There are multiple ways to embrace a green lifestyle in your home, and your kitchen is no exception. The products you invest in for your kitchen, from the containers you use to package your food to the rug underneath your kitchen table, can have a huge impact. Here are some simple kitchen design tips that can help you embrace a sustainable kitchen and bring your green ethics to every part of your home.
1. Green cabinets and flooring
If you are planning a make-over for your kitchen, then eco-friendly products like bamboo are a great way of giving your kitchen a beautiful look using renewable materials. Bamboo gives the kitchen a light and aesthetic feel and can be worked into your kitchen’s flooring and cabinetry. Alternatively, you can opt for recycled timber from the local store for your flooring.
2. Invest in energy-saving appliances
Top of your list should be the refrigerator. If it is more than 10 years old, consider replacing it with a newer, energy efficient model. These days, you can easily find a refrigerator that consumes less than 400 kilowatt-hours per year. Older models consume as much as 1200 kilowatt-hours per year. You can also save a lot of energy by investing in a good dishwasher. During purchase, compare labels to ensure that you invest in one that saves both energy and water.
3. Room for recycling
The kitchen is the leading generator of trash in the home, both from food scraps as well as from the packaging that food is bought in. Purchasing products that are light on packaging or that use recyclable materials is an excellent place to start. To ensure that recyclable materials find their way back to the recycling plant, consider dedicating room in your kitchen for the recycling bin.
4. Green cleaning
Keeping off toxic cleaning agents should be a priority when it comes to keeping your kitchen and home eco-friendly. However, this should not translate into a compromised hygiene. There are lots of green cleaning agents today that are plant-based. Better still, you can whip up your own home-made cleaning agent using readily available ingredients like vinegar combined with baking powder.
The kitchen is the heart of any home. As such, it should be the healthiest. Whether you rent or own, there are a number of eco-friendly upgrades you can implement to make your kitchen both family and environment-friendly. All you have to do is hire a professional kitchen design Cleveland company to walk you through the process of transforming your kitchen.
