How to Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly in 2022

In 2022, you can make a wide variety of choices in your household to help the environment and reduce your carbon footprint. Whether you make big or small changes, every eco-friendly decision you make plays an important role in the bigger picture of making our world more sustainable! 

Below are seven ways you can make your home more eco-friendly this year:

1. Try Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs 

Switching to energy-efficient light bulbs reduces the energy needed to light your home. On a nationwide scale, the switch to energy-efficient light bulbs could be extremely impactful. In fact, certain energy-inefficient light bulbs are slowly being phased out across the US! In addition to helping the environment, energy-efficient light bulbs can save you money on electric costs and eliminate your exposure to the toxic elements such as mercury found in standard light bulbs. Energy-efficient light bulbs can be found at most home improvement and hardware stores. Make the switch today!

2. Use Natural Cleaning Products 

To make your home eco-friendly in 2022, try switching to all-natural cleaning products instead of conventional cleaning products. This may also benefit your family and any pets in your home. Regular cleaning brands can feature toxic chemicals that are potentially hazardous to your health when inhaled or touched to the skin. 

In addition to this, natural cleaning products are less hazardous to our planet. Natural cleaning products do not contain harsh chemicals that are harmful to the environment and cause water and air pollution. 

Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t have to be expensive to use all-natural cleaning products! In fact, it’s easier than ever to make your own cleaning and disinfecting products with ingredients you already have at home! White vinegar and baking soda are staples in many natural, homemade cleaning products. Just be careful not to mix chemicals without knowing whether it is safe to do so first, since some ingredients that are harmless on their own become harmful when they are mixed together. 

3. Add a Low-Flow Shower Head

Conserve water by adding a shower head that has a water limiter. Many shower head options are available to help you save energy and use less water! In addition to taking shorter showers, these shower heads can control your water usage and remind you to be eco-friendly without you having to think about it. You’ll still enjoy a great shower with an eco-friendly shower head!

4. Improve Your Home’s Insulation

A lack of proper home insulation can lead to higher energy usage for heating your home. Many places throughout the home need to be properly insulated. The most common insulation “leaks” areas are your walls, roof, and windows. When these areas aren’t well-insulated (often because they haven’t been updated in a long time), energy quite literally leaks out of your home! A well-insulated home will help you reduce your energy usage and save money in the long run! 

5. Stop Buying Paper Towels 

Many households use paper towels for everything, including regular cleaning and cleaning up spills and messes. Paper products, including paper towels, can take up to a month to decompose fully when they’re piled up in a landfill. One way to remove this extra waste from landfills is to use other reusable alternatives instead! Fabric washcloths and towels can be washed and reused again and again.

6. Hang Clothes to Dry

According to Inspire Energy, a standard household tumble dryer accounts for millions of CO2 usage in the US every year. Consider drying your clothes the old-fashioned way with a clothesline, at least from time to time! By air-drying your laundry, you’ll save on monthly energy costs while helping to reduce carbon emissions.

7. Rethink Your Window Coverings

Instead of covering the windows in your home with paper coverings, consider using eco-friendly curtains for the rooms in your home. Thick curtains can add a unique sense of style to a room while reducing waste. Thick curtains that block out light also help to conserve energy and keep rooms cooler throughout hot summers. 

Eco-Friendly Home Decisions in 2022

Take the first basic steps with these seven basic ways to make your home eco-friendly in 2022. Many of these steps also have the added advantage of helping you save money too! Making small changes like upgrading to energy-efficient light bulbs can help you play a crucial role in creating a greener world.