I like to think I do little things towards helping the environment. I could probably do much more, and I know I am guilty of being lazy when it comes to recycling and not always sorting my household waste out properly! I know that I use baby wipes when I should use a flannel with soap and water.
However, I do want to help preserve the planet for my children and their children, so I am trying to do better, honestly as I am fully aware that I need to try harder. Luckily there are so many helpful tips to teach ways in which I can make this possible, and if nothing else make our home more eco friendly.
Being a mother myself, I wanted to ask other parents the ways in which they have already, or ways in which they plan, to make their own homes more eco friendly. I am hoping that their advice and wise words will help me to take action in my house,
Here is what they shared with me:
So many things to say! Install as much insulation as possible everywhere.
Install energy efficient windows, draw curtains as soon as it gets dark, curtain over front door.
Install a grey water recycling system, water butts on all roofs, solar if you can afford it, simple things like water hippos in toilets, special shower heads to minimise the amount of water used.
Keeping internal doors closed and only heat the rooms you use.
Penny
This one is a bit silly but it’s true – I had a kitchen filter tap fitted so there’s no need to buy water in plastic bottles anymore!
Anya
Fill your loft with loads of junk – it acts as great insulation! That’s what we’ve done!! And we all have reusable water bottles so we take a drink with us and don’t buy it whilst we’re out!
Mary
My gas bill has been shocking recently so I second Penny’s tip on only heating rooms we’re in. We also did some research and found Electricity Monster. Electricity Monster helps you find the right gas deal for you – and we were shocked to find we were paying about a third more than we had to for gas. Also I set the heating to come on later in the evening. We’re often running around doing drop offs at clubs do don’t notice the cold when we’re in and out. If we’re ever at home relaxing before the timer kicks in we can just boost the system for an hour
Helen
Full loads of washing in a washing machine, using eco balls.
Line dry or dry indoors wet laundry.
Iron when needed, I tend to fold everything slight damp and leave to rest before putting away.
Use a slow cooker, bulk cook/bake, keep fridge clean, check food products to avoid food waste.
Walk to the shops and only buy what you need, preferably menu plan.
Buy second hand items, upcycle into something new, pass on/sell on unwanted items and recycle.
Make own clothes- knit, crochet, sew.Refashion old clothes and learn to mend.
Make own cleaning and beauty products.
Grow your own food, share seeds and plants with friends, family and friends.
Learn to make preserves.
Go foraging throughout the year
Wear jumpers indoors and snuggle under blankets to keep warm, I don’t put the heating on when it’s just me home and not for long in the evenings. I could go on
Aly
Turn the heating down and wear a jumper! On our new builds we have underfloor ground source heat pumps for heating and solar panels on the roof for hot water, makes a huge difference to the energy used.
Fiona Cambouropoulos
Oooo we have energy efficient bulbs, only light and heat the rooms we are in and need plus we save money on turning everything off at the walls and unplugging what we don’t use, as keeping it on standby makes a huge difference in your bill. We fall down because we use a tumble dryer and have a heated house for the tortoise… so we try and help elsewhere.
Alice
We have the heating on as little as possible – not that we’d ever sit there cold but when we do turn it on, I turn it off again when it’s warm again rather than leave it on. I also use the slow cooker a lot which save money and time.
Cass
Try an avoid using harsh chemical cleaners which end up in the water table. Lemon juice, bicarb and vinegar will clean most things!
Use washable cloths instead of disposable wipes.
Liz
Use washing up water to water plants.
Clean windows and glass with vinegar and newspaper rather than chemical cleaners.
Mix water and bicarb together to a paste to use as a cleaner.
Andrea
I now have a complete guide to keeping and maintaining an eco friendly home for my family and I! Thank you ladies!! Another great read is this list of 4 easy ways to achieve a more eco friendly home
Coombe Mill
Lovely seeing everyone’s ideas come together, there really is a lot of good ideas that will make a difference. Thanks Jenny
Jenny Paulin
thank you Fiona and for your input x
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