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If you are looking to make eco-friendly changes to your home, you will be happy to hear that many eco-friendly things you can do around your house are also big money savers. Making eco-friendly changes is a great way to lower your bills and save money on everyday items that you need for your home at the same time.
Here are a few of the best eco-friendly ways you can save money around the house.
Line dry clothes
Line drying your clothes is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Gas or electric dryers use a lot of energy to run, plus they wear your clothes down faster and set-in stains. Using a dryer is like a double hit to the environment!
Line drying your clothing is a great eco-friendly option that lets the sun and wind dry them for you, helping to extend the life of your clothes, remove stains, and reduce your power bill.
Try: Retractable Outdoor Clothesline
Use dryer balls
If you choose to use your dryer, ditch the disposable dryer sheets and give dryer balls a try. This helps reduce static and can drastically shorten your drying time to help reduce energy usage. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil for an eco-friendly alternative to disposable dryer sheets.
Try: Wool Dryer Balls
Ditch disposable items
When you look at the disposable items you use regularly, it is easy to find many things that could be avoided by switching to a reusable option for most families. This can range from changing to dish clothes and un-paper towels to simply ditching disposable tableware and straws when out of the house.
A few of my favorite reusable household items are cloth napkins, reusable facial rounds, and re-usable kitchen towels instead of paper towels. These can all be purchased relatively inexpensively and will last for years! I have cloth napkins we’ve been using for at least five years. When they wear out, I downgrade them to rags and use them for cleaning.
You don’t have to purchase these – you can likely find something you already have to repurpose! Try using old clothes or towels to clean up kitchen spills or cleaning rags.
Try: My favorite re-usable facial rounds (I’ve had mine for years, and they still look fantastic!)
Change your lighting
While most homes have already switched to LED lighting, not all have. If you have some old-style bulbs, consider making the switch for any remaining bulbs. This can lower your power bill and help to reduce your carbon footprint.
During the day, try opening your curtains to let light in instead of turning on the lights. An excellent option for maintaining your privacy is to use vinyl window film, which also acts as an insulator for your window glass.
Try: LED Lightbulbs
Compost
Try making your compost to reduce food and lawn waste from going to the landfill.
This is a great way to help your garden thrive while reducing your carbon footprint and helping to replenish depleted soil. Composting helps to break down chemicals that your food scraps may have been treated with to help reduce unwanted chemicals in the environment as well, making home composting a truly earth-friendly task while saving money on your garden.
High-quality compost can be expensive to purchase, but when you make your own at home, you’re saving lots of money on your home garden.
If you don’t have an outdoor space for compost, fear not! There are plenty (non-stinky) choices for composting indoors.
Try: Learn how to Make Your Compost Pile at Home
Improve your home insulation
A great way to lower your heating and cooling bill is to improve the insulation in your home. This simple change can help reduce your carbon footprint and save you money as you work to make your home more energy-efficient.
Even insulating your water pipes can help reduce power and water usage when you do not have to let the water run as long to come up to temperature when running the hot water.
Try: Thermal Curtains to help insulate the windows
Food preservation
There are lots of ways to preserve food that make an environmental impact. Anytime you avoid throwing food away or consume everything you purchase is a win in my book! But one of the most eco-friendly ways to preserve food is by canning since it doesn’t require any electricity to store it.
Learning to preserve food without a refrigerator or freezer is a great eco-friendly way to save money. Not only are you reducing waste by getting as much as possible from your garden or grocery haul, but you have the pleasure of knowing that you are doing your part to reduce your power usage as well.
Reducing food waste is a great way to save money and do your part for the environment.
Try: Beginners Guide to Preserving Food
Reduce water usage
Reducing your water usage is a great eco-friendly way to lower your water bill. A popular way to do this is to switch your shower head to a low-flow option. These reduce the amount of water but not the pressure, so you shouldn’t notice any difference in how your shower functions.
You can also add aerators to your faucets and reduce your water usage without having to do any extra work.
Please turn off your faucets when you are not using them even for a moment. And use your cooking water to water your plants for another great way to reduce your water usage.
Try: Low Flow Showerhead
Upgrade your appliances
When you need to update an appliance in your home, please make a point of switching to an energy-efficient option that will reduce how much power you need to run it. An energy-efficient air conditioner, refrigerator, and freezer can all make a big difference in your power bill.
