Kitchen remodeling must be something you’re doing at the start of the year. You know, getting rid of the old and making room for the new stuff. But if you want to be more mindful and want to remodel your kitchen in a way that won’t hurt the Earth, then here are some sustainable kitchen remodeling tips you need to keep in mind.
Sustainable Kitchen Remodeling Tips
Water Efficiency Is Key
An eco-friendly kitchen remodel isn’t only about choosing materials that are sustainable (it’s critical, however). It’s also about saving and conserving water as much as you can. Water is a limited resource and if you are not installing fixtures that will use less water and still get all of the work done, then what is the point of an eco-friendly remodel anyway?
So, when installing new fixtures, make sure that they are water conserving, they don’t alter the pressure of water and still operate as normally as any other fixture.
Use Natural Light
Electricity is also a resource that should be used carefully. If you can, try to incorporate more windows in your kitchen, so that you can make use of and take plenty of advantage of nature’s own source of light – the sun.
In this way, you won’t have to install a lot of light fixtures and your kitchen will stay bright and well-lit even if you don’t turn on the lights. Moreover, use LED lights as they are energy efficient and bright and you can find them in any color you want.
Recycle & Reuse
Repurposing is an excellent eco-friendly advice. There are a lot of things in the kitchen that you might think are not useful anymore, but they are, just in another way. If you think that the countertops are losing their touch and they are getting old, then you can turn them into slabs for cabinets by taking off the recyclable part.
If your floors or tiles are getting old, then you can revamp them and use them as a kitchen backsplash. These are just some of the ways by which you can repurpose the things you already have in the kitchen.
Can Something Be Salvaged?
You also might have a lot of things that are just taking up space or are in need of some organizing. So, you want to take note of everything and then figure out what needs to be gone and what can be salvaged. You can have old vases lying around and instead of throwing them away, you can use them as a pot to grow some herbs or even garnish with cilantro and mint.
The point is, before throwing anything away, you want to take all the possible things into account of what you can do with them. If there is absolutely nothing you can do to salvage them, then you have no choice but to throw them away, then do so, but this will make you a lot more mindful when you’re chucking things out.
Make Mindful Additions
Speaking of mindful, you want to add things and features in the kitchen that don’t just make sense, but are also practical and don’t hurt the Earth in any way.
Instead of using fluorescent lighting and gas stoves, use LED lighting and induction cooktops. Similarly, avoid appliances that are not energy star rated, paints and finishes that release VOCs, and plastic products. Discuss your preferences with an expert so you get recommendations on features and additions that serve the purpose and are also sustainable.
Reduce Wastage
You work a lot in the kitchen and one thing that might increase over time is waste. You have vegetable and fruit peels, spoiled foods, and other things, so instead of throwing them away, you can turn this very waste into manure.
This is not only a great way to begin your own gardening journey, but you will also deal with waste in a very sustainable way and in the end, you will enjoy the fruits – and veggies – of your labor.
Say No To Toxic Paints
You want to be mindful of the paint you’re using to paint the walls. Paints can have toxic substances and they can emit very harmful toxins (VOCs), which can not only be harmful to you, but to the atmosphere and the planet in general, too.
So, you want to use water-based, non-toxic paints that don’t emit VOCs, when you’re remodeling your kitchen. This will not only give great results, but you will be mindful of the planet too and it is just something so satisfying that nothing else can top it.
Choose Eco-Friendly Materials
You want to figure out the materials that you’re using in your kitchen remodel and how they can affect your planet. So, you want to choose materials that are eco-friendly, sustainable, and readily available.
Natural stones, wood obtained from trees might sound great and all, but they’re really not all that great, especially when the health of your planet is concerned. Some materials are naturally toxic. They can poison the air, and your health might also be at risk. So, you should avoid them.
Here are some materials that are perfect for your eco-friendly kitchen remodel.
Bamboo
If you love the look of wood, but don’t want to cut down trees for your polished countertops or even cabinets, then don’t worry, because bamboo is here to save the day.
It looks exactly like wood, and it is also obtained naturally, but the thing with bamboo is that it is very fast growing, it is abundant, and cutting it won’t lead to any significant depletion of natural resources, which is amazing.
Glass
Recycled glass is also an amazing option to go for. Glass is a very sophisticated material and if you love the look of glass cabinets or even countertops and you are careful when taking care of them, then these will be a great addition to the kitchen.
Glass is made out of recycled bottles and even broken shards of other glassware, so it’s literally following the cycle of recycling to the T. However, glass is a bit delicate, so you can’t put a lot of weight on it, but if you can take care of it well, then it will literally last forever, which is honestly amazing.
Repurposed Hardwood
This is regular wood, but it has been treated and repurposed in a way that makes it look brand new and it doesn’t allow any further cutting of trees.
If you love wooden countertops and can’t seem to part with them, even though you know that constantly cutting trees down is not exactly the best for your planet, then you don’t have to. You can just go for repurposed or reclaimed wood and that will tick all of the boxes for you. It will look vintage and it will make all of your cabin dreams come true.
Other eco-friendly materials you should consider are:
- Corn
- Linoleum
- Terrazzo
- Recycled metal
- Paper composite
- reclaimed natural stone
Conclusion
Eco-friendly and kitchen remodel is a combination that can work very well. All it takes is proper planning and input from a kitchen remodeling contractor Bowie for a functional, beautiful, and sustainable kitchen.