From Guest Blogger Anita Ginsberg: How To Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly

When it comes to eco-friendly home care techniques and improvements, the grass has never been greener. Following are five ways that the average homeowner can improve his or her environment significantly by going green, which will create a healthier living space as well as save money on utility and maintenance costs:

Isolate Your Refrigerator

If your refrigerator is located next to a heating vent, your range, or the dishwasher, it may be working harder than it has to to keep your food and beverages cold. Keeping it apart from heat-producing appliances and vents will save energy as well as save you money on utility costs. Try to find the coolest spot in the kitchen for your refrigerator without sacrificing too much convenience. You should also leave enough room between the refrigerator and the wall as well, so it has plenty of space to vent.

Grow a Green Lawn

Growing a traditional emerald-green expanse of lawn generally requires the use of a great deal of pesticides, fertilizer, and water. Choosing the right type of grass can make a substantial difference in how green your lawn really is. Fescue and perennial ryegrass are excellent options for those who want to water and fertilize their lawn less. You should also consider planting flowers and plants in your yard that don’t require much water or extra care.

Purchase Home Fabrics Made From Natural Fibers

Draperies, blinds, bedding, carpeting, furniture, table linens, and other household items can all be purchased in organically grown and produced natural fibers for a greener home. Make sure that all cotton products come from organically grown stock because traditional cotton production uses extremely high amounts of pesticides.

Clean With Vinegar

Hot water and vinegar will clean almost any household surface more effectively than chemical-laden commercial cleaning products. If you’d rather have commercially produced green living products, they are easily found on almost all retail shelves, and most come in recyclable packaging.

Give Your Home a Green Makeover

Giving your home a complete green makeover will not only provide you with significant savings on utility costs, it will make your home more valuable on the market if you should decide to put it up for sale. Replacing old appliances with energy-efficient models is a good start when creating a green home and can be embellished by adding features such as solar panels, aerators on faucets, and using reclaimed wood when the time comes to replace flooring. A Collingwood custom home builder can help renovate your home with Eco-friendly updates in mind.

If you are planning on selling your home within the foreseeable future, keep in mind that green improvements are the best investment you can make because they’ll increase the value of your home substantially.