Focusing on sustainability in your home is more important in 2022 than ever before. There are many chemicals, toxins, and harmful additives in most processed foods, cleaning supplies, and in our everyday items. If you’re interested in eating clean, making your home more efficient, or just overall sustainable living, continue reading the tips below.
Eat Clean
Clean eating doesn’t just mean avoiding processed foods, but it means paying attention to the ingredients in the foods that you are regularly consuming. Foods in the United States contain a lot of unnecessary additives like dyes, unhealthy preservatives, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and so much more.
While there are a lot of additives in foods that aren’t necessary, dyes are certainly one that you should pay close attention to, especially if you have young children. According to Healthline, there is no concrete evidence that food dyes are dangerous for most people, but they may cause allergic reactions or hyperactivity in children that are sensitive. Just know that you are not a “bad parent” for giving your children food with dyes or any of the additives that were mentioned above. Most kids are typically fine and you may not even notice a difference! We’re all out here just trying to survive parenthood.
Grow a Garden
There are many benefits to growing your own fruits and vegetables! Not only can consuming fresh fruits and vegetables save you money, but it can also improve your health in a few different ways.
One way that gardening can improve your health is by consuming fresh produce that you know does not include any harmful chemicals. Having your own garden allows you to know exactly what you’re eating without any doubts. Not to mention, the vitamin content will be at its highest from the moment you harvest it to the moment it enters your mouth!
Another benefit to having your own garden is that it can be considered a form of outdoor exercise. Digging, planting, and pulling weeds are no easy tasks. It’s a lot of physical activity, especially if you have a large garden. It can also give you the opportunity to soak up some Vitamin D and take in the fresh air, which can relieve stress and make you feel happier!
Lastly, gardening can be a fun hobby for your family, especially with young children. Letting them choose what seeds they would like to plant, helping dig, and watering the plants can be fun and educational for all. It can come naturally to some people, but not everyone. When you think your plants need water or sunlight, but neither of those are working, try one of these eight things that your garden might need.
Make Your Own Cleaning Products
If you’ve decided to take sustainability to a whole new level and make your own cleaning products, great choice on your part! There are many benefits to homemade cleaning products such as having control over the ingredients, safe for pets and children, cost-effective, environmentally friendly, etc. The list goes on and on. But the burning question is, how do I get started?
First, choose what cleaning products you would like to make. All-purpose cleaners, kitchen cleaners, glass cleaners, or maybe you want to replace all of your cleaning products? Once you’ve narrowed down what you want to replace, follow these recipes to make your own. When making your own cleaning solutions, consider using glass containers versus plastic.
Choosing to put your cleaning solutions in reusable glass containers is more environmentally friendly than plastic containers. Not only do plastic containers degrade over time, but once the lifespan of your glass bottle comes to an end, it can continue to be recycled indefinitely. Unlike glass, plastic can only be recycled so many times before it ends up in landfills.
Home Efficiency
Having an energy-efficient home might be one of the most important steps to having a sustainable home. Miller & Smith dive deep into the importance of having an energy-efficient home, but overall there are two main benefits.
The first benefit is having a comfortable space to live. Making sure that your home is properly insulated will keep your home warm during the colder months and cool during the warmer months. The next benefit is savings. Having a home that is insulated will also result in you saving money as you won’t have to worry about running your heat or air conditioning all the time and paying increasing bills. Your home will contain both of these, and your home (and wallet) will thank you.
If you want to improve the sustainability of your home to an even greater extent, consider investing in emerging home efficiency technologies. Whether it’s an on-command hot water heater or a thermally-driven air conditioner, these few additions are bound to increase your sustainability mission and increase the value of your home. Adding green technology might not be the cheapest thing to do when it comes to sustainability, but it is certainly worth the money. Consider utilizing a home equity loan to help with funding these upgrades as they’re tax deductible when used on home improvements.
Maintaining a sustainable lifestyle is great for you, your family, and the environment. Taking these few steps is sure to make you feel good about yourself and your wallet too! Not to mention, adding upgrades to your house is a great way to make your home feel new again!
