Five Cheap Ways To Keep Your House Green
Going green isn’t just something you can do to help the environment. While that is a huge part of it, going green is also a great way to help you save some money in your home. By switching to more energy-efficient electronics you cut down on your power use, for one thing. You can also work to cut down on the use of other commodities, including water.
While you may think going green is too expensive because of the cost of things like solar paneling. However, there are some things that anyone can do, actions that don’t cost thousands of dollars but still go a long way toward helping the environment and make less of a carbon footprint.
Recycle
Want to help the earth? Stop throwing all of your trash into landfills. There are a few ways you can do this. One of them is by recycling items like cardboard, paper and recyclable plastics. Many trash companies now offer a recycle bin with your regular trash service, or you can look into recycling places in the area.
However, you can also work towards having less trash by using reusable bags when you grocery shop. If you buy foods in bulk, like fruits and vegetables, bring your own baggies for them, made of mesh or cloth, instead of using the plastic bags supplied by the store. Find ways to reuse any plastic containers from butter and other items (they make great storage containers for leftovers).
Look for Energy Efficient
You don’t need to go out and buy all new energy-efficient appliances just because they save you on your energy bill. You can buy energy-efficient when it’s time to replace one though. Do that for light bulbs when they burn out too.
Energy efficient light bulbs and a
ppliances not only save you money, but they will lower your carbon footprint greatly.
Conserve Water
While it’s easy for many people to take water for granted, those that live in states and countries where drought happens often understand the importance of conserving water. Plus, you could save some money on your water bill too.
Instead of running the water the whole time you do dishes, fill the sink with water to wash them in. If you have a dual sink you can rinse in a filled side too. Take shorter showers. Don’t water your lawn every day, or, if you have sprinklers, set them to only run at certain times of the day. Watering your yard when the sun is beating down and drying the water fast is just a waste.
Unplug
Don’t leave things plugged in that you aren’t using. If plugging and unplugging things constantly seems like it will take up too much of your time, plug all the TVs and DVD players and things like that into power strips that you can easily flip the switch on for numerous items.
You can also help the environment by going green when you clean your home. Use natural cleaners, and even opt for green carpet cleaning. Natural cleaning products aren’t all super expensive and they can make a huge impact, not only on the health of the environment, but on your health too!
14 Comments
Cathy French
We recycle aluminum cans. We go through a lot of cans of sodas and energy drinks. We take them in about once or twice a year after having them bagged in our garage.
Pamela Gurganus
I love to be green and save money as well! These were some really great ideas and a few I hadn’t thought of before! Thank you for sharing this information. It certainly is food for thought.
Carol S.
I am finding it a struggle to have the teenagers today help in many of these areas. They don’t seem to care if the lights stay on even if they are not using them, they leave things plugged in when not in use like phone chargers, tablet and laptop cords even when they arn’t plugged into the devices. Having them plugged in still uses energy and they don’t seem to realize this. I know they learn this at school also. Sometimes it can be frustrating.
Sarah L
I do most of these. I wish people would get rid of most of their lawns. So much water used on plants that birds & butterflies can’t use.
John Thuku
I love going green. Not only is it cheap but it saves the environment. Thank you for sharing these ideas.
Julie Wood
Recycle, energy efficient and unplug is three things that we do in our house to keep it green. It is important to try and save energy in the home.
Laura
We always try to recycle and I’m usually pretty good at unplugging things that we aren’t using.
Stacy
I found that unplugging appliances when not in use was a huge energy saver! My husband had to get used to not having the coffee pot always plugged in and programmed, but he got over it really quickly when he saw what a difference it made to our electric bill! Other ways that we try to be green are having two water barrels outside to collect rainwater (we use it to water plants, refill our fish pond, etc), closing the vents in rooms we do not use often (like the guest room), and always washing clothes in cold water.
Sandy Weinstein
i save my shower water to water my plants, i also save leftover fruits or spoiled fruits and veggies and put in my garden to compost, i throw my watermelon rinds in the woods so maybe the wild animals will eat them. i unplug everything when i go out of town. i put out buckets to catch the rain. i use my ceiling fan when it not quite hot enough for the ac and wear sweaters and sweats in the wintertime to save on propane. i also close off rooms that i am not using. only wash when have a full load for clothes and dishes. also save my rinse dish water.
Tamra Phelps
Most of this we already do. We’ve always been fortunate to live in a place where drought is not an issue, but we still try to conserve water for the purpose of keeping the water bill low, lol.
Meg A
I love to recycle, it’s my fave way to be green!
Angelica
Love these tips and love being/ going green. You’d be amazed at how much our gas bill dropped when we turned our furnace to 60 degrees during the day and 56 at night and use an electric radiant oil heater in whatever room we’re in. It’s great and there’s so much less dust in the house too!
Dee Lafrenz
We lived in a city where electricity was very inexpensive. Then we moved to a small village where electricity is very expensive, we went from $35 to $120 a month. So we have learned to cut WAY back. Turn off lights, turn down heat, put on sweaters, and watch one TV not 2, turn down the water heater temp. We have cut our bill by over half, last month was $58, and still trying to lower it more. Summer is easier with less lights needed, but we still have fans, we have not used our AC in three years.
KATE SARSFIELD
You’re right as usual Connie. Going green is about so much more than just recycling, it’s about a complete reversal of the consumerism of the past decades, it’s an approach to life in which we show a respect for the planet we call home.