Yes, appliances can be an expensive purchase. But if you make sure to choose a high-quality, energy-efficient appliance, it should last for years, and the monthly savings to your electric bill will be worth it.
You can also look for a gently used appliance. Buying used is always a great eco-friendly way to save money and support our mother earth.
Repair instead of replacing
When something breaks, you can save money and keep the item out of the landfill by taking the time to be repaired instead of replacing it.
Our throw-away culture is quick to dispose of things, but it creates crowded landfills and is expensive. Fixing things can often be done quickly as a DIY for much cheaper than the cost of replacing the item, saving you money, and reducing your carbon footprint.
Clothes can be mended, cell phones and computers repaired, and many other household items can be repaired instead of replaced. Think before you throw it in the trash – is this an item that can be repaired or re-purposed?
If you cannot repair something, consider looking for a way to give the item a new use instead of throwing it out.
Try: 50 Ways to Upcycle Old Things
Buy items used
Buying items used from clothing to home furnishings is a great way to save money around your house while helping to reduce waste and keep items out of landfills. When you buy used, you reduce your carbon footprint while saving money.
I’ve taken to purchasing lots of items used, and I love it! It feels like a treasure hunt, and often I end up with higher quality items than I might have purchased new.
Consider purchasing used furniture instead of buying new. I like local consignment stores for used furniture or one of the many online garage sales like Facebook Marketplace.
Kids’ toys and clothes are fabulous to purchase used! They are in excess in the used market. Kids and baby gear, toys, and clothes can all be bought used for very inexpensive. Many cities have kids consignment stores where you can buy (and sell!) gently used kids’ items. I also use online garage sale sites for kids’ items.
Anytime you need to purchase something, consider buying it used instead. Chances are, you can find the item you need gently used and save money in the process.
Try: Offer Up or Facebook Marketplace for everything from kids’ items and furniture to kitchen appliances, vehicles, and everything in between.
Buy Used Clothes
Yes, I know this is super similar to the last item. Still, the fast fashion industry is a huge environmental issue, and how we purchase clothes can make a significant environmental impact.
There are several ways to purchase used clothes, and you can likely find everything you need without ever having to buy new ones.
Check for clothing consignment or used stores near you. I find consignment stores have higher-quality pieces than thrift stores.
Poshmark is another site specifically for used clothing, although they have expanded to include more categories in recent years. It’s similar to a garage sale site since individual sellers post and ship items.
I’ve purchased several items here and have had good experiences. You can find kids’ clothes and men’s clothes and shoes on Poshmark.
My favorite way to purchase used clothing is on ThredUp! They have millions of women’s clothing items, including shoes, bags, jeans, outerwear, swimsuits….basically everything but underwear! They have luxury brands, budget brands, and everything in between. I love purchasing items from Anthropologie on ThredUp, and they’re usually about 75% less than if I bought them new.
Try: ThredUp and get $10 off.
Make your cleaning supplies
Making your cleaning supplies is a great way to reduce your use of harmful chemicals and save money in the process. Did you know chemicals in cleaning products end up in the water supply and soil? Switching to chemical-free cleaners is not only better for you, but it’s better for the environment too.
You can use everyday items already in your pantry (like oranges and vinegar) for great eco-friendly cleaners that save you money every single day.
Try: DIY Natural Cleaning Recipes
Make your Beauty Products
Just like when you take the time to make your cleaning supplies, you can save money and opt for healthier ingredients by making your bath and body products.
From making your lip balm and soap to homemade lotions and body scrubs, you can save money by making your own for a fraction of the cost while reducing plastic packaging and chemical use.
Plus, when you make your products, you get to customize them to your heart’s content! Add your favorite essential oils, skip an ingredient you don’t like, or adapt a recipe for sensitive skin. It’s fun, easy, and inexpensive to make a whole host of beauty products yourself at home.
Try five recipes you can make with ingredients you already have in your pantry.
Final Thoughts
Of course, there are many ways to make your home more eco-friendly, and many of these save money. You don’t need to change everything to make an impact. Start with one single change – choose something from this list that feels doable to you and start with that.
Over time, you may find you’ve made lots of small changes that add up to a more eco-friendly and cost-effective home.
