Making your home more environmentally friendly is beneficial for the earth, your wallet and your sense of being able to contribute to a more sustainable lifestyle for yourself and others.
According to a press release, Bradley Du Chenne, spokesperson for eco-friendly insurer, ibuyeco, said: “It is daunting to attempt to 'green' your home in one huge project, but if you focus on one room at a time, starting with the least environmentally friendly room, it becomes a more manageable task. Often this is your bathroom.
“A poorly designed bathroom can waste money and water. Leaking bathroom taps and shower heads are often the worst offenders when it comes to water wastage.”
The following simple to follow tips will assist you in making your bathroom more eco-friendly:
* Change your plastic shower curtain: Use a natural material such as hemp, organic cotton, bamboo or linen, which does not release volatile organic compounds, which become gases that pollute the air.
* Use eco-friendly towels, curtains and bath mats: Switch to organic cotton or bamboo towels, and look for bath mats that are made from teak, which naturally resists mould and mildew. Remember that mould not only damages the structure of the home but has adverse health effects for its occupants too.
* Spray the shower with a natural mould-fighting solution after each use: Fill a spray bottle with one of these suggested solutions, and keep it in the shower: white vinegar, or two cups of water and two teaspoons tea tree oil, or water and lavender essential oil.
* Shower with less water: Wet your body; switch off the shower, lather up with soap and shampoo; turn the shower back on to rinse off. This saves thousands of litres of water a year.
* Clean with eco-friendly bathroom products: Stop using cleaning products that contain toxic chemicals such as bleach and hydrochloric acid. This makes the room safer and using a natural product can sometimes be more cost effective.
* Use eco-friendly household substances to unclog drains: To unclog your bathroom drain, pour half a cup of the baking soda directly into the drain. Then, pour in vinegar. Let the mixture bubble for a few minutes and then flush the drain with boiling water.
* Change to recycled toilet paper: This can result in preventing trees from being cut down to make single-use paper products, such as toilet paper and paper towels.
* Install a low-flow showerhead: Low-flow showerheads can cut your water consumption in half with no noticeable change to your shower routine. - IOL