Have an Eco-friendly Bathroom

One of the easiest rooms in your home to make eco-friendly is your bathroom. Obviously it is not a large room and it’s points of waste are easily recognizable. Often, because it is so easy to make earth friendly changes in your bathroom many people convert this room first. A few simple changes will have your bathroom eco-friendly and still in efficient working order.

Maintain the Drain
Avoiding the use of corrosive chemical drain cleaners is a great way to be environmentally friendly. Of course taking preventative measures is the first place to start in drain management. Use a grated cover over your drains to keep hair and other debris from clogging it up. Additionally as a preventive measure flush your drains weekly to keep them clean. You can use one cup baking soda, mixed with one cup salt, flushed with a container of boiling water. This mixture will keep your drains free flowing and prevent build up. If a clog does occur, rather than using those commercial drain cleaners, opt for a natural cleaner. One fourth cup baking soda poured down the drain, followed by a half cup vinegar does the trick. You will allow the mixture of the two ingredients to foam and then you will flush the drain with boiling water. After a clog remember to utilize your prevention measures to keep the drain running smoothly.

Water
Obviously water is the biggest source of waste in your bathroom. However, the bathroom is one of the easiest rooms in your home to start saving water in. First and foremost you should install a water saving shower head. With the installation of a more efficient shower head you will reduce your water usage by almost half. Taking showers over baths is a must, because baths use twice as much water than a shower if you have an efficient shower head. Next, you should never allow your bathroom sink to run. When using the bathroom sink for brushing your teeth, washing your face etc. turn the water off in between tasks. Lastly, if at all possible convert to a water saving toilet. There is really no need for the amount of water used in older toilet and switching will save a considerable amount. Lastly, make certain all leaks are fixed.

This That and the Other
There are a few other things you can do in your bathroom to make it a more efficient room. Reducing the temperature on your hot water tank to 130 Fahrenheit will keep your water hot enough to kill bacteria, but low enough to save energy. Avoid flushing things down the toilet even if packaging states that the item can be flushed. Flushed trash causes water treatment issues. Additionally, when your in need of a new shower curtain, purchase fabric rather than plastic. Fabric curtains last longer because they can be laundered and they aren’t made of environmentally hazardous chemicals.