If you building a new home and want to “think green”, you have a lot of job in front of you. Many materials that are used in construction are produced using very polluting methods; others are unsustainable in other ways. Reducing your environmental footprint is not easy but it is possible once you have the proper knowledge and will! A whole book could be written on the subject, however.
Today, let’s start your quest to an eco-friendly home by working on an area that consumes a lot of water and chemical products: your bathroom.
Reducing Your Water Consumption
As we just mentioned, households consume a crazy amount of water: in a country like Canada where water is abundant, the average consumption is close to 300 liters per person per day. Did you know that a regular shower head (without any fixture) consumes up to 25 liters of water per minute? Spending 15
minutes in the shower will therefore lead to the consumption of 375 liters of water. Of course, most new showerheads are now sold with fixtures that can reduce this waste by 75% or more… in any case, choose your new showerhead wisely.
The same thing goes with your toilet: one flush will consume between 5 and 20 liters of water depending on your choice of furniture. Buying responsible products will greatly reduce the impact you have on your water supply!
Choosing the Proper Flooring
PierDeco, a company specialized in bathroom design, recommends ceramic tiles as a cheap and eco-friendly product for your flooring. The manufacturing of ceramic tiles is not as harmful to the environment as other alternatives are, and it is also quite durable thanks to its natural resistance to humidity and moisture. If you can get some recycled tiles, it would be even better. Other good flooring ideas include bamboo and natural linoleum.
Buying Air Fresheners? No Way
People will often buy air fresheners or similar products to hide bad smell that comes with humidity or usage of the toilet. Toilet sprays, however, are made of chemical products. It has been proven that a good proportion of the particles stay in the air and can be inhaled but people that use the bathroom: you absolutely want to avoid that!
The best way to get rid of this need would be to install a ventilator or another system that evacuates humidity and foul air out of your bathroom. Your towels will smell better and you won’t have to put your health in jeopardy.
Choosing Non-toxic Paint
Enough with oil painting! You can find way better alternatives than that. For example, good soy based paint will be as durable as oil while being a lot less toxic. Tougher regulations on polluting products have led manufacturers to develop greener alternatives: do not fall for the old traps when you can easily find green paint on the market.
Investing in Economic Lighting Solutions
If you have a good budget, investing in a skylight will offer you two great benefits: you’ll be saving on energy costs thanks to the sunrays’ heat and you will have access to natural lighting. If this is not possible, try to buy LED lights or compact fluorescent lights that comply to ENERGY STAR standards. These standards, by the way, should be taken into consideration for your whole property.
