Green Your Home on a Budget
(Page 2 of 4)
May/June 2008
By Kim Wallace and Trevan McGee
Down with disposables.
Paper napkins and paper towels are garbage waiting to happen. And while you can buy recycled-paper or other eco-friendly versions, they’re still not reusable. Switch to cloth napkins and dish towels instead. They may cost more, but you can use them indefinitely.
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When buying dishes and flatware, avoid plastic, which is made from nonrenewable petroleum and may impart odors and hazardous substances into food. Instead, buy metal flatware from a secondhand or consignment store. It will be less expensive than new, and you’ll be promoting reuse—and you might come across cool, retro designs. For dishes, opt for lead-free, fair-trade or local ceramics that promote the livelihood of artisans; visit Wedge Worldwide.
A bathroom boost
About 65 percent of your home’s water use can be traced to the bathroom, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Tweak your throne.
The first sign of a troubled toilet is the sound of running water between flushes. Malfunctioning toilets can leak hundreds of gallons of water a day, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Test your toilet’s water-tightness with a few drops of food coloring in the tank; if the bowl shows traces of color after 15 minutes, you’ve got a leak. An inexpensive toilet repair kit, such as the MJSI HFX120 Hydrofix, costs less than $20. When it’s time to replace the toilet, opt for a high-efficiency one. For a couple hundred bucks, a 1.3–gallon-per-flush model will save $100 a year on your water bill, according to the EPA. Start your search for the perfect throne by visiting the EPA.
Soak up the savings.
Conserving water is simple with a showerhead shutoff button. While lathering up or shaving, hit the button to stop water flow. For less than $10 and in just five minutes, you could use 16 percent less water. A Rain Saver Inline Shower Shut-off Valve is $6 from Green Logic, and it can be easily installed between your showerhead and the plumbing.
Just say no to vinyl.
Exchange your PVC-vinyl shower curtain or liner for one made with hemp. The fiber is naturally antifungal and antibacterial. After showers, leave the curtain extended for even drying. To wash, scrub with a bit of borax or distilled vinegar added to water and hang to dry. Hemp curtains start at $69.