Tag: eco-friendly

Spring-clean your home naturally: Ditch the chemicals for a sparkling clean (and healthy!) home

Spring-clean your home naturally: Ditch the chemicals for a sparkling clean (and healthy!) home

At long last, spring is in the air! Birds are chirping, flowers are emerging and that nagging feeling to deep clean your home is probably kicking in. But before you reach for those harsh, chemical-laden cleaning products, consider a gentler, more eco-friendly approach. Natural cleaning products are not only better for the environment, but they’re often safer for your family and pets and can be just as effective!

Here’s how to spring-clean your home naturally using everyday ingredients you likely already have in your larder:

The powerhouse ingredients

  • White vinegar: A versatile disinfectant, deodoriser and degreaser.
  • Baking soda: A mild abrasive, deodoriser and all-around cleaner.
  • Lemon juice: A natural disinfectant, brightener and delightful scent booster.
  • Essential oils: Add fragrance and antimicrobial properties (lavender, tea tree, clary sage and eucalyptus are popular choices).
  • Olive oil: Excellent for polishing wood furniture.
  • Castile soap: A gentle, all-purpose cleanser.

Your natural spring-cleaning checklist

1. Kitchen sparkle

  • Worktops: Wipe down with a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. For tougher stains, sprinkle baking soda and scrub gently.
  • Oven: Create a paste of baking soda and water, apply it inside the oven and let it sit overnight. The following day, scrub and wipe clean.
  • Microwave: Heat a cup of water with a few tablespoons of lemon juice for a few minutes. The steam will loosen grime for easy wiping.
  • Dishwasher: Run an empty cycle with a cup of white vinegar in the top rack.
  • Sink: Sprinkle baking soda in the sink, scrub and rinse with vinegar, followed by hot water.

2. Bathroom bliss

  • Toilet: Pour a cup of white vinegar into the bowl and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before scrubbing.
  • Shower & bath: Spray with a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. For soap scum, create a paste of baking soda and water, apply and scrub.
  • Mirrors & glass: Combine equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle and use a microfibre cloth for streak-free cleaning.

3. Living room refresh

  • Dusting: Use a microfibre cloth dampened with water or a few drops of essential oil for dusting furniture.
  • Wood furniture: Polish with a solution of olive oil and lemon juice (a few drops of each mixed together).
  • Carpets & rugs: Sprinkle baking soda on carpets and rugs, let it sit for 15-30 minutes, then vacuum.

4. Bedroom renewal:

  • Mattress: Sprinkle baking soda on the mattress, let it sit for a few hours to absorb odours, then vacuum thoroughly.
  • Laundry: Use natural laundry detergent and fabric softener alternatives like vinegar or wool dryer balls.

Important tips & considerations

  • Test on an inconspicuous area: Before using any natural cleaning solution, test it on a small, hidden area to ensure it doesn’t damage the surface.
  • Proper ventilation: Always ensure adequate ventilation when cleaning, especially when using vinegar.
  • Storage: Store your homemade cleaning solutions in labelled spray bottles or containers.
  • DIY vs. shop-bought: You can create your own natural cleaning products or purchase pre-made options from reputable brands.

Benefits beyond clean

By choosing natural cleaning products, you’re not only making your home sparkle, you’re also:

  • Protecting your health: Reducing exposure to harmful chemicals.
  • Benefiting the environment: Using biodegradable and sustainable ingredients.
  • Saving money: Many natural cleaning ingredients are budget-friendly.

This spring, ditch the chemicals and embrace the power of nature to create a clean, healthy and vibrant home. Your family, your pets and the planet will thank you!

Ways to make your home more sustainable (without much effort)

Ways to make your home more sustainable (without much effort)

Sustainability has become a hot topic more and more in recent years; it’s easy to see why. It helps the planet, and it can even be a lot better for people than they realise. Perhaps you want to up your eco-efforts by trying to make your home more sustainable.

