Eco-Friendly Home Tips: Kitchen

We cook, wash dishes, and plug in quite a few daily appliances in the kitchen. This means the kitchen consumes plenty of energy and water. It also produces a lot of waste, which, when thrown in a landfill, can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Luckily, making small changes around your kitchen can reduce this amount and make it more eco-friendly!

When washing dishes by hand, shut off the water between each rinse. If you have a two-compartment sink, fill one side up with soapy water and the other with clean water to rinse. By not continuously running the faucet, you can reduce water use.

If you use a dishwasher, only run it with a full load. Avoid running two half loads when you can run one full one!

Many appliances you keep plugged in, like a coffee maker, toaster, and other small appliance, pulls energy even when turned off. This phenomenon, called standby power or phantom load, wastes energy and increases your energy bill. By unplugging these appliances when not in use, you can prevent this unnecessary energy consumption.

Try swapping single-use kitchen products for reusable versions! If you regularly use these products, investing in reusable over single use can benefit the environment and save you money over time.

Switch out wasteful coffee pods and coffee filters for refillable and reusable ones. If you use paper plates and plastic utensils, opt for washable options instead. Use kitchen towels instead of paper towels so you toss them in the wash rather than a landfill.

If you just can’t shake that paper towel habit, find paper towels made of recycled materials instead.

Composting offers many benefits. One of those benefits includes disposing of organic waste in an eco-friendly way. The Environmental Protection Agency says food scraps and yard waste currently make up “more than 30 percent of what we throw away” and “should be composted instead.” Composting helps reduce what we throw into landfills. The EPA states that, when in landfills, organic waste creates methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. By composting, we can reduce these methane emissions significantly.

Ovens use quite a bit of energy to power up and reach the correct temperature. Try using small appliances like microwaves, toaster ovens, slow cookers, and air fryers more often than your oven. They use less electricity and don’t produce as much heat! This can also help keep your home cooler in the summer months.

Make these small changes for a comfortable and environmentally friendlier kitchen. Find some greener cleaning products and products made of recycled materials at HomElectrical to help start your journey!