Category: eco

How to make your home more eco-friendly next year

How to make your home more eco-friendly next yearcredit

We all know that we only get one earth and that it’s important to take care of it. Even if you feel like you can’t make a difference because you’re just one person, the truth is that a few small changes can have a big impact.

It can be intimidating trying to work out where to begin when it comes to helping the planet. As with most things, it’s best to start at home. There are lots of ways to make your home more eco-friendly, and it’s never too soon to start, so why not make it a new year’s resolution to try some of these tips?

Illustration of a house running on alternative energy

Use alternative sources of energy

Reducing your carbon footprint is one of the best ways to make your home more eco-friendly. And one way of doing this is to use less gas & electricity.

There are small ways to do this, such as switching the lights off when you leave a room and turning the thermostat down a couple of degrees, but if you’re looking to make a bigger difference, switching over to alternative and clean sources of energy is the way to go.

Solar panels are a popular form of renewable energy that can save you money and also make your home more eco-friendly. There are many questions that people have about solar panels. How much do they cost? Are they worth it? How long will a 200w solar panel take to charge a battery? Doing your research on solar panels before committing to them is therefore incredibly important.

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Use less water

Of course, we all need to use water every single day for various things. We drink it, we use it to clean our homes and we also use it when we shower or have a bath.

That being said, many people tend to use way too much water, simply because they don’t know how to use less. There are obvious things, like turning off the tap while brushing your teeth and taking shorter showers.

There are also other smart ways to reduce your water usage, such as reusing the bath water to water your plants or getting a water butt to harvest rainwater. For more ways to save water at home, click here. Keep in mind that you probably won’t be able to implement all of these changes at once, so give yourself time to adjust.

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Waste less

A big problem is that many people are wasteful. So, by reducing waste, you will be helping the planet and making your home more eco-friendly. There are plenty of ways to do this.

You can start by recycling things like paper, plastic, metal and glass. You should also try to lessen your use of single-use plastics.

Another way to reduce waste is to try and use up all of your food before it goes bad. For example, if you have overripe fresh fruit that’s about to rot, you can make fruit pie. You can also start buying more canned and frozen goods at the supermarket since they typically last longer.

If food does go bad, don’t throw it out, but rather compost it. You should also dispose of any other food scraps (except meat, fish and dairy) in your compost.

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Top 5 essentials for a healthy and clean house

Top 5 essentials for a healthy and clean house | H is for Homecredit

Our homes are our sanctuaries. The ultimate goal is to have a home that promotes wellness, relaxation and cleanliness for us, our households, families and visitors.

Here are 5 great tips for achieving a clean and healthy house, free from toxins and other harmful chemicals.

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1. Get that clean and fresh air

The air we breathe indoors can easily become filled with dust and unwanted particles that can irritate our breathing, skin, eyes and overall quality of life.

There are many ways you can attempt to keep the air you breathe fresh and clear of allergens and dust particles:

  • Remove your outdoor shoes on entering the house
  • Place a doormat in front of each door to avoid bringing mud, dust and dirt indoors
  • Add house plants to help purify the air naturally
  • Use an air purifier. These can be especially useful for individuals with asthma or other breathing complications.

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2. Use a skip

Using skips to dispose of filth and maintain cleanliness in the environment is one of the most eco-friendly and convenient means of disposing of waste.

Particles of dirt may not be detectable to the eye; the longer your waste stays in your space, the unhealthier your environment becomes. With skips, you can throw away your debris and be sure that it’ll be handled and transported carefully out of your area. And, it’s not complicated at all. Simply visit https://www.sheridanskips.co.uk/skip-hire/ where you can hire same day skip services for both your home and your business.

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3. Use natural cleaners

You’d think that spraying and spritzing your home with all of these cleansers on a daily basis would keep it toxin-free, but many products contain harsh pollutants and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can be as harmful to health as smoking!

The simplest way to ensure that your house is chemical-free is to replace your current cleaners, polishes and detergents with a range of healthier, more natural cleaning products.

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4. Substitute plastic containers

We’re all aware of the environmental hazards that plastics pose. However, its convenience doesn’t prevent us from stocking our refrigerator and cupboards with plastic storage containers.

Plastics, in fact, are hazardous to our health and that of our families. Phthalates (plasticisers) are found in all plastics and are harmful to the brain’s endocrine, neurological and developmental areas.

We expose our meals and the air we breathe to these harmful compounds whenever we reheat food in these receptacles. This is why it’s vital to promote healthy eating by using glass, stainless steel or other environmentally friendly materials instead.

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5. Keep your mattress fresh

We all wash our sheets and pillowcases regularly, but what about the mattresses?

Grubby or old mattresses can easily become repositories for collected dust particles, mites and other allergens that can evoke all kinds of allergies, breathing problems, skin irritations and overall low quality of sleep.

Keep your mattress fresh by vacuuming it each time you change your sheets. You can use deep-cleaning options at home or professional help to get a refreshed mattress.

