How to make your home more eco friendly? Tips and hacks

You’ve made up your mind to make some greener lifestyle choices and now you’re looking to make some eco friendly changes at home, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. You may be surprised at how simple some of these changes are to make but you’ll be so happy once you’ve made them – many of which will actually save you money and reduce your waste!

1. Hang your clothes on a bamboo drying rack – not only does drying your clothes on a line or drying rack save on the energy consumption, compared to a tumble dryer, but it’ll make your clothes last longer, too. We recommend this bamboo clothes drying rack

2. Use dish cloths and kitchen drying towels – rather than single use kitchen rolls, or paper towels. You could even cut up old clothes (think about all those t-shirts you haven’t worn in years!) and use them as drying rags. Cloths and old rags can be washed and reused, after all. If you don’t have anything to recycle, buy this pack of eco cloths made from bamboo fibres.

3. Use an eco recycling bin – if you haven’t got a designated place to recycle all your glass bottles (we know how those beer and wine bottles can stack up after a good weekend!) and the dreaded left over plastic packaging, invest in a good recycling bin. We recommend buying an Eko recycling bin which are fantastic and have a good range for all kitchens.

4. Change to energy-saving or LED light bulbs – have a quick look around the lights you have in the house and get rid of any old-fashioned incandescent bulbs or halogens, as they waste energy, and don’t last as long as LED bulbs. See this list of energy-saving bulbs

5. Tote bags are the way forward – stop using plastic bags (even the ones that suggest they are a bag for life!) and trade them in for a reusable shopping bag. See this list of reusable tote shopping bags 

Read more: Best natural eco friendly deodorants

6. Brush your teeth with a bamboo toothbrush – make the eco friendly change to a sustainable toothbrush by eliminating further plastic waste in your bathroom brushing routine. We recommend these BAMBOOGALOO Organic Bamboo Toothbrushes

7. Switch to a smart thermostat – by upgrading the technology in your house you’ll be able to adjust the room temperature from your smartphone, whilst saving on energy waste and saving money, too! See this list of smart thermostats

8. Get charitable with your unwanted clothes – free up some space in those cupboards and take any unwanted clothes to your local charity shop so some other lucky person can enjoy wearing them. Sharing is caring. 

9. Buy and wear sustainably made clothes – seek out clothes that are made from recycled materials or sustainably grown fibers, as many mass-produced clothes contain harmful toxins and chemicals. Learn more about sustainable clothing with The Sustainable Fashion Handbook

Read more: Best eco friendly gym bags

10. Get a low-flow showerhead – reduce the volume of excess water usage whilst having a shower, but let’s be honest, everyone enjoys a relaxing wash, so check for a showerhead with good reviews.  See this list of low flow showerheads (and don’t forget to read the reviews!)

11. Consider what cleaning products you use – if you’ve ever read the back of a cleaning product bottle, you’ll find numerous chemicals listed in the make-up of the liquid, many of which are harmful for the environment. These are then mixed with the water you’re washing the dishes with and thus contaminating the water supply, which has to be further purified (wasting more energy down in the process). If you don’t like the sound of simply washing with natural products such as vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and acidic juices from citrus fruits, see this list of eco-friendly cleaning alternatives 

12. Control electrical energy waste from plug sockets – leaving multiple electronic devices switched on and plugged into your main household power source produces excess energy waste and even costs your extra money on electricity bills. You can reduce this by purchasing energy-saving plug sockets – see this list of MiHome Energenie devices 

13. Kit out your kitchen with sustainable utensils – avoid purchasing plastic products and make your kitchen a hub of untreated beech wood utensils. Ranging from rolling pins to grill bbq tongs, there are many kitchen utensils that can compliment an eco-friendly living environment. We recommend Uulki Wooden Kitchen Utensils Set

There is a wide-range of eco friendly changes you can make at home and these are just some of a few key areas that are a good starting place.

If you have any eco friendly content ideas, or a sustainably made, environmentally friendly product that you would like us to feature on the site, email us with your details: hello@ecofriendlychange.com