Give Your Kitchen an Eco Makeover With These Easy 7 Steps!

It's important to have an eco friendly living space and the kitchen is a great place to start! 

We spend so much time and energy use in the kitchen, so giving your kitchen an eco makeover will actually make a significant difference in your contribution to the environment and your health! 

Here are your 7 easy steps:

Switch to all eco-friendly cleaners and detergents

For dishwashing detergents, switch to ones that are phosphate-free, or make your own solutions using common household items such as lemon juice and baking soda for cleaning the sink and other parts of the kitchen. You can put it in a spray bottle filled with water. Stop by Bayes, as well for our organic cleaning line, including our granite counter top cleaner and conditioner! Making your own eco friendly cleaning supplies or buying them from a supplier is easy to do and well worth the time and investment! 

Audit your units and equipment.

Auditing your units and appliances will not only help you save energy and money - it can also help you get rid of appliances and gadgets that you no longer need. Lean toward products that are made of eco-friendly materials. Support companies that produce kitchenware and products such as cutting boards and food storage containers that are made from totally recycled materials. Cabinets and other kitchen units can also be replaced with more durable ones so they can last longer and can often be found at recycling centers for home improvement.

Go for high energy rating appliances.

If you are considering replacing certain appliances like refrigerators, it is always better to consider the A++-G European Energy Label rating system. Other low energy efficiency rated white goods may be cheaper, but they consume large amounts of electricity. This means that although you save money by purchasing cheap white goods, you’ll end up spending a relatively higher amount in the long run because of high electric consumption. If you don’t want to buy new one, you can either insulate it on the sides or regularly clean the coils at the back so you can keep your refrigerator’s energy consumption to the least amount.

You can also explore other low-energy units such as eco kettles, which boil only the water you need and keep the rest in a tank so it can be used later. It also has the ability to heat water in three different temperatures. So if you need warm water for your herbal tea, you don’t need to waste energy by heating the water to 100°C.

Recondition your oven

Experts suggest the use of convection ovens over conventional ovens. It is due to their ability to circulate the heated air around the food being cooked which takes shorter time and reducing required temperature which tantamount to low energy consumption. On the average, you’ll drop your energy use by about 20%.

Compost and recycle

Another great way to achieve a green kitchen is to make use of a composting and recycling bin. Kitchens can be designed or redesigned in a way that gives it access to a garden compost bin. This way, leftover food can be re-used as fertilizer.

Planning your meals can also help in reducing waste by keeping you from buying food you won’t eat. You can also plan to use leftovers in cooking different food recipes.

Reduce plastic and unnecessary packaging 

Instead of using plastic cling wrap and re-sealable bags to store and cover food, you can use lidded containers. You can also try using reusable plastic containers as long as they are not made of harmful chemicals. In this case, refrain from using plastics labeled with recycling codes 3 – 7 as they are less stable. Rather, consider the use of glass jars instead of plastic containers. Gallon-size jars are also great for storing bulk items. Aside from its reusability, it also won’t allow chemicals to leach into your food.

Use dishtowels instead of paper towels

Try to use cloth towels as much as possible. They are inexpensive, washable, and has less carbon footprint.

Eat more vegetables

Another easy way to make a kitchen more eco-friendly is to try vegetarian food a little more often. Raising livestock has more destructive impact on the environment than putting up a garden with plants and grains. Besides, all the leftover food can be buried in the compost pit you can use for your garden.

Put some plants inside your kitchen

Plants make homes more cozy and inviting. Not only do plants beautify your kitchen, plants also help regulate carbon emissions from your cooking stove. You can also plant culinary herbs in the windowsill!

In the end, what’s more fulfilling than staying in a clean and environmental-friendly space? Achieving this is now totally possible as you can explore several options to go green. Giving your kitchen an eco makeover certainly takes time, effort and investment, but is totally worth it in the end, both for you and the world! Stop by Bayes and join us in our commitment to a healthier, cleaner kitchen!