect rainwater to water your plants and your compost. A great way to reuse what nature provides us! >> Learn here How to choose the best Rainwater Collector for you and its Benefits
It involves makeup and cleaning products. Lots of brands are sustainable and use natural ingredients that are non-toxic to the environment and are eco-friendly. Like: Eco Friendly Pest Control: 5 Top Products to Protect your Plants
Learning how to design a sustainable home is great for the environment, and it's even better if we can complement it with a sustainable lifestyle too! Here are some tips for it:
Thanks to technology, this has become easier. Reading eBooks, digital newspapers, receipts, note taking, invitations, among others are great alternatives to reduce the amount of paper used.
If it's super necessary, the sustainable home tip is to try printing double-sided.
Giving someone a gift is a very special thing, especially if it's something they'll love. Gifting experiences are great for this because there's no need for wrapping paper or plastics that produce waste. They can be given as a digital gift with all the information about the experience and the person will love it because it's something they can enjoy!
Otherwise you can always choose: Sustainable Gifts: 20 Eco Friendly Presents to Choose Eyes Closed
This will help to save lots of water and take care of the environment. Check the following article: How to Reduce Water Footprint: Beginners Complete Manual
If reading ebooks it's not your thing, don't worry, there's a sustainable solution! You can borrow books from the library or ask a friend.
They are eco-friendly toothbrushes that are biodegradable. After a few months when it can no longer be used, you can stick it in your compost! >> The 8 Best Eco-friendly Toothbrushes You Can Find!
This will avoid the use of paper and you can do it from home, yay comfort!
Blackout curtains help to reduce the use of air conditioning and heating, which reduces the amount of energy they consume.
Nowadays, there are more options for games, and that includes virtual gaming! Search for virtual games that are fun to play with your friends and take care of the environment! Board games are really cool but they contain a lot of packaging, which produces a lot of waste.
The way we transport can make a big difference if it’s eco-friendly. Let’s see how we can do this.
Riding a bike will hugely reduce your carbon footprint and you can exercise at the same time! If you don’t have a bike and want to buy one, try to get a second-hand one.
Be part of: The Bike Club: are you already into the most eco-friendly means of transport? and don't forget to be safe while riding: Discover 10 Helmets Bike to avoid Accidents: Choose the Ideal One
Another way of reducing your carbon footprint is by using public transport. You will save a lot of money by not traveling by car and it's a great option if the place is too far to ride a bike.
If you and other people are going to work, to a party or a common place, carpooling is very eco friendly, comfortable and cheap for everyone. It means that instead of everyone using their own car to go somewhere, they use one car to transport a group of people. This reduces carbon emissions and less fuel is needed. Plus, the whole group pays a small amount of money in comparison with what they would spend if everyone used their own car.
Booking a flight is the most common way of transport when going on holiday, but there are lots of other options that produce fewer carbon emissions. For example, traveling by train reduces your carbon footprint and during the trip, you can admire the landscapes and enjoy a relaxing moment.
Don't let laziness win! Sometimes using the car isn't necessary and you can walk to the place you need to go. If using the car is not something you can avoid and have plans to buy one, try buying an electric car. They are more eco-friendly than fuel-functioning cars.
A great way to exercise and be sustainable! Elevators consume a lot of energy that can be avoided by taking the stairs. You may be interested in: Carbon Footprint: What This Is and What We Can Do about It
These sustainable home tips are meant to help you have a more sustainable home and lifestyle, take one step at a time and see how your life becomes more eco-friendly! Do you have any other ideas? Let us know!
We hope you learned how to design a sustainable home and found these eco-friendly home tips helpful. One small step for us, one giant leap for sustainability!
Finally, if you want to build a sustainable home, but you don't know what you have to do? Check this article: What Makes a Sustainable Home? Have You Got the Know-How?