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3 sustainable construction trends

3 sustainable construction trends

Sustainable building practices are becoming more important than ever before. With the heightened awareness of climate change and pollution, many more people are looking for more sustainable construction methods, whether for their own homes or public services like roads.

Thankfully, with the abundance of emerging technologies and a better understanding of what makes buildings greener, there are many promising trends in the world of sustainable construction. Here are some of the best emerging green building trends for 2021 and the new year.

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Using biodegradable, recycled, recyclable and renewable materials

This is perhaps one of the most important innovations for building design and construction that has been made in recent years. The entire premise of sustainable construction hinges on the idea of reducing the impact of building on the environment. This can mean using less harmful materials or more energy-efficient practices.

Ultimately, ensuring that as many materials as possible either come from a sustainable source or can be disposed of safely is one of the most effective ways of reducing the environmental toll of construction. Many people are now choosing to use natural paints, recycled steel, clay bricks and wood to create new buildings.

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Zero energy and zero water buildings

Many people are now trying to ensure that their buildings are as close to self-sufficient as possible. This might mean using energy production methods like solar panels, wind turbines, fuel cells and bio-fuels to provide electricity to buildings. These sustainable power sources are making buildings with net-zero energy consumption a reality.

Similarly, there’s a growing trend towards net-zero water usage in construction at present. Buildings that are built for this purpose use water consumption management systems to reduce wastage where possible. Additionally, buildings are now being created with strategies to capture rainwater, waterless toilets, grey-water recycling and on-site sewage treatment to reduce water usage. Find out the comparison between both here.

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Retrofitting outdated solutions

One trend in construction that doesn’t apply solely to new builds is the growing popularity of green retrofits in older homes. Many companies like Arup now offer services to help people create new and sustainable building designs. However, these building designs can also be used to retrofit older buildings where green construction techniques were not considered.

This is an exciting facet of sustainable construction, as for most people, the idea of building an entirely new property using green techniques is unattainable. However, since sustainable retrofits are growing in popularity, anyone can renovate their home using environmentally friendly practices and materials.

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Conclusion

In summary, these are three of the biggest trends in sustainable design and construction that started to emerge this year. With the constant pressure to develop greener practices and regular innovations regarding building materials, sustainable construction seems set to increase in popularity at the end of the year and into 2022 and beyond. There’s still a long way to go to reduce humanity’s impact on the planet. Still, the emergence of greener and more sustainable construction practices is an encouraging sign of adaptation to the changing climate and weather conditions.

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Benefits of eco-friendly pest control services

Benefits of eco-friendly pest control servicescredit

Most home-owners and tenants out there have experienced pest infestations at one point or another and we all know just how frightening and annoying a pest infestation can be. Not to mention the potentially extreme health concerns pests can impose on our overall health; from allergies to more serious respiratory conditions.

With that said, whether you’re attempting to tackle a full-on infestation, or you’ve made eye contact with a roach while reaching for a midnight snack in the kitchen, some forms of pest control are inhumane and terrible for the environment.

For this reason, it’s generally best to always opt for eco-friendly pest control solutions which you can find at https://www.biotechtermiteandpest.com/. If you aren’t too sure why you should prioritise eco-friendly pest control solutions over tried & tested traditional methods, we’ve listed some of the top-rated benefits to help you make an informed decision.

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Your pets will be safe

The poisons that are used to mitigate rats, mice, roaches and even termite infestations are not suitable for use around household pets. If you want to keep your pets safe from these poisons, eco-friendly solutions are your only option. Your pets could either consume the poison or eat a rodent or pest that has ingested the poison. Unfortunately, in both these scenarios, the results will likely be fatal for your pet.

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Your everyday health

If you’re using dangerous commercial poisons to keep pests at bay or to get rid of an infestation from your home, you’ll be routinely inhaling these poisons in tiny doses. The poisons will negatively impact the air quality in and around your home. This can be detrimental to individuals with respiratory conditions, such as asthma and COPD, and allergies.

Illustration of a mouse trap

Avoid inhumane traps

Even though you don’t want pests residing in your home and causing expensive damage to your property, you also don’t want to harm these pests as they all serve crucial functions within the ecosystem and the world around us. As creepy as rats and mice can be, we shouldn’t kill them with inhumane traps. And when it comes to the more adorable range of rodents, such as raccoons and squirrels, there’s no doubt you’d prefer to use humane solutions to keep them out of your home.

Illustration of hands holding up green shoots

Protect the environment

The most prominent reason to rely on eco-friendly pest control solutions is to do your bit towards saving the planet. Killing certain pests will hinder the population, which can have adverse effects on everyone. And using harmful poisons can contribute to a larger carbon footprint and cause soil erosion, air pollution and other issues that we don’t want.

Instead of relying on the traditional means of controlling pests, eco-friendly solutions are safe, effective and harmless to the health of you, your family and your pets. Making a slight change to how you mitigate pests will have a more significant, positive impact on the environment, as every small step towards a more sustainable future count. Once you adopt eco-friendly pest control measures, you should also consider making other minor changes, such as switching to natural cleaning products, to consider the environment.

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