Taking Care of Your Home While Thinking in The Environment

Home maintenance, cleaning, and other care steps are crucial to keep a property in good condition. They also help to reduce costs over the long term.

However, if you lead an eco-friendly life, you’re also sure to be looking for ways to turn your home into a more sustainable one and maintain it with the environment in mind. Even if you have an older home that doesn’t come with all the new eco-friendly design aspects like solar power and sustainable building materials, you can still take steps to ensure your house is kinder to the earth.

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Develop a Plan

The first step is to develop a plan for maintenance and repair work over the coming year. Doing this job helps to ensure you don’t accidentally miss any necessary tasks and therefore allow things to pile up — little problems that may become harder and more expensive to solve. The sooner you get onto issues, the less likely it is that you’ll need to use harsh chemicals or other non-eco-friendly tools to rectify them, too.

Make a list of all the projects and jobs that need doing over the next 12 months, and then put them into order. Some tasks will only be a once-per-year kind of thing, while others will need doing every six months, quarter, or even potentially every month or two. Set reminders, so you don’t miss completing or organizing tradespeople for anything on your list. Plus, take pictures or videos of different areas to document, visually, the state of each space. This makes it easier to tell if things go downhill quickly.

Use Sustainable, Chemical-Free Cleaning, and Other Products

When it comes to eco-friendly home cleaning and general maintenance, you can also be kinder to the earth (and your body) by choosing more sustainable and chemical-free solutions and tools. These days there are plenty of excellent natural cleaners on the market, or you can create your own. Also, buy low-VOC and otherwise environmentally-sound paints, and replace old light globes with the more energy-efficient, longer-lasting new bulbs.

Plus, reduce power usage by completing tasks with human-powered tools instead of electrical ones where practical, and choose local contractors rather than those who have to travel far to reach your home, thereby reducing total fuel emissions.

Have HVAC Systems Serviced Regularly

We all like to utilize heating and cooling units in our properties to keep ourselves comfortable, but these machines do tend to be pretty big gas guzzlers. The older the equipment is, the less efficient it is, too. As such, reduce power consumption and emissions by having your systems serviced regularly.

They should be inspected, maintained, and have parts replaced on an at least annual basis. This commitment ensures they run better and helps them have a longer life, so you end up using fewer resources long-term. Hire a qualified, licensed electrician or specific heating and cooling professional to work on your eco-friendly HVAC machines.

Stop Leaks

Water leaks are common problems in homes, particularly as pipes, faucets, or other fittings and fixtures start to wear down. Leaks lead to water wastage and drain critical natural resources. Avoid these issues by regularly checking for leaks coming from taps, appliances, pipes, and the like.

Plus, keep an eye out for potentially hidden leaks, such as those behind walls, up in the roof, or below the ground in your backyard. Signs include water pooling where it shouldn’t, bubbling or peeling paint, and mold and mildew growth. It’s also wise to have a plumber or other specialist visit your home annually to clean out clogs, replace old or rusted materials, and repair slow leaks that could turn into big ones suddenly. She/he can also suggest some good eco-friendly plumbing fixtures with sustainable materials and water-saving options.

Get Rid of Gaps

To reduce your reliance on electrical heating and cooling products, seal your property correctly. One eco-friendly insulation idea to do is installing more insulation in the walls and ceiling. Older homes, especially, didn’t have as much padding put in them as new places do now. The products used years ago also weren’t as long-lasting or efficient.

You may also need to get rid of gaps in various places to keep draughts or hot air out, and cold or warm air, depending on the season, in. If your property has siding, check areas around that for gaps, plus search for possible holes around exhaust fans and vents, ductwork, and windows. Anywhere that air can escape or get in should be sealed for maximum results.

Maintaining a home takes time and money, but you don’t have to forgo your commitment to the environment to look after your abode. The tips above will help you to live a more eco-friendly life and boost the sustainability of your property.

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Written by Tiffani Wroe. August 11, 2020

Tiffani is a leader in marketing authority, she prides herself in her ability to create and provide high quality content that audiences find valuable. With many years of experience, Tiffani has found herself more passionate than ever to continue developing content and relationship across multiple platforms and audiences.