An eco-friendly home in 5 simple steps

If you’re like most people, you care about the environment and want to do more to reduce your carbon footprint. But what can you do? While not everyone has the means to move into a smart home or outfit their roof with solar panels, there are small changes you can make in your home. Try out these five easy tips to get started!

1. Wash in cold water

In most cases, washing your laundry in cold water will work just as well as – if not better than – hot water. Using cold water will cut down your energy use considerably. On top of that, cold water offers some benefits, according to GE Appliances: Fabrics are less likely to shrink, stains won’t set in, and colors won’t fade. There are some exceptions, of course. If you’re washing a sick family member’s bedding, for example, hot water may be necessary for sanitization.

2. Cut down on napkins

How many paper napkins do you think you go through every year? If we assume that a person uses three a day (a conservative guess), a family of four uses 4,380 napkins annually. Most of those head straight for the landfill.

Luckily, there are some easy steps you can take to reduce your impact:

-Invest in cloth napkins (don’t forget to use a phosphate-free detergent and line dry if possible!)

-Cut your napkins in half (literally). Taking a few minutes to snip your paper napkins in half will, of course, cut your use in half!

-Don’t use a napkin unless you need one. If you don’t have messy hands, don’t reach for that napkin! Seems obvious, doesn't it?

3. Compost

Having a small kitchen compost is a great way to reduce your waste. A small compost bucket on your kitchen counter will allow you to conveniently dispose of organic materials like food scraps and paper. Many cities have curb-side compost pickup; check with your city to learn about the options in your region.

4. Use "green" cleaning products

Like cold-water washing, natural cleaning products work great in most cases. Not only do these non-toxic cleaners often smell amazing (Mrs. Meyers, anyone?), they're less harmful to our water systems and safer for our families. You can even make your own cleaning products, which will not only help the environment, but your wallet, too! Check out this all-natural kitchen cleaner by kitchn.

5. Unplug

Even if they're turned off, many appliances continue to use power. The same is true for chargers. According to Mother Nature Network, "Anything with a transformer — those black boxes on power cords — draws power as long as it's plugged in… these boxes waste up to three-fourths of the electricity that passes through them." To save energy, unplug your appliances when you're not using them. If you can't commit to that, then turning them off is the next best thing.

Take these small steps to start your journey toward a greener home that Mother Nature would be proud of!