You don’t need to remodel your home to keep an eco-friendly kitchen! There are several steps you can take to easily green up your home’s most beloved room.
These steps include everything from the food you cook with to the supplies you use to clean up. Take a look at your cooking, cleaning, and shopping habits for a more eco-friendly kitchen!
Food
Without food, your kitchen is just another room in the house. There are a few things you can do for an eco-friendly kitchen involving food. First, grocery shopping is made greener when you bring your own bags. Large canvas bags are commercially available. You can also re-use plastic and paper bags from a previous shopping trip.
The products you choose to buy also have an impact. If you can, visit locally owned shops. Walking to the store is a great way to get exercise while saving gas. Purchase organic foods when you can. Organic retailers often care more about environmental friendliness. Be cautious though—some companies say their products are organic when they are not. Check for the FDA’s seal of approval on organic merchandise. Shopping at a farmer’s market is an ideal solution to acquire food for your eco-friendly kitchen.
Cleaning Products
When it is time to clean up after a delicious meal, choose cleaning products that fit your eco-friendly kitchen style. Greener cleaning products often come in recycled or recyclable packaging. Concentrated solutions are ideal for avoiding packaging wastes. Also, check the contents on your cleaning products. Volatile chemicals have no place in an eco-friendly kitchen. Avoid chemical overload with greener cleaning products from Pure and Gentle!
Greener cleaning products are available for washing the dishes both by hand and via machine method. Eco-friendly dish soap is better for your hands as well!
For countertops and floors, choose an all-purpose cleaner to leave your kitchen spic and span without cluttering your cleaning cabinet. Our solutions replace up to 20 conventional cleaners. As an added bonus, this cleaner is concentrated. These two factors help reduce packaging waste and save you money as you ‘green’ your kitchen.
Cleaning Supplies
Aside from cleaners themselves, the tools you use to clean play a factor in creating a more eco-friendly kitchen. Disposable items, especially those made of hard plastic, wind up cluttering landfills. Eco-friendly solutions exist! Choose a broom made of recycled or biodegradable material. A straw broom works well and lasts a long time before it needs to be replaced. A reusable mop is also a necessary tool. Look for a mop with a machine washable pad for ultimate reusability. For sponges, try using old clothing instead of purchasing the foamy constructs. Cut your old clothes and towels into rags for a reusable, multi purpose cleaning tool. Rags from old clothes are also machine-washable.
Garbage
Garbage habits provide another aspect of an eco-friendly kitchen. Waste is a part of both the cooking and cleaning processes. You can cut down on waste output by recycling everything possible. Be sure to rinse out containers before tossing them in the recycling bin. Deal with food scraps by composting! Composting guides are readily available on the Internet to help you get started.
Once you start taking steps to reduce garbage output, you may find your trash bill lowered. Many cities provide free recycling programs that require little effort and no money to help you practice eco-friendly kitchen habits.
For a person just beginning to green their home, the kitchen provides an ideal starting point. Taking the time to practice even one of these steps affords you a more eco-friendly kitchen. Once your kitchen becomes a greener place, try branching out into the rest of the home. Begin your eco-friendly lifestyle at the heart of your home!