Many people assume doing more for the environment takes a lot of time, effort and sacrifice. It doesn’t necessarily have to be that way, though. Just focus on a few thoughtfully chosen areas. Once you do, you’ll have a more sustainable home than you did previously.

Invest in air sealing

You would’ve already heard of insulating your home, but you may have overlooked air sealing. This helps to avoid any heat escaping through the roof of your house. In turn, that cuts down on the amount of time you need the heating on. This then prevents you from harming the environment through excessive energy use.

Make water consumption sustainable

The amount of water you use affects the environment. It’s always worth cutting down on your consumption as much as you can to avoid any waste. Take showers instead of deep baths and take shorter showers than you do already. This isn’t the only way you can make your water consumption more sustainable. You could also consider water borehole drilling to have your own well, cutting out the need to have it piped in. Additionally, you could install water butts around your garden to collect rainwater for use on your beds and borders.

Install solar panels

Solar panels are one of the more obvious ways to make your home more sustainable. There’s a reason why so many people go for them. It reduces your reliance on fossil fuels, which harm the environment. While installing them could be relatively expensive, you’ll save more than enough on your energy bills to make it worthwhile in the long-term.

Pick high-performance windows

A great deal of heat can be lost through your windows, forcing you to put the heating on more often and for longer periods. This is terrible for the environment, which is why it’s always an issue worth addressing. Investing in high-performance windows, like double-glazed windows, can be more than worth it. It prevents most of the heat from getting out, so you don’t needlessly waste energy on heating.

Choose eco-paint

Painting your home is always a great way to make it more attractive, but this has more of an impact on the environment than you’d think. The paint itself could harm the environment long-term. Thankfully, there are ways around this. Eco-paints don’t have nearly as much of a negative impact on the environment, making it worth switching to them. They’ll even look the same as traditional paint.

Trying to make your home more sustainable is always a great step to take. Sadly, many people assume it’ll take quite a bit of time and effort. While there’s always a process to this, it doesn’t need to be as complicated as you’d imagine.

By focusing on a few particular areas, you could end up having a more sustainable home without needing to put a lot of time and effort into it. You’ve no reason not to focus on them.

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5 sustainable home upgrades you need to try today

5 sustainable home upgrades you need to try today

Sustainable home upgrades are becoming increasingly common in the UK, Europe, the USA and beyond. Although the initial investment can put people off, costs have come down, and there’s potential for large long-term savings. From insulation to eco-friendly decorating, here are some ideas.

Septic tank installation

What can we really say about the septic tank? Well, they’re necessary, and they help with the plumbing flow. You know what they do! But what do they have to do with sustainability? The septic tank plays a more important role than you may think. They help protect marine life by filtering out harmful stuff before the effluent drains into rivers. This keeps aquatic wildlife safe, and you get peace of mind knowing you aren’t contributing to any extra water pollution.

Heating, draughts and insulation

Keeping the home warm is a burden for many people these days. With rising costs and winter setting in, it can feel impossible sometimes. However, you can make your home more sustainable by using less heating energy with some relatively minor changes. Thermostat control is a major one, having adequate insulation is another. Finally, use a lit candle to detect any draughts and seal up those annoying and expensive little gaps.

Renewable sustainable home upgrades

Renewable energy has become something of a buzzword. But it’s an important factor if you want to create a sustainable home. The costs vary, but there are a range of money-saving methods you can adopt.

Solar panels

Solar panels are cheaper than ever and can save up to 90% on your electricity bill when positioned correctly. There are also grants and funds available for their installation in the USA and the UK.

Heat pumps

Heat pumps are an alternative to traditional radiators. They’re energy-efficient and contribute much less carbon to the environment than oil and gas boilers. Again, installation grants are available, however, not all properties are suitable for this option.

Biomass boilers

Biomass boilers are up to 90% more efficient than a gas boiler. They burn wood instead of gas, and can potentially save thousands per year. However, they do require more maintenance.

Most modern options are designed to reduce emissions. They can also save a bundle, despite the high initial installation costs. Many people are currently adopting a hybrid approach to these methods.

Eco-friendly decorating

Decorating the home is something many people do regularly. Of course, doing it isn’t exactly cheap these days. But it also isn’t very good for the environment either. So, how can you go about eco-friendly decorating? The first choice is to use paint made with non-volatile organic compounds (NVOCs). That’s a mouthful! NVOCs are much safer for you and the environment. Also, a ventilation system should be used to collect dust and particles for safe disposal.

Water and flow control

Alongside energy, water is one of the most wasted commodities. Most people don’t even think about water usage but given that there are billions who don’t have easy access to safe drinking water, it’s a privilege. Small things like taking shorter showers, filling the sink to the level you need and fixing dripping taps can all add up to making a big difference. You could also use low-flow devices like aerators to reduce the amount of water you use. These can be applied to the toilet, shower head and sink taps.

Summary

Installing a septic tank is one of the most useful sustainable home upgrades when it comes to helping the aquatic environment. You can also install renewable fuel devices such as biomass boilers. And it helps to reduce how much water your family uses with low-flow products.

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Eco-friendly Halloween: Sustainable décor ideas for a green celebration

Eco-friendly Halloween: Sustainable décor ideas for a green celebration

Halloween is a time for spooky fun, costumes and candy, but it can also be a time for generating a lot of waste. Single-use plastic decorations, mass-produced costumes and excessive packaging can take a toll on the environment. But fear not, fellow spooky enthusiasts! You can still embrace the spirit of Halloween while keeping your celebration eco-friendly and sustainable.

This year, let’s ditch the disposable and embrace creativity with these sustainable, eco-friendly Halloween décor ideas.

1. Embrace the natural world

  • Autumn foliage: Leaves, branches and pumpkins are the perfect natural decorations for a spooky ambiance. Gather fallen leaves in vibrant hues and craft them into garlands or use them as table scatterings.
  • Pine cones and twigs: Create whimsical spider webs or miniature haunted forests using pine cones, twigs and branches.
  • Dried flowers and herbs: Dried herbs like lavender or rosemary can be incorporated into spooky wreaths or arrangements. Dried flowers in autumnal tones add a touch of ethereal beauty.

2. Repurpose and upcycle

  • DIY decorations: Get crafty and transform old jars, bottles and containers into spooky lanterns or candleholders. Paint them with eerie designs or fill them with fairy lights for a magical glow.
  • Fabric scraps and old clothes: Create ghostly figures, spiderwebs or Halloween banners using old fabric scraps and clothing. Sewing skills aren’t necessary – get creative with glue and scissors!
  • Cardboard and paper: Repurpose old cardboard boxes and paper into spooky decorations. Cut out silhouettes of bats, ghosts and pumpkins or create a haunted mansion backdrop.

3. Opt for sustainable materials

  • Reusable fabric bunting: Instead of flimsy plastic banners, opt for reusable fabric bunting that can be stored and used year after year.
  • Natural fibre decorations: Look for decorations made from natural fibres like jute, cotton or wood. These are biodegradable and more environmentally-friendly than plastic options.
  • LED lights: Swap traditional incandescent bulbs for energy-efficient LED lights. They use less energy and last longer, reducing your carbon footprint.

4. Get creative with food and treats

  • Homemade treats: Skip the mass-produced candy and bake your own spooky treats using organic and locally-sourced or foraged ingredients.
  • Reusable food containers: Encourage guests to bring their own reusable food containers for trick-or-treating or party snacks.
  • Compostable packaging: If you do use packaging for treats, choose compostable or biodegradable options.

5. Spread the word

  • Educate others: Talk to friends and family about the importance of eco-friendly Halloween. Encourage them to adopt sustainable practices for their celebrations too.
  • Support local businesses: Seek out local businesses that offer sustainable Halloween decorations and products.

By adopting these eco-friendly practices, you can enjoy a spooky and fun Halloween while minimising your environmental impact. Let’s make this Halloween a celebration of both fun and sustainability, ensuring a happy and healthy future for generations to come!